Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 44 safety complaints
about the 2024 Volkswagen Jetta with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire 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, 25% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 15,000 miles,
the median across the 5
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers May 2024 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
44 complaints on file
44
Complaints
2
Describe a crash
1
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 · 25%
11 25%
SERVICE BRAKES 10 · 23%
10 23%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 16%
7 16%
POWER TRAIN 7 · 16%
7 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 14%
6 14%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 · 9%
4 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 9%
4 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 7%
3 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 7%
3 7%
AIR BAGS 2 · 5%
2 5%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 5%
2 5%
STEERING 2 · 5%
2 5%
0815
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 44.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2026 at 19.
20 15 10 5
242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2024 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2024 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 file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire
Zero warning lights, dash clusters only allowing two options to show, oil temperature reading 200degrees Fahrenheit or higher, floor board feels like the firewall is almost in the interior of the vehicle and not engine port. Upon performing a thorough investigation of my own, the manifold, intake valve and wires are visibly damaged and BURNT, coil two is visibly damaged and was smoking. The battery generating system is also malfunctioning, with visibly burnt ground wires. Additionally the thermostat and temperature gauges both are not giving out any signal or alert for faulty electrical activity. However the vehicle was so hot from only driving 6 miles from my house that the arm to hold the …
NHTSA complaint 11736224, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed
Driving on interstate 74 west bound entered rain storm. Did not see car that was slow or stopped until impact. Traveling at a speed of 78 mph. Airbag did not deploy. Is this normal? Rear ended car in front. Volkswagen was totaled with severe front end damage. Other car was a bigger suv. There is dash cam footage that shows impact.
NHTSA complaint 11686353. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed
When driving to work, two deer ran out infant of my car. I had seen the first one and missed it but by time I had seen the first one I already hit the second one. The impact occurred while driving 73 mph. The impact alone slowed my car down by approximately 20 mph. My whole front end was crushed in causing it to be a total loss according to the insurance assessor. the front emblem with a sensor behind it was broken and the sensor was detached from its original location, being held onto the car only by its wiring.
NHTSA complaint 11735489. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Im reporting a safety concern involving my car, while driving on 30 highway at 65 mph the vehicle suddenly lost throttle response and would not accelerate when I pressed the accelerator pedal, this created a potentially dangerous situation because I was traveling with surrounding 3 pm traffic and could have been involved in a collision do to the unexpected loss of power. I was force to pull over and after searching inf I turn off the car for 10 minutes and restarting the vehicle it appeared to operate normally again.However the failure occurred without warning, and I’m concerned that it could happen again while driving. I towed the car to the closest dealership but they can look at it until …
NHTSA complaint 11767193, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
When driving using cruise control, the vehicle will alarm if the driver is not holding the steering. If the driver does not take control of the steering wheel, a secondary alarm will alert the driver on the dashboard to take over steering. If the driver does not take over steering, the vehicle will aggressively pulse the brakes to alert the driver. In this vehicle, the alarm may trigger when holding the steering wheel from the side or bottom, and it generally occurs on straight or minimally curving highways. If music is turned loud, it is difficult to hear the secondary alarm and the vehicle may unexpectedly and aggressively brake even when the driver has full control of the steering wheel. …
NHTSA complaint 11762160, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
After approximately 30 to 40 minutes of driving, my 2024 Volkswagen Jetta intermittently fails to move after coming to a complete stop. When I press the accelerator, the engine RPMs rise, but the vehicle does not move. The vehicle is in its normal driving mode when this occurs. This has happened while I was attempting to accelerate into moving traffic, leaving my vehicle stopped in the path of approaching vehicles and creating a serious collision risk. There were no warning lights or messages before the failure. In August 2026, an authorized Volkswagen dealership inspected the vehicle. The technician duplicated the failure during a test drive and recorded measurements comparing engine speed …
NHTSA complaint 11761915, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
My 2024 Volkswagen Jetta experienced a transmission control module (TCM) failure. The vehicle began having transmission problems and became essentially undriveable. It would not operate/shift normally and required repair. The Volkswagen dealer diagnosed the problem as a failed transmission control module and advised that the TCM needs to be replaced. The required TCM has now been on nationwide backorder for approximately five weeks, leaving the vehicle unable to be repaired and driven normally. I am concerned this is a safety issue because a failure of the transmission control module can cause a driver to lose the ability to properly shift or operate the vehicle. I am also concerned that …
NHTSA complaint 11761256, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VISIBILITY
13,000 miles
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a loud booming sound coming from the roof of the vehicle. The contact later discovered that the glass sunroof had exploded outward from the roof. At the time of the failure, the sunroof was closed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 13,000.
NHTSA complaint 11757675. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes were replaced in 2025 after dealership said there was manufacturer issues with premature wear on the brakes. Same day brakes were replaced they started making grinding noises again. We called the dealership ship and they said it would stop with in a few days never did. Now a year later the the replacement brakes failed on us.
NHTSA complaint 11757575. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst