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2003 Volkswagen Golf Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Volkswagen Golf, most often about the air bags (42% of complaints, typically around 51,500 miles). It is 15th of 24 Golf model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.

Complaints26
Recalls2
Crashes reported0
Fires reported7
Injuries reported4

Most common 2003 Volkswagen Golf problems

  1. Air bags

    11 complaints · 42%

    Half of these problems showed up before 51,500 miles. Parts named most often: side/window.

    Tl contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Golf. While attempting to park, the contact noticed that the passenger side air bag suddenly deployed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the air bag needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 22,400.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2009, at 22,400 miles
    I hit a medium size pothole in the road and my passenger side airbags inflated. Dealer says the module says the car was in danger of tipping over and there was no malfunction. My rear tire was damaged as there is a bubble in the sidewall but there was no undercarriage damage and there was no impact.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2003, at 6,245 miles

  2. Seats

    4 complaints · 15%

    Parts named most often: front assembly.

    While driving at 5 MPH consumer smelled smoke. Driver's seat overheated. Consumer parked the vehicle and exited before the seat burst into flames. The fire was extinguished, and no injuries were sustained. Consumer almost had an accident while trying to steer the vehicle to safety.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 20,000 miles
    1) I turned on my heated seats for the first time since last spring. 2) once the seat was on for less than 30 seconds I felt a sharp pain in my buttocks and felt the seat. The seat was very hot and I turned off the heated seat. The heated seat got so hot it melted a piece in the seat. The car smelled like there was a…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 43,000 miles

  3. Electrical

    4 complaints · 15%

    Parts named most often: ignition, wiring.

    Vehicles car alarm continues to go off once the alarm has been set. Tried to deactivate the horn, alarm system, and leave the vehicle unlocked, but it continues to go off for no reason.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 52,000 miles
    Tl contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Golf. While driving approximately 70 MPH on normal road conditions, the brake lights failed. The glow plug warning indicator illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure was related to the wiring…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 118,000 miles

  4. Suspension

    3 complaints · 12%

    Parts named most often: rear.

    Driving late at night, hit pothole that badly dented right front rim, caused passenger side curtain airbags to deploy, filling car with smoke and cutting off ignition. Contacted vw of america to advise them of incident. Will contact insurance, local vw dealer and collision shop for analysis this week.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2014, at 259,795 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2003 Volkswagen Golf recalls

  1. Air bags: inflator module

    NHTSA 18V406000 · June 13, 2018 · 2,564 vehicles

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began may 2, 2019. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69x3.

    Full defect summary

    Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2003 volkswagen passat sedan, jetta, jetta wagon, golf, eurovan, eurovan camper van and eurovan chassis vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

  2. Lights: switch

    NHTSA 07V063000 · February 20, 2007 · 1,002,000 vehicles

    Risk: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.

    Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on april 27, 2007, and will be conducted in several staggered mailings through september 21, 2007. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the VIN number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.

    Full defect summary

    On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

NHTSA defect investigations

Questions about the 2003 Volkswagen Golf

What are the most common problems with the 2003 Volkswagen Golf?
By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (11 complaints, typically around 51,500 miles); seats (4 complaints); electrical (4 complaints).
How many recalls does the 2003 Volkswagen Golf have?
2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 13, 2018 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
Is the 2003 a bad year for the Volkswagen Golf?
It is 15th of 24 Golf model years by number of complaints, with 26 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Volkswagen Golf years

Volkswagen Golf problems by year