2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

In August 2015, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) launched Safety Recall 15V-483 to address the loss of the protection provided by the front driver air bag in several models due to the failure of the clockspring.Debris entry into the steering wheel hub can result in contamination and ultimately failure of the clockspring in 2010-2014 Model Year (MY) CC, Passat, Eos, Golf, GTI, Tiguan, Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen models.Contamination of the clockspring can cause the ribbon cable to tear resulting in loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag and any steering wheel mounted controls.The loss of the electrical connection to the front driver air bag will result in illumination of the air bag warning light and will prevent operation of the front driver air bag in a crash of sufficient severity requiring a commanded deployment.In November 2017, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ17-009) after the agency received 90 complaints alleging failure of the clockspring in the subject models.Several of the complaints allege failure of the clockspring after receiving the recall remedy.The majority of the complaints allege the same failure mode without being included in the original recall, 15V-483.In its March 2018 response to ODI's Information Request under the Recall Query, Volkswagen provided approximately 700 consumer complaints and field reports on the recalled vehicles.These reports allege clockspring failure similar to the NHTSA reports described above.To date, NHTSA has received approximately 154 allegations of clockspring failure since the recall has launched.The total of 852 reports shown in the table above eliminates 6 duplicative reports received by ODI and the manufacturer.An Engineering Analysis has been opened to further evaluate the scope and effectiveness of the remedy associated with 15V-483 and perform a thorough review of the design changes implemented by Volkswagen and its suppliers to address this issue.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.NHTSA.gov under the following ODI identification numbers: 11080741, 11079877, 11079805, 11079124, 11076709, 11076645, 11076297, 11076249, 11076133, 11075756, 11075726, 11075358, 11075259, 11075055, 11074920, 11074565, 11073090, 11072745, 11072457, 11072089, 11071933, 11071880, 11071630, 11071592, 11067396, 11067061, 11066738, 11066601, 11066511, 11065909, 11065871, 11065262, 11064701, 11064564, 11064544, 11064531, 11063961, 11063501, 11063095, 11062772, 11062464, 11062353, 11062344, 11061463, 11061310, 11061311, 11060735, 11058154, 11057519, 11057477, 11057341, 11056793, 11056243, 11056063, 11055639, 11054279, 11052812, 11052678, 11052384, 11052228, 11051336, 11051155, 11051074, 11048803, 11047037, 11044226, 11043653, 11039142, 11033893, 11033330, 11032548, 11025475, 11025356, 11024647, 11023423, 11020570, 11020312, 11019415, 11019067, 11015441, 11015431, 11014595, 11014016, 11013709, 11013415, 11012596, 11011753, 11006668, 11006521, 11006307, 11006181, 11005301, 11003865, 11001780, 11001783, 11001334, 10994184, 10993360, 10993524, 10992490, 10985926, 10983678, 10981220, 10980831, 10980941, 10980549, 10979418, 10971152, 10967344, 10967155, 10959968, 10958624, 10957279, 10956488, 10949129, 10947562, 10945122, 10936498, 10936543, 10933950, 10927311, 10925421, 10924034, 10915612, 10915569, 10911171, 10902066, 10898733, 10896537, 10896510, 10895526, 10893938, 10891686, 10864967, 10863742, 10861984, 10851242, 10822505, 10821562, 10818403, 10795068, 10794402, 10788738, 10787804, 10782544, 10780725, 10780145, 10779145, 10776477, 10775448, 10763492, 10763423, 10763289, 10762670, 10760644, 10758777, 10749901, 10748922

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of steering wheel clock spring/steering column control module (SCCM) failures in model year (MY) 2012 Volkswagen Passat and CC models.The SCCM is a module within the steering column that incorporates a spiral conductor (a ribbon cable) to electrically connect the steering wheel to the vehicle's electrical system while allowing for the turning of the steering wheel.Complainants alleged that that the clock spring failed while driving and without warning.When the SCCM fails electrically, an air bag warning light is illuminated on the dash of the vehicle.If a vehicle with a failed SCCM were to be involved in a crash of sufficient severity to require deployment, the driver air bag may not deploy properly, or deploy at all.As the result of an Information Request response from Volkswagen, ODI determined that the same SCCM was used in several vehicle models and MYs including: 2010-2013 CC, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2013 Golf, 2012-2013 Jetta and Jetta SportWagen, 2010 and 2012-2014 Passat and 2011-2014 Tiguan.ODI identified a total of 29 NHTSA complaints across all affected vehicles potentially indicating a failed SCCM.Drivers often indicated that an audible noise was heard from the steering column when the unit failed. Some drivers also mentioned that there was a noticeable but minor resistance to turning of the steering wheel after the failure with noises coming from the steering column.The average failure mileage is approximately 30,500 miles and failures often occur outside of the factory warranty.There were no reported crashes or injuries identified in either the NHTSA or Volkswagen data as a result of SCCM failures.On July 30th, 2015 Volkswagen notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall (15V-483) to remedy the SCCMs in 415,825 MY2010-2014 vehicles.According to Volkswagen, the SCCM can become contaminated with human hair or similar fibers entering the unit between the steering wheel and steering column.Over time this can cause the electrical cable to tear and lose connection between the steering wheel and vehicle.Volkswagen will install a cover that attaches over the SCCM to help prevent contaminants from entering the unit.A new SCCM designed to reduce outside contamination intrusion was previously introduced into new vehicle production during the 2014 model year; accordingly vehicles equipped with the new design SCCM are not included in the recall.The recall action initiated by the manufacturer addresses the safety risks identified by the investigation.Accordingly, the investigation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues under the following identification (ODI) numbers: 10760644, 10758777, 10748922, 110734168, 10731545, 10721424, 10717651, 10715305, 10713742, 10713139, 10712295, 10711945, 10704830, 10704221, 10702926, 10702212, 10701406, 10691906, 10683944, 10682136, 10672715, 10670517, 10669312, 10628549, 10607240, 10575783, 10561143, 10552113, 10397670.

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 25MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact attempted to shift into another gear however, the vehicle failed to respond. The driver pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several minutes, and the vehicle drove as intended. The vehicle was driven to a nearby dealer, and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V866000 (Power Train) in 2023; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11568521

Incident

Jan 15, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle began to vibrate and hesitate. The contact stated that the transmission and hybrid warning lights and several other warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned the vehicle off. The contact turned the vehicle on and was able to place the vehicle into drive (D) and began to move forward however, he observed that the check transmission light was blinking. The contact stopped the vehicle shifted into park (P), then shifted into reverse (R) however, the vehicle failed to respond while shifting through PRNDL. The contact turned the vehicle off and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The local dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the mechatronic unit and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V866000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

NHTSA ID

11552332

Incident

Oct 14, 2023

Mileage

126,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power after the clutch disengaged. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer, where the contact was made aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V866000 (Power Train); however, the part for the repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11515747

Incident

Mar 31, 2023

Mileage

130,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced in 2017 however, the failure occurred. The failure mileage was 114,000.

NHTSA ID

11498355

Incident

Dec 1, 2022

Mileage

114,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the hybrid system fault message was displayed. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle and the hybrid system fault message was off however, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to his residence with the warning light illuminated. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the hybrid electric system was non-functional. The contact stated that he continued driving to his residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the dual clutch transmission to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V866000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and texted the contact that the failure occurred before the recall and would not be covered. The failure mileage was approximately 86,097.

NHTSA ID

11495779

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

Mileage

86,097 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated, and the horn was inoperable. The failure was constant. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the clock spring needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the clock spring for the vehicle was on national back order. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

NHTSA ID

11490322

Incident

Sep 28, 2022

Mileage

111,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle failed to shift into drive or reverse. The vehicle was stuck in neutral and failed to move. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11485292

Incident

Sep 2, 2022

Mileage

70,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated that upon exiting his driveway, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact then stated that he attempted to restart the vehicle however, the engine revved but failed to operate as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ID

11484836

Incident

Jul 5, 2022

Mileage

86,000 mi

This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) – No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.

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