Reliable Auto DB

2013 Volkswagen Golf reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2013 Volkswagen Golf has 43 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Golf years here — under the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Inflator, Unknown or other, and Frontal.

2012 Volkswagen Golf
Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

43

Per year

5

Recalls

5

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (14 of 43), then Fuel and propulsion system (11) and Air bags (9). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Golf has 48 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2014 has 11 complaints, 0 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Volkswagen Golf. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2019-12-04 · NHTSA campaign 19V862000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Passat, 2011-2014 Golf A6, and 2011-2013 Audi A3 diesel vehicles, thought to have been previously repaired under one of the Takata air bag recalls. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's side air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began December 20, 2019. 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 69R6, 69Q8, 69Q9, and 69Y5.
Recall Unknown or other 2018-05-16 · NHTSA campaign 18V329000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2018-03-06 · NHTSA campaign 18V148000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Q9. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2016-02-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V078000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Recall air bags, frontal 2015-08-04 · NHTSA campaign 15V483000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan, and 2012-2014 Jetta Sportwagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, debris may contaminate the air bag clock spring, a spiral wound, flat cable that keeps the air bag powered while the steering wheel is being turned. This contamination may tear the cable and result in a loss of electrical connection to the driver's frontal air bag.
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover over the steering wheel clock spring if the air bag light is off. If the airbag light is on and the steering wheel clock spring requires replacement, dealers will install a new steering wheel clock spring. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987.

Complaints by component (43 total)

Engine
14
Fuel and propulsion system
11
Air bags
9
Electrical system
7
Service brakes
5
Steering
5
Suspension
4
Diesel fuel system
3
Speed control
3
Exterior lighting
1
Powertrain
1
Structure
1
Tires
1
Wheels
1
Show 6 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

220123201362014420156201672017420181201932020120214202222023
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "i was driving down the freeway on the way to work at 75 mph when all of a sudden my EPC went off in my 2013 volkswagon gti my entire car shut down (manual transmission) i lost all steering ability while on the freeway…"
    Electrical system, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2023-02-10
  • "The low beam headlamp burned out. I replaced the bulb successfully, but then the headlamp needed adjustment to be aimed properly with the new bulb. I found instructions online to aim the headlamp. There are three…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2023-01-04
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Golf. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat overheated and burned the occupant. The burn injuries were minor and there was no medical attention sought. The contact…"
    Electrical system · filed 2022-08-24
  • "The steering wheel clock spring was replaced on my vehicle as part of a recall in May 2016 by a local VW dealer. Within the last month I've received an "Error: Airbag" notification on my dash. My mechanic scanned the…"
    Air bags · filed 2022-06-30
  • "Car shut off while driving on the freeway at a high rate of speed. EPS and Check Engine light came on. Luckily was able to pull over without hurting anyone. Local repair shop said it is the timing chain system."
    Engine · filed 2022-02-04

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Golf 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2950
Golf 2.5L, 5-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 23 33 26 MPG $2500
Golf 2.5L, 5-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 31 26 MPG $2500
Golf 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 29 39 32 MPG $2950
Golf R 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed All-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $3650

Specs and fitment

Mk6 (US), 2012–2014
Body styles Hatchback
Oil VW 502.00 5W-30 or 5W-40 (engine dependent) , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 225/45R17

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 18V329000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Eos, 2012 Passat, 2012-2016 CC, 2015-2016 e-Golf, 2011-2015 Touareg, 2012-2015 and 2017 Tiguan, and 2011-2016 Golf and 2011-2013 GTI vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements. If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury. Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles to make them fully compliant or Volkswagen will repurchase them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Volkswagen Golf Next year 2014 Volkswagen Golf See every Volkswagen Golf model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Volkswagen Golf reliable?

The 2013 Volkswagen Golf has 43 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Golf years here — under the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Inflator, Unknown or other, and Frontal.

What are common problems with a 2013 Volkswagen Golf?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (14 of 43), then Fuel and propulsion system (11) and Air bags (9). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2013 Volkswagen Golf more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Golf has 48 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2014 has 11 complaints, 0 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Volkswagen Golf been recalled?

The 2013 Volkswagen Golf has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Volkswagen Golf?

Owners have filed 43 complaints about the 2013 Volkswagen Golf with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Volkswagen Golf get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Volkswagen Golf is 27.6 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Volkswagen Golf use?

US Golf manuals list the approved VW oil standard and viscosity for your engine in the maintenance chapter.

What generation is the 2018 Volkswagen Golf?

Mk7 (US, 2015-2021).

What tire sizes does a Volkswagen Golf use?

Mk6 US pages often list 225/45R17; Mk7 pages commonly list 225/40R18.