Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2019 Volkswagen Jetta: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 545 safety complaints about the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

545
Complaints
11
Recalls
2
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 19 crashes, 3 fires, 36 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Power train / transmission leads the complaint list, cited in 162 of 545 complaints, followed by Electrical.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 79 of the 545 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. 2 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 545 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Power train / transmission
162
Electrical
153
Engine & cooling
148
Other / unspecified
95
Visibility & lighting
46
Brakes & stability
34
Fuel & propulsion
29
Body & structure
25

"2 bolts came lose in engine, need timing belt replaced, caused oil leak and other problems yet to be identified. Volkswagen admitted that should never happen but will not take responsibility"

Owner complaint filed June 2025 · Power Train,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11664444

"The dashboard has light on with error message: Only exit vehicle in P position. Please service the vehicle. The light is on and off randomly during driving. Car is drivable even with the light on, but it will have the warning beep which is distractive for driver. There are multiple recalls from VW for other models/years with same error message. The gear shift sensor is malfunctioning in those recalls."

Owner complaint filed September 2024 · Power Train · NHTSA ODI 11615683

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2019 Volkswagen Jetta
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
19
156
81
32
30
96
58
40
33
181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026).

How the 2019 compares with other model years

Across the Volkswagen Jetta model years we track, the 2009 has the most complaints on file (903); the 2019 ranks 5 of 7.

Total complaints by model year — Volkswagen Jetta
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
580
903
875
639
526
516
2019
545
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 11 recalls

11 recalls apply to some or all 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Sep 201818V-671
Exterior Lighting:Headlights

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles equipped with LED headlights. The passenger side headlight may be incorrectly positioned, reducing the driver's visibility when it is dark. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements …

Nov 201818V-824
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the…

Dec 201818V-904
Suspension:Rear:Springs:Coil Springs

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas, 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.

Feb 201919V-110
Air Bags:Frontal

Volkswagen Group of America (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Jetta vehicles. An incorrect driver frontal airbag may have been installed during a service/repair visit.

Mar 201919V-188
Suspension:Rear:Springs:Coil Springs

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2019 Jetta, 2015-2019 Golf, and 2018-2019 Tiguan vehicles. The rear coil springs may prematurely fracture.

Sep 201919V-679
Unknown Or Other

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2…

Dec 201919V-879
Wheels

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Jetta GLI, Golf Alltrack, and Golf GTI vehicles. The front wheel bearings may have been improperly machined, potentially causing excessive stress on the wheel, wheel bolts, or wheel bearings.

Oct 202222V-815
Tires:Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The ti…

Aug 202323V-604
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf Sportwagen, 2019-2020 Golf GTI, and Jetta vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch. The ignition switch may fail, especially in high temperature environments.

Sep 202323V-619
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Jetta vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Feder…

Feb 202424V-110
Fuel System, Gasoline

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehi…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★☆
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 545 complaints about the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.

How many recalls does the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta have?

The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta has 11 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.