2013 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Complaints

Airbags did not deploy..as per police report

NHTSA ID

11755733

Incident

Apr 17, 2026

Driving vehicle on highway, vehicle lost engine power, no acceleration possible. Attempt to restart vehicle resulted in no start. Subsequent evaluation of fault revealed high pressure fuel pump failure.

NHTSA ID

11735317

Incident

Feb 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle decelerated and nearly caused a crash on the freeway. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, restarted, and the vehicle operated as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V615000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING); one month before the failure; however, the repair failed to fix the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the failure was associated with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was provided with the cost for a diagnostic test and the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 152,000.

NHTSA ID

11720919

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

Mileage

152,000 mi

Tire size 205/50R17 Tire belt broke without warning and caused a large bubble in the side of my tire. Tire was out of balance and the cars stability was immediately reduced while on the highway. Had to be replaced with only 8,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11715859

Incident

Jan 24, 2026

I am submitting this complaint regarding Safety Recall 34J6, which is listed as INCOMPLETE for my 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. I brought my vehicle to Volkswagen of Murfreesboro, Tennessee to have this recall performed. The dealership refused to complete the repair, claiming it was “too old” — a statement that is factually and legally incorrect. Federal law and NHTSA regulations require manufacturers and their dealerships to repair open safety recalls at no cost, with no expiration. The dealership’s refusal is a direct violation of these requirements and represents a serious safety risk to me and potentially to other drivers. I have already contacted Volkswagen Customer CARE, but the dealership has refused to perform the recall despite clear evidence that it remains open. Their inaction demonstrates noncompliance with federal safety regulations and unlawful denial of a mandated repair. I request that NHTSA investigate Volkswagen of Murfreesboro for refusal to perform a federally required recall, ensure that my vehicle receives the required repair immediately, and take appropriate enforcement action to prevent further violations. This behavior is unacceptable and poses a significant public safety risk.

NHTSA ID

11703821

Incident

Dec 8, 2025

While driving the vehicle at about 20mph about a week ago, the check hybrid light began flashing. After stopping and restarting the vehicle, the check engine light came on. The vehicle has been diagnosed at a Volkswagen dealership service center as leaking hydraulic fluid from the transmission mechatronics control unit and needing a new transmission and hydraulic pump. This vehicle is not included on the Safety Recall Code: 34J6.

NHTSA ID

11702517

Incident

Nov 24, 2025

I discovered that my 2013 Volkswagen Jetta has a completely nonfunctional airbag system. On 8/23/23- airbag warning light illuminated and has remained on. In 08/2025- Midas staff informed me the light may indicate an airbag defect and referred me to Volkswagen. On 09/24/2025- Volkswagen dealer inspection documented both front crash sensors were unplugged/damaged, leaving the airbag system inoperable. Safety concern: I unknowingly drove this car for over two years with no functional airbags. This created a severe risk of injury or death in the event of a motor vehicle accident. This car was sold by Carvana as having passed a 150-point inspection and under warranty coverage. However, Carvana later stated that they have a disclaimer that shifts the responsibility of the car being safe to drive onto the consumer, and that they never claimed the car had a functioning air bag system.

NHTSA ID

11691807

Incident

Aug 23, 2023

Hairline crack developed in the accumulator housing of the transmission (mechatronic unit), leaking and leading to insufficient transmission oil pressure. There is loss of power to the wheels. Was never notified and on last inspection they told me it was my fault. Recall code 34J6. The only thing the service department did was update the software, the issue was that before the update it was already damaged and they refused to replace the “MECHATRONICS UNIT” The car is not drive able, and is just sitting in my drive way.

NHTSA ID

11689309

Incident

Mar 17, 2022

The key will not come out of the ignition

NHTSA ID

11684135

Incident

Aug 30, 2025

The car has turned off at idle and at low speeds, almost causing accidents and to be rear ended in busy streets and during stop and go traffic on the highway. After numerous mechanic diagnostics at both Volkswagen Dealership service departments and third party mechanic shops, no one seems to be able to give me an answer or condition to what is causing the problem. With no error codes being brought up nor any other underlying issues that could be causing this issue, with a car having minor wear. This is a problem that has been reported by many other Volkswagen Jetta owners on online forums and no one seems to have a specific answer as to what is causing this accident prone issue!

NHTSA ID

11660505

Incident

Apr 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that whenever the temperature fell below 20 degrees, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact stated that the Body Control Module (BCM) had previously been replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the Body Control Module (BCM) needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,900.

NHTSA ID

11651070

Incident

Jan 8, 2025

Mileage

134,900 mi

Car one day decided to have issues. It wouldn't turn over. So we called a row truck to come take it and run diagnostics. The tow truck driver showed up and on his decision making as im not a professional like he is he said can it turn on I said no so he pursued with saying that he is going to Jumpstart the battery in his words he says that's mainly the issue is a dead battery so he wanted to jump it with his portable jumper box as we are hooking it up to the vehicle I am inside and he connects the cables and tells me to try and turn it over in doing so the intake manifold had completely blown up. Right in front of the tow truck driver and it sounded like a cannon went off. He told me after he could hear again as well as me. We both have never experienced anything like that before. The pictures I'm providing are the damages of what jump starting the vehicle did.

NHTSA ID

11644383

Incident

Dec 30, 2024

My car has 80,000 miles on it. The high pressure fuel pump sent metal shavings all through the entire system. Dealer quoted $9,000 to fix. This should have never happened. They said that the extended warranty from the diesel gate situation has expired and there’s nothing they can do. With the car only having 80,000 miles on it they should honor the warranty.

NHTSA ID

11640173

Incident

Jan 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the compliance recall Campaign Number: 3M02 was completed. The contact stated that while attempting to remove the key from the ignition switch while the vehicle was in drive(D), the key came out smoothly. Additionally, the contact stated upon starting the vehicle and entering the key in the ignition switch, the Electronic Power Control (EPC) and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the recall failed to fix the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a fee would be charged for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

NHTSA ID

11631281

Incident

Dec 13, 2024

Mileage

55,000 mi

Cp4 pump failed on car with 85,000 miles on it sending metal pieces throughout the fuel system causing damage and a $9,000 bill to fix a car worth $9,000 so it is essentially totaled.

NHTSA ID

11623806

Incident

Nov 5, 2024

Vehicle can be shut off even when gear shifter is not in P position.

NHTSA ID

11623716

Incident

Apr 30, 2023

2013 Jetta TDI with 92k miles. I am the third owner of this car which has been regularly maintained since new with all service records, including a 2019 emissions modification per VW recall. I bought this vehicle less than a year ago. My son was driving to work when the car shut off without warning. He was able to restart it and park safely and had it towed home. After replacing the battery and a fuse, the car continued to show a code for the ECM Power Relay Load Circuit . We took it to the mechanic to have it inspected, and learned that the high pressure fuel pump had imploded and metal shavings were found throughout the entire fuel system. This is evidently a common and very costly issue that VW has an obligation to fix. They knowingly continue to use a defective part that is essentially a ticking time bomb without regard to the owners safety and the financial ramifications of the repair. All VW vehicles with this defect should be covered by VW, not just selected model years and models. This causes catastrophic damage and VW is completely negligent by not doing what is right by the customer. The VW dealer quoted a $9,000. repair and VW North America declined any assistance with the vehicle. The car is not worth that, and it would be absurd to pay out of pocket for the repair; especially since VW continues to use a defective designed HPFP that can eventually fail again. VW was selective in the model years that they recalled, but only after the parts failed. They should have applied the recall and repairs to ALL vehicles proactively. I now have a 2013 paperweight in my driveway. The reason I purchased this specific car was for the longevity that diesels are known for. What a shame that VW does not rectify the situation in lieu of the previous diesel scandal. I'll be going back to Volvo or Subaru, two companies that I have had great experiences with, both in safety and reliability. VW should do the right thing, but I guess that's of no importance anymore.

NHTSA ID

11616723

Incident

Sep 2, 2024

UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION As I was accelerating to enter traffic on the expressway the engine lost partial power. I reduced accelerator pressure, and then the engine seemed to recover. I then reapplied pressure to the accelerator, and it seemed normal but when I put in the clutch to shift, the engine accelerated beyond redline. I completed the shift, and car began to accelerate rapidly. I tapped the accelerator, and the acceleration stopped, and then after about 3 seconds it began to accelerate again. I attempted to reduce acceleration with brakes, but it was only partially effective. The only way to effectively reduce acceleration was to take the car out of gear. (thankfully this was a manual transmission) When I shifted into neutral, engine RPMs would exceed redline. The excessive RPMs ultimately destroyed the engine (Big bang, lots of smoke). In hindsight I would have turned the ignition off but did not think to at the time.. The safety implications are obvious. This event occurred without warning and under normal driving conditions. I suspect an engine sensor anomaly combined with computer software failure. (Maybe an RPM sensor?) Specific cause is unknown, and situation cannot be recreated since the engine has failed. The Diesel Particulate Filter warning light was on, and had been on for several weeks. It did not clear using the recommended remediation in the manual. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer or other interested parties, but is available for inspection. (This is one of the vehicles recalled for “diesel-gate” purchased from VW after reprogramming)

NHTSA ID

11615745

Incident

Sep 16, 2024

2013 Jetta hybrid 80,00 miles on it driving on a highway suddenly rpm go lowered in the middle of highway loss power trying to maneuver to the side of the highway has to towed home now can't do reverse and lots of leaking fluid on the car take to the mechanic shop found out the transmission no working the mechanic shop said the probably my cars is in those car on recalled because they worked on those problems before

NHTSA ID

11611407

Incident

Aug 22, 2024

Unknown

NHTSA ID

11596541

Incident

Jun 1, 2024

High pressure fuel pump failed on a 2013 TDI diesel. Every other manufacturer was forced to recall / replace the Bosch CP4 hpfp , why was volkswagen's not recalled? The failure of this component stops the car on the interstate. VW offered a 10 year extended warranty while all other manufacturers recalled and replaced the pump. The failure mode is a slow degradation of the internal components becuase it is not designed properly for ultra low sulfur diesel in the united states. It's not acceptable to just extend the warranty on a component that is a ticking time bomb. The failure can be at 2,000 miles, or it can be at 200,000 miles, but it will fail due to the missed engineering specification on diesel fuel. These are very common failures continuing to happen with VW diesel cars and continuin to put people at risk for a known problem that was not properly addressed.

NHTSA ID

11593931

Incident

Jun 10, 2024

My son was driving home when failure lights came on. I told him to take it to the nearest VW dealer, which he did: Tynan’s VW in Aurora, CO. The diagnostics’ indicated faults were Cracks in the Accumulator and transmission stuck in 6th gear, the exact same problem as indicated in the Safety Recall, issued in January of 2020 (NHTSA 19V866): Hairline cracks in the accumulator housing of the transmission, clutch may not engage – loss of power to wheels leading to vehicle crash. Repair not available. In June of 2021, when a repair was available, I took the car to Chapman Volkswagen Scottsdale, AZ to perform the repair and service. The mileage at first repair on [XXX], 2021 was 30828. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURANCE OF THE SAME ISSUE. On May 1st after receiving the Tynans’ diagnostic report I started attempting to contact Chapman Volkswagen Scottsdale, AZ. Also at notification from Tynans’ VW of the second occurrence of this safety issue, I called VW Customer Care on early May - VW Customer Care contact on [XXX] - Case Number: [XXX]. Outcome: I was told by VW Customer Care to go back to Chapman Volkswagen Scottsdale and tell them they did not repair it properly. Volkswagen Scottsdale is taking no responsibility (Current Service Manager is Mike Chadwell) after several calls and I have not been able to get a copy of their repair warranty after repeated requests. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11591364

Incident

Apr 25, 2024

I bought a 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid in 2015 from a VW dealer with ~15,000 miles on it. Question #1: In December 2017, the power train system/transmission failed and my car lost power and I was unable to drive it. Now, in May 2024, the transmission is failing again and VW had stated that it needs to be replaced for a second time, and they quoted me roughly $10,000 for the repair. Question #2: VW issued a safety recall that mentions "hairline cracks in the transmission gearbox which can cause a decrease in oil pressure" which, in turn, "can cause the clutch to fail to engage, resulting in a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of crash." (In the last month, VW has denied any recalls associated with my VIN. However, I attached a document issued from USAA that states that my VIN could be associated with 8 different safety-related recalls. The first on the list of these recalls is related to vehicles with the same year, make, and model as mine that are equipped with a DQ200 7-speed DSG Automatic Transmission. The NHTSA ID for this recall is 19V866000.) Question #3: In 2017, the first time I had a power train system issue, the car was towed to the nearest VW dealer, and I had the transmission replaced there. (Documentation of repair attached.) In 2024, I received a full diagnostic that includes the transmission needing to be replaced for a second time. Question #4: The vehicle/issue has been inspected by a certified VW Dealer. Question #5: I took my car to the same dealer that replaced the transmission in 2017. In May of 2024, I took my car to VW right after 5 warning lights appeared on my dashboard all at once (steering system, airbag, traction control, ABS, and tire pressure; photo attached) The service department at the VW dealer conducted a full diagnostic and said that I need to replace the transmission for a second time.

NHTSA ID

11590681

Incident

May 6, 2024

I am Filing a complaint against Volkswagen group of America, I called they for assistants in fixing an issue with one of their dealers to replace an ignition switch. Volkswagen said they stand by their dealer and would not let me speak to the Zone Reps for that area or the Dealer Reps that assist the customer in coming to a solution. The Ignition switch is a safety item and the dealer is trying to charge me a high price for a new key because they own a monopoly in the area.

NHTSA ID

11590597

Incident

May 20, 2024

Ignition switch stuck, and would not allow key to fully be inserted causing the cylinder to freeze and not turn on or if able to turn on not be able to turn off. I took it to the dealer to repair. They quoted me but refuse to provide a key with the new ignition system and are trying to price gouge me into buying a key that should have been provided with the new system.

NHTSA ID

11590437

Incident

May 17, 2024