10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,994 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.

2012 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #63

Sep 112018

Jetta

  • miles

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

Vehicle stalls randomly while idling and has happened twice will driving at low speeds, which causes loss of power steering. The car also drives rough before, and the stalling happens sometimes 3-4 times a day and other times not at all.

- Shoreview, MN, USA

problem #62

Sep 032018

Jetta

  • 39,534 miles
Key gets stuck in ignition when turning off the engine.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #61

Oct 162017

Jetta

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the engine seized frequently while driving and there were metal fragments stuck in the engine and transmission. In addition, the engine control module and battery indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to mckinney Volkswagen (855-402-5098, 3600 S central expy, mckinney, tx 75070), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Plano, TX, USA

problem #60

Jul 212018

Jetta

  • 49,000 miles

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

Key gets stuck in the ignition when trying to turn engine off.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #59

Jan 102018

Jetta

  • 36,000 miles
After stopping the car, the cooling fan remains on, and the engine seems inappropriately hot, yet I had not driven that far. Ideas range from a blocked radiator, a poor thermostat" the coolant had been changed. Has anyone else reported a similar problem" it was only 70 TO75 degrees and often a bit humid, but usually at night since I seldom drove in the heat of the day. It was parked and the temp of the engine was never above 190 degrees, though the engine felt hot. This happened many times (10 plus) mostly during the winter in Florida. I reported it once but the tech didn't see it as a problem.what do you think?

- Venice, FL, USA

problem #58

Jun 142018

Jetta

  • miles
Vehiclecomplaint/ car doesn T stop or shut off. Key doesn T allow car to turn off

- Highwood, IL, USA

problem #57

Sep 202016

Jetta

  • 45,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. Jim ellis Volkswagen (5901 peachtree blvd, atlanta, ga 30341) diagnosed that the fuel sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the fuel sensor was replaced again; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer for hard and soft diagnostic tests; however, the failure could not be replicated. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 45,000.

- Evans, GA, USA

problem #56

Jan 012016

Jetta

  • miles
Received verbal quotes to fix the issue with the key getting stock in the ignition with car running and was told it was not covered by VW and that it would cost close to $500 to fix and I chose to live with the issue...now I received a letter to get reimbursed for the cost when I did not have it fixed. Called to set up an appointment and the dealer told me the car is over 100,000 miles and I would have to pay for it. This to me is not correct. I brought this issue up many times before the car went over the 100,000 and they claimed it was because the car was old...I would like someone to look into this and get back to me so I can have this issue fixed.

- Seekonk, MA, USA

problem #55

Apr 142018

Jetta

  • 59,600 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving at low speeds, the engine made a humming noise. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,600.

- Alexandria, LA, USA

problem #54

Dec 112017

Jetta

  • 82,548 miles
I bought the car in October 2017 and had to bring it back few days later because the water pump was leaking. They fixed it and couple weeks later I had to replace the heater core couplings because they were leaking. Now in the beginning of December 2017 I was coming back from orlando fl from the dealership because I had to get my title from them, the car broke down completely on the highway. Check engine light and a epc light came on as well. I had to get it towed back to my house and had multiple mechanics stop by and inspect the car but there was nothing they could do because of the tools they didn't have. I even called other mechanic shops that specialize in european cars. I finally had the car towed to the Volkswagen dealership & they gave me a quote that was more than the value of the car. I also gave the dealership a call where I purchased the car from and they told me they would get back to me but never did until I called back with my mother and they said it has no warranty. Then I called the westlake finance company for the car and they told me to go through the dmv. The car is not driveable.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

problem #53

Feb 192018

Jetta

  • 60,000 miles

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

Key gets stuck in ignition when turning off the engine.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #52

Nov 072017

Jetta

  • 80,000 miles
2012 Volkswagen Jetta gli 2.0 turbo engine. The vehicle while in motion was misfiring causing speed reduction without notice, running rough while at an idle and would rattle under load ascending a hill. Dealership service member said the tensioner chain was about to snap at only 80,000 miles on the car. Continued to report if the tensioner chain snapped, the engine would die immediately. This could be a major issue with highway driving and the car unexpectedly stopped accelerating, these parts should last more than 120,000 miles, if not, the life of a vehicle. I consider myself lucky to notice the problem before it became a bigger and costlier issue.

- Little Falls, NY, USA

problem #51

Sep 072017

Jetta

  • 58,000 miles
My 2012 Jetta gli timing chain tensioner failed, luckily mine failed at as I started up my car in morning, because it happened while I was on the road not only would it have caused more damage to my engine, but it would have caused some accidents. After having my vehicle diagnosed on what caused my engine to breakdown I learned that it was caused by a faulty timing chain tensioner, a known issue that VW has refused to aknolowedge but if yo9U speak to any mechanic that has delt with VW and Audi they will tell you that is a well known issue.

- Batavia, IL, USA

problem #50

Aug 012017

Jetta

  • 50,000 miles
The key will not come out of the ignition. We have tried everything possible and VW said this is a known issue but wont recall and have to pay 1000+ to fix. What if something happened with myself or kids in the car and needed to get the keys out!

- Manassas, VA, USA

problem #49

May 262017

Jetta

  • 21,728 miles
Key gets stuck in ignition and I cannot turn off engine. This has been happening for weeks. When it first started it was only once and awhile but now every time I park my car it takes me twenty or more minutes to try and get my keys out and turn off engine.

- Salem, MA, USA

problem #48

Jun 132017

Jetta

  • 64,475 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 15 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the timing chain slipping. The contact was given the option of replacing the engine or performing a timing chain service and valve replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and the dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,475.

- Burlington, VT, USA

problem #47

May 092017

Jetta

  • miles
Car would not start suddenly... VW dealership said engine needs to be replaced. There was no indication anything was wrong with the vehicle. It was driving normally, no abnormal noises, no check engine or other warning lights. Luckily, we found out engine had failed when trying to start a parked vehicle. It may have been an unsafe situation had the engine failed while driving.

- Costa Mesa, CA, USA

problem #46

Mar 042017

Jetta

  • miles
While driving at any unknown moment the car will start to misfire in 1 or more cylinders (seems like usually when there is moisture in the air) but you still never know when it will happen. This causes the vehicle to suddenly go into engine power control and will sometimes cut off the steering and brakes. I've gotten caught in the middle of an intersection with no brakes and no steering. I had to use my parking brake and shut the engine off. Most of the time the steering goes out is when I'm trying to make a U turn. And most of the time the engine starts to misfire and/or shut off is when I'm trying accelerate either after being stopped at a red light or significant increase like merging on a freeway

- Alhambra, CA, USA

problem #45

Jan 102017

Jetta

  • 60,000 miles
"takata recall" "water pump" I got many recalls on my Jetta gli 2012. The last recall I got on the mail was on November,2016 for the airbag control. After I dropped my car for the recall I picked it up same day. I noticed that the airbag light is on for the first time I haven't had any issues like this before. I returned back to the dealer and informed them, they said you have to leave it and we're sorry we didn't take care of that. I didn't have time to leave it there for one more day. Now they're asking me to pay for it around $992 ! I got all of the voicemail from the dealer they called me to apologize for the airbag light and asked me to come back to fix since it came up after I dropped it for the recall. Also, I have showed the quote for the water leaking to many auto care centers in houston. They told me that this kind of car with 2.0 engine has a problem with the water pump and they will never get involved whit this car because to many people with the same engine and car model had the same problem several times. My car only got 60K mile on it and never been into and accident it's been less than 5 years now since I purchased the car. I paid 28K dollars cash from the first day just because I trusted in VW. I have contacted VW of America, but they didn't help me with my case and asked me to pay for it.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #44

Dec 012016

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 27,000 miles
The first thing I noticed after driving the car was the smell of burning oil occasionally, then upon opening the hood and removing the engine cover there was minor oil seepage from the valve cover. The car itself is 2012 Jetta gli and only has about 27,500 miles as I type this message. But it gets worse, I notice the oil level dropping and having to put refill it about 2 or 3 times a month. At this point I know something isn't right and its not just a faulty valve cover gasket. Did some reading online and I suspected it was a faulty oil separator/PCV system creating too much crank case pressure. I also checked the rear main seal recently and see oil leaking between the motor and transmission, suggesting the rms has began to fail. My question is if the car was "certified pre-owned" and PCV valve failure is some what common for both tsi and fsi engines, why wasn't the vehicles PCV inspected for failure or changed entirely with the new revision" there are many revisions on the oil separator/PCV valve from what I see. Shouldn't the damage to the rms replacement be covered by the manufacturer since it was due to premature failure of the oil separator, that is known to be prone to failure or faulty from the factory" currently im not driving the car and waiting for the newest revision of the oil separator but since the rms has already began seeping oil its only a matter of time before it fails completely. Being a trade school student who is lost his job right before christmas last year this unexpected failure of the rear main seal at only 27,500 miles, regardless of vehicle age is unexpected and at a severe inconvenience. If Volkswagen cannot provide at least the labor cost for the rms replacement I cant say ill ever buy another VW from a dealership again.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

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