2013 Volkswagen JETTA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2013 Volkswagen JETTA has 737 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 9.2x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (20% of all complaints), specifically: my vehicle when entering traffic has a delay of 1-2 seconds when trying to accelerate from a stop. when i am trying to get on/off a highway and that delay happens, the traffic has to slow to keep from hitting me as by the time it happens then surges, it is too late to stop. my speed needle was so . ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 17 crash reports 10 injuries

737

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

9.2x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

150 complaints

20%

• MY VEHICLE WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC HAS A DELAY OF 1-2 SECONDS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. WHEN I AM TRYING TO GET ON/OFF A HIGHWAY AND THAT DELAY HAPPENS, THE TRAFFIC HAS TO SLOW TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME AS BY THE TIME IT HAPPENS THEN SURGES, IT IS TOO LATE TO STOP. MY SPEED NEEDLE WAS SO
• WHILE I WAS DRIVING, THE CAR SHUT ITSELF OFF. THERE WERE THREE SEPARATE INCIDENTS. THE DEALERSHIP KEPT THE CAR FOR TWO WEEKS AND RE-PROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER AFTER CONFERRING WITH VW. *TR
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT SENSOR CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE AT RANDOM. THE WARNING SENSOR INDICATED THAT THE AIR BAG WAS TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY WHEN TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION MULTIPLE TIMES AT RANDOM. THE KEY AL

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 4 crashes

“MY VEHICLE WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC HAS A DELAY OF 1-2 SECONDS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. WHEN I AM TRYING TO GET ON/OFF A HIGHWAY AND THAT DELAY HAPPENS, THE TRAFFIC HAS TO SLOW TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME AS BY THE TIME IT HAPPENS THEN SURGES, IT IS TOO LATE TO STOP. MY SPEED NEEDLE WAS SO ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

140 complaints

19%

• WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTS WAGON WITH DIESEL TDI ENGINE AND DSG TRANSMISSION. DRIVING THE CAR HOME FROM THE DEALER THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 110 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE MECHATRONIC UNIT HAS FAILED. THE SYMPTOM OF THE FA
• DSG TRANSMISSION ISSUES: WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC, I COASTED UP TO THE LIGHT WHEN IT WAS MY TURN, THEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR HAD NO POWER. IT CROSSED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AT APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 2 MPH. IT TOOK 5 TO 10 SECONDS FOR THE POWER TO RETURN. IT FELT LIK
• A TWO WEEK OLD 2013 VW JETTA BECAME STUCK IN REVERSE AFTER BEING IN PARK AND THEN I TRIED TO PUT IT IN DRIVE IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF AN EXTREMELY BUSY STREET IN BROOKLYN, NY. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FROM REVERSE AND HAD TO BE TOWED AWAY. I HEARD FROM OTHERS THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT AND I WANT TO KNOW

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

“WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTS WAGON WITH DIESEL TDI ENGINE AND DSG TRANSMISSION. DRIVING THE CAR HOME FROM THE DEALER THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 110 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE MECHATRONIC UNIT HAS FAILED. THE SYMPTOM OF THE FA”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

116 complaints

16%

• BASED UPON MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND OTHER OWNERS COMMENTS FOUND ON THE THE WEB, THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH VARIOUS EXHAUST LEAKS ON LATE MODEL JETTA TDI'S WHICH ALLOWS DANGEROUS DIESEL SULFUR FUMES TO ENTER THE CABIN. *TR
• JETTA HYBRID. LOSS OF TRACTION WHILE ASCENDING STEEP DRIVEWAY. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE EVEN WITH ANOTHER HYBRID. *TR
• WE WERE TRAVELING IN CENTER LANE ON I-75 IN FL DOING 70 MPH. DASH LIGHT INDICATOR SHOWED DOUBLE CIRCLE ERROR LIGHT. ENGINE QUIT AND CAR LOST ALL POWER. COASTED TO BREAKDOWN LANE. *TR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“BASED UPON MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND OTHER OWNERS COMMENTS FOUND ON THE THE WEB, THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH VARIOUS EXHAUST LEAKS ON LATE MODEL JETTA TDI'S WHICH ALLOWS DANGEROUS DIESEL SULFUR FUMES TO ENTER THE CABIN. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

99 complaints

13%

• HORN HAS COMPLETELY GONE OUT, ENTIRE HORN NEEDS REPLACING.
• WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THROUGH HIGHER ELEVATIONS NORTHBOUND ON HWY 101 NORTH OF UKIAH, CA, I HEARD A LOUD BANG. IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER GLASS STARTED RAINING OUT OF THE SUNROOF VISOR VENTS (THANKFULLY IT WAS CLOSED). I DROVE FOR ANOTHER 1/4 MILE OR SO UNTIL THERE WAS
• JETTA HAS ODOR WHEN AC IS TURNED ON. SERVICE DEPARTMENT INDICATES THE CIRCULATORY (C) MUST BE USED AT ALL TIMES. DOES NOT CORRECT ISSUE . FIRST TIME SERVICE DEPARTMENT TCO'D. 2ND TIME BACK TO SHOP, THEY WANTED 150.00 TO REPAIR AFTER 3 MONTHS. THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT. PROBLEM IS ACTUALLY CAUSED BY A

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“HORN HAS COMPLETELY GONE OUT, ENTIRE HORN NEEDS REPLACING.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

44 complaints

• THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER WHILE IN MOTION AND I HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROADWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE TDI (DIESEL) FUEL SYSTEM HAD A COMPLETE FAILURE AND IMPLODED INTO MANY VERY SMALL METAL PARTS. VW IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM, BUT NOT THE ENGINE. I BELIEVE META
• APPROACHED TRAFFIC LIGHT (WHICH WAS RED). WHEN LIGHT CHANGED, ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. NO POWER FOR ABOUT 3 SECONDS, THEN ACCELERATED THROUGH THE LIGHT AND ALL WAS NORMAL. NOW HAVE ABOUT 1500 MILES ON THE CAR AND SIMILAR SITUATIONS HAVE OCCURRED. ESTIMATED THAT WE HAD ABOUT 15 REPEATS OF T
• MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION AND SUBSEQUENTLY STALLED. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL BETWEEN SOME CONSTRUCTION CONES BEFORE IT LOST POWER COMPLETELY. UPON TOWING TO A DEALER, I WAS TOLD THE FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED. VW WARRANTY WILL COVER ALL DAMAGE, BUT IT IS CONSIDERABLE. ALL FUEL INJECTORS

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“THE CAR COMPLETELY LOST POWER WHILE IN MOTION AND I HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROADWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE TDI (DIESEL) FUEL SYSTEM HAD A COMPLETE FAILURE AND IMPLODED INTO MANY VERY SMALL METAL PARTS. VW IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM, BUT NOT THE ENGINE. I BELIEVE META”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 737 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: MY VEHICLE WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC HAS A DELAY OF 1-2 SECONDS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. WHEN I AM TRYING TO GET ON/OFF A HIGHWAY AND THAT DELAY HAPPENS, THE TRAFFIC HAS TO SLOW TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME AS BY THE TIME IT HAPPENS THEN SURGES, IT IS TOO LATE TO STOP. MY SPEED NEEDLE WAS SO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTS WAGON WITH DIESEL TDI ENGINE AND DSG TRANSMISSION. DRIVING THE CAR HOME FROM THE DEALER THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 110 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE MECHATRONIC UNIT HAS FAILED. THE SYMPTOM OF THE FA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: BASED UPON MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND OTHER OWNERS COMMENTS FOUND ON THE THE WEB, THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH VARIOUS EXHAUST LEAKS ON LATE MODEL JETTA TDI'S WHICH ALLOWS DANGEROUS DIESEL SULFUR FUMES TO ENTER THE CABIN. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: HORN HAS COMPLETELY GONE OUT, ENTIRE HORN NEEDS REPLACING.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)