RoadVitals

2008 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest May 16, 2019
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen, most frequently naming the airbags category. 272 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Filed May 16, 2019

1.ON 3/23/2017 I PHYSICALLY SIGNED (INK SIGNATURE) TO PURCHASE A USED 2008 JETTA 2.WITHIN A WEEK THE 08 JETTA BROKE DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY 3.I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED (SELLER) PLEASANT VALLEY MOTORS, RALEIGH, NC (PVM) AND TOLD ME TO TOW IT TO MY HOME AND PVM WILL TOW THE VEHICLE WITH THEIR MECHANIC & FIX THE PROBLEM. 4.WHILE VEHICLE SAT FOR A WEEK, I HAD A MOBILE CO. CONDUCT A DIAGNOSTIC. RESULTS:REAR BRAKES ON DRIVER-SIDE WERE METAL TO METAL AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED,ALSO CLUTCH WAS NOT FUNCTIONING, SLVE CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, ALSO NUT THAT HOLDS SHIFTER MECHANISM DOWN WAS BROKEN AND SOMEONE TRIED TO WELD IT BACK AND WOULD NEED TRANSMISSION TO REPAIR IT. 5.ON 3/31/2017 THE 08 JETTA WAS FINALLY PICKED UP BY PLEASANT VALLEY MOTORS 6.IN THE INTERIM, I HAD TO RENT VEHICLES TO GO TO WORK ETC. 7.PVM, OFFERED A VEHICLE IN WHICH THEY CAME UNANNOUNCED TO TOOK THE LOANER DUE TO THEM CLOSING DOWN ABRUPTLY. 8. ON MAY 12, 2017, WITH MY 08 JETTA IN THEIR POSSESSION STATED THEY WERE CLOSING AND I WILL NEED TO PAY THEIR UNKNOWN MECHANIC THE REPAIRS. 9. I REQUESTED FOR PVM TO FURNISH A MECHANICAL VEHICLE REPORT, LOCATION AND STATUS ON THE VEHICLE. I RECEIVED NOTHING BUT BACK AND FORTH CONFIRMATION FROM UNKNOWN REPS UPON PVM CLOSING. 10. PLEASE NOTE: I RECEIVED HARASSING PHONE CALLS FROM "AL" A SALES AGENT WITH PVM THAT WAS NEVER LICENSED TO SELL IN NORTH CAROLINA. 11. SINCE MAY 12, 2017, PVM AND THEIR MECHANIC WAS NEVER SEEN AND MY VEHICLE I NEVER HAD IN MY POSSESSION TO DATE. 12. I INFORMED CREDIT ACCEPTANCE ABOUT THIS ENTIRE ORDEAL AND CREDIT ACCEPTANCE THE LENDER STATED THEY CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION ON-SITE AFTER PVM CLOSED AND THEY DID NOT CONFIRM NOR PROVIDED ME DETAILS RESULTS OF THEIR INVESTIGATION SUCH AS DATE, TIME, AGENT WHO INVESTIGATED THIS AUTO FRAUD ETC. 13. IN RETURN, TO DATE HAVE ACCUMULATED BAD CREDIT REPORTING FROM CREDIT ACCEPTANCE, NO VEHICLE IN POSSESSION.

NHTSA ID
11208154
Incident
Mar 23, 2017
Airbags
Filed Feb 9, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTWAGEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC RESET THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR; HOWEVER, THE INDICATOR CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ILLUMINATION WAS DUE TO AN AIR BAG FAILURE LOCATED AT THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,000.

NHTSA ID
11071942
Incident
Nov 1, 2017
Mileage
136,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

V271901201189425

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

Battery Testing and Charging Using Midtronics VAS6161 and or GRX3000VAS Charger. Update Tool terminology

V0018092053065_4

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Safety Related Inquiry and Reporting

V171901201285565

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards

V2719012011894_2

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Battery Testing and Charging using Midtronics VAS6161 and or GRX3000 Vas Charger

V011812201460319

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

Software Version Management (SVM) instruction.

V171901201285563

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards, updated to include model year 2024.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2017000
2016000
2015000
2014341248.9
2013361242.8
2012271240.7
2011331147.9
2010231140.1
2009151032.4
2008Viewing200
2007000
2006000
2005000

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.