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2010 Volkswagen Golf VI/GTI

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2010 Golf VI/GTI.

Body PASSENGER CAR

The 2010 Volkswagen Golf VI/GTI is a passenger car defined by specific maintenance parameters, utilizing a 4.5-quart engine oil capacity and necessitating 5W-30, 5W-40, or 0W-40 API viscosity oils for proper operation. When evaluating its place in the model's reliability history, researchers will find a profile marked by 69 total owner complaints and 4 official recalls. With the diesel fuel system ranking as the top complaint area, this model year represents a distinct point of caution, meaning any assessment of the platform must account for these concentrated mechanical vulnerabilities.

Model year2011 2010

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.5 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type5W-30 / 5W-40 / 0W-40 APIOEM · verified

Lug nut torque89 ft-lbsOEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 47 · 540 CCA battery, OE oil filter 06J115403Q. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 47 · 540 CCAOEM · verified

Tire sizeP195-65R15OEM · verified

Wheel / rim6-J inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter	06J115403Q
Engine air filter	1K0129620G
Fuel filter	1K0201051K
Spark plug	06H905601A
Battery	000915089BC alt 000915089B
Serpentine belt	06J260849D
Thermostat	06H121113B alt 06H121119E
Cabin air filter	1K1819669 alt 1K0819644B

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	165 in
Overall width	68.5 in
Overall height	56.7 in
Wheelbase	98.8 in
Curb weight	2815 lb
Track (front / rear)	59.4 / 59.1 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	61/39

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.5 qt of 5W-30 / 5W-40 / 0W-40 API engine oil, DOT 4 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 89 ft-lbs. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid	ATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity	6.5-7.5
Brake Fluid	DOT 4
Engine Coolant	USE G012ABG-A1 COOLANT
Engine Oil	5W-30 · 5W-40 · API · 0W-40
Engine Oil Capacity	4.5 qt
Engine Oil	0W-40 · 5W-30 · 5W-40
Engine Oil Capacity	5.8 qt

Engine torques

Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs	11 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	6 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	17 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	6.6 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	18.4 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts

89 ft-lbs

Ignition

Curb Idle Speed (No Load)	720 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (No Load)	80 rpm
Curb Idle Speed (No Load)	730 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (No Load)	50 rpm
Spark Plug Manufacturer	VW
Spark Plug Gap	0.039-0.043 in
Spark Plug Torque	18 ft-lbs
Spark Plug Manufacturer	VW

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R134a
Refrigerant Capacity	1.10-1.21 lbs
Oil Group	PAG
Oil Type	46
Oil Capacity	3.30-4.10 oz
Standard BCI Group Number	47
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	540 cca
Optional BCI Group Number	48

Service checks

Pressure Test	14.5 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief	20-23 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature	188 °F
Fuel Pump Pressure Minimum	58.0 psi
Fuel Pump Pressure Maximum	101.0 psi
Residual Pressure	43.5 psi
Fuel Pump Pressure Minimum	54.0 psi
Fuel Pump Pressure Maximum	61.0 psi

Brakes

Brake Application	WITH FN3
Torque Caliper to Bracket	22 ft-lbs / 26 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle	140 ft-lbs
Brake Application	WITH FN3
Torque Caliper to Bracket	22 ft-lbs / 26 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle	140 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad Thickness	Front: 0.079; Rear: 0.079 in
Brake Application	WITH FN3

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Rear Wheel Hub — tightening sequence 1 stages

148.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90.0

148 ft. lbs

Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs — tightening sequence 1 stages

6 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90

6 ft. lbs

Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages

22 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90

22 ft. lbs

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 5 stages

1	30 ft. lbs.	30 ft. lbs
2	90 degrees.	90 degrees
3	90 degrees.	90 degrees
4	Front bolts	6 ft. lbs
5	90 degrees.; Do not re-use old bolts.	90 degrees

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 5 stages

1	30 ft. lbs.	30 ft. lbs
2	90 degrees.	90 degrees
3	90 degrees.	90 degrees
4	Front bolts	6 ft. lbs
5	90 degrees.; Do not re-use old bolts.	90 degrees

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 4 stages

1	22 ft. lbs.	22 ft. lbs
2	37 ft. lbs.	37 ft. lbs
3	turn 90 degrees	90 degrees
4	turn 90 degrees; Do not re-use old bolts.	90 degrees

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

1	Bolts 1-12	30 ft. lbs
2	90 degrees	90 degrees
3	90 degrees; Bolts 13; 7.3 ft. lbs.; Use new bolts. Do not lube bolts. A 2-3 mm bead of a suitable sealer must be placed on the block at the timing chain area front and back sides. Install head gasket and apply sealer on top of head gasket at the timing chain area rear only.	90 degrees

Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

44 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90

44 ft. lbs

Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

44 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90

44 ft. lbs

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

2 ft. lbs., step 2: 7

2 ft. lbs

Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

4 ft. lbs., step 2: 9 ft. lbs., step 3: 12 ft. lbs., step 4: 18

4 ft. lbs

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

2 ft. lbs., step 2: 7

2 ft. lbs

Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

4 ft. lbs., step 2: 9 ft. lbs., step 3: 12 ft. lbs., step 4: 18

4 ft. lbs

Main Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages

29 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90

29 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 9,300 mi; spark plugs every 40,000 mi.

Every 9,300 mi	Brake Linings (inspect) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate) · Windshield Washer System (inspect)
Every 10,000 mi	Brake Rotor (inspect) · Headlamp Washer Nozzle (inspect) · Headlamp Washer System (inspect fluid level) · Windshield Wiper Blade (inspect)
Every 18,600 mi	Battery (inspect) · Cabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 20,000 mi	Brake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · Brake System (inspect) · Diesel Particulate Filter (inspect) · Fuel Filter (replace) · Suspension Shock or Strut (inspect)
Every 37,500 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Door Hinge (lubricate) · Engine Assembly (leak inspection) · Engine Coolant System (inspect fluid level) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect)
Every 40,000 mi	Drive Axle Assembly (leak inspection) · Instrument Cluster Warning Indicator (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Sunroof Assembly (inspect) · Universal Vehicle Operation (road test)
Every 60,000 mi	Air Intake Hose Debris Screen (clean) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Air Filter Housing (clean)
At 103,000 mi	Timing Belt (replace)
At 120,000 mi	Diesel Particulate Filter (inspect)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2010 Volkswagen Golf VI/GTI lead in one area — the fuel system, diesel, 14 of 69 reports (20%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 4 recall campaigns target the fuel system, diesel, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 3 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the fuel system, diesel pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

1123

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

Owner complaints

3 involved a crash · 0 a fire

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 69 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Fuel System, Diesel14

Air Bags8

Power Train5

Engine & Engine Cooling5

Fuel/Propulsion System4

Service Brakes, Hydraulic,Electronic Stability Control (Esc)2

Electrical System,Engine,Fuel/Propulsion System2

Engine2

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 4 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

16V913000Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited SlipReported 20/12/2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Volkswagen Jetta A5 Sedan, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GTI, Rabbit and Audi A3 vehicles, and 2010 Volkswagen Golf A6… Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. Any module that fails the new diagnostic…

18V148000Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator ModuleReported 06/03/2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Volkswagen CC, 2010-2014 Golf, 2010-2014 Eos, 2007-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon, and 2012-2014 Passat vehicles. Upon deployment of the… Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 16, 2018. Owners…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1123 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
TT 10-18-02_2	2026-06-18	Engine	Lubricating engine components before reassembly.
TT 13-20-01_3	2026-06-18	Engine	Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.
V6919012010479_17	2026-06-11	Air Bags	Inquiries
V1719012012855_81	2026-06-04	Engine	Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards
VOS-26-21	2026-03-27	Engine	This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Golf VI/GTI. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 47 battery Vehicles taking 4.5 qt Engine oil filter 06J115403Q Engine air filter 1K0129620G Fuel filter 1K0201051K Spark plug 06H905601A

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Torque specifications Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2010 Golf VI/GTI take?

4.5 qt of 5W-30 , 5W-40 API, OR 0W-40- MEETING VW SPECIFICATION VW50700, per the factory manual.

Does the 2010 Golf VI/GTI have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.