10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 38,106 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
I was driving on a rainy day on the freeway where my breaks went out on me. I pressed down all of the way and the car wouldn-??t stop. After I let go of the break I then pressed on the break again and they seemed to have locked on me. I ended up using my emergency breaks and was able to get off the freeway and luckily no one was hurt. Soon after they started working again and I was able to get it safely to a near by shop.
- Los Angeles , CA, USA
The car automatically locked its brakes without me even touching the brakes while I was going 60mph and almost lost control. My safety was put at risk because the car locked its brakes without me pushing the breaks, they would not disengage and was stuck in the middle of the road with the brakes not releasing and almost caused an accident. I has happened multiple times but not confirmed by dealer or independent mechanic.The vehicle has been inspected by VW dealer. No warning lights came on the dash.
- La Puente, CA, USA
Transmission shifts hard and told to this is a common problem with the Jetta hybrids.
- Lenexa, KS, USA
On more than one occasion the front left brake seized up. The last time was when I was on a toll road and felt warbling in the tires so I got off on an exit and when I reached the red light the left front brake seized up and the car wouldn't budge. Once the car rested and the brake cooled off I was able to drive it to a safe place and had it towed to the VW dealership who because they couldn't get it to duplicate the issue couldn't tell me what was wrong. It does not happen consistently and I fear to think that if I was doing 55 MPH the car would have caused a horrible accident. In the past when it happened the car would not accelerate over 40 MPH and I could feel the brakes were applying pressure.
- Clermont, FL, USA
The brake system has malfunctioned, and I would be happy for you to inspect it. The brakes come on suddenly when the foot brake is not being applied. The car will not move when this happens, creating a very dangerous situation on the road. I have been stranded in a lane with cars zooming around me. Everyone is at risk. A tech on the VW helpline confirmed the problem with my mechanic and suggested two very expensive fixes which have not resolved the problem. There have been no warning indicators for this problem. It happens randomly and unexpectedly.
- Orlando, FL, USA
The transmissions on the 2013-2016 Jetta Hybrids have an extremely high failure rate. These transmissions fail without warning and leave the car without propulsion and deactivate the regenerative brakes causing the car to behave erratically. VW issued a recall (19V866000) but are claiming owners within those model years with the exact same issues are "not covered". I have experienced this myself and you can find many many many examples on the complaints section of this website. VW issued a recall but is claiming everyones vin is not included.
- Windsor, CT, USA
The ABS lights go on and the speedometer stopped working and all the lights have activated. the abs module has been reported that there is a defect in most of the jettas and so i believe that this should be a recall issue.
- Santa Rosa, TX, USA
The brake did not apply. After the car was parked and was in "R" (reverse), the brake pedal was pressed but the car did not stop.
- East Brunswick, NJ, USA
In the middle of driving on the highway, the car spontaneously shut down electrically, as if a fuse shorted, almost all dashboard lights turned on, the steering wheel locked up, and the brakes went unresponsive, nearly causing a collision. Once the car came to a complete stop, it was turned off in an attempt to regain control. After turning the car back on, the same dashboard lights remained illuminated, and the car wouldn't go more than 40mph, creating another accident risk during the remainder of the drive home.
- Amherst, OH, USA
The mechatronic unit had already had to been replaced previously when the 2nd issue happened I was at the stoplight in the car lost all movement power the ac and all the instruments were also working door locks windows everything I got it towed to the dealership and they say it was the electric motor quoted me nearly $12000
- Lucerne Valley, CA, USA
Hybrid module work shop warning. The car has now power breaks when this happens. The car under performs when the electric drive does not work. No power brakes add to the problems. My car has been repaired 2 times for the same problem. It a drive ability and safety issue. VW has not been helpful with a solution.
- Schenectady, NY, USA
My 18 year was driving the car down a side street when the brake pedal went to the floor and the car wouldn't stop. She was able to avoid hitting anything or anybody by pulling to the side and allowing the car to drift to a stop. The car has approximately 43000 miles and just came out of warranty less than 9 months prior to incident. Car was towed to a VW dealer where it was discovered the master brake cylinder had failed. VW refused to cover the repair which was over $1000. VW insists this is not a chronic problem on their vehicles despite the fact that complaints of exactly this problem are prevalent on the internet.
- Denver, CO, USA
I was driving and my car stayed going at the speed I was driving it would not exhilarate or brake it stayed frozen for a couple of minutes
- Helotes, TX, USA
Brakes do not respond properly
- Hightstown, NJ, USA
My car displays no problems on the dash, there are no lights on but when I am driving the car stalls and sometimes just shuts off locking my brakes and steering. Usually happens when the car is going under 20mph. After it shuts of I have to put it in park to restart and it restarts without a problem.
- Eagle Mountain, UT, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 15 mph, the brakes failed and the contact's vehicle rear ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was not injured and a police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a certified independent mechanic and the body damage was repaired. In addition, when the vehicle was in park or reverse, it would jerk. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000.
- Redondo Beach, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 85 mph, the electrical board became inoperable and the brakes seized. All of the indicators on the instrument panel illuminated. The engine stalled and the vehicle was towed. The dealer stated that the safety pin that was connected to the electrical board was not fully engaged. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.
- New York, NY, USA
I went through some water (not much) andthen when I came to a stop light I stopped the car. After less than a minute of being stopped the car stalled and the battery light came on. The battery is new and I just purchased this car in December 2013 and it is a year model 2013. I have never had any issues until now. I went to turn a corner and the light came back on, car stalled, and steering became very tight. I am not sure what this issue is, but the car is only about a year old (if even that). Very frustrating.
- Longview, TX, USA
Attempted to use my brake pedal and it didn't stop the car. Upon the second or third pump, it did finally engage. This delay in the brake caused me to run a stop sign. I was lucky no one was around.
- Akron, OH, USA
- San Diego, CA, USA