1.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
114,820 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems

engine problem

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2006 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #39

Jul 032023

Jetta

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

So it appears to be fine until about 30/45 mins drive time Then it starts shifting/slamming real hard and hesitates to shift in the next gear To the point where stopping and going isn-??t an option or it slips After about 45 mins all the prnds lights turned on and did the same in manual mode.. I read someone it-??s a valve body that leads to a faulty Tranny I-??ve read almost 150 of the same exact accounts on here and Reddit With the same 2006 Vw Jetta 2.5 It-??s too common of an issue Most of them were under 100k miles and never dealt with by the manufacturer Myself my car has roughly 168k miles and I-??ve been working to fix it up I just got it a month or so ago And now I have to deal with this Honestly is sad that VW hasn-??t been held accountable for an issue that is WAY TOO COMMON to not be their fault. I understand the car is almost 20 years old but a bunch of these accounts i were reading dated as far back as 2009 with 86k miles it-??s a shame..

- Vernon, FL, USA

problem #38

Nov 012022

Jetta

  • miles
The windshield wiper broke the window, brakes need replaced to soon, fuel system car has trouble fueling and after fueling and engine over heating due to engine cooling malfunction. None of these have been repaired yet it shows 0 unprepared recalls.

- New Chicago, IN, USA

problem #37

Jan 012020

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
There are some mounting brackets, suspension brackets, nuts and bolts associated to the operation of the vehicle that have broke more than once please contact me and I will give U further detail.[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)..

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #36

Nov 122016

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 276,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle has a long history of the throttle becoming inoperative resulting in no-power (idle power strictly speaking) conditions. That condition is cleared when the clutch pedal is depressed and released. Recently there was an instance of uncommanded acceleration: Instead of no power, full power was applied by the engine. Again cycling the clutch cleared the condition. The no-power cases appeared more likely in urban driving and soon after a transmission shift but did occur under almost any conditions. The full-power case occurred once, climbing a hill at ~2800' altitude. The power fail occurred as early as 34K miles, and continued with VW's knowledge until ~72K miles, when VW of America technicians finally did something to end it. Those symptoms started recurring at ~270K miles. The acceleration incident occurred at about 275K miles. The vehicle has been taken out of service; it will be sent to a salvage yard if the ntsb is not interested in the vehicle.

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

problem #35

Nov 062016

Jetta

  • 155,000 miles
Key gets stuck in ignition when turning off the engine.

- El Dorado Hills, CA, USA

problem #34

Aug 302016

Jetta

  • 191,000 miles
My car has some shifting problems when in motion.my car has a jerking motion that it does when going into gears and when slowing down its rough going down gears.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

problem #33

Aug 192016

Jetta

  • 175,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My camshaft and lifters went bad and were replaced in 2015. It was just around 100,000 miles. Then I found out today that they were bad again. My understanding from the mechanic is that this is a common problem, and looking at the Volkswagen tdi forum, that year is particularly bad. This camshaft failure caused a loss of power on the interstate during a heavy traffic time, both times. First incident was on I-240 in asheville midday. Second time was travelling West on I-40 near morganton, nc in evening traffic. Loss of power, smoking. I could barely get off the exit. I was lucky not to have impeded traffic, both times.

- Asheville, NC, USA

problem #32

Jul 062015

Jetta

  • 180,000 miles
While driving on the interstate July of 2015, going about 70 mph, my 2006 VW Jetta shook and lost all power. No check engine lights or any lights at that matter came on. Prior to this I would notice that taking off sometimes the turbo wouldnt kick in and I would have absolutely no power while getting up to speed. This also happened on the freeway and once off of the freeway I turned the car off and then on and was like nothing happened. After I lost all power the second incident, I took it into the shop and was told that 2 cylinders were completely destroyed. Had to spend 2400 dollars to have a new motor put in and now the thing is having problems again. Battery light keeps coming on and off within a second and there is a loud ticking noise while idling. Sounds like a loud vacuum in the engine compartment while driving it. No check engine lights or temperature gauge increases are present. While researching recalls I noticed there were some for the year of my Jetta so wanted to see what is going on.

- Cottage Grove, OR, USA

problem #31

Jul 042016

Jetta

  • 232,094 miles
I have two major saftey problems that could have ended in a fatality.first my transmission went out without a warning while I was on the interstate going 75 mph and a 18 wheeler was behind me the car dropt down to 40 mph and I almost got rearended by the semi.I had the transmission rebuild.second thing I pulled out of burgerking and the car has no power and about got tboned and theres no check engine light on.

- Jonesborough, TN, USA

problem #30

Jun 152011

Jetta

  • 100,000 miles
Originally, the turbo would lose boost and the engine would lose power. After some time, particularly during wet weather, the car will suddenly vibrate, jolt, and then the engine warning chime sounds. The tachometer drops to zero, the oil pressure light comes on, the stability control shuts off, the glow plug lights flash, rear window defroster will not work, cruise control wont work, and if the car is shut off it will not restart. This is particularly dangerous during snow or rain, as the car loses traction control during weather in which it is most important to have. Also, if the car dies and is on the shoulder of the road, during rain or snow, there is poor visibility and it increases the risk of someone hitting the disabled car. I have seen many mentions of this same effect happening on other 2006 tdi models, and it seems to be a recurring issue with this particular model and engine type. The root cause appears to be an electrical harness that runs in the engine compartment chafing over time, which happens outside of the warranty period, but causes significant safety concerns with its failure mode.

- Bordentown, NJ, USA

problem #29

Nov 272015

Jetta

  • 160,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Camshaft failure due to excessive wear on a vehicle with 160,000 miles despite using VW recommended $505.01 specification oil and regular maintenance. Engine developed a rattling noise at highway speed, decreased performance, excessive black smoke coming out of tail pipe, and $1500 repair bill. Dual mass transmission flywheel failure on a vehicle with 120,000 miles resulted in rattling noise in the transmission, vibration of the whole vehicle and $1200 repair bill. Both of these issues are widespread. Multiple owners of this year/make/model have experienced these exact same issues due to poor quality parts originally installed by the manufacturer. Manufacturer should recall the affected vehicles and fix these issues due to them being widespread. There are numerous discussions on public forums of these issues as well.

- Cedar Hill, TX, USA

problem #28

Dec 132011

Jetta

  • miles
About 4 years ago, I took my Jetta to the Volkswagen dealer in regard to front airbags recall. The light would not go off. They repaired it, but after a year the light came back on and stayed on. When I call the dealer, I was told I would have to pay for an inspection of the car before they can determine if it is defective or not. It seems to me they did not fix the problem and I should not have to pay for it. Also my horn want off, one day, and the only way I was able to stop it, was to pull the fuse out. When I put the fuse back, the horn would not work. Nothing wrong with the fuse.. my yellow engine light keep coming on, especially when I use my A/C and there is a very strange smell in the car. I only have 55000 miles on this car. And to top it all, while driving the car, I got a icon lighting up in regard to my coolant. The little black tube that connects to the reservoir had slipped off and all the antifreeze fell out of it onto the engine. Owning a Volkswagen is a real nightmare, had Honda before, put over 130000 miles on it and never had any problem.will definitely never buy Volkswagen again and will not recommend it. To anyone

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #27

Aug 032009

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
I purchased this 2006 VW Jetta tdi 1.9 turbo diesel new in 2006. After only 50K miles, VW dealership stated the turbo charger went bad and the warranty was initially refused stating it was improper oil used. This was disproved with receipts and still charged $500 of a $2300 bill. A few years later now in 2014, the vehicle was taken in for normal service and the next week, engine light came on. The same thing happened and VW states the turbo went bad and are generally only good for 50K miles. After sharing my anger about this, it fell upon def ears. I purchased another turbo out of California, due to not trusting VW any longer. This new turbo was installed and did not come with the wastegate module for it which is required for it to work. I soon discovered the wastegate was bad and neither of the turbochargers were bad, however I had to purchase twice the entire turbos system for this one $35 part that is sold on other Jetta models with manual wastegate but not this one. VW refuses to sell this part and requires the whole system to be purchased. This is corrupt and dishonest and preys on the consumers. Now I am in this position again. Great car other than this issue. Its ridiculous.. its the same analogy of breaking a spark plug and having to buy a new motor to fix your car!

- Tomball, TX, USA

problem #26

May 212012

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 53,207 miles
Went to start car was misfiring check engine light came on towed to a shop the told me my timing chain jumped and it was 2500 dollars to fix.

- Eastnorthport, NY, USA

problem #25

Nov 032014

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 73,000 miles
Was getting head aches when driving the car and sitting in traffic or at a stop light. Smelled a sulfur like smell from the engine compartment. Could hear loud blowing sounds on acceleration. Dealership found an exhaust leak in the back of the diesel motor from the egr cooler assembly. The engine was blowing soot in to the engine compartment and it could be heard and smelled through the firewall. This is a diesel so the exhaust contains carcinogenic chemicals. Diesel exhaust contains a number of potentially toxicologically relevant organic compounds according to the epa that have human health hazards associated with exposure. The egr cooler is not covered under the 8 year 80K federal exhaust emission warranty even though it is a mandated part of the exhaust system as part of the exhaust gas recirculation system. A shaft going through the wall of the egr cooler connecting to a butterfly valve used to divert the exhaust gases in to the cooler has a faulty seal that will fail and allow the exhaust gas to exit the exhaust in to the engine compartment and get in to the passenger compartment. This is not only an epa violation but a health hazard to every VW tdi owner or passenger. To repair the according to the dealership, the egr cooler has to be replaced at a cost to the owner of $1000. VW customer care will not stand behind the product but did realize the issue and offer replacement in the first 2 years or 24K miles. Most issues occur at 70K to 120K miles because of a poorly designed part.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #24

Dec 012014

Jetta

  • 75,000 miles
This car had a defective camshaft and lifters. Dealer refuses to repair under warranty 2 years ago, now its getting worst and I don't have the money to repair it.

- Encino, CA, USA

problem #23

Sep 152014

Jetta

  • 120,000 miles
Driving along the road and coolant suddenly flushed out of car. Water pump had to be replaced along with timing belt. Oil leaks in multiple places are starting to appear. I wondered why I was going through so much oil. Mechanic alerted me to the poor design and build and told me to check of open recalls and similar problems.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #22

Sep 092014

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 89,569 miles
Currently experiencing a problem with the body valve in the transmission on my Jetta. There was an extended warranty for this part that ended in 2012. I am experiencing this problem with my car now and it is a safety hazard. My car shifts so hard between 1st and 4th gear and will have a significant lag time between acceleration which during traffic, can cause numerous problems. VW won't offer any reimbursement to pay for this to be fixed because it is outside of the warranty however I think it is ridiculous when they know there was an issue with the part in the first place. So now I am stuck paying another $1,500 repair bill for this car in addition to all other repairs I have paid for. I know I am not the only one now experiencing this problem after the end date as I have called numerous body shops and dealerships who have shared that there have been multiple others with the same problem.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #21

Aug 032014

Jetta

  • 180,000 miles
TL * the contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving approximately 40 mph, the mounts snapped that secured the engine and transmission. As a result, the engine and transmission detached from the vehicle. The vehicle stalled and was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who stated that the transmission and front driver side axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

- Frostburg , MD, USA

problem #20

May 172014

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 137,000 miles
I was driving home from a short trip(<5 miles) when my car completely stopped going on a busy street. I was unable to move the car out of the way on coming traffic. I heard a loud pop prior to its losing power. I called a tow truck who tried to jump car but the engine would not turn over. I took it to the mechanic who had sold the car to me and I was told that one of the pistons had ruptured the engine block. They had no explanation about why this had happened. The car had been serviced( oil change, valve repair, timing belt replacement, water pump replacement) about 500 miles before.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

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