10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
8,239 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.

2009 Volkswagen Jetta transmission problems

transmission problem

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2009 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #64

Jul 112011

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 86,000 miles

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

2009 Volkswagen Jetta tdi at 53,000 miles my radiator went out due to a design flaw were a clamp rubbed a hole in the radiator. VW would not cover under factory warranty, at 68,000 miles the alignment went out in the automobile, and finnally at 72,000 miles I noticed my transmission making a hard shift and a delay shift when taking off, I inquired about it twice at the dealer ship and was advise nothing was wrong. Then at 94,000 miles I started hearing a loud noise from my motor it is the dual mass cluch flywheel has gone out. The dealership wants $3000 to fix. I called VW of America, the vp I talked to, said just because the part was recalled in australia and Canada it doesn't mean anything to them.

- Dothan, AL, USA

problem #63

Jul 212011

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 25,000 miles
Dsg transmission is getting more frequent with the hard shifting/surging both forward and reverse and occurs usually when slowing down and then letting go of the brake upon a green light. Sometimes the car will roll back if on a slight incline when letting go of the brake. VW dealership says that the dsg is a very "active" transmission and it is normal. I was told this on two separate occasions and going to bring my car in again until the problem is fixed.

- North York, 00, USA

problem #62

Apr 202011

Jetta

  • 84,600 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta sportwagen. The manufacturer was contacted in regards to an unrelated issue when the contact was told to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for repairs under NHTSA campaign id number: 09V333000 (power train:automatic transmission). The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the vehicle was outside of the mileage range of the recall and would not be repaired under the terms of the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 84,600.

- Hobe Sound, FL, USA

problem #61

Apr 182011

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 54,000 miles

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

Transmission slips or fails to engage in reverse.

- Encino, CA, USA

problem #60

Jan 272011

Jetta

  • 40,800 miles
Vehicle transmission would not engage needed to turn engine off and back on before it would move check engine light would come on and than off on the day before I took it in for service it happened everytime I started the car that day vehicle is now at dealer and they told me they needed tech support from VW and it would be until next week before any thing was done.

- Delmar, NY, USA

problem #59

Jan 032011

Jetta 5-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2009 Volkswagen Jetta. Consumer writes in regards to transmission problems the consumer stated as she applied the accelerator pedal, the RPM would spike and the engine would rev, but the vehicle didn't have any power as if the gear slipped into neutral when trying to accelerate. The dealer informed the consumer there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The consumer stated there are two open recalls, but her vehicle identification was not included.

- Perry, IA, USA

problem #58

Mar 072010

Jetta

  • 17,000 miles

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

I was driving my 2009 VW Jetta wolfsburg edition on the interstate at 65mph when suddenly the car loses power and shuts off. I happened to be in the passing lane and luckily was not struck from behind. This same situation has since occurred 10-15 times. My wife and I are hoping a new car will issued to us as we just can't risk the lives of our family. This car shouldn't be on the road anymore....it has been to the dealership 3X with no resolution.

- Palmyra, PA, USA

problem #57

Jul 032010

Jetta

  • miles
I own a 2009 Jetta tdi with a dsg transmission. I feel like I am going to get hit when I start from a stop. The transmission jumps and hesitates. It has been to the dealer with out being fixed. It is terrifying to drive a car that may or my not accelerate which also jumps in and out of gear!

- Mississauga, 00, USA

problem #56

May 202010

Jetta

  • 4,000 miles
Car shifts into neutral while driving, engine revs and car will not accelerate. When engine goes to idle, transmission will sometimes engage. Problem started at 4000 miles (now 37000) multiple calls to VW and trips to VW service with zero results. No fault codes, no repair. Last call to VW customer service I was told by the rep. Buy a new transmission and see whether the problem is resolved. This automobile was troublesome from the beginning with hard shifting and slamming into first gear. I also have a 2006 tdi with zero problems.

- Parkton, MD, USA

problem #55

Aug 252010

Jetta

  • 23,000 miles
Driving a 2009 Jetta tdi - there seems to be a transmission issue with the car where the car will constantly jerk forward when stopping at a red light or starting acceleration from the light. At times, acceleration or braking on the freeway causes the car to 'shudder'. also, 3 times in the last 4 months, the car has stalled when trying to accelerate from a red light, and the clutch does not 'grab' the gear soon enough. Stalling requires me to then place the car in park, turn the ignition completely off, and then restart the engine before I can continue driving. Taking the car to the dealership multiple times has not yielded any findings, with the VW dealership telling me that the problems do not exist and they are not able to duplicate any issues, and that all parts of the car are up to specifications. The car is currently under 25000 miles, and was bought brand new from the dealer. Continuous complaints have not gotten any.

- Poway, CA, USA

problem #54

Mar 282010

Jetta

  • 12,900 miles

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

Please reference NHTSA action # PE09035. My car has had this recall performed and continues to exhibit the behavior on multiple occasions since having the recall performed in November of 2009. The car has been serviced at the dealer numerous times to correct this problem and it still occurs. The dealer performed the recall in November 2009, replaced the affected temperature sensor in March 2010, replaced the brake light switch in May 2010, and replaced the instrument cluster in June 2010. I just got the car back from having the instrument cluster replaced on Friday, June 11, 2010 and the "false neutral" referenced in the NHTSA action # PE09035 occurred again on Sunday, June 13, 2010. The car is currently waiting on a service appointment at the dealer. This is a major safety issue!!

- East Norriton, PA, USA

problem #53

Mar 282010

Jetta

  • 21,000 miles
The dsg transmission mechatronic unit is faulting causing rough shifts between 1st and 2nd gears. Sometimes it takes a long time for the control unit to choose a gear and when it does, there is a hard hammering bang when it finally goes into gear. VW is replacing the unit - however, it will take two to three weeks to get the VIN coded unit.

- Gilroy, CA, USA

problem #52

Mar 202010

Jetta

  • 7,683 miles
Fourth incident: Three unsuccessful attempts by dealership to correct problem. Problem has occurred under different circumstances and driving conditions. Speeds ranging from 65 mph to 20 miles per hour...generally while attempting to accelerate. Auto is a 2009 VW Jetta equipped with the dsg transmission. Car will go into neutral without prior warning. When this occurs, prndsl indicator light will flash as will "apply brake" warning light. On at least one occasion, simple application of brake cured the problem. In the latest case (today, March 20, 2010) I had to turn off the motor twice before the transmission would return to normal functioning. As stated, this has occurred four times since I have owned this car. The car has less than 8,000 miles on the odometer.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #51

Sep 092009

Jetta

  • 7,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta sportwagen. The contact stated that as she was driving approximately 45 mph her vehicle shut off in the middle of the road. There is a recall# 09V333000, power train, automatic transmission. The contact stated that the dealer repaired the vehicle under the recall at least four times and each time the repair was complete the failure continued to occur. The failure began on September 9, 2009. The failure mileage was 7,000 and the current mileage was 15,000.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #50

Nov 272009

Jetta

  • 5,100 miles
Vehicle shifts into neutral while driving. Vehicle has been recalled for this problem, but vehicle still has problem after recall service has been done. NHTSA campaign id number 09V333000 is for the recall that was completed on this vehicle in Oct. 2009. At VW dealer where vehicle was purchased. On Nov 27, 2009 vehicle shifted into neutral while driving and has done it on 2 other occasions. Have taken vehicle back to dealer on Nov. 29, 2009 and awaiting results of their diagnoses. I am sending this complaint because I believe that this defect is not getting fixed with the original recall, which leaves a very serious safety problem open to owners of these vehicles and others.

- Lorena, TX, USA

problem #49

Sep 022009

Jetta

  • 150 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 30 mph the gear warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, and then the vehicle down-shifted into the neutral gear. He was able to safely restart the vehicle to continue normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times for inspection. The technicians were unable to duplicate the failure; therefore, they could not provide a remedy. The vehicle identification number was unavailable. The failure mileage was 150. The current mileage was 6,000.

- Fuquay Varina, NC, USA

problem #48

Sep 282009

Jetta

  • 2,500 miles
The transmission disengaged and display started to blink just as I was entering an intersection had to stop and restart car.

- North Hills, CA, USA

problem #47

Aug 012009

Jetta

  • 200 miles
2009 VW Jetta tdi sportswagen. When moving from complete stop, vehicle sometimes pauses, then lurches forward with sudden acceleration; even thought steady foot pressure was on the gas pedal.

- East Hartford, CT, USA

problem #46

Aug 012009

Jetta

  • 150 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving approximately 35 mph on normal road conditions; the transmission exhibited a pulling sensation and began hesitating intermittently. The failures progressed between 0 to 55 mph and the engine surged while maintaining speed. An authorized technician informed the contact that the problem was a manufacturers design without a remedy. The computerized system code was reset to the manufacturer's service code. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized dealer to further diagnose the failure. The contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 150 and the current mileage was 6,500.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #45

Sep 142009

Jetta

  • 100 miles
The vehicle has a 1 to 2 second lag when accelerating from a standing start or when I step hard on the accelerator pedal. It acts like it has to think about it for a while before the motor starts to rev up and the transmission engages. This has caused several near-accidents when pulling into traffic, and at stop signs when other drivers decided I'd waited too long and started into the intersection at the same time my car finally decided to get around to going. This is a tdi with the dsg transmission. I had the dealer run a full diagnostic and they didn't find anything. I see others reporting the same behavior here and elsewhere. I suspect faulty programming in either the engine or the transmission software, though it may be just the inherent behavior of the system. I'll put today's date on the "approximate incident date" although it's been this way since I bought the car in November 2008.

- Elverta, CA, USA

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