2019 Volkswagen Jetta Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, 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
- Powertrain (other)16223.0%
- Electrical15421.9%
- Engine14921.2%
- Driver assistance395.5%
- Brakes304.3%
- Fuel system294.1%
- Visibility263.7%
- Exterior lighting263.7%
- Body & structure233.3%
- Suspension172.4%
- Airbags162.3%
- Steering131.8%
- Seat belts60.9%
- Other / unspecified60.9%
- Tires & wheels30.4%
- Interior & seats30.4%
- Transmission10.1%
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
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
2019 Volkswagen Jetta. While the vehicle was in Drive, it moved in reverse without the driver selecting reverse., this happened when the driver stopped to take a parking ticket in the garage on a slope. The driver again moved the dear to parking and back to drive but same thing happened. Ultimately, driver switched off the ignition and started the car again and drive mode worked
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the RPM was revving high with the vehicle violently jerking and vibrating. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 73,816.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
My problem is the same as Recall 28H7/or 23V604. I have the some make and model and ignition as the Jettas with the recall but for some reson it is not a part of the recall. When the car gets hot the ignition cuts off while I'm driving and I have not speedometer, turn signals or wippers. Please make my VIN a part of the VW recall for this problem
Ignition switch off, safely stop the vehicle” or “Starter system faulty” Error was shown on a hot day. The vehicle turned off
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the EPS, steering, and engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was scheduled to be diagnosed and repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Ignition switch off, safely stop the vehicle” or “Starter system faulty” Error was shown on a hot day. The vehicle turned off
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVING ON WESTLAKE DRIVE IN WIMAUMA FL PREPARING TO TURN LEFT TOOK FOOT OFF GAS PUT FOOT ON CLUTCH PUT CAR IN 2ND GEAR WITH FOOT ABOVE BRAKE TO MASH DOWN, PCOULD WOULD NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN HIT ELECTRIC POLE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. CAR WAS IN SHOP PRIOR TO ACCIDDENT AT BOB BOAST VOLKSWAGEN IN BRADENTON FL.
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost automotive power intermittently, and the vehicle shuddered abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer stated that the cause of the failure was unknown. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVING ON WESTLAKE DRIVE IN WIMAUMA FL PREPARING TO TURN LEFT TOOK FOOT OFF GAS PUT FOOT ON CLUTCH PUT CAR IN 2ND GEAR WITH FOOT ABOVE BRAKE TO MASH DOWN, PCOULD WOULD NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN HIT ELECTRIC POLE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. CAR WAS IN SHOP PRIOR TO ACCIDDENT AT BOB BOAST VOLKSWAGEN IN BRADENTON FL.
There was an intersection, I hit a car head on and no airbags went off
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
It will not take fuel. I try very slowly to put fuel in it and it keeps shutting off at the pump. I took it to the VW Dealership and they said it was a stuck valve in the tank. That I would need a new gas tank and wanted to charge me $2000 to fix it. I took it to another place and they said it was a venting problem. They put a camera down in the tank and pushed the stick valve open and it wasn’t stuck as much as it had pressure built up in the tank from not getting holding the valve shut. I’m not sure what to do. I don’t know if it’s a stuck valve or a venting problem.
VIN: [XXX] Previous Report: XXX.. This a report of a continuing problem with my vehicle. The engine randomly shuts down endangering both myself and my passengers who are often my [XXX] and [XXX] grandchildren . No warning lamps. the car both stumbles and stops while driving and at stop signs and traffic lights. I repeatedly have taken it to my dealer (Elgin IL VW) they have been unable to determine the fault and fix it. This has been going on since June 2026 and progressively worsened. The most recent incident was on the afternoon of 19 June 2026. The “fixes’ so far have included bith replacing the fuel taknk fuel pump and today a part of the fuel feed system. It’s still at the dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while sitting inside the vehicle with her children, the contact heard a loud popping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle and became aware that the rear glass had shattered without impact. The approximate failure mileage was 215,667.
The panoramic sunroof glass shattered spontaneously while driving. I was accelerating onto the highway from an on-ramp at approximately 50 to 60 mph. There were no vehicles in front of me and the highway was empty, so nothing could have struck the glass. I heard a loud bang similar to a gunshot, looked up, and saw a hole covering roughly 20% of the sunroof panel with cracks spreading across the rest of the glass. I pulled over to the right shoulder and inspected it from outside. The glass at the break was bent upward and outward, indicating the failure came from inside the panel and not from an external impact. I removed the larger loose pieces for safety and taped over the roof before continuing. Safety risk: The sudden loud explosion at highway speed was startling and could have caused me to swerve or brake suddenly in traffic. Loose tempered glass fragments at speed pose a risk to occupants and to vehicles behind me. Luckily my shade panel was up and no glass fall on me and my passengers. No warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a dealer, the manufacturer, or insurance. Photos were taken before any glass was removed, and glass fragments have been retained and are available for inspection.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
I was driving my car on a 100 degree day and and after about a block, a warning popped up on the little screen behind the steering wheel that said "Ignition switch off, safely stop the vehicle". I feel like the engine may have shut off, but I'm not sure as I just rolled to the side of the road and turned off my car as fast as a could. I waited a few minutes and turned it on, drove about a block, and it said, "Starter system faulty, please service vehicle". I once again turned it off, waited a few minutes. I googled on my phone instances of this and people saying they were still able to drive that car, so I turned it back on and started to drive it the two blocks back to my house, the "Starter system faulty" message popped up again and suddenly all of the electrical in the car shut off (the engine was still running). My radio, speedometer, everything was just off. I made it home, got on my computer and found an article about a recall that match my car's make, model, year, and key rather than button ignition. It described my exact experience. I looked up my car to see if it had a recall and it didn't. I called the dealership and they were no help, so I called the Volkswagen of America customer care line. They told me my VIN didn't qualify "probably" because it wasn't within the "manufacturing dates". I'm having a hard time understanding that since everything else lines up. Additionally, I just purchased this vehicle used from a VW dealership less than two months ago. The dealer plates are still on the car. According to them, the car was in great condition...
As reported by many other drivers on this website and all over the internet that 2019 having ignition switch problem in 2019 Volkswagen jettas. I started having the same problem aswell. This has happened several time already and now I am scared to drive this car on the highways. It is clearly mentioned that 2019 and 2020 ignition systems are faulty than why vw is not helping people who have those year cars. This is the big safety concern and I believe it should not be overlooked. I tried searching with my plates and vin but it’s says 0 recalls. Every thing shuts off inside (ac, infotainment screen, all the dash lights, wiper blades, speedometer, rpm meter, everything) I hope NHTSA will take this problem seriously as not hundreds but thousands of vehicles are affected with this problem so far. Thank you
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The panoramic sunroof glass shattered spontaneously while driving. I was accelerating onto the highway from an on-ramp at approximately 50 to 60 mph. There were no vehicles in front of me and the highway was empty, so nothing could have struck the glass. I heard a loud bang similar to a gunshot, looked up, and saw a hole covering roughly 20% of the sunroof panel with cracks spreading across the rest of the glass. I pulled over to the right shoulder and inspected it from outside. The glass at the break was bent upward and outward, indicating the failure came from inside the panel and not from an external impact. I removed the larger loose pieces for safety and taped over the roof before continuing. Safety risk: The sudden loud explosion at highway speed was startling and could have caused me to swerve or brake suddenly in traffic. Loose tempered glass fragments at speed pose a risk to occupants and to vehicles behind me. Luckily my shade panel was up and no glass fall on me and my passengers. No warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a dealer, the manufacturer, or insurance. Photos were taken before any glass was removed, and glass fragments have been retained and are available for inspection.
There was an intersection, I hit a car head on and no airbags went off
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
Driver's side rear spring broke on 10.17.2026. I noticed the driver's side rear end was sagging when I viewed car from behind while parked. It was not sagging before then. This vehicle had a safety recall NHTSA19V188000/VW42J5 performed back in 2019 and the rear springs were replaced then. So the replaced spring (under recall 19V188000) broke. I had to have a third party vendor replace the spring as no VW dealership was within the area. Car was not drivable and needed to be towed.
On July 24,2026 my 2019 VWJetta with 44,000 miles on the odometer was brought to a local independent service center for routine maintenance and a NY State inspection. Surprisingly, it failed inspection due to a broken left rear coil spring. Service center personal informed me that a broken coil spring can dislodge can cause further damage to the adjacent tire and cause a loss of control. Other than the service center employees no one else has inspected the broken spring and no warning lights or symptoms preceded the diagnosis. A mechanic told me he has seen this issue in quite a few VWs and suggested I check if there are any recalls. i did find a coil spring recall for 2019 Jettas, but my vin # was not included. Possibly the recall was not wide enough?
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
There was an intersection, I hit a car head on and no airbags went off
My car began flashing a bunch of warning lights, including the passenger air bag and the blind spot warning and locks working on the inside. I took my car to the dealer and had them diagnose it. Turns out it needs to parts that are connected; one part they have, another they have tried to order from corporate. This part has been on back order for 8 months.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the EPS, steering, and engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was scheduled to be diagnosed and repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Steering column lock went out while driving causing the steering to be lose and as soon as vehicle stopped it shut off and wouldn’t restart.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the front driver’s and front passenger’s side seat belts failed to remain buckled while driving with the seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the failure was a manufacturer’s defect. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that the part was not covered under warranty or recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000.
I purchased the vehicle on 6/10/3023 and that evening I noticed a dashboard error message that the Rear View camera was unavailable. Due to my work schedule I was unable to get back to the dealership until Monday, 6/12/2023. On Monday I asked [XXX], my sales representative, and [XXX], a sales manager, what it meant and how to fix it. They offered Wes, a repair technician, to come look. [XXX] left rapidly and never returned, so I left for work. On 6/15/2023 I had the car inspected by my mechanic for an assessment and he stated that I needed a new electrical body harness for the repair. This part costs over $5K, plus labor; total estimate $12,742.14. My safety is at risk because this electrical issue not only renders (this list is not exhaustive): the back-up camera useless, but also the seat belt sensor, side mirror lights, and the front proximity sensors work only intermittently. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
At approximately 44,000 miles TPMS light illuminated however all tire PSI were normal and not low. I reset TPMS light however it came back on around 20 miles later. I kept resetting TPMS light however it would keep coming on even though tire PSI were set. At around 46000 miles car was taken into dealer. Dealer reset light and at around 20 miles light keeps coming back on.
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Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
I purchased a set of 4 Kumho tires on my vehicle on 9-24-24 when the vehicle had approximately 62,710 miles. On [XXX] with approximately 78,922 miles on the vehicle, I was informed that all the tires were cracked, they showed me in between the tread and they said they needed replacement. The tires had significantly less mileage than the advertised treadwear warranty. I maintained the vehicle according to manufacturer recommendations and had regular tire rotations and inspections performed. I am concerned that the tires experienced premature wear, which could affect vehicle safety and require replacement much sooner than expected. I contacted the tire manufacturer regarding the warranty, but my concerns have not been satisfactorily resolved-to date I have not heard from them, I emailed them on. 6-1-26 as well as the Volkswagen dealership in North Attleboro were the work was done. I am submitting this complaint because I believe the tire wear may indicate a product defect or issue affecting consumers. Tire size 205/60/R 16/92H They were the Solus TA – 31 tire I have original receipts if needed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
205/60 R 16 I was driving on the Loop 101 South in Scottsdale, Arizona going highway speeds when I heard my passenger side rear tire explode. There were no preceding warning lights or tire pressure warnings before it happened. I pulled over and say that the sidewall blew out on both sides. There were no puncture marks on the tire that would have caused the blowout except for the sidewall failing.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message "Driver Door Sensor" was displayed, and the electronic parking brake erroneously activated. During the failure, all the doors were closed and secured. The contact stated that late,r while driving approximately 10 MPH, the parking brake erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the driver’s side door electrical wiring harness was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.
REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT CAME UNBUCKLED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AFTER HITTING THE BREAKS TO STOP UNEXPECTEDLY. MY DAUGHTER WENT FLYING INTO THE BACK OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, NOW THE BUCKLE WILL NOT KEEP A LATCH.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
2019 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO MANUAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONSUMER IS ALSO SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS MADE ON VEHICLE.
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .