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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2016 Volkswagen Jetta — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 161 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

161

Complaints

filed with NHTSA

Involved a Crash

owner-reported

Involved Fire

owner-reported

Injuries

across all reports

Years to Avoid

Volkswagen Jetta — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

2010 Volkswagen Jetta AVOID

875 complaints

2011 Volkswagen Jetta AVOID

640 complaints

2012 Volkswagen Jetta

527 complaints

2013 Volkswagen Jetta

517 complaints

2014 Volkswagen Jetta

386 complaints

2015 Volkswagen Jetta

194 complaints

2016 Volkswagen Jetta

161 complaints

2017 Volkswagen Jetta

159 complaints

2018 Volkswagen Jetta

31 complaints

2019 Volkswagen Jetta

549 complaints

2020 Volkswagen Jetta

53 complaints

2021 Volkswagen Jetta

69 complaints

2022 Volkswagen Jetta

43 complaints

2023 Volkswagen Jetta

43 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 43 reports

Electrical System 36 reports

Unknown Or Other 35 reports

Fuel/propulsion System 28 reports

Service Brakes 23 reports

Power Train 22 reports

Vehicle Speed Control 12 reports

Steering 11 reports

In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Service Brakes ODI 11562561 12/29/2023

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while accelerating from idling, the vehicle jolted with the check engine, ABS, and Tire Pressure Monitoring System warning lights illuminated. Additionally, while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle began decelerating to approximately 30 MPH. The contact pulled to the side of the road and inspected the …

Unknown Or Other ODI 11056312 12/24/2017

I BELIEVE MY CAR IS THE RESULT OF A RECENT SERIES OF BAD STORMS TO HIT THIS COUNTRY AND MY CAR. I BELIEVE MY CAR IS A FLOOD-CAR THAT HAS BEEN VERY WELL CLEANED INSIDE AND OUT, AND CLEANED SO WELL THAT THE TITLE GOT A GOOD WASH, KNOWN IN THE INDUSTRY AS TITLE-WASHING. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE IT CARRIED A GUARANTEE MAKING IT A CERTIFIED USED CAR. A CAR THAT CARRIES A CERTIFIE…

Steering ODI 10811646 12/22/2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR AND FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND EMITTED AN ABNORMAL GRINDING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHIC…

Power Train ODI 10936754 12/21/2016

2016 JETTA SE1.4 NEW FOR 18 YEAR OLD SON FOR COLLEGE. WITHIN A WEEK CAR WAS IN THE SHOP WITH ELECTRICAL ISSUES FOR LIGHTER AND USB SHORTING OUT PHONE + RADAR WHILE THE CAR WAS DRIVING. NO ISSUE FOUND WE DROVE 1000+MILES TO SCHOOL, CENTER CONSOLE WOULD BLINK ON AND OFF DURING THE TRIP. NEW DEALER ALSO DID NOT FIND ANY ISSUES. CAR THEN STARTED SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING UNDER 5 …

Unknown Or Other ODI 11290427 12/20/2019

CAR MAKES A JOLTING/THRUSTING MOVE (DOWNSHIFTS) BETWEEN 20 AND 40 MPH. SEEMS LIKE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING SENSORS ARE ACTIVATED OR RELEASING AT THESE MPH.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta reliable?

Owners have filed 161 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.

Which Volkswagen Jetta years should I avoid?

The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.

Where do these complaints come from?

Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.

Do complaints mean a recall is coming?

Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.