Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I have had my headlights replaced 3 times by a certified mechanic within the last year. While I was driving on the highway, my low beams and high beams on both sides went out. Extreme safety issue!
MY JETTA SE 2013 KEEPS STALLING WHILE DRIVING. IT HAPPENED SINCE I BOUGHT IT AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND NOTHING WRONG WAS FOUND. IT HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES DURING THE HIGHWAY AND ALMOST HAVE BEEN IN A COUPLE OF DEADLY ACCIDENTS. THIS HAS ALSO HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING IN REGULAR STREETS AT ABOUT 30-40MPH.I HAVE BEEN READING THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE, BUT SO FAR VW HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ALSO, BOTH HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING ANYMORE. IT SEEMS MIGHT BE AN ISSUE WITH SOME SENSORS, BUT NOTHING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY.
THE HORN STOPPED WORKING 1 WEEK AGO. I AM ALSO REPLACING BULBS EVERY 2 MONTHS. I CAN'T USE MY HORN AND THE DEALER IS CHARGING ME A CRAZY FEE TO FIX THIS. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT'S GOING THROUGH THIS
I HIT A TREE ON A CITY STREET AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY THAT TIME EITHER AND I HAD A CUT ON MY HEAD I HAD INJURY TO MY KNEE AND MY ACHILLES TENDON BOTH OF WHICH RESULTED IN SURGERIES. I HAVE HAD TWO OTHER ACCIDENTS SINCE NEITHER TIME NEITHER I HAVE HAD TWO OTHER ACCIDENTS SINCE AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. BOTH OF THOSE WERE IN PARKING LOTS. I AM 84 AND HAVE FALLEN TWICE SINCE THE ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF MY INJURIES AND SUSTAINED HEAD TRAUMA AND MEMORY LOSS. I WILL TRY TO LOCATE THE ACCIDENT DATE. IT WAS IN 2016.
TAKATA RECALL - I AM JUST GIVING NOTICE THAT MY AIRBAGS MAY BE FAULTY AND MAY NEED A REPLACEMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
A FEW MONTHS AGO , THE DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM LIGHT WENT OFF , WITH REPLACEMENT AND NEVER TURNED ON .TODAY THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM LIGHT IS OFF AND WON'T TURN ON. THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WORK .
I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT 3 TIMES IN 6 WEEKS. NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE WIRING BULBS JUST KEEP BURNING OUT. IT APPEARS THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM ALSO. VW DEALERSHIPS OFFER NO SOLUTIONS.
IN THE PAST YEAR, THE HEADLIGHTS (NOT DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS) HAVE GONE OUT INTERMITTENTLY ON TWO OR THREE OCCASIONS, ONE WHILE DRIVING AND THE OTHERS WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE. SO FAR IT'S JUST BEEN ONE AT A TIME, BUT IT MADE IT REASONABLY HARDER TO SEE WHILE DRIVING. IF BOTH GO OUT TOGETHER, THIS COULD BE BAD! THE VW DEALER FOUND A BURNT OUT BULB BUT CANNOT DETERMINE ANY OTHER REASON AFTER TROUBLESHOOTING. THEY SAID THE BULB FILAMENTS ARE VERY CLOSE AND GOING OVER A BUMP COULD SHORT IT. THAT'S BAD DESIGN WITH SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. ALSO, MANY OTHER JETTA OWNERS COMPLAIN ONLINE ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM.
THERE IS EXCESSIVE CONDENSATION IN MY PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT. THIS ISSUE LOWERS THE HEADLIGHT VISIBILITY THE DEALER SAID THIS IS NORMAL AND SHOULD BE CORRECTED AFTER 30 MINUTES OF THE LIGHTS BEING ON. THE ISSUE STILL OCCURS AND IS CONSISTENT. THE ISSUE OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND IN MOTION.
HEAD LIGHTS BULBS ARE PREMATURELY BURNING OUT.. TEE BULBS WERE REPLACED AT THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP. ONE NIGHT WHILE I WAS DRIVING BOTH OF MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME AND SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY BULBS TWICE AND MY DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS.
THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR I HAVE NEEDED TO REPLACE MY HEADLIGHTS. THIS TIME EVEN THE REPLACEMENT HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING. MY VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS NO WORKING HEADLIGHTS. JUST THE HIGH BEAMS, PARK LIGHTS, DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS WORK, BUT NOT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT AND MY VEHICLE IS HIGHLY MAINTAINED AND IN GREAT CONDITION. YET, I KEEP SUFFERING WITH THE SAME HEADLIGHT PROBLEM. I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S THE BULBS AND MY MECHANIC HAS EVEN TOLD ME IT'S A FAULT WITH THE MANUFACTURING OF THE VEHICLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY IGNITED INTO FLAMES. THE FAILURE HAPPENED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD AN ABNORMAL ODOR PRIOR TO THE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EXTERIOR HEADLIGHTS WERE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,000.
I WENT TO LEAVE A FRIENDS HOUSE LAST NIGHT. IT WAS DARK AND WHEN I TURNED ON MY HEADLIGHTS, THE LOW BEAM WOULD NOT WORK. I OPENED THE OWNERS MANUAL TO FIND A FUSE LOCATION, AND THERE IS NO DIAGRAM IN THERE TO SHOW WHAT FUSES WERE WHICH. I PULLED THE FUSE COVERS ON BOTH FUSE PANELS ONLY TO FIND OUT THEY ARE NOT ON THERE EITHER. I DROVE THE CAR HOME WITH MY HIGH BEAMS ON AS THIS WAS THE ONLY LIGHTS I HAD. I BLINDED EVERYONE FOR THE FIVE MILE TRIP HOME. HOW IS ONE SUPPOSED TO FIX SOMETHING A SIMPLE AS A BLOWN FUSE, WHEN THE MANUFACTURE DOES NOT INDICATE LOCATIONS.
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL BUT THE ONE I AM HAVING MORE ISSUES WITH, ARE THE HEAD LAMPS AND/OR FUSES. IN OCTOBER OF 2014, MY LEFT SIDE LOW BEAM STOPPED WORKING, I BOUGHT 2 BULBS SO IT COULD BE REPLACED AND THEN IT WASN'T THE BULB, IT WAS A FUSE. IN JANUARY 2015, THE LEFT SIDE BULB STOPPED WORKING AGAIN, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND ANY FUSE THAT WAS BLOWN ON MY OWN, THIS TIME IT WAS THE BULB. NOW IT IS THE RIGHT SIDE LOW BEAM THAT ISN'T WORKING. I AM NOT SURE WHAT IS GOING ON BUT I HAVE ANOTHER CAR THAT IS 20 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE REPLACED THE BULBS ONLY 1 TIME. WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THIS CAR IN JUNE OF 2013, I HAD IT LESS THAN ONE MONTH AND WHILE GOING ACROSS A RAIL ROAD CROSSING, THE CAR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. AFTER TESTS, THEY SAID THAT IT SHOWED NOTHING AND THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND STILL NOTHING WAS FOUND. THE SEAT BELT SIGN COMES ON FOR THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT BECAUSE OF A SENSOR WHEN NO ONE IS IN IT. THE TRUNK HAS A DELAY ON IT AND TAKES A WHILE TO OPEN. THE GAS MILEAGE IS NOT AT ALL WHAT IT CLAIMS EITHER. I GET AT THE MOST 32-34 MPG AND 99% OF MY DRIVING IS ON THE INTERSTATE. I DIDN'T GET ANY EXTENDED COVERAGE ON IT BECAUSE EVERYONE SAYS THAT THEY ARE GREAT CARS, WELL UNLESS SOMETHING IS DONE TO FIX THE ISSUES THAT THEY HAVE, THEY WILL NEVER GET ANOTHER BUY FROM ME OR THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE I KNOW AND ALL THE ONES THAT READ THE REVIEWS. *TR
I WAS STOPPED AT A SOLID RED TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WHEN I GOT THE GREEN LIGHT TO PROCEED STRAIGHT ACROSS THE INTERSECTION I BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. HALFWAY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION ANOTHER VEHICLE (VEHICLE #2) CROSSED MY PATH OF TRAVEL ON THE RIGHT HAND PASSENGER SIDE AND VEHICLE #2 DRIVER'S SIDE CRASHED INTO MY FRONT END. MY VEHICLE WAS SPUN AROUND COUNTER CLOCKWISE DUE TO THE IMPACT OF VEHICLE #2. AS A RESULT OF THIS CRASH MY VEHICLE SUSTAINED HEAVY FRONT END DAMAGE AND PIECES AND PARTS WERE STREWN ALL OVER THE ROAD. FLUID WAS LEAKING OUT OF MY VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE OPERATED POST-COLLISION. WITH THE HEAVY FRONT END DAMAGE THE DRIVER, PASSENGER AND SIDE AIRBAGS IN MY VEHICLE DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR
BOTH OF MY LOW BEAM LIGHTS WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND MY CAR WOULD NOT TURN OFF. MY CAR WAS RUNNING AND COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF.. THE CAR HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO TURN OFF THE CAR. IF THE DEALERSHIP HAD BEEN CLOSED OR THE CAR REQUIRED GAS OR I WAS TRAVELING OUT OF TOWN. I WOULD NOT HAVE ANY RECOURSE BUT TO RUN THE CAR UNTIL IT CUT OFF BUT STILL THE KEYS WOULD BE STUCK IN THE IGNITION. BOTH INCIDENT ARE VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS..THE IGNITION LOCK HAD TO BE REPLACED AND BOTH LIGHTS HAS TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY 42, 000.. THIS IS NOT ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THESE ARE BOTH SERIOUS CONCERNS THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED. VW CUSTOMER CARE REFUSE TO STAND BEHIND ITS PRODUCT AND COST WAS OUT OF POCKET. *TR
OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS AS I AM DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY MY LOW BEAM LIGHT SHORT OUT AT NIGHT. THIS HAS HAPPEN TWICE WHILE DRIVING. I DO NOTICE A BLINKING DASH LIGHT PRIOR TO THE HEAD LAMPS GO OUT. THIS HAS HAPPEN TWICE OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS. VW OF AMERICA SAY IT NOT A ISSUE. WILL NOT PAY FOR THE$ 80.00 FOR REPAIR. IT IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT THE REPAIR IT IS A SEVERE SAFELY ISSUE . I WAS DRIVING IN THE DARK GOING 30 MPH ON A HIGHWAY TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY NO WHERE TO STOP JUST WITH DAYTIME LIGHTS ON. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND VW IS SAYING IT NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AND ITS NOT A REPAIR THAT THEY WILL REIMBURSE ME FOR. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING OVER 40 YEARS. I HAD ONLY HAD TO REPLACE HEADLAMPS MAYBE 4 TIMES IN MY LIFE. BY THE WAY THE LIGHTS ARE MANUFACTURED BY PHILLIPS LIGHTS IN GERMANY. MIGHT NEED TO REVISIT MY CAR CHOICES. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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