FaultScore

2015 Volkswagen Jetta electrical problems

49 of the 284 complaints about the 2015 Volkswagen Jetta are about the electrical system — 17% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 36,400 miles.

C

49

Complaints

1

Crashes

1

Fires

2

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Electrical System 42 85.7%
Horn 2 4.1%
Ignition 2 4.1%
Instrument Cluster/Panel 1 2.0%
Speedometer/Odometer 1 2.0%
Integrated Starter(Other Than Propulsion) 1 2.0%

Electrical System across every Volkswagen Jetta year

1994 26 1.2%
1995 53 2.5%
1997 18 0.8%
1998 42 2.0%
1999 45 2.1%
2000 67 3.1%
2001 122 5.7%
2002 152 7.1%
2003 97 4.5%
2004 37 1.7%
2005 49 2.3%
2006 114 5.3%
2007 45 2.1%
2008 43 2.0%
2009 107 5.0%
2010 235 11.0%
2011 193 9.0%
2012 142 6.6%
2013 150 7.0%
2014 94 4.4%
2015 49 2.3%
2016 36 1.7%
2017 33 1.5%
2019 155 7.2%
2020 16 0.7%
2021 12 0.6%
2022 10 0.5%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 80,000 miles Reedsburg, WI

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that at the time of purchase, the odometer mileage was 77,183. Later, while attempting to sell the vehicle on Carvana, the contact was informed that the odometer mileage for the vehicle that was last reported in 2023 was 80,000.

NHTSA complaint #11721675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Van Nuys, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I’ve been experiencing intermittent start failures with my 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The issue typically occurs after driving short distances, turning off the engine, and attempting to restart the vehicle within 15–45 minutes. The dashboard lights stay on, but the engine fails to crank. After extended wait times (1–3 hours or more), it will sometimes start again. A diagnostic scanner showed DTC IM 00, indicating an immobilizer system malfunction, meaning the car isn’t recognizing the key properly. I’ve tested both keys and various conditions (locked/unlocked, sun/shade, full/low gas tank), and the issue continues to be unpredictable. When the car was towed to the dealership, they were unable to replicate the problem since it started by the time they checked it, and they were unwilling to investigate the immobilizer issue without charging me for a wide range of unrelated tests. This is becoming a safety issue, especially if the vehicle stalls or won’t restart in isolated areas or during hot conditions. It is not acceptable for a known electronic security feature to randomly disable the vehicle from functioning.

NHTSA complaint #11653341 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Van Nuys, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR:INTEGRATED STARTER(OTHER THAN PROPULSION)

I hardly used this car and had it diagnosed and new battery but the car intermittently won’t start some times but there is no reason known

NHTSA complaint #11644963 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Indianapolis, IN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I drove over a commercial-grade water hose unraveled in the middle of the lane. It had metal couplings on it and my oil pan was damaged due to the low riding body of the VW to the road. The vehicle was drivable for 5 minutes afterward & the low engine pressure light turned on, but I was in a dangerous area with traffic during rush hour in the evening. It was congested with multiple avenues of transportation via buses, scooters, and pedestrian crosswalks. I started to lose power steering and the gas pedal would not accelerate the car, but the brakes still worked. I was able to coast the car to a stop & nearby a Midas car shop. Midas replaced the damaged oil pan and did not have any other damage reported. Midas informed me that my vehicle would not start, but failed to mention that the safety of my vehicle was compromised with rolled down windows. I inspected my car on 8.20.24, the battery was still working & powered the lights but the window power and engine would not operate. On 8.22.24 I paid for the work & noticed the windows were now rolled up & Midas said an employee used the power from the battery to override the window system but the car still would not start and needed to go to a dealership to access the engine codes for this hybrid vehicle. Towed the vehicle to VW, who said that Midas was not accurate in their description, as there were no access codes needed for the vehicle & it should have started once the oil pan was replaced. The VW diagnostic results showed a “bad” battery and the transmission failed/ stopped engaging and needed a replacement of the transmission along with the battery which would total $11K! The VW agent recommended that I contact other car repair companies to rebuild it for a more affordable solution. Midas and VW were the only car repair companies to evaluate my car and it is currently at VW where it can be inspected if needed. The safety recall code: 34J6, of 2015 VW Jetta Hybrids somehow exclude some VINs until owners had issues.

NHTSA complaint #11612065 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 53,000 miles Katy, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and shutoff. The failure also occurred while driving on a busy highway. After the failure had occurred, the vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the engine misfire was caused by a faulty ignition coil and ignition lead. The ignition coil and lead were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.

NHTSA complaint #11564921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 100,000 miles Dudley, MA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts being on backorder. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA complaint #11542886 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 100,000 miles Dudley, MA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts being on backorder. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA complaint #11542886 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Milton, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

After running multiple errands the car will fail to start. Usually after 5-10 minutes it will start again. Every time it will crank but not fully. Lights and blinkers are operational still as well. I have taken it to the Volkswagen three times for repair each time was unsuccessful. The first time the speedometer cluster was repaired, then the wires were worked on, then the whole battery was replaced and it still is not fixed. Not only does it have issues starting but it also shuts off while driving which is a safety concern. I noticed there was a recall on this issue before so it seems to be a recurring issue.

NHTSA complaint #11516705 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Orlando, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I'm finding the brake pedal to be extremely hard to depress. This happened overnight, as the car was operating normally; now I'm afraid to move it because I can't brake properly at very low speeds.

NHTSA complaint #11503624 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Los Angeles, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2015 Volkswagen Jetta active grille shutter. A shutter system on the front end of the vehicle on the lower half of the radiator that allows air flow during different temperatures. The shutter assembly along with the electrical motor seems to go bad after a set amount of time. Giving off a Check Engine Code P05A0 as the shutters freeze open. Volkswagen dealerships have quoted $700-900 to replace the assembly as the only fix with vehicles being out of warranty. A quick search online has determined that this is a known problem for all these vehicles, Volkswagen are aware as they released a newer engine for the assembly. Also the check engine code can not be cleared until the assembly is fixed or replaced, thus not allowing vehicles to pass annual registration or smog check here in California.

NHTSA complaint #11477346 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Palm Desert, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Clockspring on my Jetta broke which disabled horn and cruise control functions. The safety issue is the horn. The clockspring should not fail on any car with barely 50k operating miles on it. The unit has not yet been replaced. The dashboard shows an airbag warning light. No prior symptoms.

NHTSA complaint #11451936 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Lauderhill, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1. Overtime, i noticed my car starts to jerk during acceleration and would accelerate, completely stall for about 2 seconds before getting back in forward motion. It when that jerk happens, it feels like the car is suddenly in neutral for those few seconds. This has been happening more frequently and has now been happening every other green light. This seems dangerous and I also don’t like that it does this on the highway. 2. steering wheel has some resistance issues. 3. ECM is malfunctioning because my dashboard constantly shows at least 5 incorrect warning check lights. Sometimes they change to other check lights, sometimes they appear and disappear when it wants. Very frustrating.

NHTSA complaint #11441121 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

St. Petersburg, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Since purchasing my used used 2015 VWA Jetta in 2019 I have had several issues I think are electrical. (1)The phone charger outlet has blown a few times and required them to reset it, (2) there have been 4 occasions in the last 6 months where my car wouldn't start, but upon being checked out by a VW repair shop it was not determined what caused this, the lights started coming on, but it would not fully start. (3) More recently my horn has randomly stopped working, on three occasions when I went to use it, nothing happened and when I park or later in the day it resumes working.

NHTSA complaint #11432650 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

OIL Trough, AR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE AIRBAG LIGHT FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT INDICATES THAT A PASSENGER IS NOT THERE WHEN THERE IS. IT WILL START BLINKING RANDOMLY, SOMETIMES REGISTERING THEM AND SOMETIMES NOT. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING OR WHILE STATIONARY.

NHTSA complaint #11403808 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 32,706 miles South Lake Tahoe, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE LIGHT IS ON 2015 JETTA 1.8 TURBO. ECU 1 STATES CODE P05A0 ACTIVE GRILLE AIR SHUTTER "A" STUCK ON. VOLKSWAGON WANTS TO CHARGE ME $900 TO CORRECT THIS SENSOR PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS 32,000 MILES & WAS STATIONARY WHEN LIGHT CAME ON. THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE SENSOR SYSTEM. SHOULD VW HAVE TO PAY? WHY ARE CONSUMERS PAYING?

NHTSA complaint #11395041 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 35,000 miles East Mckeesport, PA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE HORN KEEP MALFUNCTIONING IT WORKS SOMETIMES THE CAR DON'T HAVE LOSE POWER WHEN I GO UP HILLS AND SMOKE IS COMING FROM TAIL PIPE

NHTSA complaint #11382968 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 82,000 miles Bothell, WA Crash

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

**SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT**

NHTSA complaint #11363609 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 30,000 miles Santa FE, NM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS OFF AND ON IF I DO NOT KEEP THE SEATBELT LOCKED, EVEN WITH NO PASSENGER. THUS OCCURS WHILE I AM DRIVING AND ASSUME THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE, SAFETY ISSUE, AND POTENTIAL AIRBAG ISSUE. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING OFF AND ON FOR OVER A YEAR.

NHTSA complaint #11321511 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 62,500 miles Mount Sinai, NY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED AS MY CAR WAS IN LIMP MODE. 2 AND HALF WEEKS LATER MY LIGHT COMES BACK ON AND AFTER DRIVING IT TO WORK ONE DAY IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT SO I HAD IT TOWED. AT TIME OF TOWING NOTICED I WAS LEAKING FLUID. TURNS OUT IT WAS TRANSMISSION FLUID AND I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION ON A 5 YEAR OLD CAR. THIS CAR HAS HAD 3 ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND ONLY ONE WAS A RECALL BUT EACH PROBLEM BUT THE CAR IN LIMP MODE CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION NOT TO SHIFT PROPERLY.

NHTSA complaint #11320448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 115,000 miles Casselberry, FL Fire

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN STATIONARY FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE ENGINE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND OUT THE VEHICLE FIRE OUT BUT THE WHOLE FROM END OF THE VEHICLE TO THE INSIDE AND BACKSEAT WAS AFFECT BY THE FIRE.

NHTSA complaint #11310392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 54,000 miles Eagan, MN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE WINDOW HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN. I WENT THROUGH THE MANUAL TO TROUBLESHOOT IT, WORKED FINE FOR A DAY THEN RIGHT BACK TO WHAT IT WAS BEFORE. EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE DRIVERSIDE DOOR, EXPECT TO OPEN FROM THE INSIDE JUST WENT HAYWIRE WITH NO WARNING. THE MIRROR DEFROST DOESN'T WORK AND THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE WON'T OPEN ANY LONGER. WHEN I TURN IT IS NOW MAKING A STAGE SQUEALING NOISE. MY CAR IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD. SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY OF THESE ISSUES.

NHTSA complaint #11290707 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 31,000 miles Fisherville, KY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

HORN WILL NOT FUNCTION BELOW FREEZING AMBIENT TEMPERATURE; LIKELY MOISTURE INSIDE HAS FROZEN THE MECHANISM; WORKS FINE ONCE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE HAS RISEN ABOVE 32*F

NHTSA complaint #11281264 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Memphis, TN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, ALL OF THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO GOSSETT VOLKSWAGEN GERMANTOWN (7420 WINCHESTER RD, MEMPHIS, TN 38125, (901) 405-4909) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A NEW BATTERY WAS NEEDED FOR THE KEY REMOTE. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR AFTER THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ONCE THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START AND OPERATE PROPERLY. DAYS LATER, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WOULD ONLY OPERATE WHEN THE CONTACT DROVE IN THE EMERGENCY START FEATURE MODE, AND THE "NO KEY" WARNING INDICATOR WOULD FLASH. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESUME NORMAL DRIVING; HOWEVER, EVERY TIME SHE TOUCHED A FEATURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, A PINGING NOISE WOULD SOUND AND THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD FLASH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN.

NHTSA complaint #11271017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Adrian, MI

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V615000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING). THE CONTACT CALLED NHTSA FOR MORE INFORMATION AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint #11271083 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 35,855 miles Houston, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

PUT CAR IN PARK ON CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT COULDN'T TURN CAR OFF OR REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION TRIED SO MANY TIMES. DROVE HOME PARKED CAR IN GARAGE TRIED TO TURN OFF .CAR STILL WOULD NOT TURN OFF. FINALLY DROVE TO DEALER GARAGE . DEALER SAID THE IGNITION LOCK HOUSING HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE WORK WAS PERFORMED. THE JOB COST 577.25 DOLLARS. I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN HEADQUARTERS TO DISCUSS THIS REPAIR SINCE IT IS UNUSUAL TO HAVE TO MAKE SUCH A REPAIR AND I HAD ALSO LEARNED THAT I HAVE ONE RECAL ON THE CAR SIMILARLY RELATED TO NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN THE IGNITION OFF AND REMOVE THE KEY. VOLKSWAGEN DENIED ANY RELATIONSHIP TO THIS REPAIR. VOLKSWAGEN ALSO HAS NOT NOTIFIED ME OF ANY RECALL ON MY CAR AND STATED THAT RECALL NOTICES HAVE NOT BEEN ISSUED , THEY HAVE NOT DETERMINED WHAT THE A FIX FOR THE RECALL POSTING. I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS OCCURRENCE IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED RECALL NOTICE . MILEAGE ON CAR IS 35,855 MILES.

NHTSA complaint #11255999 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 52,133 miles Goodview, VA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

THE CAR WILL NOT TURN OFF. THE KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND WILL NOT TURN TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. THE WHEEL IS NOT LOCKED.

NHTSA complaint #11219854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 45,000 miles Lexington, SC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY CHARGING PORTS QUIT WORKING. IT IS NOT THE FUSE.

NHTSA complaint #11219381 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 35,000 miles Decatur, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

KEY GETS STUCK IN IGNITION WHEN TURNING OFF THE ENGINE.

NHTSA complaint #11217659 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 122,561 miles Vevay, IN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NOT TURN OFF, COULD NOT TURN OFF ENGINE.

NHTSA complaint #11210723 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 90,000 miles Redman, WA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AND THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. SPIRIT AUTO CENTER OF RENTON (330 SUNSET BLVD N, RENTON, WA 98057, (425) 226-6113) DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE, BUT DID NOT FIND A FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11206219 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2015 Volkswagen Jetta problems

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