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The 2021 VW Jetta provides some luxury touches at an affordable price. The automaker claims this popular model “can help you stay out of trouble,” but what if the vehicle itself is the trouble? With faulty air bags, a defective engine and a poorly-made structure, customers have a lot to complain about.
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Contents
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2021 Volkswagen Jetta
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Lane Departure: Assist |
Problems with the Air Bags
If the Jetta is keeping people out of trouble, the air bags should work as designed. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case, according to real drivers.
Just take this NHTSA complaint as an example. “The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with needing the air bag control module replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired.”
On top of that, there is an air bag-related recall worth mentioning. NHTSA Campaign Number 21V492000 states that the air bag control module might not be positioned properly, causing the air bags to deploy the wrong way when a crash occurs. It turns out that the factory welded the module in the wrong position because VW is so concerned about safety.
Problems with the Engine
The Jetta can provide a good amount of power, but the reliability of the engine is up for debate. It doesn’t seem to provide the feel and dependability one would expect from a new vehicle.
One Edmunds review reads, “My car has less than 300 miles on it and it is a month old. I’ve noticed that each time I accelerate onto a highway or high speed roadway- there is a weird noise that emanates from the engine between 25-30 MPH that last for a few seconds- metal on metal type of sound.”
Of course, there’s not much that can be expected from an automaker that can’t even get the simple rear view camera right. NHTSA Campaign Number 20V716000 talks about how the rear view camera malfunctions, leading to a black or frozen screen on the infotainment system. Without the right image showing up, an accident is much more likely, further proving that the Jetta is leading to the trouble instead of preventing it.
Problems with the Structure
How well is the VW Jetta made? According to current drivers, it doesn’t seem the manufacturer put a lot of TLC into the design and production.
This Edmunds review states, “Another thing I noticed is how cheap everything feels inside the car, don’t get me wrong it has great safety features inside, but it feels very plasticy and cheap. It is not a car I feel safe in or feel is reliable. It is not a smooth drive at all! I am so glad this is only a rental car because I would have regretted actually buying this car very much.”
There’s another recall showing the lack of attention during manufacturing. NHTSA Campaign Number 21V038000 says that there are vital bolts missing from some front seat tracks. Without these bolts, the seats can move around unrestricted, leading to an injury during an accident. Furthermore, the Jetta has been the subject of some class-action lawsuits. It turns out that numerous vehicles, including the Jetta, have been shipped out with leaking panoramic sunroofs. So, on top of having all of the annoying defects, customers also have to deal with being rained on during a commute to further add insult to injury.
Your Lemon Law Legal Rights
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes VW pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Complaint Data
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Mar 12, 2023 |
| State | TX |
| Description | I've had 3 manufacturing defects on my 2021 vw jetta, with 18,000 miles currently, the first issue was my sunglasses compartment on the ceiling of the car, the plastic latches broke by itself, the second issue my car had, multiple sensor lights went off simultaneously, shortly after my breaks started braking by themselves randomly, the dealership were I purchased the car, payne mission mitsubishi volkswagen, 2003 e expressway 83, mission, tx 78572 told me to leave the car at the dealership and maybe they could fix it in a month, I told them it was my primary car that I couldn't do that, they said well to be in line the car had to be physically present at the dealership, I thought about suing for breach of contract for refusing to fix it and giving me the run around, the 3rd manufacturing defect that I had with the car, the front panel glass part number #17a8770559b9, shattered spontaneously on a rural highway with no one around me, it sounded like a gunshot when it exploded, the dealership and vw have refused to acknowledge that it is a manufacturing issue, I'm currently waiting to see if they will cover it with factory warranty, but I've been getting the run around. I'm aware that vw already had this issue brought to their attention several years back when they were sued, they have not resolved the issue. I'm asking for an immediate recall of their front panel glass and sunroof glass that was cheaply made and manufactured in mexico. They are charging us 895$ msrp for glass that's defected, part number #17a8770559b9. I was told by a vw customer service representative that a vw engineer would have to examine the glass. If your organization is unable to assist me my next course of action will be to fight this in court till the end, this is an injustice to the customers, an organization as big as volkswagen should acknowledge the issue and address it in a courteous manner, their should be more laws/rules in ethics when it comes to car sales and mechanic shops. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Mar 09, 2023 |
| State | FL |
| Description | I purchased my volkswagen jetta july 2021. I had been getting my car serviced ever since at the dealership in orange park for routine maintenance, repairs, and recalls. There were times when I brought the vehicle to the dealership and the check engine light was on but they said nothing was wrong. I continue to complain about a noise coming from my trunk but again I was informed that nothing was wrong. March 6 2023, I went back to the dealership for the same noise but this time it was very very loud, and they informed me I needed new break pads and rotors for my vehicle totaling 555. 50 before tax. I declined the service and consulted with my father who is very familiar with cars and have worked on them in the past. He explained to me that it is uncommon for a car my age to have the rear break pads and rotors worn down, and the front break pads and rotors still in good condition. I then called the service department at the dealership and asked was this a common issue among these vehicles. He said yes, and that volkswagen has issued an extension of their break pad warranty from 1 year or 12,000 miles to 2 years or 24,000 miles. But explained to me that I was now over 26000 miles and that he would have to contact management to see what they could do. After much complaining from myself and my father, the manager agreed to place aftermarket break pads on my car no charge , but I needed to pay for the rotors. I was still very upset, but could not decline the offer because my car was in need of immediate servicing. Due to the negligence of the dealership I am out of 5 and I feel that volkswagen should cover the complete cost of the damages to my rotors, this could have been avoided if my vehicle was properly being serviced. My life could've been in jeopardy because of this situation. The dealership informed me that volkswagen sent out letters in regards to the rear break issue but I never received it. Bad handling by volkswagen and you have lost a customer! |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 16, 2023 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The car would not turn on while using the start/stop feature on three different occasions. Once at a stop sign when I wanted to reverse to make sure I was not pulled out too far into an intersection. I was stuck and could not get out of the way of a car coming. Each time I had to shut the vehicle off completely to restart the system. |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Jan 28, 2023 |
| State | NC |
| Description | Bad bearing in left front wheel. Radio shuts down anytime even when reverse camera is active. Front collision warning and auto braking for clear road, no obstruction. Smog warning override when check engine light for fuel system delivery done by mechanic at flow vw of greensboro nc. Car has been in shop for all of these problems and nothing has been fixed. New radio installed but it still shuts down whenever. Every repair they have done has only damaged more parts of the car. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Dec 19, 2022 |
| State | NC |
| Description | I have driven my 2021 vw jetta about 56,000 miles. Literally the whole time I have owned this car the check engine light has been on for an evaporative emissions issue. I have brought it into the dealer about six times. They have replaced everything associated with this system at least once and have done a software update. During my last visit, they reported that they had a conversation with vw and said “vw does not have a fix for this." we will let you know when they do.†I owned a diesel vw involved in diesel-gate scandal. This is the same, but different. Instead of hiding the problem, they are ignoring the problem. Clearly, vw needs a higher authority to make this a priority, fine them, or force them to buy these cars back. The car will soon be useless, unable to be inspected, because the check engine light is on. They gave me one complementary inspection already. I'm sure they cheated; passing the inspection when the check engine light was on. Please call if I can assist further. Once the check engine light is cleared, it will be back on within a day. I encouraged a friend to buy a jetta. He has the same issue with his 2021 jetta, vin[xxx] it was purchased at a different dealer many months after I bought mine. Both dealers have indicated that other jettas have the same problem. I understand that a problem can come up. I do not understand vw having a widespread emissions issue that has gone over a year without a fix. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Dec 18, 2022 |
| State | NC |
| Description | I have been having issues with the evap system in my 2021 vw jetta. It has been in the shop at least 7 times since around 12k miles for the same issue. They have replaced all parts and upgraded the software several times and it is still an issue. My check engine light comes on and off all the time. It is just over a year old with almost 50k miles and they say that they are waiting on an update from vw and until then there is nothing they can do. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 07, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | I recently took in my 2021 vw jetta to the dealership for a routine service visit. The car is 18 months old and has 24,000 miles on it. I constantly get a recurring loud squeaking brake noise when reversing the car after a cold start. It seems to be coming from the rear brakes. I took the vehicle to the dealership and was informed that they are aware of the issue but have no fix for it yet. Upon inspection of my brake rotors and pads, the front pads were fine with each having 12mm of pad remaining. The rear brakes however, were down to 4mm, with uneven wear noted by the service technician. The car is fwd and with the small amount of miles, along with the squeaky brake issue on cold starts while reversing and braking, I believe there is a caliper issue or perhaps the electronic parking brake is getting stuck somehow. The car is fully covered under a bumper to bumper warranty yet the dealership doesn't want to investigate further, and insists the rear pads needs to be replaced as it's normal. There is nothing normal about the rear brakes being 3x more worn than the front brakes, on a fwd car that only has 24k miles on it. I believe this is a larger issue that will affect more vehicles in the future. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Nov 25, 2022 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Recently had the rear brake pads replaced at appx 30,000 miles under normal driving conditions. (suburban driving, no towing or any driving behavior that would accelerate excessive/irregular wear). Significantly, during the 5/5/2022 20,000 mile oil change the dealer noted the following:, "rear pads and rotors pads down to 2 on inner" the vehicle is equipped with a 6 speed manual transmission and standard electronic parking brake. Volkswagen customer service was contacted and responded that brakes were not covered under warranty. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Oct 23, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Brake pedal sunk to floor. No brakes at all. Vehicle being brought to vw dealership10/24/ 2022. No warning /lamps, or indications of brake problem. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control |
| Date | Sep 27, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the cruise control intermittently deactivated. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000. |
| Category | Seat Belts, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 22, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | I have noticed an issue with how easily the rear, passenger-side seatbelt is able to be clicked into the buckle. Initially when I got the car, passengers using that seatbelt did not seem to have any issue with easily clicking the seatbelt into the buckle. More recently, it seems my passengers using that seatbelt have a more difficult time clicking it into the buckle because the buckle seems to go down into the cushion when they put pressure on it. Passengers now have to hold the buckle in place while clicking it in. The only thing I can think of that could explain this change in how easily the seat belt can be clicked in could be that I put the seats down at one point using the pull lever in the trunk. I'm not sure this "ease of use" issue was the result of putting down the seats at one point but it's what comes to mind. This does not seem to affect the seat belt in terms of it being securely connected to the car, it only seems to affect how easily someone is able to click it into the buckle. People now seem to need to use two hands to click it in versus being able to do it with one hand. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 08, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | This model jetta seems to have an issue with the rear license plate mount. The rear license plate mount sandwiches the license plate between a plastic piece attached to the vehicle body and a plastic piece with branding specific to the dealership. The issue I have is when I unscrewed them to remove the top, plastic piece. After I tried to rescrew it without the top piece, it seemed like the screw holes were already stripped. Many people don't want to provide free advertising for the dealership and may attempt to remove the top, plastic piece this way. For safety purposes, you should be able to unscrew and re-screw them without stripping the screw holes. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
| Date | Jun 16, 2022 |
| State | OR |
| Description | The car suddenly warned and stopped abruptly while we were traveling over a steel plate on the road. There were no other hazards in the road and no other cars in front of us in our lane (there were cars oncoming in the opposite traffic lane, but none had crossed over into ours). While we were impressed by how quickly and effectively the car stopped, we are concerned that the car may have deemed the steel plate to be another car or other road hazard. Had the person behind us been traveling too closely or at a higher speed, we could have been rear-ended. In this scenario we were ok, but had this steel plate been on a freeway it could have caused a serious accident. |
| Category | Electrical System, Lane Departure: Assist, Lane Departure: Warning |
| Date | Mar 22, 2022 |
| State | OH |
| Description | When I started the car an alert came on the said the door there was a driver door contact switch error. When I was trying to back up the emergency brake came on. The door was closed. There was an electric parking break error. Also a start stop error. When trying to go forward the parking brake kept coming on. I was going 10 mph and the e brake engaged and would not let me out unless I turned off the car and turned it back on. When I brought it to the dealership they ran tests on it and they said it was the door wiring harness. There is problem with it and it is not safe to drive. When driving around corners it also has a tendency to want to depart you from the lane. It will try to kick you out of the lane even if you are in the middle of the lane. It has done this around corners and when driving straight. It caused my sister to be driven off the road. This has been brought to the dealerships attention and they found a problem with the lane departure and told me that they could fix it and then they came right back and told me that there was nothing wrong with the car. |
| Category | Power Train, Steering, Suspension |
| Date | Mar 02, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | 1. It's not stable to drive in highway. Problem starts at around 55mph. 2. When I stop in traffic light suddenly rpm goes up and car jumps forward. It happened several times. The car was warm and in drive mode. I'm sure it shouldn't do this. Now when I stop in traffic light and pedestrian crossing in front of me, every time I put it to neutral and hold brake, in other ways just holding brake sometimes can not stop the car. If someone calls me I give more details. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Feb 10, 2022 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000. |
| Category | Seat Belts, Seats |
| Date | Dec 08, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the passenger's side seat failed to adjust. The contact stated that his wife was unable to utilize the passenger's side seat and seat belt in a safe manner. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the vehicle was designed that way. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 1,900. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Sep 29, 2021 |
| State | WA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 volkswagen jetta. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v492000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts are not available. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jun 28, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | I've owned my car for 3 weeks and have driven it ~10 times in total. On 2 different occasions (most recently yesterday), it has stalled out while standing in traffic. On both occasions, it was a "soft stall" just as a vehicle with auto on/off would have. I had no warning lights, and wasn't even aware that the car had stalled until I put it in gear and began to let the clutch out, at which point I discovered that the engine was off. |
| Category | Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module |
| Date | Jun 07, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The contact owns a 2021 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with needing the air bag control module replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | May 04, 2021 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Conflicting torque spec is listed for the wheel bolts. The owner's manual (17a012723sf) specifies 120 nm, but I see a odi tsbs (https://static. Nhtsa. Gov/odi/tsbs/2020/mc-10183302-0001. Pdf) that indicates the torque spec is 140 nm. That is a large discrepancy. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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Our daughter has 34k miles on her 2021 Jetta and her rear brakes also need to be replaced! We were also quoted almost $500.00 to have them replaced. We have had several Toyota’s and did not have to replace breaks until over 70k miles and that is for a work truck that pulls trailers almost daily.
I’ve had my 2021 VW Jetta for a year now I bought it with 6 miles on it assuming it was brand new and there would be no issues this is my first car.. when the car had about 10-12k mi on it my rear brakes were worn and needed to be replaced which was over a 500$ job but my front brake pads were fine I figured maybe something odd had happened or something but I had them replaced by a personally known shop and they did an awesome job except they’re still wearing rapidly my car has about 23k mi on it and they’re nearly ready to be replaced again. This is my every day car for work, appointments for my children, and other errands. I take care of my car so I’m not sure what could cause something like this. There’s also another issue that caused my master cylinder and brake booster to be replaced under warranty because there was an odd noise of liquid or something so I brought it to the dealership they claim to have fixed the problem and the night I picked it up as I’m going to the grocery store I hear the noise again and they’re keeping my car for further analysis because they can’t find the problem. I’m being run around and ignored it’s been there 24 hrs already and I’m not able to go to work tomorrow due to not having a car and then keeping it.