2015 Volkswagen Jetta Engine Problems

Vehicle Information •Make / Model / Year: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T SE •VIN: [XXX] Recall Information (if known) •Camshaft recall: 23R1 (2016) •ECM software update: 24DR (2020) Description of Problem: My 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T SE experiences loss of power while driving, where the engine RPM increases but the vehicle does not accelerate properly, especially when driving uphill. This creates an unsafe driving condition. The vehicle previously received recall repairs for the camshaft (23R1) and ECM software (24DR). Despite these recall repairs being completed, the same symptoms persist, indicating the recall may not have fully resolved the defect. I reported this issue to Volkswagen Customer CARE under case number [XXX], but the concern remains unresolved. I am filing this complaint to document that this is an ongoing safety concern, post-recall, that has not been resolved by Volkswagen. I request NHTSA to review this unresolved post-recall safety issue and ensure Volkswagen investigates whether the original recall repairs fully corrected the defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11711278

Incident

Nov 30, 2016

The turbocharger is out. I've had problems with coolant leaking. Mechanic pressurized tank, its fine. While parked coolant disappears, evaporates, idk..Nothing leaking on ground. Now smoke coming out of exhaust. Car has 56,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11683134

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

I’ve been experiencing intermittent start failures with my 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The issue typically occurs after driving short distances, turning off the engine, and attempting to restart the vehicle within 15–45 minutes. The dashboard lights stay on, but the engine fails to crank. After extended wait times (1–3 hours or more), it will sometimes start again. A diagnostic scanner showed DTC IM 00, indicating an immobilizer system malfunction, meaning the car isn’t recognizing the key properly. I’ve tested both keys and various conditions (locked/unlocked, sun/shade, full/low gas tank), and the issue continues to be unpredictable. When the car was towed to the dealership, they were unable to replicate the problem since it started by the time they checked it, and they were unwilling to investigate the immobilizer issue without charging me for a wide range of unrelated tests. This is becoming a safety issue, especially if the vehicle stalls or won’t restart in isolated areas or during hot conditions. It is not acceptable for a known electronic security feature to randomly disable the vehicle from functioning.

NHTSA ID

11653341

Incident

Apr 4, 2025

My Volkswagen vehicle (Jetta Model 2015, MOdel 4DJSA, VIN [XXX] ) had a first event on [XXX] where the car suddenly stop in the middle of [XXX]. The car was taken to Volkswagen at Inver Grove and the cause was related to failure in a piston. The car was fixed without cost as it was covered by the guarantee of the vehicle. Again, around [XXX], the car again suddenly stopped working and needed to be thawed to Volkswagen at Inver Grove, the diagnosis done was extreme misfires on all cylinders that cause the car to die while in operation. The root cause was due to excessive oil inside the cylinder. In this occasion, the repair would not be covered under the guarantee and thus the option provided was to replace the motor at an estimated cost of $11,000 USD which is above the cost of the vehicle. It is important to notice that the car was routinely checked and serviced by Volkswagen at Inver Grove during the time we have owned the vehicle. There were not diagnostic tools that we could have to address this issue, to our knowledge there is nothing we did to cause this catastrophic failure. This recurrent incident could be likely a manufacturing issue and thus it is not caused by the user. The damage of the cylinder was not isolated to just one, all four have the same issue. Our car is currently parked (we are paying storage insurance on it) and we cannot use it. Our ask is for Volkswagen to repair the vehicle at no cost to us as we were not at fault for this issue. We kindly ask you for your support on this matter. Respectfully. [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11619688

Incident

Sep 23, 2023

My car has been recalled twice for a camshaft which is making a ticking noise inside still. I reached out to dealership and they said they can only handle the situation once they get approval from NHTSA. Please help me out with this issue. Below are the recall codes 23R1 - Camshaft 24DR - ECM Thankyou.

NHTSA ID

11607248

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

The contact's wife owns a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal popping sound. The contact veered to the side of the road and opened the hood. The contact stated that he noticed that coolant had leaked onto the engine, and the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact who is an independent mechanic, replaced the heater core hoses and added coolant to the vehicle; however, the failure recurred after 2,500 miles. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could be diagnosed, and a warranty claim could not be initiated because the check engine warning light was not illuminated. The low coolant pressure warning light was illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 73,860.

NHTSA ID

11533331

Incident

Feb 11, 2023

Mileage

73,860 mi

I purchased a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta from North Coast Auto Mall on March 19, 2023 and the following day several issues went wrong with the vehicle like: The car reeked of gasoline, oil and engine lights came on, driver side head light blew out. Also, I was told that the car had an inspection, come to find out they didn't do an inspection by North Coast Service manager, so they lied. Also, the reason for the gasoline smell is because the vehicle needs a fuel rack, oil pan, oil pressure switch, and a new headlight. Too many things are going wrong with this car in such a short period of time. It took North Coast two weeks to take my vehicle and they didn't want to give me a loaner car. Also, they have had my vehicle since March 28, 2023 and refuse to disclose of the reconditioning shop of my vehicle. They moved my car from Volkswagen Of Streetsboro to North Coast to another undisclosed location that they won't disclose. Lastly, the car was unsafe for me and my special needs son. He couldn't even ride in my car due to the bad gasoline fumes and I had to ride with the windows down, and come to find out the car could have caught on fire or exploded.

NHTSA ID

11517608

Incident

Mar 20, 2023

After running multiple errands the car will fail to start. Usually after 5-10 minutes it will start again. Every time it will crank but not fully. Lights and blinkers are operational still as well. I have taken it to the Volkswagen three times for repair each time was unsuccessful. The first time the speedometer cluster was repaired, then the wires were worked on, then the whole battery was replaced and it still is not fixed. Not only does it have issues starting but it also shuts off while driving which is a safety concern. I noticed there was a recall on this issue before so it seems to be a recurring issue.

NHTSA ID

11516705

Incident

Oct 4, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a humming and knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 77,000.

NHTSA ID

11512190

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

Mileage

77,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the EPC light illuminated, indicating that there was an engine control malfunction, and the vehicle started shaking. The throttle became stiff. The contact veered off the highway and to the side of the road. The contact drove home with the hazard lights flashing. The contact then spoke with the dealer however, no appointment had been scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

NHTSA ID

11494375

Incident

Nov 20, 2022

Mileage

87,000 mi

2015 Volkswagen Jetta active grille shutter. A shutter system on the front end of the vehicle on the lower half of the radiator that allows air flow during different temperatures. The shutter assembly along with the electrical motor seems to go bad after a set amount of time. Giving off a Check Engine Code P05A0 as the shutters freeze open. Volkswagen dealerships have quoted $700-900 to replace the assembly as the only fix with vehicles being out of warranty. A quick search online has determined that this is a known problem for all these vehicles, Volkswagen are aware as they released a newer engine for the assembly. Also the check engine code can not be cleared until the assembly is fixed or replaced, thus not allowing vehicles to pass annual registration or smog check here in California.

NHTSA ID

11477346

Incident

Aug 3, 2022

The timing belt chain is faulty on the car. There was a recall on models a year before mine and Im having the same problems with mine. My car is inoperable and very unsafe. Driving on hills and in the snow was dangerous because of the jerkiness and lack of speed in the car. It put me in danger on the highway and generally driving. The timing chain is a problem that needs fixed on these models.

NHTSA ID

11453732

Incident

Jan 28, 2022

1. Overtime, i noticed my car starts to jerk during acceleration and would accelerate, completely stall for about 2 seconds before getting back in forward motion. It when that jerk happens, it feels like the car is suddenly in neutral for those few seconds. This has been happening more frequently and has now been happening every other green light. This seems dangerous and I also don’t like that it does this on the highway. 2. steering wheel has some resistance issues. 3. ECM is malfunctioning because my dashboard constantly shows at least 5 incorrect warning check lights. Sometimes they change to other check lights, sometimes they appear and disappear when it wants. Very frustrating.

NHTSA ID

11441121

Incident

Jun 20, 2020

Operating vehicle at highway speed engine stopped suddenly and vehicle lost all power. Engine timing belt failed at 103XXX miles. Vehicle was difficult to bring to stop and steer to side of road. Timing belt interval listed at 130k this is a TDI Dieselgate car. New regen cycle causes car to operate more cycles and at higher temperatures potentially causing premature timing belt failure.

NHTSA ID

11431933

Incident

Sep 1, 2021

2015 VW Jetta, 1.8L turbo engine. While interstate driving, the engine abruptly failed, running very roughly, causing a severe loss of power. This was in the hills of Tennessee at 65mph, and the sudden loss of power made us a traffic hazard and put all our lives in severe danger, being forced to travel under 40mph to reach safety. There were no warning lights prior, and the car had just had an oil change and inspection. After the loss of power, we had warning lights all over the dashboard. The Traction Control, ECM, and a flashing Check Engine were the ones I can recall. After reaching a safe place with cell service, the car was towed to a VW dealership in the next major city. Technicians there diagnosed it with an exhaust valve failure, which in turn shattered the spark plug. This was verified by CNA National, an extended warranty company.

NHTSA ID

11420859

Incident

May 10, 2021

ENGINE LIGHT IS ON 2015 JETTA 1.8 TURBO. ECU 1 STATES CODE P05A0 ACTIVE GRILLE AIR SHUTTER "A" STUCK ON. VOLKSWAGON WANTS TO CHARGE ME $900 TO CORRECT THIS SENSOR PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS 32,000 MILES & WAS STATIONARY WHEN LIGHT CAME ON. THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE SENSOR SYSTEM. SHOULD VW HAVE TO PAY? WHY ARE CONSUMERS PAYING?

NHTSA ID

11395041

Incident

Jan 25, 2021

Mileage

32,706 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EMITTED A STRONG FUEL ODOR OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE NEARBY THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL ODOR WAS ALSO PRESENT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V028000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11373162

Incident

Jun 1, 2020

Mileage

80,000 mi

MY CAR HAD SUDDEN ENGINE FAILURE WITH NO EXTERNAL SIGNS OF TROUBLE (OIL LEVEL, BELTS, EVERYTHING APPARENTLY OK). THE CAR RUMBLED FOR A FEW SECONDS AS I WAS PULLING ONTO AN EXIT RAMP OFF A HIGHWAY. AS I WENT TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE MANUAL INSTRUCTED TO TRY STARTING AGAIN BUT THE CAR WOULDN'T. THE VW SERVICE DEPARTMENT I TOWED THE CAR TO FIRST ASKED ME ON THE PHONE, "IS IT A 1.8 LITER TURBO?" WHEN I TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS, THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD NO TIME TO LOOK AT MY CAR. SINCE IT WAS ALREADY EN ROUTE BEING TOWED THERE, THEY VERY RELUCTANTLY TOOK A SUPERFICIAL LOOK AND SAID THE ENGINE IS LOCKED UP FOR NO APPARENT REASON AT LESS THAN 90,000 MILES. THEY BEGAN TO IMMEDIATELY SUGGEST FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE PROBLEM WAS GOING TO BE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY BY MAKING STATEMENTS, SUCH AS, "OH, IT WOULD COST AT LEAST $1200 JUST TO OPEN THE ENGINE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND THEN IT WILL MOST LIKELY MEAN GETTING A NEW ENGINE... AND YOU'RE JUST LOOKING AT THOUSANDS...." THEM NOT WANTING MY 1.8L TURBO IN THEIR GARAGE, THEIR RESOLUTION THAT THE ENGINE IS A "GONER" WITH JUST A SUPERFICIAL LOOK, AND THEIR GENERAL MOOD OF RECOMMENDING I TAKE NO FURTHER REPAIR ACTION MADE ME RESEARCH THIS ENGINE FURTHER. I FOUND NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO ALL SAID, "OH, THAT.ENGINE IS CRAP! THEY ALL BLOW OUT UNDER 100K MILES!" THAT'S WHEN I CALLED A VW EXPERT I WAS REFERRED TO. HE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION, "IS IT A 1.8L TURBO?" AND THEN TOLD ME, "OH, I'M SO SORRY TO TELL YOU THIS BUT THOSE ENGINES HAVE AN INTERNAL ISSUE THAT MAKES THEM BURN EXCESSIVE OIL AND THEY JUST DON'T MAKE IT MUCH PAST 80K. I WOULDN'T EVEN RECOMMEND PUTTING IN A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE IF YOU DO, IT MIGHT RUN YOU ABOUT $4000 BUT THEN YOU GET ANOTHER ENGINE NO BETTER THAN THE ONE YOU HAD. BASED ON MY RESEARCH, THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WELL KNOWN BY VW AND AUDI. *TR

NHTSA ID

11327161

Incident

May 22, 2020

Mileage

85,000 mi

EVERY 600 - 700 MILES DRIVING THE ENGINE OIL SIGN COMING UP (NEED TO ADD 1/4 OIL EVERY 600 MILES). I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DELERSHIP THEY LOOK AT IT SAID IT IS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO EVERY MONTH I NEED TO ADD OIL IN THE ENGINE. THIS ABSOLUTLY MANUFACTURING PROBLEM THEY DON'T WANT FIX IT.

NHTSA ID

11311549

Incident

Mar 11, 2016

Mileage

50 mi

THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN STATIONARY FOR ABOUT 6 HOURS THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE ENGINE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND OUT THE VEHICLE FIRE OUT BUT THE WHOLE FROM END OF THE VEHICLE TO THE INSIDE AND BACKSEAT WAS AFFECT BY THE FIRE.

NHTSA ID

11310392

Incident

Feb 11, 2020

Mileage

115,000 mi

I ORIGINALLY TOOK MY 2015 JETTA SE TSI CERTIFIED CAR IN TO BE SERVICED AT THE VW DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF THE STEERING PIN SAFETY WARNING THAT WAS ISSUED BECAUSE THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND STEERING LIGHT WERE ON AND IT STARTED HAVING TROUBLE STARTING AND ALL KINDS OF INSTRUMENT LIGHTS WERE SHOWING. I WAS TOLD I NEED TO REPLACE MY BATTERY WHICH I DID AND THEY DID AN 24DR EMISSIONS RECALL TO MY CAR. I PICKED MY CAR UP AND WAS TOLD NOW I HAVE A 'NO KEY' CODE. I HAVE SINCE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. I HAVE TO START MY CAR IN EMERGENCY START MODE... ERGHH. MY CAR BEGAN BOGGING DOWN. MY CAR THEN BEGAN TO RANDOMLY WITHOUT WARNING FLASH THE ESC CONTROL LIGHT ON, THEN EPC LIGHT AND THEN ENGINE LIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME THIS IS HAPPENING, NO MATTER WHAT SPEED I AM GOING EVEN INTERSTATE DRIVING, THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE. I HAD THIS HAPPEN AND HAD TO PULL OVER COMING OUT OF A TUNNEL. I RESTARTED AND DROVE HOME WITH ONLY THE ENGINE LIGHT ON. I HAD MY CAR THEN TOWED BACK TO ANOTHER VW DEALERSHIP. THEY TESTED MY CAR ON THE COMPUTER AND I WAS TOLD TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS FOR MISFIRES WHICH I DID. THEY ALSO NOTED THE 'NO KEY' CODE AND DIAGNOSED THIS AS ME NEEDING A NEW BODY CONTROL MODULE WHICH I SUSPECT DEFINITELY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL BEING PERFORMED EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY. I RETURNED TO THE ORIGINAL DEALERSHIP WHO REPLACED MY BATTERY AND PERFORMED THE RECALL WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT. ON THE WAY TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THE SAME INCIDENT WITH MY ESC AND ENGINE LIGHT OCCURRED. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND RESTARTED IT; THIS TIME THE ENGINE LIGHT DIDN'T STAY ON. I ARRIVE AT THE DEALERSHIP AND WAIT FOUR HOURS TO BE TOLD THE DIAGNOSTICS SHOW NO HISTORY OF ANY INCIDENTS OR IMPAIRED DRIVABILITY. I WAS SENT HOME FEELING UNSAFE BECAUSE EVEN VW CAN'T DIAGNOSE MY VW. AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN AFTER I LEFT! THIS HAPPENS AT SPEEDS OF 10, 30 OR EVEN 60 MPH!!

NHTSA ID

11278489

Incident

Nov 5, 2019

Mileage

64,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, ALL OF THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO GOSSETT VOLKSWAGEN GERMANTOWN (7420 WINCHESTER RD, MEMPHIS, TN 38125, (901) 405-4909) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A NEW BATTERY WAS NEEDED FOR THE KEY REMOTE. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR AFTER THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ONCE THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START AND OPERATE PROPERLY. DAYS LATER, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WOULD ONLY OPERATE WHEN THE CONTACT DROVE IN THE EMERGENCY START FEATURE MODE, AND THE "NO KEY" WARNING INDICATOR WOULD FLASH. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESUME NORMAL DRIVING; HOWEVER, EVERY TIME SHE TOUCHED A FEATURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, A PINGING NOISE WOULD SOUND AND THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD FLASH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

11271017

Incident

Oct 22, 2019

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND ADBLUE LIGHT CAME ON FOUND DEF FLUID ALL OVER ENGINE COVER AND DRY DEF FLUID ON DEF FLUID INJECTOR. INJECTOR LEAKING.

NHTSA ID

11258996

Incident

Sep 25, 2019

Mileage

26,426 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AND THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. SPIRIT AUTO CENTER OF RENTON (330 SUNSET BLVD N, RENTON, WA 98057, (425) 226-6113) DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE, BUT DID NOT FIND A FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

NHTSA ID

11206219

Incident

May 6, 2019

Mileage

90,000 mi

CAR WON'T PULL. IT START OFF GOOD. THEN IT LOSES PRESSURE AND DROPS TO 30 MILES AN HOUR.

NHTSA ID

11204805

Incident

Mar 15, 2019

Mileage

78,000 mi