AIR BAGS
crash · towed
I was driving 50 mph and hit a very large deer. The airbag did not deploy and there was no warning
NHTSA complaint 11625391. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record
2023 Volkswagen Jetta
Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 43 safety complaints about the 2023 Volkswagen Jetta with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 11 complaints, 26% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2023 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
43 complaints on file43
Complaints
1
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system ENGINE 11 · 26%
SERVICE BRAKES 10 · 23%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10 · 23%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 · 21%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 · 12%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 · 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 7%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 5%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 5%
AIR BAGS 1 · 2%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 2%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 2%
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 43.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received themBy the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 18.
20 15 10 5
23 2023 24 2024 25 2025 26 2026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2023 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment ProgramNHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2023 Volkswagen JETTA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.
| Test | 4 DR FWD |
|---|---|
| Overall | |
| Frontal crash | |
| Frontal, driver | |
| Frontal, passenger | |
| Side crash | |
| Side barrier | |
| Side pole | |
| Rollover | |
| Chance of rollover | 13.0% |
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint fileQuoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.
ENGINE
towed · 2,000 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH in traffic, the vehicle lost motive power and shut off. The contact was able to steer into a parking space. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam magnet needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that an expert would be contacted for assistance with repairing the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
NHTSA complaint 11566542. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The cars check engine light came on randomly at the top of the year but kept going away and returning. After getting it checked out, the code was P0456 for an evap leak. Owner took the car to VW and was quoted ~$3,200 for the repair and asked the service team how was it even possible for this to happen to a newer car, and they said it was a common issue. If the issue is common, it should have a recall because the risks of this ongoing is engine damage and failure.
NHTSA complaint 11761889. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Car was started on afternoon of XXX and the Low Coolant alert sound and dashboard light came on. Opened hood and car was completely out of coolant. Took to Royal Automotive, Vestavia Hills, AL on Wednesday XXX to be fixed. Dealer assessment was “PERFORMED COOLING SYSTEM LEAK TEST. THE VEHICLE PASSED TEST. CHECK FOR VISUAL LEAKS. FOUND NO LEAKS, BUT FOUND SEEPAGE AT THE HEAD GASKET. VOLKSWAGEN SAID THIS WAS NORMAL PER 00-26-01 - DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FLUID LEAKAGE AND SEEPAGE. TOP OFF COOLING SYSTEM.” The car was purchased new by me in October 2022 and my warranty expires in October 2022. It has just over 17,100 miles on it. Further, Volkswagen published a Technical Service Bulletin 15-23-01 -
NHTSA complaint 11751628, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I bought car back in June or July 2024. Since then Ive had issues with vehicle. Bad breaks, bad wheel bearings that were replaced & car just never drove smooth. Since buying car & driving it around for months I have felt a jerk/pull when in drive mode from 0mi when stepping on gas. The Engine has completely shutt off at random at a light when in drive mode & Ive had to put in parking & restart engine while making a right hand turn & while pulling into a parking lot. I notified dealer & taken in but told nothing was found & they didnt seem to see the safety issue at hand or care. It has done this a few times since Ive had it. Very scary, thankfully no accident YET! The lane assist warning
NHTSA complaint 11745939, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
At only 24,000 miles, the rear brakes are already showing significant wear. When checked by the dealer, they were 2mm, while the front brakes were 12mm. The service representatives at the dealership have said this is a known problem with this model year, and they have already seen several cars with the same issue of brakes wearing out way too quickly. If a driver wasn't getting regular inspections, they would assume that their brakes would still be in great condition with this mileage, and it could pose a large safety risk.
NHTSA complaint 11737730. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The SOS Module failed three times and was replaced three times under warranty. The failure mode is a battery that cannot be ordered due to manufacturer issues. The failed module limits crash reporting. I have attached the three work orders for this vehicle.
NHTSA complaint 11736502. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Adaptive Cruise control stops working suddenly with message "Travel Assist currently not available". Warning goes after restart or have to go and cancel assist completely and start again and then it works for few minutes and appears again. The problem sometimes doesn’t show up for days but sometimes shows many times within hours. Happens usually on long drives. Once it occurs, it happens multiple times if I try to reset within the drive. It gets disabled sometimes on high-speed free ways and adaptive braking suddenly goes away in middle of on ongoing braking or sometimes car suddenly starts slowing down on high speed. Happening for 18 months now. Previous dealership said we could not
NHTSA complaint 11735957, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Compare
Other years of the Volkswagen Jetta
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 1 | — |
| 2025 | 29 | 2 | — |
| 2024 | 44 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 43 | 1 | — |
| 2021 | 69 | 4 | 2 |
| 2020 | 53 | 6 | — |
| 2019 | 549 | 11 | — |
| 2018 | 31 | 2 | — |
| 2017 | 159 | 6 | 1 |
| 2016 | 161 | 4 | — |
| 2015 | 194 | 7 | — |
| 2014 | 386 | 4 | — |
| 2013 | 516 | 4 | — |
| 2012 | 499 | 5 | — |
| 2011 | 607 | 7 | — |
| 2010 | 852 | 4 | — |
Other 2023 Volkswagen models
ID.4 459 Atlas 133 Taos 109 Tiguan 68 Atlas Cross Sport 19 Arteon 14
Complaints on file, same model year.
Every Volkswagen on this site — 155 vehicles.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Where these numbers come from
- Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
- Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
- Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst