2010 Volkswagen JETTA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2010 Volkswagen JETTA has 1184 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 14.8x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is fuel system problems (27% of all complaints), specifically: tl*the contact owns a 2010 vw jetta tdi. the contact was driving approximately 55 mph when the brakes were applied and an unexpected increase of pressure occurred without warning. there was also a noise associated with the fuel movement in the fuel tank. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagn. ⚠️ 9 fire reports filed.

9 fire reports 28 crash reports 9 injuries

1184

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

14.8x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

FUEL SYSTEM

321 complaints

27%

• TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VW JETTA TDI. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE OF PRESSURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS ALSO A NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUEL MOVEMENT IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGN
• WHEN TAKING FOOT OFF BRAKE AND IMMEDIATELY STEPPING HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR THERE WAS A SEVERE HESITATION/LAG BEFORE THE CAR TOOK OFF CROSSING TRAFFIC. ONCE IT KICKED IN IT TOOK OFF BUT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. I NOW WAIT A SECOND OR MORE FOR THE BRAKE SWITCH TO COMMUNICATE TO THE DSG TRANSMISSI
• I'VE HAD 3 AUTOMOBILES SINCE 1986 WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND DON'T RECALL A STALLING PROBLEM LIKE I'M HAVING NOW WITH MY VW 2010 JETTA TDI. IT STARTED WITH A TEST DRIVE AND A NUMBER OF TIMES AFTER PURCHASE. I ASSUMED MY MOTOR SKILLS WOULD ADAPT AND THE PROBLEM WOULD BECOME LESS FREQUENT. HOWEV

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VW JETTA TDI. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE OF PRESSURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS ALSO A NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUEL MOVEMENT IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

235 complaints

20%

• TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTWAGEN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE HORN WAS ENGAGED REPEATEDLY WITH A DELAY RESPONSE TIME. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ANY SPEED BEING TRAVELED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE HORN FUNCTIONED
• TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A MOMENTARY DELAY IN THE VEHICLE HORN RESPONSE. THE DEALER VERIFIED THERE WAS A BRIEF DELAY IN THE HORN RESPONSE BUT WOULD NOT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS. VW CORPORATE INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE HORN WAS DESIGNED WITH TH
• CAR'S HORN TAKES UNUSUAL EFFORT TO HONK, AND THERE IS A ONE SECOND DELAY BETWEEN WHEN THE HORN IS PRESSED AND THE SOUNDING OF THE HORN. FOR INSTANCE, THE WHEN DOING THE CUSTOMARY TWO HONKS TO REMIND SOMEONE NICELY TO GO, THE SOUND ONLY BEGINS WELL AFTER COMPLETION OF THE SECOND PRESS. THIS HAPP

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTWAGEN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE HORN WAS ENGAGED REPEATEDLY WITH A DELAY RESPONSE TIME. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ANY SPEED BEING TRAVELED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE HORN FUNCTIONED”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

189 complaints

16%

• 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE CAR WAS STALLING LIKE IT WANTED TO TAKE OFF, BUT WAS DRAGGING. I WAS TOLD BY DEALER SLIGHT DEFECT PARTS WERE REPLACED. RECENTLY, CAR STOPPED ON ME TWICE WHEN I MADE A COMPLETE STOP AT THE LIGHT. POWER REMAINED ON, BUT I HAD TO RESTART THE CAR. *TR
• TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 25-35 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING FOR THREE SECONDS AND RESUMED. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGE READ NORMALLY DURING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT LEAST TWO TO THREE TIMES A DAY OR GRE
• TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND STALLED AGAIN ON THE SAME DAY. VOLKSWAGEN WAS CONTACTED AND CLAIMED THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY STALLING ISSUES WITH THE 2010 JETTA. THE VEH

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE CAR WAS STALLING LIKE IT WANTED TO TAKE OFF, BUT WAS DRAGGING. I WAS TOLD BY DEALER SLIGHT DEFECT PARTS WERE REPLACED. RECENTLY, CAR STOPPED ON ME TWICE WHEN I MADE A COMPLETE STOP AT THE LIGHT. POWER REMAINED ON, BUT I HAD TO RESTART THE CAR. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

112 complaints

• ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 13, 2009, WHILE TRAVELING UP A HILL ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70-75 MPH, MY 2010 VW JETTA TDI (AUTO. TRANSMISSION) SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING FLASHED A "TRANSMISSION OVERHEAT" WARNING LIGHT AND I IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER TO THE ACCELERATOR. FORTUNATELY, I WAS AB
• I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY 1 WARNING LIGHT: "TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED: STOP! OWNERS MAN," AFTER STOPPING IN FRONT OF MY RESIDENCE TO RETRIEVE MAIL. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN A MONTH I HAVE RECEIVED THE WARNING (REFER TO ODI NO. 10283957 FOR INITIAL INCIDENT). I TURNED VEHICLE OFF AND THEN O
• ON A 2 LANE ROAD ATTEMPTING TO PASS A VEHICLE THERE WAS A SUDDEN JERKING AND BUCKING OF THE CAR. FOR A MOMENT THERE WAS NO POWER TO WHEELS. THE ACTIONS THREW ME FORWARD INTO THE SEATBELT. AFTER A FEW VIOLENT SECONDS IT REGAINED POWER AND I WAS ABLE TO PASS THE OTHER VEHICLE. THERE IS ALSO HARSH DOWN

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 13, 2009, WHILE TRAVELING UP A HILL ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70-75 MPH, MY 2010 VW JETTA TDI (AUTO. TRANSMISSION) SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING FLASHED A "TRANSMISSION OVERHEAT" WARNING LIGHT AND I IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER TO THE ACCELERATOR. FORTUNATELY, I WAS AB”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

69 complaints

• MIL LIGHT, AND GLOW PLUG LIGHT START APPEARING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. CAR LOSES ACCELERATION GOING UP HILLS AND BECOMES DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. IT OCCURS SPORADICALLY. MIL LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR 3 PLUS MONTHS. AUTHORIZED SERVICE GARAGE CANNOT DETERMINE REASONS FOR THESE LIGHTS. CHANGES A FEW COMPONEN
• 2010 JETTA TDI (DIESEL) - AT LESS THAN 3,000 MILES, THE CAR BEGAN STALLING WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP. THIS HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST SIX TIMES. HAVE TO RELEASE FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR AND RE-APPLY IN ORDER TO GET CAR TO MOVE AHEAD; SOMETIMES IT TAKES MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO GET THE CAR TO MOVE
• 2010 VW SPORTWAGON DSG STALLED AT TRAFFIC SIGNAL. HD TO SHIFT INTO PARK AND TURN IGNITION OFF LOCKING STEERING WHEEL, AND THEN BACK ON TO RESTART ENGINE. *TR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“MIL LIGHT, AND GLOW PLUG LIGHT START APPEARING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. CAR LOSES ACCELERATION GOING UP HILLS AND BECOMES DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. IT OCCURS SPORADICALLY. MIL LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR 3 PLUS MONTHS. AUTHORIZED SERVICE GARAGE CANNOT DETERMINE REASONS FOR THESE LIGHTS. CHANGES A FEW COMPONEN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 1184 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
FUEL SYSTEM: TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VW JETTA TDI. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND AN UNEXPECTED INCREASE OF PRESSURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS ALSO A NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUEL MOVEMENT IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTWAGEN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE HORN WAS ENGAGED REPEATEDLY WITH A DELAY RESPONSE TIME. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ANY SPEED BEING TRAVELED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE HORN FUNCTIONED
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE CAR WAS STALLING LIKE IT WANTED TO TAKE OFF, BUT WAS DRAGGING. I WAS TOLD BY DEALER SLIGHT DEFECT PARTS WERE REPLACED. RECENTLY, CAR STOPPED ON ME TWICE WHEN I MADE A COMPLETE STOP AT THE LIGHT. POWER REMAINED ON, BUT I HAD TO RESTART THE CAR. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 13, 2009, WHILE TRAVELING UP A HILL ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70-75 MPH, MY 2010 VW JETTA TDI (AUTO. TRANSMISSION) SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING FLASHED A "TRANSMISSION OVERHEAT" WARNING LIGHT AND I IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER TO THE ACCELERATOR. FORTUNATELY, I WAS AB
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)