Problem Lookup âș Volkswagen âș Golf R âș 2019
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2019 Volkswagen Golf R problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 2safety recalls
- 6owner complaints
- 1crash report
- 0fire reports
- 0injuries reported
6 complaints, against an average of 41 for the other 9 Volkswagen Golf R model years.
Every Volkswagen Golf R model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R?
The components named most often in the 6 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
Has the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R been recalled?
2 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Tires: Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 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.
Fix: 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.
Unknown Or Other Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Touareg GP, Tiguan, Golf A6, E-Golf GP, CCF, 2016-2017 Passat GP, 2018-2019 Golf R GP, and 2018 Atlas vehicles. These internal-use vehicles were sold without confirmation that they were built to all applicable regulatory requirements and may have been modified prior to sale. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of various Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Risk: Vehicles that do not meet all regulatory requirements may have an increased risk of injury, crash, or fire.
Fix: Volkswagen will repurchase the vehicles. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01F1.
What do 2019 Volkswagen Golf R owners report?
6 of the 6 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
While turning (right hand turn) slowly into parking space, vehicle engine unexpectedly reved and accelerated causing vehicle to jump curb and strike fixed object (tree). Foot was not/not on the accelerator but rather on brake yet acceleration was so rapid vehicle could not be stopped prior to striking curb and fixed object. Filing HHTSA report due to research indicating similar incidents of unanticipated rapid acceleration at slow speeds for VW Golf models.
Design defect - impossible to disable active cruise control, and use regular/traditional cruise control. If adaptive cruise control sensor becomes dirty, it does not work, and thereâs no option to use regular cruise control. This is a design flaw which VW rectified with new (2021+) models. VW should offer a software update to correct this defect, to allow a driver to toggle between ACC and traditional cruise control.
The issue was the key fob was not detected. I put my bag in the front seat of the car and shut the door, I then put my 19month old son in her car seat and shut the door. When I shut the rear car door the hazard lights flashed as if the car had locked. I went to the driver door and tried to open the car door and it wouldnât open. Despite the key being in the car (with batteries I never had any notices about a low battery) my son was now locked in the car. Luckily the fire department responded quickly, the key worked fine upon recovery but it took front start to end 30mins for my son to get outâŠ
During annual state inspection on 7/8/22, tech found that the right rear wheel (19" VW Pretoria Gloss Black Alloy Wheels) was bent on both the inside and outside. Unsafe to drive. Wheel had to be replaced. Do not recall hitting any pothole or road hazard that might have caused this damage to the wheel. Apparently, other owners of this model car have also experienced bent rims. This may be a manufacturing defect or a design flaw, in that the wheels cannot withstand the forces transmitted from stock low profile tires (235/35ZR-19).
THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE VEHICLE'S FUSE SYSTEM. THE GOLF R CAME WITH NO SPARE TIRE BUT AN AIR PUMP, WHICH NEEDS TO BE POWERED BY THE 12V DC POWER OF THE VEHICLE. BUT WHEN I USE THIS ORIGINAL AIR PUMP, THE FUSE OF THE 12V DC POWER BURNS OUT. THIS HAPPENED FOR SEVERAL TIMES SINCE I HAD THE CAR IN OCTOBER, 2019. THE DEALER CAN ONLY GIVE ME NEW FUSE TO REPLACE THE BROKEN ONE. MANY GOLF R'S OWNERS MET THIS SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I THINK THERE IS SOME ISSUES WITH THEIR FUSE SYSTEM DESIGN.
FOUR TIMES OVER THE LAST WEEK WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH STRAIGHT DOWN A RESIDENTIAL ROAD, I EXPERIENCED AN UNEXPECTED ENGAGEMENT OF THE FRONT COLLISION WARNING, AND ONE OF THOSE FOUR TIMES, 4 DAYS AGO, I ADDITIONALLY EXPERIENCED AN UNEXPECTED ENGAGEMENT OF THE FRONT ASSIST EMERGENCY BRAKING WHICH CAUSED ME ALARM, AS THE SPEED DROPPED DRAMATICALLY FROM 35 MPH TO 20 MPH, AND I HAD TO BE SURE NO CARS WERE BEHIND ME TO CAUSE A REAR-END COLLISION. IN NONE OF THESE SITUATIONS WERE THERE ANY HAZARDS ON THE ROAD TO AVOID: CARS, PEDESTRIANS, OBJECTS. IN ALL OF THESE SITUATIONS, CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED ATâŠ
Volkswagen guides on CarHooq
2019 Volkswagen Golf R: questions owners ask
Is the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 6 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R; the most common categories were forward collision avoidance (2, 33.3%), back over prevention (1, 16.7%), electrical system (1, 16.7%). There are 2 safety recalls. 1 complaint mentions a crash.
What are the most common problems with the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R?
Across 6 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are forward collision avoidance (33.3% of complaints), back over prevention (16.7% of complaints), electrical system (16.7% of complaints), electronic stability control (esc) (16.7% of complaints), service brakes (16.7% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2019 Volkswagen Golf R; the most recent (campaign 22V815000, 2022-10-31) concerns Tires: Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check your own Golf R
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2019 only.