CarComplaints.com Notes: VW updated the Jetta's interior and added new features like backup cameras to certain trims. Time will tell if these adjustments start falling apart.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,219 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.

2013 Volkswagen Jetta electrical problems

electrical problem

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2013 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 7 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #20

Jul 032015

Jetta

  • 37,000 miles

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

Door locks goes by itself to open and close several times during driving and idle at stop! sometimes won't lock drivers door even pushing lock button

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #19

Aug 122015

Jetta

  • 59,500 miles
Traveling down the road my 2013 Volkswagen Jetta would suddenly shut off. It began to happen more frequently the hotter the weather got and my mechanic said it was do to an over heated sensor. He also stated that you don't have to be driving but just sitting in the driveway on a hot day can cause the sensor to overheat. This is a very dangerous situation because the car can and will die at anytime without warning. My mechanic also said that it is a well known problem that happens frequently in the hotter months and Volkswagen refuses to acknowledge or do anything about the issue. It costs just over $200 to repair.

- Boise, ID, USA

problem #18

May 272015

Jetta

  • 53,500 miles
The ignition suddenly stopped working and key will not shut or come out of the ignition. I had to disconnect the battery & pull the fuse for the fuel in order to shut the car off. Volkswagen refused to cover the repair and I had to pay close to $500 to have the dealer replace the lock cylinder. The mechanics at VW told me this is a reoccurring that they have seen many times.

- Boise, ID, USA

problem #17

Jun 042014

Jetta

  • 4,000 miles

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

Jetta has odor when ac is turned on. Service department indicates the circulatory (C) must be used at all times. Does not correct issue. First time service department tco'd. 2nd time back to shop, they wanted $150 to repair after 3 months. This is a serious defect. Problem is actually caused by air condensor fluid pooling in valve instead of evaporating. Poor engineering. Causes light head must open windows for fresh air. People with parkinson's and sensitive nervous systems should avoid this car.

- Stone Mountain, GA, USA

problem #16

Aug 052015

Jetta

  • 45,000 miles
Key will not come out of the ignition, had to pull the fuse for the fuel pump and disconnect the battery for car to shut off. Dealer states need to replace lock cylinder and steering lock. Cost of repair $500

- Succasunna, NJ, USA

problem #15

Mar 052014

Jetta 5-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 30-60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle would shake violently when the failure occurred. In addition, the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on over to occasions where the failure was unable to be replicated. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 14E007000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 09/02/15 the consumer stated the vehicle continues to stall out at various speeds and places. Updated 12/7/2015

- Belleair, FL, USA

problem #14

May 102015

Jetta

  • 39,500 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated after numerous attempts, the ignition switch was able to release. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the ignition switch cylinder was cleaned and lubricated. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 39,500.

- West Eovina, CA, USA

problem #13

Mar 132015

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 28,000 miles
While driving my 2013 Volkswagen Jetta gli, a part fell down by my feet hitting my foot. Once parked, the part numbered 1K0953527D was found on the drivers side floor mat. I called my local dealership where I had bought the car (new) and sent them a picture of the part. They said they believed it controlled the column lock while in park, however my wheel still locked in park with the part not in place. The next day, while driving in an alley, my bumped my key chain while scooting forward in my seat and my car turn off, not allowing me to turn it back on until it finally came to a stop and I was able to put it in park. The service team had their most experienced team member on hand open the steering column and said that the part must have fell out; for reasons not known. They also said there was no indication of tampering.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #12

Jan 302015

Jetta

  • 25,800 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. While stopped at a gas station, the rear axle dislocated from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was serviced under NHTSA campaign number:14V656000 (suspension). In addition, the technician informed that the rear passenger wheel wiring harness, speed sensor, the ABS traction control, and the SRS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,800.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #11

Dec 072014

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 15,700 miles
I was stopped at a solid red traffic light and when I got the green light to proceed straight across the intersection I began to accelerate. Halfway through the intersection another vehicle (vehicle #2) crossed my path of travel on the right hand passenger side and vehicle #2 driver's side crashed into my front end. My vehicle was spun around counter clockwise due to the impact of vehicle #2. as a result of this crash my vehicle sustained heavy front end damage and pieces and parts were strewn all over the road. Fluid was leaking out of my vehicle and the vehicle was not able to be operated post-collision. With the heavy front end damage the driver, passenger and side airbags in my vehicle did not deploy.

- Burlington, VT, USA

problem #10

Aug 302014

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 19,200 miles

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

August 30, 2014 this 2013 VW Jetta 2.5se has had an intermittent problem with turning the car off and removing the key from the ignition since about 10,000 miles. Today it went from an infrequent problem that was hard to duplicate to a full-blown problem. It will no longer work at all and is now non-functional. It is not the steering wheel locking mechanism that causes this. Prior to today, the key would randomly not turn to shut off the car or turn to start. A slight push in and jiggle of the key would solve the issue. I only have a house key and a small VW key fob, nothing heavy hanging on it that would have caused any damage or wear to the cylinder. Today, the car would not shut off at all. Twisting, pulling, pushing, and any jiggling would not turn the ignition into the off position for engine shut off and key removal. Fortunately, my vehicle is a manual shift and I was able to shut the engine off by dumping the clutch. The electrical system was still on due to the key being in the on-position. I had to remove the battery cable from the terminal to shut the electrical system off and not drain the battery. Multiple tries by various people will not resolve the issue. The dealerships are all closed now, until after labor day, and we cannot get the car serviced until after that. I will be making an appointment for a warranty repair but being ignition cylinder issue, I felt it should be reported.

- Saint Clair Shores, MI, USA

problem #9

Jul 142014

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 10,199 miles
So my vehicle is a 2013.5 VW Jetta gli (NHTSA does not have options to list the variant of the car). So the car stalled on me the first time in July when I was getting of the exit....just lost complete engine power...and basically the car shut off on me. The steering got really stiff and the brakes became hard and it was an extremely horrific situation. The battery indicator came on...and then after cranking the car back up it ran fine. Took it to the dealer the day after (because they needed an appointment)...they said nothing was wrong with car and they replaced the crank shaft sensor as an "educated guess". anyways after about a week....the car shut off on me twice within a 5 minute difference. Each time the battery light came on and that was it. And the last time the epc light came on as well. Dealer cannot find any problems with my car since they cannot replicate an intermittent issue. So this is a major safety hazard...and not a good feeling to lose control of your car in the middle of the road.I have lost complete faith in VW and my car.

- Sandy, UT, USA

problem #8

Aug 202013

Jetta

  • 3,000 miles
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

problem #7

Sep 012013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 25 miles
The blue tooth system in all of the 2013 and 2014 Jetta wagons in defective. Volkswagen knows the system is defective, the dealers know it is defective, but they continue to market and sell cars with no proposed fix to the system. I have been told that all of the 2013 and 2014 Jetta wagons have this problem but I only state that mine has had blue tooth problems from day one, calls dropped, unintelligible calls, did not dial, etc. I believe both Volkswagen and the dealers have conspired to continue to market the cars and just tell the public that they are working on a fix when in fact they are not. At least that is what I have been told. This is a very serious safety issue in any state where cell phones are prohibited from being used, like Utah. I believe that all of the Jetta wagons should be recalled, all sales of new wagons stopped, and that both the dealers and Volkswagen should be fined for knowingly marketing and selling a defective car.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #6

Jul 012014

Jetta

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the battery warning light illuminated and the steering wheel seized. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the failure recurred four times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the control relay device. The failure recurred two weeks after the repairs were performed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000. The VIN was not available.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #5

Jun 172014

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
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

problem #4

May 012014

Jetta

  • 42,294 miles
Both of my low beam lights went out at the same time while driving at night and my car would not turn off. My car was running and could not be turned off.. the car had to be taken to the dealership to turn off the car. If the dealership had been closed or the car required gas or I was traveling out of town. I would not have any recourse but to run the car until it cut off but still the keys would be stuck in the ignition. Both incident are very serious safety concerns..the ignition lock had to be replaced and both lights has to be replaced after only 42, 000.. this is not routine maintenance. These are both serious concerns that must be addressed. VW customer care refuse to stand behind its product and cost was out of pocket.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #3

Oct 012013

Jetta

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the air bag light sensor continued to illuminate at random. The warning sensor indicated that the air bag was turned off. The contact experienced difficulty when turning the key in the ignition multiple times at random. The key also became stuck in the off position. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure more than once. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20000.

- Edgewater, MD, USA

problem #2

Jun 152013

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 50 miles
While I was driving, the car shut itself off. There were three separate incidents. The dealership kept the car for two weeks and re-programmed the computer after conferring with VW.

- Maryville, TN, USA

problem #1

Jun 122013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 90 miles
My vehicle when entering traffic has a delay of 1-2 seconds when trying to accelerate from a stop. When I am trying to get on/off a highway and that delay happens, the traffic has to slow to keep from hitting me as by the time it happens then surges, it is too late to stop. My speed needle was so inaccurate and bounced so much I got a speeding ticket. It was 14 mph off. They replaced the cluster, but now both the tachometer and speedometer bounce enough to not be sure your speed. Electronic fan stayed on for the entire 90 minutes I was in a coffee shop after driving only 5 miles and had been running ac. Ac when not on full fan will have periods of hot and humid like the system temporarily shuts down, and of course, the car hops and surges at slow speeds in addition as you are decelerating with the foot off the accelerator, it will jerk you down as it shifts down.

- Cheney, WA, USA

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