RoadVitals

2004 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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 Aug 16, 2020
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
2
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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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

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

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Fuel system150.0%
  • Visibility150.0%

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

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

STARTING AT AROUND 130,000 MILES, WHEN GAS TANK IS AT A QUARTER OR SLIGHTLY LESS, THE CAR LOOSES POWER AND ACTS AS IF IT IS NOT GETTING FUEL TO THE ENGINE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING DOWN A HIGHWAY AT TYPICAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS, POWER IS LOST FOR 10-15 SECONDS, RPM DROPS TO AROUND 2000 OR LESS (WHILE IN "DRIVE"). THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE ENGINE JERKS TO LIFE, AND I CAN DRIVE THE CAR NORMALLY, UP UNTIL I HAVE TO REFILL THE TANK. THE STALLING DOESN'T REPEAT ITSELF UNTIL THE NEXT QUARTER TANK. WHEN THE QUARTER OF A TANK ISSUE HAPPENS IN THE CITY AT SLOWER SPEEDS, THE CAR DIES, DASHBOARD ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON, AND I HAVE TO PULL OVER, AND CRANK THE STARTER 3 OR 4 TIMES, AND EVENTUALLY, IT STARTS BACK UP AGAIN WITH NORMAL DRIVING RESUMED. ONE TIME I WAS DRIVING UP A HILL, LOST POWER, AND HAD TO PULL OVER QUICK. WHEN THE QUARTER OF A TANK ISSUE HAPPENS WHILE PARKED, ENGINE AT AN IDLE, THE CAR DIES, AND I HAVE TO CRANK THE STARTER A FEW TIMES TO RESTART THE CAR. THIS PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENS ONCE PER TANK CYCLE, ONLY AT THE (APPROXIMATE) QUARTER OF A TANK POSITION, AND DOESN'T HAPPEN BETWEEN THE FULL TO 1/4, OR THE 1/4 TO EMPTY PHASE. I KNOW I AM NOT OUT OF GAS, AS I'M FILLING UP THE TANK TO NORMAL LEVELS. THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, AND THE FUEL FILTER ONCE. MY MECHANIC CHARGED $80 TO DIAGNOSE THE CAR, ONLY TO FIND A CODE ABOUT A SPARK PLUG THAT MISFIRED - WHICH OF COURSE WILL HAPPEN DURING FUEL STARVATION. SPART PLUGS REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM HAPPEND AGAIN. I'VE CALLED 3 OR 4 VW REPAIR SHOPS, AND NOBODY HAS A CLUE HOW TO FIX THIS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I BRING UP THE QUARTER OF A TANK ISSUE. THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING IS TO FILL UP BEFORE HITTING 1/4 TANK. IRRITATING !!!! ISSUE GOING FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW.

NHTSA ID 11297155 · filed Jan 4, 2020

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

THE FRONT WINDOWS DETACH AND DROP DOWN INSIDE THE DOOR DURING COLD WEATHER, EVEN WHEN THE WINDOW HAS NOT BEEN OPERATED. THIS HAS CAUSED A LOSS OF VISIBILITY AS WELL AS A LOSS OF PROTECTION DURING A BLIZZARD, AND AGAIN DURING A TORRENTIAL RAIN STORM WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE REATTACHED THE WINDOWS MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAVE CONTINUED TO HAVE THIS FAILURE OF THE CLAMPS THAT HOLDS THEM IN PLACE. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH AT LOW SPEEDS AND AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE ISSUE CONTINUES TO BE A HAZARDOUS PROBLEM. IN LOOKING ONLINE FOR HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM, I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON IN THESE CARS AND HAS BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR MANY DRIVERS.

NHTSA ID 11349722 · filed Aug 16, 2020

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .