The Lemon Index

All cars · Volkswagen Golf · 2020

2020 Volkswagen Golf. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index34100 = average car
Complaints9NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold25,693U.S. model year
Per 100K sold35complaints
Year rank#2 of 19#1 = fewest complaints

Engines and drivetrains 4

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
1.4L 4-cyl turboAuto (S8)FWD29 / 35 / 32Regular$1,950
1.4L 4-cyl turboManual 6-spdFWD28 / 36 / 31Regular$2,000
2.0L 4-cyl turboManual 6-spdFWD24 / 32 / 27Regular$2,300
2.0L 4-cyl turboAuto (AM-S7)FWD24 / 32 / 27Regular$2,300

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 200 and 3,000 miles. Median 300, from 8 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Engine56%
Transmission & drivetrain22%
Electrical22%
Body structure11%
Stability control11%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
1400000

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 3

  • 24V110000 Feb 2024 Fuel System, Gasoline

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.

    Risk. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

    Remedy. Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previ

  • 23V604000 Aug 2023 Electrical System / Ignition / Switch

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf Sportwagen, 2019-2020 Golf GTI, and Jetta vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch. The ignition switch may fail, especially in high temperature environments.

    Risk. Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 1, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H7.

  • 22V815000 Oct 2022 Tires / Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

    Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

    Risk. An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi’s customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.

NHTSA investigations

StatusSubjectOpenedClosed
ClosedFuel leak due to suction jet pump failure within fuel tank (remedy effectiveness of recall 16v647)20232024

Manufacturer communications 496

Volkswagen filed 496 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Under certain conditions, the engine may stall at very low speeds (such as while the vehicle…
  • Customer states MIL-on with P0133 No Crank/No Start with P06EF and/or P06E9 Customer states…
  • Customer states MIL-on with P0496 Customer states oil leak from the engine Customer states oil…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Volkswagen Golf 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆
Volkswagen Golf GTI 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardStandardOptional

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
201716912368,978Engine
2018874542,271Brakes
201960123737,393Engine
202034925,693Engine

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated

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