10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
111,459 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.

2008 Volkswagen Jetta electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #34

Jul 122023

Jetta

  • miles

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

Passenger airbag is always off. I saw reports on youtube wiring connectors under the seat are the reason. There-??s a home remedy solution. Important air bag issues should be freely be done by manufacturer or dealer. Also steering issues are more common than reported. The electrical devise fails too often rendering driving the vehicle difficult.

- Rohnert Park, CA, USA

problem #33

Feb 172022

Jetta

  • miles
car go into a safe mode take to dealer they said car is no reparable because the part they need is no longer made by VW and is no a substitution part for it. so basically they talk me to send it to a junk lot or I can buy a new car and they will gime some money for it also at the end they recommend a shop that maybe be they can fixit so I think why "??? ia safety advised for a dealer.???"

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #32

Sep 182020

Jetta

  • 183,219 miles
Just after I purchased the used vehicle from a private party, I was driving on the interstate at approximately 70 miles per hour, when the vehicle without warning slammed into second gear, sending my face into the steering wheel, while the cars travelling behind me had to brake to avoid collision. I pulled over, and turned the car off to assess the reason, to no avail. When I re-started the car and put it in gear, it drove fine until the next time I drove it. Then it did a repeat of the previous action, sending the transmission into safe made without any notice or provocation, and again, when I restarted the vehicle it drove perfectly normal while I drove it directly home. When I performed an obdii scan, it generated P0746 as the problem, with no other problems being reported. I am reporting this problem because the first time it happened, it could have have ended very badly had someone else been behind the wheel, such as a mother who may be distracted by her children at the time, and I feel this matter should be addressed before someone is killed on the highway. Prior experience has taught me that highway accidents seldom only happen to one vehicle at a time, and almost anyone that experiences this problem on a highway could cause serious injury to multiple cars and needs to be addressed.

- Saint Peters, MO, USA

problem #31

Oct 122020

Jetta

  • 170,000 miles

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

Key was stuck in N the ignition in the on position. Could not turn the key either way. After several hours of the car running I was forced to head to my local VW dealership for repair. The cost to replace the inside of the ignition plus labor was $1,000.

- Norco, CA, USA

problem #30

Jun 162020

Jetta

  • 167,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the safety anti-lock warning light illuminated and the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started however, the contact was then unable to turn off the vehicle or remove the key from the ignition. The contact stated that with extra effort she was able to remove the key from the ignition. Suntrup Volkswagen located at 6000 S lindbergh blvd, St. Louis, mo 63123, (314) 892-8200, was contacted and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of failure. The failure mileage was 167,000.

- O Fallon, MO, USA

problem #29

Jun 132020

Jetta

  • 147,000 miles
Could not start vehicle but once able to start was unable to turn off vehicle. Key is stuck in ignition in the on position. Had to disconnect battery and pull fuel pump relay to kill power. Did some research and this seems to be a common and expensive manufacture defect for certain Volkswagen models. Due to the required knowledge and specialized tools needed to repair this issue, VW should have recalled and repaired. This has been an ongoing issue but now unable to drive.

- Farmerville, LA, USA

problem #28

Jul 142019

Jetta

  • 330,800 miles

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

Ignition switch was stuck in the on position with the engine running. The car was stopped and in park in a driveway. But this failure could have easily occurred inside a garage. The car was successfully turned off after breaking the plastic key transmitter and forcing the key with pliers. Others may not have the strength or tools to force this to turn off. I'm concerned that this could occur and the engine not being able to be turn off could start a fire or produce co poisoning in a closed environment. Part failures such as this should fail in a safe mode. This is clearly not a safe failure mode.

- Mequon, WI, USA

problem #27

Dec 232018

Jetta

  • 119,600 miles
I utilized my seat warmer on the driver side and only had the setting on 2 (out of 5). After approximately an hour of my trip home for christmas, I started to feel my lower back (on my right) burn because the seat was excessively hot. When I reached my hand behind my back to feel the seat that is when I discovered the hole in my seat and I burnt my hand in the process.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #26

Aug 152018

Jetta

  • 126,876 miles
Cluster..iinteral wiring clock always resets at 12:00 windshield washer pump stopped working air conditioning pops fuses power supply ports have no power.

- Middletown, NY, USA

problem #25

Apr 202018

Jetta

  • 90,000 miles
The ignition key gets stuck in keylock and you are unable to turn off engine. Went online and there are tons of complaints on forums.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #24

Dec 252015

Jetta

  • 45,000 miles

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

I first started experiencing this problem with the rear passenger door on my VW Jetta in December 2015. The door would not lock using the key remote. I have to manually lock the doors by pushing the key into the driver side door in order to get a beep sound and flashing indicators to confirm that all the doors are locked. I took the car to the VW dealership which cost $480 to fixed one door. About four months after fixing the door, someone broke into the car which I later found out that the driver side rear door lock also failed and wasn't working. The difference this time was, manually using the key would only lock three doors (2 front door and passenger side rear door, which I had fixed prior to the second failure). I took the car to the dealership again and had to pay another $480 to get it fixed. About a months after the second failure, the front passenger side door lock stop working which cost me another $480. Currently, the driver side door lock is not working. I asked the Volkswagen service advisor if Volkswagen is going to or planning on correcting this problem and the answer I got was 'no, it's not a safety issue.' Why do car doors lock automatically while driving" could it somewhat be for safety reason? when one of the door lock fails, the car doors are not locked while driving. This is a well-known problem with most of the Volkswagen models. Does Volkswagen cares? could this be dangerous for a child or adult in the back/front seat of a car driving around with unlock doors" please, please I'm crying for help!

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #23

Sep 122016

Jetta

  • 90,000 miles
While the vehicle was in motion on a highway, the turn signals began to act erratically. Initially only the left turn signaling appeared to be affected, and would fail to make any indication on the dash or illuminate the lights. Shortly after this, attempting to signal a right turn would actually result in the left turn indicator lights illuminating (yes, the opposite of what was intended). As I am one of the individuals dealing with the door control issue, I am unable to use my window. I could not use arm signalling to make my intentions clear to other drivers. It was very difficult to change lanes on the highway. I believe that there was a similar issue, and associated recall, with the 2002 Jetta turn signal indicator/switch.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #22

Jun 082016

Jetta

  • 110,500 miles
I pulled into a gas station and tried to turn off engine to fuel the car. An ignition malfunction would not allow me to turn engine off or remove key from ignition.

- Leona, TX, USA

problem #21

Jan 292016

Jetta

  • 45,000 miles
Rear passenger side door lock inoperable. Lock mechanism failed causing the door to not lock manually or with remote. Also, the alarm system failed to "chirp" when pressing remote. Took to dealer and spent $500 on a lock mechanism in the door. I hear this is very common with this model. Buyer beware.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #20

Oct 142015

Jetta

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the rear passenger side door failed to lock. The door failed to lock manually and with the key fob. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the door lock mechanism was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #19

Jul 212015

Jetta

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that when the vehicle was placed into park, the key would not release from the ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

- E. Amherst, NY, USA

problem #18

Mar 092015

Jetta

  • 116,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who discovered that the front driver and passenger side air bag crash sensors would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, there was a shortage within the electrical circuit. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #17

Oct 012014

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 78,000 miles
Driver side front and rear doors don't lock. There is no option to manually lock it, the electronic ignition has malfunctioned and there is no way to lock these doors. There is risk of the doors flinging open in case of accident especially with a child sitting in the rear seat.

- Rosharon, TX, USA

problem #16

Oct 062014

Jetta 5-cyl

  • miles
Sunroof would open and close at random, had that fixed while under warranty. Now the rear drivers side door will not lock and the alarm will not turn on. This is a safety issue as well as a theft issue and appears its pretty common due to previous VW threads. At $400 repair costs and VW knowing this is an issue, I feel this should be elevated to a recall status and not chargeable to owners. Please help me/us, I cant afford the repair!!!

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #15

Oct 152011

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
In 2011, the right rear door stopped locking. When I would try to lock the door both with the internal lock switch and the fob, the door would not lock. It also would not chirp to let me know that all the doors were locked and the alarm was set. Locking the door with the fob does set the alarm, however you can open the rear door and the alarm goes off. In September of 2014 the left rear door stopped locking as well...it has the exact same issues as the right rear door not locking...however, it is so far somewhat intermittent and sometimes will not open at all!

- Puyallup, WA, USA

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