2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

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 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating from 7th gear and failed to function as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with a mechatronic unit failure associated with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 113,500.

NHTSA ID

11638356

Incident

Dec 15, 2024

Mileage

113,500 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to a dealer. The dealer confirmed the transmission failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11586442

Incident

Apr 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated that while his sister was driving from a complete stop, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was unaware if there were any warning lights illuminated. The contact's sister was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that he connected an OBD reader to the vehicle and retrieved diagnostic trouble codes related to the transmission and hydraulic pump play protection failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed to determine if it could be covered under Volkswagen Campaign Number: 34J6(Mechatronic Accumulator Housing). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under Volkswagen Campaign Number: 34J6. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11565040

Incident

Nov 29, 2023

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. Additionally, the transmission failed to shift gear while the RPM was revving. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V866000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ID

11541171

Incident

Aug 26, 2023

Mileage

108,000 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start while parked in a parking lot. The vehicle was left at the parking lot overnight and the following day the contact was able to start the vehicle; however, while driving to the residence the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that after 30 minutes she was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving to the residence. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11538341

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

Mileage

130,000 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stopped with the Hybrid Propulsion System failure warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle turned off immediately. The vehicle was towed the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall pertaining to the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11510824

Incident

Dec 24, 2022

Mileage

130,000 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the transmission inadvertently shifted to neutral(N). The contact pulled over, turned off and restarted the vehicle several times before the vehicle operated normally. The contact was able to drive home safely. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving 20 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic stated that the electronic gearbox mechatronic unit failed causing fuel to leak into the transmission. The electronic gearbox mechatronic unit and the transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V866000 (Power Train); however, the manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 99,500.

NHTSA ID

11477549

Incident

Nov 4, 2019

Mileage

99,500 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact noticed that the vehicle would not accelerate and was decreasing in speed as if the vehicle was in NEUTRAL. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was started and shifted into drive however, the vehicle rolled backward. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and the vehicle was shifted into PARK. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there were cracks in the electronic module. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate, 42,000.

NHTSA ID

11434691

Incident

Sep 22, 2021

Mileage

42,000 mi

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