2019 Volkswagen JETTA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2019 Volkswagen JETTA has 776 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 9.7x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (21% of all complaints), specifically: there is an issue with the torque converter in the 2019 jettas (automatic). when driving in low rpm's, there is a loud grinding sound coming from this area. this affects drive-ability, as you need to drive more aggressively to eliminate the sound. there also are multiple reports of transmission flui. ⚠️ 4 fire reports filed.

4 fire reports 15 crash reports 34 injuries

776

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

9.7x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

161 complaints

21%

• THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE 2019 JETTAS (AUTOMATIC). WHEN DRIVING IN LOW RPM'S, THERE IS A LOUD GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THIS AREA. THIS AFFECTS DRIVE-ABILITY, AS YOU NEED TO DRIVE MORE AGGRESSIVELY TO ELIMINATE THE SOUND. THERE ALSO ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF TRANSMISSION FLUI
• THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN THE 2019 JETTAS (AUTOMATIC). WHEN DRIVING IN LOW RPM'S BETWEEN 25-30MPH, THERE IS A LOUD GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THE CAR. THIS AFFECTS HOW YOU MUST DRIVE. AS SOMEONE ELSE STATED YOU MUST DRIVE MORE AGGRESSIVELY TO ELIMINATE THE SOUND. THERE ARE SEVERAL R
• AFTER PURCHASING MY VEHICLE 2019 JETTA AT THE END OF JUNE, I HAD TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION LEAK FIXED AND THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED FOR A LARGE LEAK. IT TOOK OVER 2 WKS TO GET THE CAR BACK. THEN FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW, THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING ROUGH, NOT ACCELERATING WITHOUT A HUGE DELAY & JERKING. IT'

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

“THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE 2019 JETTAS (AUTOMATIC). WHEN DRIVING IN LOW RPM'S, THERE IS A LOUD GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THIS AREA. THIS AFFECTS DRIVE-ABILITY, AS YOU NEED TO DRIVE MORE AGGRESSIVELY TO ELIMINATE THE SOUND. THERE ALSO ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF TRANSMISSION FLUI”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

150 complaints

19%

• THE VEHICLE SUSPENSION HARNESS SYSTEM WAS DAMAGED BY VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE'S CONTRACTED TOW COMPANY.
• THE CAR SHUT OFF, I LOST CONTROL OF THE POWER STEERING AND THE BREAKS FAILED TO STOP AFTER THE COMPUTER SHUT THE CAR OFF. NOW THEY CALM THE SHIFTER IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS REPLACED AFTER THERE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC CODES FAILED TO DETECT THE PROBLEM THE FIRST 2 TIMES AND A TEST DRIVE WOULD HAVE TOLD T
• MY BRAND NEW VEHICLE HAS BEEN STALLING. ENGINE STRUGGLES TO TURN ON AFTER ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS DOWN. VEHICLE STATES THAT THE AIR TEMPERATURE CONTROL SENSOR IS MALFUNCTIONING AND VEHICLE COMPLETELY STALLS W/O POWER. ENGINE FAILS. ELECTRICAL FAILS.

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

“THE VEHICLE SUSPENSION HARNESS SYSTEM WAS DAMAGED BY VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE'S CONTRACTED TOW COMPANY.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

146 complaints

19%

• 2019 VW JETTA'S GRINDING/RATTLING NOISE FROM THE TORQUE CONVERTER. IT'S DAMAGING THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE AND WORSE IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT CAUSES ACCELERATED HEATING AND FAILURE RATE FOR THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.
• CAR WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW. AFTER 6 WEEKS OF DRIVING AND APPROX 1,200 MILES NOTICED LEAKING OIL IN THE GARAGE. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. TRANSMISSION SEAL NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND IT COULD TAKE 2-3 DAYS DEPENDING ON THE AVAILABILITY OF THE PARTS.
• FIRST, TRUNK OF THE CAR. IT'S UNSAFE AND DOESN'T LOCK UNLESS U OVEREXTEND IT OPEN. I HAVE BEEN HIT IN MY HEAD TWICE BEFORE I LEARNED MY LESSON. SECOND, TRANSMISSION. IT MAKES A GRINDING NOISE WHEN OPERATED AT SLOWER SPEEDS. I AM REACHING 9,500 MILES AND NOISE IS STILL THERE SINCE DAY ONE. THRE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 4 crashes

“2019 VW JETTA'S GRINDING/RATTLING NOISE FROM THE TORQUE CONVERTER. IT'S DAMAGING THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE AND WORSE IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT CAUSES ACCELERATED HEATING AND FAILURE RATE FOR THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

94 complaints

12%

• REAR TRUNK LID DOES NOT REMAIN OPEN RESULTING IN THE LID CRASHING DOWN ON MY HEAD WHEN I'M PUTTING STUFF IN THE TRUNK OR TAKING STUFF OUT OF THE TRUNK.
• TRUNK LID DOES NOT STAY OPEN UNLESS IT IS PUSHED UP ALL THE WAY, MULTIPLE PASSENGERS WHEN USING THE TRUNK IN DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WERE HIT BY THE TRUNK LID. WHEN TRAVELING LOW SPEED ON CRUISE CONTROL VEHICLE SPEED WILL BE LOWERED WHEN GETTING CLOSE TO ANOTHER VEHICLE IN ITS LANE BUT IF THE IMMEDIA
• FORWARD COLLISION ASSIST SYSTEM UNABAILABLE

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

“REAR TRUNK LID DOES NOT REMAIN OPEN RESULTING IN THE LID CRASHING DOWN ON MY HEAD WHEN I'M PUTTING STUFF IN THE TRUNK OR TAKING STUFF OUT OF THE TRUNK.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

29 complaints

• CHECK OIL LEVEL LIGHT/WARNING BELL CAME ON. LET THE CAR COOL, WENT OUT TO CHECK THE OIL WITH THE DIPSTICK, WAS VERY LITTLE OIL IN THERE !WENT TO THE AUTO PARTS STORE , CHECKED IT AGAIN, AND THIS TIME THE OIL WAS BACK. CAR WAS OK FOR 2 DAYS THEN LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN.
• VEHICLE IS RANDOMLY STALLING WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND THE VEHICLE MUST BE RESTARTED. THIS HAPPENS REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS IN GEAR, IF THE CLUTCH IS FULLY PRESSED TO THE FLOOR, OR IF THE VEHICLE IS IN NEUTRAL. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING IS TURNED ON.
• 2019 JETTA LOW OIL WARNING: MY 2019 JETTA FIRST SHOWED LOW OIL WARINGING BEFORE THE 10K MILE SERVICE...AT ABOUT 8K MILES. LINDSAY VW OF DULLES TOLD ME THAT WAS NORMAL AS THE CARS WERE SOMETIMES SHIPPED WITH LESS THAN FULL OIL LEVELS AND THEY COMPLETED THE OIL CHANGE AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. OK. NOW I

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

“CHECK OIL LEVEL LIGHT/WARNING BELL CAME ON. LET THE CAR COOL, WENT OUT TO CHECK THE OIL WITH THE DIPSTICK, WAS VERY LITTLE OIL IN THERE !WENT TO THE AUTO PARTS STORE , CHECKED IT AGAIN, AND THIS TIME THE OIL WAS BACK. CAR WAS OK FOR 2 DAYS THEN LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~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 776 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE 2019 JETTAS (AUTOMATIC). WHEN DRIVING IN LOW RPM'S, THERE IS A LOUD GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THIS AREA. THIS AFFECTS DRIVE-ABILITY, AS YOU NEED TO DRIVE MORE AGGRESSIVELY TO ELIMINATE THE SOUND. THERE ALSO ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF TRANSMISSION FLUI
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: THE VEHICLE SUSPENSION HARNESS SYSTEM WAS DAMAGED BY VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE'S CONTRACTED TOW COMPANY.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: 2019 VW JETTA'S GRINDING/RATTLING NOISE FROM THE TORQUE CONVERTER. IT'S DAMAGING THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE AND WORSE IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT CAUSES ACCELERATED HEATING AND FAILURE RATE FOR THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: REAR TRUNK LID DOES NOT REMAIN OPEN RESULTING IN THE LID CRASHING DOWN ON MY HEAD WHEN I'M PUTTING STUFF IN THE TRUNK OR TAKING STUFF OUT OF THE TRUNK.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)