What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Volkswagen Jetta problems by year
Owners have filed 7,861 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volkswagen Jetta across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2009 for fuel system, diesel complaints, 2010 for electrical system complaints and 2002 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1993, 1990 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 2009, 2010, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 1993, 1990, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 78611990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2009792 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 385276 fires · 491 injuries · 14 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 56kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 179Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 1 | 7 | Engine and cooling (7) | |
| 31 | 2 | 7 | Visibility (7) | |
| 30 | 4 | 4 | Speed control and throttle (8) | |
| 17 | 0 | 6 | Latches and locks (5) | |
| 117 | 7 | 7 | Equipment and infotainment (26) | |
| 220 | 21 | 6 | Electrical system (45) | |
| 31 | 2 | 2 | Visibility (13) | |
| 54 | 3 | 2 | Electrical system (17) | |
| 191 | 11 | 3 | Visibility (42) | |
| 349 | 33 | 7 | Visibility (81) | |
| 436 | 27 | 5 | Engine and cooling (121) | |
| 666 | 39 | 7 | Electrical system (116) | |
| 701 | 31 | 7 | Electrical system (148) | |
| 449 | 25 | 4 | Seats (100) | |
| 228 | 15 | 5 | Engine and cooling (37) | |
| 233 | 5 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (82) | |
| 560 | 15 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (240) | |
| 183 | 9 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (38) | |
| 163 | 4 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (49) | |
| 792 | 29 | 7 | Fuel System, Diesel (195) | |
| 784 | 21 | 5 | Electrical system (212) | |
| 488 | 20 | 10 | Electrical system (135) | |
| 388 | 20 | 8 | Electrical system (104) | |
| 289 | 9 | 6 | Electrical system (87) | |
| 201 | 14 | 5 | Electrical system (54) | |
| 86 | 3 | 8 | Engine (21) | |
| 45 | 8 | 5 | Brakes (14) | |
| 31 | 6 | 7 | Electrical system (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 3 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 74 | 1 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (42) |
What fails on the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Diesel | 25% |
195 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 17% |
133 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 15% |
116 | 11 | Shop brakes parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 13% |
99 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
89 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 11% |
84 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 9% |
73 | 8 | Shop stability control parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 9% |
72 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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My make and model fall within the paramaters of the vw recall 37e3/s7, nhsta 09v333000 and vwoa is refussing my claim. My vehicle has shown the documented problems for over 100,000 miles. My vehicle goes into neutral suddenly several times a day.
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Random misfire permanent cylinder v and after the start of effects on the automatic transmission heard tuba and some of the development
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This is a followup on my NHTSA complaint with odi 10660489. I would like to bring to your attention the NHTSA campaign id number 04v584000 which precisely describes the same problem i have encountered with my jetta. Please note that my jetta is also a 2002 model as noted in the above campaign.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Volkswagen Jetta years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2009, 2010, 2002 carry the most filings on the Volkswagen Jetta. The 2009 alone has 792 complaints, led by fuel system, diesel.
What is the most common Volkswagen Jetta problem?
On the 2009 model year, the most-reported component is fuel system, diesel with 195 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Jetta problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volkswagen Jetta complaints that include mileage is about 56,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.