Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Volkswagen Jetta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* - the contact owns a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that there were two safety recalls 06V183000 and 99V251000. , one recall was for the brake lamp switch assemble and the other was for the b pillar mounting clips. The contact stated that the vehicle was in a crash while going 40 MPH the person that hit the contact's vehicle said that he hit him because the brake lights did not turn on, and then he fled the seen. The contact stated that a police report was taken, and a complaint made to the insurance company. The contact was not sure if he got a ticket or not for not having brake lights. The contact stated that he was coming off of the expressway at 40 MPH, the weather was clear, and the incident took place in daylight. The contact had to pay for the repairs. The contact had been pulled over by the police before because of the brake lights. …
This is a follow-on of my NHTSA complaint #10175337, because today, I experienced a third water ingestion into my son's 1999 vw Jetta, and vw of America said, basically, "sorry, we cannot cover this water damage any more than we could cover the second water damage you had on 27 nov 06 -- unlike the water damage we covered for you on the 13 oct 05 damage!" with hundreds of blogs complaining of water leakage into the Jetta's -- including thru 2006 models and ackowledgement by the dealer that this is a common occurrence! -- nobody with any smarts should consider buying one of these cars that the manufacturer declines to admit there is a design flaw or from a dealer who refuses to sign a pledge that if any future leak occurs it will be covered at their expense! As an aside, not a single homeowner in my 80-home subdivision had 1-drop of water entry during rains that entered my son's car! …
When parking against a concrete parking stop, if you pull the front tires all the way to the stop when you back out you just about pull the entire bumper off. This happened only a couple months after we bought the car. We pulled into the parking spot not thinking anything of it. We owned similar sized cars before. The grillwork pops out and snaps back in. We lost two of the three pieces of grillwork from not realizing that they do come out when you simply park your car. The first I mentioned the incident to the service tech he said I guess they don't have those parking stops in Germany. The second time I mentioned it the service tech said you have to remember this is a compact car and you don't have to pull all the way in. I believe the newer Jetta models have more clearance than the "troubled jettas" do.we have somewhat gotten used to not pulling in so far but not all the time. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that whenever it rained, excessive amounts of water leaked into the vehicle. The contact did not specify where the leak was located inside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but it was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and was told that they could not discuss the failure with him due to a pending lawsuit. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000 and the current mileage was unavailable.
When it rained the floor of the vehicle became wet. The owner took the vehicle to the dealer. They fixed it and told the owner there was no guarantee that the repair would resolve the problem. The vehicle was returned to the dealer because the floorboard continued to get wet when it rained. The dealer has not provided a permanent solution.
My son's 1999 vw Jetta gls vr6 -- and apparently hundreds of other jettas through model year 2006 identified on www.carsurvey.org-- have been severely water damaged after rain storms. In my case, it first happened on 13 October 2005, because of a design flaw in the cowl-vent/fresh-air inlet setup that allowed water in, flooding the car from under the right front passenger side; all carpeting and padding were covered in red and black mold requiring total removal, cleansing, and replacement (note: not any other vehicle in my cul de sac, including my 1998 vw passat, absorbed 1-drop). Vw of America paid for the restoration, which I graciously thanked them for doing. …
Vehicle experienced several recalls/ and several problems: dome light, vanity mirrors, emissions problems, etc... The consumer experienced the following problems with: the interior dome lights, interior trim had come loose on the passenger side, the passenger vanity mirror light did not shut off, the cup holder was jammed and had broken, the driver window sounded as if air was coming in the vehicle, the glove compartment hinges had broken, the air bag light would come on when the radio was turned off, the sensors never seemed to work, the oil dipstick had given abnormal readings(showing low when oil was just changed), the lean oxygen sensor was replaced, the check engine light was intermittent but stayed on, and the catalytic converter was replaced due to noise which ended after the repair(the check engine light had come back on).
Engine transmission light failed after 3 months, both windows have fallen down into door, front bumper has been torn off, antena and other plastic objects around car have fallen off,ABS system light is on again, cover for gas tank will not open (I had to pry it open), cup holders and mirror covers have broken, inside of car started to bubble after 6 months, because of the plastic. All the service department in san antonio could say was that I did not know how to manage car. I didn't know I had to take a class in opening the gas cover. Oddly enough, most of these things started to break after my two year warranty expired. All they had to say was that "when it rains it pours". I would never recommend this car to anyone
Upon starting vehicle the consumer noticed that the engine ran for a few seconds then stalled. The consumer was told that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. The problem was ongoing. A "too rich code," and the purge valve was replaced. The repair attempts for the vacuum leaks, oxygen sensors, the rich running of the engine, mass air flow sensor and connector. The consumer was informed that the part was out of stock. There was a vacuum leak and the intake boot had come off, the door hinges were loose, and noise had come from the starter motor due to an internal short.
The windshield wipers were intermittent. The dealer stated the wipers were incompatible. The wipers did not work in cold weather and did not have the proper speed in warm weather. The driver side window had fallen down into the door, the locking mechanism had malfunctioned and was replaced, the metal triangle pieces on the doors had been replaced, the cruise control never worked from purchase, and the front brakes had to be replaced. The consumer would like to know if there was a recall on the wipers. (no recall for wipers) mr scc
Related recalls
Structure › Frame and members
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some of these vehicles do not comply with the head injury criterion requirements of FMVSS no. 201, "occupant protection in interior impact." the upper retainer clip near the bp1 impact location is designed to break when impacted by the head form.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the trim cover from each of the b pillars and install a new cover.
Structure › Frame and members
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The sound absorbing mat attached to the inside of the b-pillar side trim panel could have been improperly installed. Surface and edges of the mat could have been damaged during the assembly process.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the matting materials from inside the b-pillar on both sides of the vehicle.
Body complaints in other Jetta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1999 Volkswagen Jetta?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the body & structure of the 1999 Volkswagen Jetta, 7% of the model year's 349 complaints. The component named most often is body › bumpers (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Volkswagen Jetta body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 99V-251 (frame and members, Sep 17, 1999); NHTSA recall 99V-022 (frame and members, Feb 5, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Volkswagen Jetta body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.