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1997 Volkswagen Golf

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 4 of 7 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Equipment. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Visibility complaints

1 reports
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208,800 miles · Aug 10, 2009
Visibility

I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT BRINGING A FRIEND HOME AND AS I WAS APPROACHING AN OFF RAMP, I FELT SOMETHING BURNING ON MY LEGS. I LOOKED DOWN TO TRY TO SEE WHAT IT WAS AND WHEN I LOOKED UP, MY WINDSHIELD WAS COMPLETELY COVERED IN FOG. THANKFULLY THERE WAS A SHOULDER ON THE EXIT, SO I PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF AND DID SOM…

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I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT BRINGING A FRIEND HOME AND AS I WAS APPROACHING AN OFF RAMP, I FELT SOMETHING BURNING ON MY LEGS. I LOOKED DOWN TO TRY TO SEE WHAT IT WAS AND WHEN I LOOKED UP, MY WINDSHIELD WAS COMPLETELY COVERED IN FOG. THANKFULLY THERE WAS A SHOULDER ON THE EXIT, SO I PULLED OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF AND DID SOME INVESTIGATING. THERE WAS A SMALL STREAM OF COOLANT COMING DOWN FROM BEHIND MY DASH, AND ONTO THE FLOOR. IF THERE HAD BEEN TRAFFIC I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE BUT, I HAD TO CALL ANOTHER FRIEND AND COME GET US AT 12:30AM ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I DID SOME INVESTIGATING ONLINE AND SEARCHED FOR RECALLS, AND I FOUND THAT THE MARK 2 JETTAS AND GOLFS HAD A HEATER CORE RECALL. I DID SOME FURTHER INVESTIGATING AND FOUND OUT THAT THE MARK 2 HEATERCORES AND THE MARK 3 HEATERCORES HAVE THE SAME PART NUMBER - SO WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL FOR THE MARK 3'S? THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE ONLINE AND ON A FORUM CALLED VWVORTEX.COM WHERE THERE IS AT LEAST 40+ REPORTED ISSUES IN THAT SMALL COMMUNITY ALONE. (HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=1593587&PAGE=9). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10279908

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.