10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
9 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
10 / 0
Average Mileage:
85,812 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #20

Mar 192012

Jetta 5-cyl

  • miles
The indicator light for the passenger seat airbag stays on. This seat is rarely used by a passenger.

- Blackstone, VA, USA

problem #19

May 132010

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 24,406 miles
Bought new VW Jetta sedan on 08/17/06. On 05/13/10 took the car to the dealer because of car decelerating while driving I.e. dropping in seconds from 60 miles to 20 miles. It was taken to the dealer multiple times for the same problem. Dealer answer "unable to replicate problem" until warranty of four years expired. The problem continues even after the carbon accumulated on the throttle was cleaned and the fuel pump was replaced. Due to unsafe to drive, requested for the dealer to buy the car back as a lemon. The dealer refuses because the four yr warranty is over. Other problems experienced with this vehicle during this period: Air bags lights going off, air bag cover falling off, trunk opening on its own while driving, rain water leaking inside the lining of the car, screws coming off a door panel, doors falling off the hinges, emergency switch falling inside panel, fuel cap not locking, recalls. Dealer recommending to replace the steering wheel column for 2,340.

- Colton, CA, USA

problem #18

Feb 162008

Jetta

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the passenger air bag warning light illuminated on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer who advised her that the sensor would need to be replaced. The dealer advised that if the air bags were not replaced, they would not deploy in the event of a crash. The vehicle was repaired but the warning light continued to illuminate intermittently. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

- Dudley, MA, USA

problem #17

Dec 012010

Jetta

  • 117,000 miles
Airbag fault indicator displayed. Fault remained. Brought to dealer. Wiring harness has a known issue under the passenger seat that was repaired. $250.

- Stevens Point, WI, USA

problem #16

Oct 072010

Jetta

  • 51,621 miles
While my daughter going home in 2006 Jetta VW, hit by a car from behind and was dragged into another car in front. All car in accident except ours (Jetta 2006) deployed the airbag. As our car got most hit in front and back non of the airbags was deployed. My daughter was taken to er by metro ems for injuries.

- Prospect, KY, USA

problem #15

Sep 232010

Jetta

  • 96,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta tdi. The contact was driving 25 mph when he applied the brakes and they did not respond. The vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy until after the crash had already occurred. The contact sustained abrasions from the air bag deployment. In addition, the air bags fractured the front windshield. A police report was available. Also, the air bags cracked the windshield. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #14

Jan 252010

Jetta

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving approximately 40 mph the contact crashed into a nearby truck causing the contacts vehicle to roll over, however the air bags did not deploy during or after the crash. The vehicle was destroyed and the contact sustained minor injuries.the VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

- Manchester, MO, USA

problem #13

Jan 052010

Jetta

  • 84,000 miles
The passenger side airbag experiences a computer fault every 3 months or so, needing to be reset. Indicator light for passenger airbag show airbag is not functioning while airbag fault is registering and until reset at dealer. This has happened three times. It costs ~$200 to fix each time. VW now offers a "suggested" software fix that costs $200. The costs of these significant safety issues should be fixed at cost to VW. The dealer says they have seen many cars with this issue and hopes a recall will be issued" shouldn't there be a law requiring dealers to report trends they see"

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #12

Jun 092008

Jetta

  • 80,000 miles
The car airbag light illuminates randomly. Dealer indicates system must be reset for a charge of $80 each time. Dealer refuses to repair problem under warranty. Air bags may not deploy in an accident.

- Randleman, NC, USA

problem #11

Jun 302009

Jetta 5-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that both of the air bag lights illuminated on the dashboard and the middle console. The dealer stated that the passenger occupancy module produced a faulty code, which indicated that the seat, sensor pad, and module needed to be removed. Through research, the contact discovered that numerous other consumers were experiencing the same failure. He believes that this is a manufacturer defect that should be recalled. The air bags would not deploy in the event of a crash. The failure mileage was 74,000 and current mileage was 75,000. Updated 08/28/09. The dealer told the consumer there was a low voltage signal sent from the battery that caused a malfunction in the passenger air bag module. Updated 08/31/09.

- Greenfield, IN, USA

problem #10

Jul 042009

Jetta

  • 57,155 miles
Air bag default- to many times since I purchased my vehicle back in September of 2006. I have taken my car in 6 times on 11/06, 1/07, 9/08, 10/08, 12/08 and 7/09. 5 times to VW of hayward and 1 time to modesto VW. I feel my life is always at risk not knowing if my airbags will work if I am in a car accident.

- Patterson, CA, USA

problem #9

Mar 032009

Jetta

  • 52,000 miles
Nothing specifically happened leading up to the event but at around 52000 miles. The passenger airbag on/off indicator would no longer show that anyone was sitting in the passenger seat. The orange/yellow airbag light also has been illuminated constantly since then. I had the dealer run diagnostics in it to determine the error code. Initially they said that it was a faulty connector in the wiring, but that was discovered to not actually be the cause. Upon further inspection it was determined to be a faulty weight sensor in the passenger seat. Be agreed to cover the labor on it at first when it was thought to be a faulty wiring connector but when it was found to be the weight sensor they have not returned the dealers calls.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #8

Jun 222008

Jetta

  • 71,000 miles
I have a 2006 VW Jetta tdi with approximately 70,000 miles on it. This auto was purchased to be used primarily as a commuter car for my wife and I. last week we suddenly started seeing the dashboard warning "air bag fault". upon taking it to the local vwoa dealership to have this investigated we were informed that there was a vwoa technical bulletin (that evidently had been out for some time) which indicated that some connector(s) located under the driver's seat that are related to the air bag system would need to be replaced. This is not a maintenance item nor anything that we could have caused but vwoa is indicating that due to the auto not being within the warranty (4 year and/or 50,000 miles as we've been told) that we will now have to pay approximately $400 to have this repaired. We were further informed by the vwoa service that without this repair the airbag system was considered to be in an "unstable state" and could potentially not activate the airbag when needed or possibly activate at an inappropriate time. The VW dealer also said that vwoa considers this to be so unsafe that they issue a free rental and require the repair to be made before releasing the auto again....but only if you're under warranty. Vwoa did manage to come through with some "good will assistance" (their words) by providing $200 towards the repair. This airbag issue has been a known issue with the 2006 VW Jetta (maybe other years as well I'm not sure) for some time. Vwoa indicates that this issue is not a major concern and is therefore no recall has been issued. I have read several complaints on NHTSA and other sites that seem to indicate that this is a larger issue than vwoa states. I think a recall should be issued due to the obvious safety concerns involved with the airbag system. Hopefully there will be before any injuries and/or fatalities occur.

- Wentzville, MO, USA

problem #7

Mar 282008

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 66,000 miles
This is the second time the seatbelt light has come on and stayed on. The first time vwoa repaired wiring under my seat at 49,000 miles. The light is now on again, less than one year later and they will not repair it under warranty because I have more than 12,000 mile since repair. This is a problem that should be covered regardless of time. Safety is the priority and if vwoa has a safety defect they need to stand behind it.

- Ada, MI, USA

problem #6

Oct 052006

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • Manual transmission
  • 8,000 miles
After 3 months of driving my new Jetta, the airbag light turn on and stayed on. I took it to the dealer and they fixed it. Over the next year the airbag light came on 6 times. Once it turned on before I even left the dealerships parking lot. And yes the lemon law applies in this case. I love my Jetta but vwoa service record sucks.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #5

Jun 172007

Jetta Diesel

  • Manual transmission
  • 26,000 miles
Airbag light keeps coming on with an intermittent airbag fault. 3rd time for the repair. This has been a continual problem since July 2006. Only 3 months after purchase.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #4

Mar 092007

Jetta 5-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,488 miles
Wife stated that when she hit brakes it was hard to stop car, did not slow, rear ended a SUV at about 30 mph which pushed front end up to windshield above bumper, pushed engine into firewall. She incurred major seat belt bruising with no air bag deployment. After inspection the insurance company found that two sensors had been distorted along with cracked engine mounts and bent cradle. They totaled the car due in part to no air bag deployment, T and felt that the car would be unsafe after repairs. After contacting Volkswagen, they said that air bag deployment should not have happened. But what if my wife had jumped into the car and forgot to put the seat belt on she would have gone through the windshield. I feel that this is a major safety defect since most accidents would over ride the bumper due to low bumper height. Volkswagen does not seem to think this is a problem from the pictures I sent them and our talk on the phone.

- New Lenox, IL, USA

problem #3

Jan 072007

Jetta Diesel

  • Manual transmission
  • 2,000 miles
The manufacturer of my vehicle and the dealer have informed me that my Volkswagen tdi's wiring harness was crushed due to a foreign object underneath the seat. Although I am contesting that the object is mine, I do think it is of concern that the wiring harness is not secured or protected in any way, and any objects that slide underneath the seat may crush this harness and may possibly render the airbag system useless.

- Andover, KS, USA

problem #2

Feb 282006

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1 miles
The 'passenger air bag off' light remains illuminated at all times, with no passenger in the seat. This is not problematic in the daytime but, at night, it is a serious safety hazard because of the distraction of a very bright orange light glaring at the driver. If the system is operating normally, whether it's on or off, there should not be a warning light. Having that bright orange light illuminated all the time, at night, is not safe.

- Longwood, FL, USA

problem #1

Aug 082005

Jetta 5-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 3,000 miles
I am continuing to have a problem on my new model 2005 Jetta. The airbag light has been on 3 times since August 2005. I am in the process of applying to the lemon law program in ct. I have spoke to the att generals office and this falls under the safety category and feels I should follow through with this. I am frustrated and concerned not knowing for sure if the airbag has been fixed or not since this past week was the third attempt of them fixing the problem.

- Bristol, CT, USA