Volkswagen Jetta
Across 45 model years (1980–2026), the Volkswagen Jetta has 79 NHTSA recall campaigns and 8,185 complaints on file.
The component named most often in complaints is electrical system (151.8 per 1,000 component mentions), followed by power train (117).
The 2009 model year has the most complaints (792). Recall campaigns peaked in 2019 with 5; complaints were received in the largest number in 2014 (614). Within Volkswagen, this line ranks 1 of 43 by total complaints.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Model years
"vs line average" is the model year's complaints as a share of the line's average per model year (100% = average). A campaign covering several model years counts once per year. Model years with one campaign and fewer than 25 complaints are listed but have no page of their own; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record.
Components most reported
Per 1,000 component mentions across all Volkswagen Jetta complaints (11,100 mentions).
Campaigns by year reported
Complaints by year received
Other Volkswagen model lines
- Jetta 170 recalls · 8,185 complaints
- Passat 126 recalls · 6,785 complaints
- Beetle 71 recalls · 2,283 complaints
- Golf 132 recalls · 1,033 complaints
- GTI 83 recalls · 959 complaints
- CC 41 recalls · 882 complaints
- Tiguan 65 recalls · 759 complaints
- Routan 9 recalls · 629 complaints
- Touareg 30 recalls · 502 complaints
- EOS 21 recalls · 342 complaints
- Eurovan 6 recalls · 215 complaints
- New Beetle 10 recalls · 191 complaints
- Cabrio 7 recalls · 186 complaints
- Corrado 16 recalls · 148 complaints
- Atlas 77 recalls · 147 complaints
- Rabbit 48 recalls · 142 complaints
- R32 5 recalls · 125 complaints
- Fox 16 recalls · 81 complaints
- Jetta Hybrid 6 recalls · 59 complaints
- Vanagon 28 recalls · 50 complaints
- Passat Wagon 11 recalls · 49 complaints
- Cabriolet 13 recalls · 44 complaints
- E-Golf 10 recalls · 31 complaints
- Golf Alltrack 4 recalls · 24 complaints
- Golf Sportwagen 20 recalls · 20 complaints
- Scirocco 45 recalls · 16 complaints
- Golf R 20 recalls · 11 complaints
- Beetle Convertible 22 recalls · 7 complaints
- Quantum 6 recalls · 4 complaints
- Camper 12 recalls · 2 complaints
- Dasher 11 recalls · 2 complaints
- Type III 8 recalls · 1 complaints
- Atlas Cross Sport 53 recalls · 0 complaints
- ID.4 42 recalls · 0 complaints
- Type I 16 recalls · 0 complaints
- Type II 14 recalls · 0 complaints
- Karman Ghia 10 recalls · 0 complaints
- Taos 9 recalls · 0 complaints
- Touareg Hybrid 7 recalls · 0 complaints
- Arteon 6 recalls · 0 complaints
- Syncro 6 recalls · 0 complaints
- Thing 3 recalls · 0 complaints
- ID. Buzz 2 recalls · 0 complaints
Questions and answers
Which Volkswagen Jetta model years have the most recalls?
2019 (11), 1988 (7), 2011 (7). Across model years 1980–2026 there are 79 distinct campaigns.
Which Volkswagen Jetta model year has the most complaints?
2009, with 792 of the line's 8,185 complaints. Newer model years have had less time to accumulate reports.
What do owners of the Volkswagen Jetta complain about?
electrical system (151.8 per 1,000 mentions), power train (117 per 1,000 mentions), engine and engine cooling (86.8 per 1,000 mentions). Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint flat files, public domain, dated 24 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, dated 24 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019. Model names are as NHTSA records them; variants such as "Accord" and "Accord Hybrid" are separate lines. See the methodology.