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Volkswagen GLIYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 12 owner complaints and 2 safety recalls on record for the Volkswagen GLI.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints12Top: Service brakesSafety recalls21990–2021 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Volkswagen GLI years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the GLI median. Tap a year for its full report.

'90'08'09'21
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2021Not rated–/1002 complaints · 1 recall2009Not rated–/1008 complaints · 0 recalls2008Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls1990Not rated–/1001 complaint · 1 recall
Complaints by system

Most common Volkswagen GLI problems

All model years combined: 12 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Service brakes70
Electronic stability control (ESC)60
Electrical system40
Air bags20
Power train10
Steering10
Visibility10
2 recalls

Volkswagen GLI recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

87%Sensing system: camera22V-514 · 2021 · Jul 20, 2022 · 43,091 vehicles–Vehicle speed control92V-131 · 1990 · Sep 15, 1992 · 12,650 vehicles