Model year 2025 · Compact Cars

2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings

EPA rates the 2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI at 25–27 mpg combined across 2 versions. NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 0 owner complaints for this model year.

Safety recalls

1

EPA combined mpg

25–27

NHTSA overall rating

—

Recall file dated Oct 28, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 28, 2026, 7:36 AM EDT

NHTSA lists this vehicle as GOLF R, GTI.

Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a Volkswagen dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.

2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI recalls

NHTSA's recall file lists 1 safety recall for the 2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI, newest first.

Seat belts: Front: Retractor

NHTSA 25V638000 Reported Sep 24, 2025
Filed by
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. 694T 69UM)
Units affected
1,042 (estimate)
Problem
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 GTI, Golf R, Audi A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, S5, S6 Sportback E-Tron, 2026 Q4 Sportback E-Tron, and Q4 E-Tron vehicles. The torsion bar in one or both front seat belt retractors may have been damaged during production.
Risk
In a crash, a damaged torsion bar in a retractor could fail. If this happens, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace one or both front seat belts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 30, 2025, and October 31, 2025. Owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834 or Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's number for this recall is 69UM; Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 694T. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 26, 2025.

Full recall record on nhtsa.gov

Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.

2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI fuel economy by version

EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination. Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.

2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI EPA fuel economy
VersionEngineTransmissionDriveFuelCity/Hwy/CombFuel cost/yrCO2 g/mi
Golf R2.0L 4-cyl turboAutomatic 7-speedAll-Wheel DrivePremium22/31/25 mpg$3,300349
GTI2.0L 4-cyl turboAutomatic 7-speedFront-Wheel DriveRegular24/32/27 mpg$2,500326

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.

EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.

2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI crash-test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicleOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover riskForward collision warning
2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI 4 DR FWDNot ratedNot ratedNot ratedNot rated—Standard
2025 Volkswagen Golf R 4 DR AWDNot ratedNot ratedNot ratedNot rated—Standard

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.

Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.

2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI owner complaints

NHTSA's complaint files list no owner complaints for the 2025 Volkswagen Golf/GTI received since January 1, 2015.

Had a safety problem with your vehicle? You can report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem.

Other Volkswagen Golf/GTI model years

Volkswagen Golf/GTI by model year
YearCombinedRecallsComplaintsOverall rating
2027 Golf/GTI26–28 mpg———
2026 Golf/GTI25–27 mpg04—
2024 Golf/GTI23–27 mpg241—
2023 Golf/GTI23–28 mpg523—
2022 Golf/GTI23–28 mpg6119—
2021 Golf/GTI26–33 mpg2115/5
2020 Golf/GTI27–32 mpg3145/5
2019 Golf/GTI24–32 mpg · 119 MPGe72785/5
2018 Golf/GTI24–29 mpg · 119 MPGe10755/5
2017 Golf/GTI25–29 mpg · 119 MPGe73005/5
2016 Golf/GTI25–29 mpg · 116 MPGe122195/5
2015 Golf/GTI26–35 mpg · 116 MPGe132935/5

All Volkswagen Golf/GTI years compared · Decode a VIN

Other 2025 Volkswagen models

Sources

  • Recalls: NHTSA recall flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010), dated Oct 28, 2026, plus a live check of api.nhtsa.gov in your browser.
  • Complaints: NHTSA consumer complaint flat files (COMPLAINTS_RECEIVED), counts only — we do not republish complaint text.
  • Crash tests: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API.
  • Fuel economy: FuelEconomy.gov vehicles file (U.S. DOE and EPA), dated Sep 29, 2026.
  • NHTSA, EPA and DOE do not endorse OpenVIN. Vehicle names identify vehicles only; OpenVIN is not affiliated with Volkswagen.