2003 Volkswagen Golf
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 2003 Volkswagen Golf. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
6 recalls name the 2003 Volkswagen Golf. Newest first.
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.
Risk and remedy
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.
Remedy
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.
The Gates Corporation (Gates) is recalling certain aftermarket Tru-Flow Water Pumps, part number TFW 41127, sold at certain NAPA Auto Parts and/or installed by automotive service technicians after November 1, 2013 (and manufactured August 2013 through October 2013) that have a black-colored pulley/sprocket or do not have 'US9377' stamped on the water pump…
Risk and remedy
Risk
A failure of the timing belt may cause the engine to shut down, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Gates will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump, free of charge. The recall began during May 2014. Owners may contact The Gates Corporation at 1-303-744-1911.
Dope, inc. IS recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. these headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. the safety recall began on july 28, 2009. owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.
Sabersport IS recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. these headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. the safety recall began on may 11, 2009. owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
Certain cardone master cylinders with part numbers 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987mza, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, and 11-3156, and with date codes lower than dca7078 sold as replacement equipment for use on the vehicles listed above. the seal on master cylinder can fail and leak brake fluid.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Loss of brake fluid can result in poor braking performance, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Cardone will notify owners and offer to repurchase any defective master cylinders. the recall began during april 2007. owners can contact cardone at 1-800-777-4780.
On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.
Risk and remedy
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.
Remedy
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.
Owner complaints
26 complaints7 involved a fire4 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Unknown or other
The car just started on fire while I was driving and nearly killed me and my boyfriend lucky someone was honking and flagging down and when we tried stopping the car wouldn't brake and we had to jump out when it was still rolling. We were bout to get on the high way lucky someone stopped us be we did so.
- Air bags · Unknown or other
The airbag control module has failed and needs to be replaced. without it, there IS no guarantee that the airbags will function properly, if at all, in the event of an accident. volkswagen refuses to even help with the over $1,000.00 repair cost. (the airbag warning light came on, so the vehicle was taken in for diagnostics.)
- Air bags
My son was parking his car at a state park and driving less than 2 miles a hour when the passenger airbags deployed. Several people heard the loud sound and ran over to see if anyone was hurt. His girlfriend's arm became red, with a rash and swollen. The seat and headliner are now damaged, and it…
My son was parking his car at a state park and driving less than 2 miles a hour when the passenger airbags deployed. Several people heard the loud sound and ran over to see if anyone was hurt. His girlfriend's arm became red, with a rash and swollen. The seat and headliner are now damaged, and it would cost more to replace the airbags, seat and headliner than the car IS worth. the insurance co will not cover the cost because there was no accident. now, he will need to purchase another vehicle. There have been at least 107 reported complaints regarding airbags for 2001-2003 VW golf and jetta. If my son had been driving on a main road or highway, this incident could have caused an accident. there should be a recall on the airbags before someone gets seriously hurt, if that hasn't already occurred.
- Electrical system · Power train
I had the hatch open on my golf and started to smell an electrical fire. I seen smoke coming from the cargo light and when I opened the taillight access panel there was a small fire that I immediatley put out. Thankfully I caught it in time and didn't close the hatch and walk away. It could have been much worse. I have pictures I can send upon request.
- Air bags · Seat belts
Ditto on the "nhtsa ID number: 10252376". my 2003 base model golf's airbags were turned off (airbag light on), and the issue was one of the 3 sensors in the driver's seatbelt latch stopped working. it's been many years ago (i bought it new), and I don't remember what year that was, but I did…
Ditto on the "nhtsa ID number: 10252376". my 2003 base model golf's airbags were turned off (airbag light on), and the issue was one of the 3 sensors in the driver's seatbelt latch stopped working. it's been many years ago (i bought it new), and I don't remember what year that was, but I did contact VW on this, and believe I also sent an e-mail to both nhtsa & iihs on this. this IS an inexcusable design (gm IS having a similar issue with its ignition switch & airbags being turned off). the seatbelt latch was replaced, and has been working fine for years now. it currently has 167,000+ miles on it. it does have some positives. The front brakes have never been replaced, and didn't have to replace the rear brakes until 90,000. the clutch has never been replaced, and still works good (even with a ton of stop-n-go traffic). there should be a legal requirement that all of the airbags are always on, no matter what, when the vehicle IS moving, whether or not the ignition IS on, the seatbelts are latch, etc. also, there should be a legal requirement that all rear turn signal lights must be bright orange, not red. this IS a safety issue. A bright orange light stands out as a turn signal, whereas a blinking red light could be the driver tapping on the brakes. Not easy to tell when you can only see one corner of a vehicle. *tr
- Air bags · Suspension · Wheels
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. *tr
- Electrical system
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen golf. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed that the air conditioner, windshield wipers and headlights became inoperable, as well as the turn signals. The contact performed repairs to the vehicle himself and replaced the ignition switch. The…
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen golf. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed that the air conditioner, windshield wipers and headlights became inoperable, as well as the turn signals. The contact performed repairs to the vehicle himself and replaced the ignition switch. The contact detected the ignition connector housing had overheated which caused the plastic to melt. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000. updated 09/27/11*lj updated 2/23/12 *cn
- Air bags
Tl*the 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.
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Engine overheated due to water pump failure, requiring water pump replacement. plastic impeller degraded and failed. use of plastic for impeller IS a design flaw in the water pump otherwise made of aluminum, and should be recalled and replaced by VW under warranty. *Tr
- Air bags
2003 VW golf gl-i bought new & am the only driver of it. and just over 80,000 miles, the airbag warning light came on. I had to drive it around for over a couple of weeks before any of the VW dealerships would schedule me an appointment to spend a couple of minutes to connect their hand-held…
2003 VW golf gl-i bought new & am the only driver of it. and just over 80,000 miles, the airbag warning light came on. I had to drive it around for over a couple of weeks before any of the VW dealerships would schedule me an appointment to spend a couple of minutes to connect their hand-held diagnostic tool to find out what the exact cause of turning on this light was. (I went to 3 separate dealerships in 3 different cities.) it turned out to be a defective seatbelt latch sensor. even though the seatbelt light turned off indicating it was latched, the same latch also determines independently on whether or not to enable the airbags. I just had this part replaced today-12/20/08-at a cost of over $430. I found out that when the latch "thinks" the seatbelt IS not connected, that it disables all of the 6 airbags, making the car that I thought I had at least most of the airbags still functioning, completely airbag-less. this IS a severe safety issue, by vw's manufacture design to turn off all airbags based on a seatbelt latch, not a malfunctioning airbag. if the latch IS giving valid feed back to turn off the seatbelt light, then there IS no reason to have a separate contact in this latch for the airbags that disables all of the airbags. safety parts like airbags should also be required to have the extended manufacturer's warranty like the seatbelts themselves & the emission equipment like the catalytic converter, which IS around 150000 miles, isn't it? this IS an extremely poor & dangerous design, to turn off all airbags even though there IS nothing wrong with them. by the time the airbag light comes on to when owners can get it serviced, the owners unknowingly are driving in an unsafe vehicle that had its working airbags completely turned off because of a seatbelt latch switch that was working well enough to tell the seatbelt light on the dashboard to turn off. this alone should be enough to keep all of the working airbags functioning. *Tr
- Electrical system › Wiring
Tl*the 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…
Tl*the 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 circuit in the brake system. the technician ordered the parts for the repair. the vehicle has not yet been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 118,000. updated 1/6/09 *cn the consumer stated there were wiring bundles that pass from the body into the rear hatch for the center brake light, windshield wiper and electrical locks. The wires bend whenever the hatch IS opened or closed. The opening and closing of the hatch, caused the wiring to crack and eventually led to a short of a fuse. Updated 01/14/09.*jb
- Seats
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…
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 fire in it, like wires burning. I pulled over to make sure the car wasn't on fire. 3) the heated seat had been recalled by VW and was fixed in 2005. this was the "fixed" part that burnt. I took the car to the dealership where the car was purchased and the recall was fixed before. after taking my car to the shop they said that the seat literally flamed up and needed to be replaced as it wasn't safe. they stated that I still needed to pay 25% of the labor and parts because the recall had expired and the "fixed" part was no longer under warranty. VW paid for 65% and the dealership paid 10%. *Tr
- Fuel system, other › Fuel injection system
My 2003 volkswagen golf tdi was taken to aplleway volkswagen in spokane, washington for a 40K service and a check for loss of power. the loss of power was traced to a plugged intake system, caused by the egr valve sending exhaust back though the intake. the car's warranty was still valid and the dealership refused to honor the warranty. *tr
- Electrical system › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control module
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. *Jb
- Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch · Exterior lighting › Headlights
Recently I had the same problem regarding the brake lights saying on after I turned off my 2003 volkswagen golf and they continued to stay on. I first experienced the right front headlight going out, then the left front light went out and I had to drive home with the high beams on. We replaced the…
Recently I had the same problem regarding the brake lights saying on after I turned off my 2003 volkswagen golf and they continued to stay on. I first experienced the right front headlight going out, then the left front light went out and I had to drive home with the high beams on. We replaced the headlights but the right front still would not work. I then had the problem of the brake lights. I had to disconnect the battery for fear of draining the battery or having an electrical fire. I had the car repaired. I continue to have electrical problems. I do not know if the car had similar problems because I bought the car used. *jb
- Air bags › Side/window
Dt: the contact stated while driving at 40 mph the driver's side curtain and seat airbag deployed with no collision. this happened where a side street meets a main street. he went to the emergency room and was suffering from frequent headaches and hearing loss in left ear. he has to see a…
Dt: the contact stated while driving at 40 mph the driver's side curtain and seat airbag deployed with no collision. this happened where a side street meets a main street. he went to the emergency room and was suffering from frequent headaches and hearing loss in left ear. he has to see a specialist for the hearing loss. the rear passenger's hand was pinched between the window and airbag. This caused swelling in his hand. the insurance company stated it was a manufacturing defect. no corrections have been made at this time. *ak
- Air bags › Side/window
Consumer stated when touching the curb with the tires driver's side airbag deployed inadvertently.*ak pe04081.*po...ak
- Seats › Front assembly › Seat heater/cooler
Drivers seat heater shorted out, burning a hoe in seat and drivers trousers.*ak
- Seats › Front assembly › Seat heater/cooler
Driver's side seat heater caught on fire burning consumer's leg. Manufacturer was notified.*ak
- Seats › Front assembly › Seat heater/cooler
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.*ak consumer almost had an accident while trying to steer the vehicle to safety. *tc
- Suspension › Rear › Axle › Spindle
Consumer noticed that passenger's rear tire was bent. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the rear axle needed to be replaced. *Ak *la
- Power train › Clutch assembly › Pedal/hand lever(motorcycle)
Clutch pedal sticks. As a result the vehicle won't shift gears. *ak
- Air bags › Side/window
While proceeding from a light and making a right hand turn at about 25 mph consumer hit a bump, and air bags deployed.*ak
- Suspension
While traveling on the highway and without prior warning vehicle will veer off to the left or right. *Ak
- Air bags › Side/window
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. *jb
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Engine stalling
By letter received on june 24, 2005, mr. Ronald m. Strickland of raleigh, nc, submitted a petition requesting that the agency investigate the performance of the ignition coil plugs on model year (my) 2000-2003 volkswagen jetta, golf and passat sedans.the petitioner alleges that he had experienced multiple stalling…
By letter received on june 24, 2005, mr. Ronald m. Strickland of raleigh, nc, submitted a petition requesting that the agency investigate the performance of the ignition coil plugs on model year (my) 2000-2003 volkswagen jetta, golf and passat sedans.the petitioner alleges that he had experienced multiple stalling events as a result of one or more ignition coil plugs malfunctioning on his 2002 VW jetta sedan.as a result of the engine stalling, the petitioner experienced a loss of power steering and increased braking efforts when he pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road to control the vehicle.after a few minutes parked on the shoulder he was able to restart the vehicle although the engine operated at reduced power.vw issued a customer satisfaction campaign (csc) on january 31, 2003 to instruct their dealerships to inspect the vehicles for any malfunctioning ignition coil packs and to replace them at no cost to the consumer.consumers were notified to bring their vehicles to their dealerships via owner letters mailed out on june 6, 2003.while VW initially instructed the dealerships to only replace the malfunctioning ignition coil packs, a revised csc was issued to dealerships in december 2003 and january 2004, instructing dealerships to replace all ignition coil packs regardless of their performance.a reminder to the dealerships was sent by VW on april of 2004.although the concerns of the petitioner could theoretically create a safety problem, the risk IS very small, due to the engine still running on either 3, 5, or 7 cylinders.there are no reported crashes or injuries due to the alleged defect.once drivers are aware of the problem (loss of power due to one of the ignition coil packs malfunctioning), drivers are able to take precautionary and compensatory measures and still maintain control of their vehicles.in addition, four fires were reported to odi.these were ignition coil burnouts with no additional damage to the vehicle and were localized on top of the engine. During the last 24 months the number of stall and drivability complaints reported to odi has greatly diminished from a peak of 195 in january of 2003 to only 3 in august of 2005.this coincides with the csc released by vw.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
- Inadvertent side-airbag deployment
The subject vehicles are equipped with side-thorax and side-head curtain airbags to protect the front and rear outboard occupants in a side-impact crash.this investigation identified a total of 499 reports (482 owners reports and 17 warranty claims).the crash sensing system?s algorithm may recognize certain non-crash…
The subject vehicles are equipped with side-thorax and side-head curtain airbags to protect the front and rear outboard occupants in a side-impact crash.this investigation identified a total of 499 reports (482 owners reports and 17 warranty claims).the crash sensing system?s algorithm may recognize certain non-crash impacts (wheel, tire and undercarriage impacts) as deployable events.the 97 alleged injuries were minor in nature and consist of abrasions, bruises, ear ringing and headaches.there was no alleged loss of control crash as a result of side-airbag deployment.odi also obtained counts of alleged inadvertent side-airbag deployments from peer manufacturers.the data shows that the subject vehicles are not unique in being subject to such allegations.the complaint rate for non-subject individual model vehicles varies widely.the rate for the subject vehicles IS comparable to three peer models, each with compact chassis/wheelbases.odi has not identified any component failure or manufacturing trend that may relate to a component or manufacturing issue.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10253215Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253214Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253213Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10252204Air Conditioning Does not Operate
- 10243059VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243034VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243015VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243011VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243002VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242996VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242399VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242397VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242375VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242372VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242353VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242349VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242340VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10241709Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241708Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241707Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241706Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241705Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241704Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241340Engine Oils Which Meet Volkswagen Oil Quality Standard VW 502 00/505 00/505 01 and VW 504 00/507 00
- 10241339Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241335Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241333Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241311Gasoline Quality
- 10241310Software Version Management
- 10241266Squeaks, Rattles, Noise, Repair Materials
- 10241265Fuel Additive to Help Prevent Sporadic Misfire Faults
- 10241177Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
- 10240605P0102, P1128, P1296 - WA front oxygen sensor faults
- 10239831Battery, Testing and Charging Using Midtronics VAS6161, MCR340V, InCharge 940, or GRX3000 Charger
- 10239789To detect which line(s) is inoperative, utilize a volt meter to check for 0 V, which will be present after the open in the grid line. The check must be performed with the engine running and heated rear window switched on. Switch OFF the ignition and visually locate the damage. Proceed with checking any other lines as necessary. Once the damaged line is identified, repair utilizing the Repair kit by Permatex ITEM 09117.
- 10239592Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239591Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239590Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239541Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.Only)
- 10239534HVAC, Unpleasant Odor
Every Volkswagen Golf model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.