Is your car affected?
Check by VIN to confirm the
exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (2)
Exterior lighting: brake lights, switch
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.
Fuel system, diesel
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE HIGH PRESSURE DIESEL PUMPS WERE PRODUCED WITH AN IMPROPER FASTENER, WHICH COULD ALLOW DIESEL FUEL TO ESCAPE FROM THE PUMP.
Risk and remedy
Risk: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY LEAD TO A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DIESEL PUMP. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 8, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
Canadian recalls (3)
Show 3 Canadian recalls
Lights and instruments
2006-05-24 · campaign 2006-122
On certain Golf, GTI, Jetta, Jetta wagon, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, Passat and Passat wagon, the brake lamp switch may malfunction. If this happens, the brake lamps could become inoperative; or could come on and stay on, even though the vehicle is parked. Correction: Dealers will replace the brake lamp switch with a newly revised version. This action includes vehicles previously affected by Transport Canada recall 03-184 and 04-075. The switch installed during this prior repair may not function properly. Note: parts available December 2006.
Seats and restraints
2005-01-19 · campaign 2005-012
Certain vehicles equipped with the comfort seats option may have a seat heater element that can malfunction when the ignition switch is in the "ON" position and the seat heater switch is also "ON". If this happened, the seated occupant may experience excessive heat in this location. The heating mat could damage, or melt a small hole in the seat. If this were to occur, an electrical/melting smell or small amount of smoke would be noticeable. In some cases, the small hole in the seat could damage the seated occupant's clothing. In rare instances, this could lead to a minor or superficial skin injury. Correction: Dealers will modify the driver's seat heater by installing an electrical repair kit and will install a new passenger side seat heater switch.
Fuel system
2004-12-13 · campaign 2004-435
On certain vehicle equipped with TDI-PD (Pumpe-Düse) engines, the high-pressure diesel pumps were produced with improper fasteners. In rare cases, one of these improper fasteners may yield due to repeated cyclic loading and allow diesel fuel to escape from the high-pressure pump. Diesel fuel in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a fire. Additionally, due to the quantity of fuel that may be released, there is a crash risk posed to vehicles traveling behind the subject vehicle. Correction: Dealers will install a replacement diesel pump kit.
Owner complaints (28)
Owners filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Volkswagen Golf/GTI (3 crashes, 1 fires, 1 deaths reported). Among 39 model years of this model, it ranks #17 for the most complaints (median 18).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Engine and engine cooling | 4 | |
| Electrical system | 4 | |
| Air bags | 3 | |
| Power train | 3 | |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | |
| Fuel system, diesel | 2 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2004 Volkswagen Golf/GTI.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2004 Volkswagen Golf/GTI 2-DR. w/SAB | – | – | – | – |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2004 Volkswagen Golf/GTI version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| GTI 1.8 L Manual 5-spd | 21 | 28 | 24 | $3,400 |
| GTI 1.8 L Automatic (S5) | 19 | 27 | 22 | $3,750 |
| GTI 2.8 L Manual 6-spd | 19 | 27 | 22 | $3,750 |
| Golf 1.9 L Manual 5-spd | 32 | 42 | 36 | $2,650 |
| Golf 1.9 L Automatic (S5) | 28 | 39 | 32 | $3,000 |
| Golf 2.0 L Automatic 4-spd | 21 | 28 | 24 | $2,800 |
| Golf 2.0 L Manual 5-spd | 21 | 28 | 24 | $2,800 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.