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Volkswagen GTIModel year report

2018 Volkswagen GTI Problems

Complaints
17filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
10,000miles, 13 complaints with mileage
Recalls
31 do-not-drive
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—no overall rating published
EPA fuel economy
28 mpgcombined, 2.0L 4-cyl FWD · 25 city / 33 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2018 Volkswagen GTI (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error

NHTSA recorded 17 consumer complaints for the 2018 Volkswagen GTI. The part named most often is brakes, with 6 complaints (35% of the total), followed by engine (4) and transmission and drivetrain (3). 13 of the complaints include a mileage, and 100% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 10,000 miles. Of all complaints, 2 involved a crash, 2 an injury, 2 a death, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns (1 marked do-not-drive) and 492 technical service bulletins for this model year. Brakes complaints overlap with 1 recall campaign covering the caliper and 19 technical service bulletins filed under the same part. Engine complaints overlap with 67 technical service bulletins filed under the same part.

This model year has fewer than 25 complaints on record, so the numbers below can change a lot with a few new reports.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Example complaints

Brakes: “I have/ had a 2018 Volkswagen golf GTI. At the time of the collision my car had just barely north of 7000 miles on it. I was driving down the road at night and I saw deer about 30-50 yards away. I was going 25-30mph, as soon as I saw the deer I applied the brakes but the pedal felt spongy and the vehicle failed to stop resulting in a collision.”

NHTSA complaint #11184757, filed 2019-03, 7,000 miles

Engine: “When down shifting the transmission shifts roughly. (only in traffic) when down shifting from 3,2,1 the brake pedal for some reason decides to brake harder than supposed to, making the car jerky. ( regular driving and coming up to a stop light. ) automatic transmission and it's the autobahn edition.. Also when the car is idling (cold start) the engine vibrates alot more than normal”

NHTSA complaint #11193984, filed 2019-04, 1,000 miles

Transmission and drivetrain: “An issue exists where the start stop system (s/s) can cause the vehicle to stall at a stop light. At one point, the driver was in stopped in traffic, which caused my s/s to activate, turning off the vehicle's engine. The driver unbuckled his seat belt so he could put something into the glove box, then re buckled his seat belt. Traffic began moving again, so the driver hit the accelerator. The vehicle did not accelerate. There was a notification on the dash stating please start engine manually . …”

NHTSA complaint #11315480, filed 2020-03, 18,000 miles

Electrical system: “Loss of power cylinder 2 missfires loss of cam crank synchronization and lack of cam signal even after replacing both cam sensors it still reads 0 RPM and has became very frustrating”

NHTSA complaint #11229618, filed 2019-07, 10,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

100% of the 13 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 5,000 and 18,000 miles.

46%0–1038%10–2515%25–500%50–750%75–1000%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (13 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 10,000 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

201820196202020252026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2018 Volkswagen GTI version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
GTI FWD2.0L 4-cyl6-speed manual253328$2,400
GTI FWD2.0L 4-cyl6-speed automatic243227$2,500

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2018 Volkswagen GTI → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 492 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 492 bulletins →

Other model years of the Volkswagen GTI

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2024295,2002—27Too new to compareToo new
20236—5—28—Too new
2022289,0006—2851 · TypicalRising
202082603—27—Not enough data
20191794404—27100 · MoreFalling
20181710,0003—28—Falling
20175236,9742—2817 · FewerFalling
20166634,0004—2852 · TypicalFalling
20159749,7506—2864 · TypicalFalling
20141028,3351—27—Not enough data
20133433,0002—275 · FewerFalling
20124050,0002—277 · FewerStable
20115554,0002—2715 · FewerFalling
20105355,0001—2720 · FewerFalling
200916774,0002—2563 · TypicalFalling
20086718,5221—2550 · TypicalFalling
20077731,2001—25Not compared (before 2008)Rising
20064344,7002—24Not compared (before 2008)Falling
2005850,0001—22—Not enough data
2004733,0001—22—Not enough data
20035339,7501—23Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200212415,0002—22Not compared (before 2008)Stable
20017450,0002—22Not compared (before 2008)Rising
20004560,2003—22Not compared (before 2008)Falling
1999893,1202—22—Not enough data
19981059,0000—19—Not enough data
19971056,5000—19—Not enough data
19969109,0001—19—Not enough data
199518121,8172—19—Stable

All Volkswagen GTI model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2018 Volkswagen GTI have?

NHTSA recorded 17 consumer complaints for the 2018 Volkswagen GTI as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2018 Volkswagen GTI is reported most often?

Brakes is named most often, in 6 complaints (35% of the total), followed by engine with 4.

Has the 2018 Volkswagen GTI been recalled?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 of them with a do-not-drive advisory. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2018 Volkswagen GTI get?

The EPA rates the 2018 Volkswagen GTI (GTI, 2.0L 4-cyl) at 28 mpg combined, 25 city and 33 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,400 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2018 Volkswagen GTI reported?

Among the 13 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 10,000 miles and the middle half falls between 5,000 and 18,000 miles; 100% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.