Worst years for a Volkswagen Jetta
Owners have filed 13,865 complaints about the Volkswagen Jetta with NHTSA across model years 1984 to 2026. More of them are about the electrical system than anything else.
Avoid
2002 Volkswagen Jetta885 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly electrical system.
Every Volkswagen Jetta year, graded
The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.
| Year | Grade | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Median miles | Most reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | Electrical System |
| 2025 | B | 29 | 5 | 0 | — | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2024 | B | 61 | 2 | 3 | 16,300 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2023 | B | 65 | 3 | 0 | 20,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2022 | B | 72 | 1 | 0 | 4,500 | Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance |
| 2021 | C | 99 | 6 | 0 | 9,000 | Brakes |
| 2020 | B | 78 | 2 | 0 | 6,000 | Electrical System |
| 2019 | F | 794 | 41 | 5 | 5,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2018 | B | 38 | 2 | 0 | 32,000 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2017 | C | 249 | 27 | 5 | 38,000 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2016 | C | 249 | 33 | 8 | 38,937 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2015 | C | 284 | 11 | 3 | 40,675 | Electrical System |
| 2014 | C | 552 | 33 | 2 | 57,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2013 | D | 739 | 24 | 4 | 55,450 | Electrical System |
| 2012 | D | 692 | 33 | 10 | 53,216 | Electrical System |
| 2011 | D | 880 | 37 | 14 | 50,000 | Electrical System |
| 2010 | D | 1,184 | 31 | 9 | 54,000 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2009 | D | 1,275 | 53 | 10 | 66,655 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2008 | B | 251 | 7 | 6 | 65,078 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2007 | C | 280 | 15 | 9 | 60,000 | Brakes |
| 2006 | D | 792 | 21 | 10 | 76,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2005 | C | 354 | 13 | 25 | 75,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2004 | C | 295 | 16 | 25 | 69,995 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2003 | D | 552 | 38 | 79 | 56,948 | Seats |
| 2002 | F | 885 | 41 | 81 | 54,900 | Electrical System |
| 2001 | D | 862 | 44 | 15 | 51,120 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2000 | D | 633 | 38 | 15 | 55,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1999 | D | 488 | 44 | 11 | 70,500 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1998 | C | 253 | 14 | 8 | 78,000 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1997 | B | 100 | 8 | 1 | 74,500 | Electrical System |
| 1996 | B | 36 | 3 | 0 | 94,969 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1995 | C | 338 | 23 | 12 | 100,000 | Electrical System |
| 1994 | C | 167 | 9 | 11 | — | Equipment & Accessories |
| 1993 | A | 22 | 0 | 0 | — | Doors, Latches & Locks |
| 1992 | — | 33 | 6 | 3 | — | Acceleration & Cruise Control |
| 1991 | — | 38 | 3 | 0 | 103,000 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1990 | — | 29 | 2 | 1 | 120,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1989 | — | 28 | 1 | 2 | — | Seat Belts |
| 1988 | — | 23 | 1 | 2 | — | Acceleration & Cruise Control |
| 1987 | — | 21 | 2 | 1 | — | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 1986 | — | 18 | 2 | 0 | — | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 1985 | — | 18 | 1 | 0 | — | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 1984 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Body & Structure |
What breaks on a Volkswagen Jetta
Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.
Exactly what failed on a Volkswagen Jetta
The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.
Complaints filed over time
Every complaint about every Volkswagen Jetta, by the month it reached NHTSA.
Volkswagen Jetta problems by state
Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.
Compare the Volkswagen Jetta
Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.