Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Volkswagen Jetta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving down road early in morning approx 2 miles from house I just left from my 2004 Jetta shuts down total loss of all power I pulled car over in a church parking lot I smelled smoke and could see smoke coming from fire wall I raised hood and pulled battery cable off I could see smpoke filling inside of my car walked around to driver door to get my phone and I seen fuse box on fire.another vehicle stopped to help me and he approached my car and then called police ,full flames were coming from my car within 5 min so I stood back and watched my car burn .fire dept showed up and put fire out my car is a total loss. Ive had issues with alternator,fuel pump,air bag light, headlights are really dim even on bright.nothing but issues with this car since I got it. 115.000 miles only on this car .so many isues I can see why its low milage
I purchased my car back in October 2013. When I purchased my car, the mechanic said that he replaced the ABS system. The lights were not on when I bought it. A few months later, out of the blue in about April 2014, I was turning my car on and the engine light, the ABS light and the brake light all came on momentarily after turning my engine on as I was still in park. My car had close to 100,000 miles on it. The problem went away and shortly came back a week later. Ever since, it has been on. Every once in a while, all of the lights would go off. Luckily the lights all went off for a few days around my inspection time for the 2014 year and my car passed. Not even three days later they all came back on. This time October 2015 inspection is coming up and my lights are all on. Since the engine light is on, I cannot pass inspection. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact had to replace the ignition coils and the cylinders in the engine. The coils were replaced several times and failed again after one month. The mechanic stated that this was a major problem with this make and model vehicle. The first failure occurred in February 2010 when the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle was repaired six times within a year. All of the coils do not fail at the same time, but the all four coils have been replaced more than one time. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 101000 and the current mileage was 135000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, back fired, and it was leaking coolant under the water pump. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Prior to this failure that the vehicle had experienced leaking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 14e007000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.
My car is currently staged at my home it's still drivable but I don't know gor how long! I recently bought this car from a dealer in california about 3 months ago, now all of a sudden I'm having issues with my transmission I caught the issue fast and took it to a multistate transmission shop and they told me they would have to rebuild my transmission with the amount of money I already spent on fixing up this car I am extremely upset, I cannot afford such a insane amount everything with the car besides that is perfect though.
Vw ignition coils are failed, causing the spark plug not to fire and cutting power to the engine. The technician was unable to find the issue about 4 hours and finally found the problem. The car was working fine one day and while at the bank with my boys in the back the car shut off. I needed to get out and push the car into the parking lot to get out of the way.
Unknown, very complex. Multiple issues. Have been addressed as well as parts been replaced however other issues arised that are definitely safety concerns between electrical issues engine motor etc
We are the original owners of a 2004 Jetta with 2.0 engine with 98K as of apr 2013. Without any warning or clues from vw dealer or auto shop, the car would not start; car would turn over the engine but no fuel pressure. Depending on season (winter) and location (middle of no where) this can cause a hazard for the driver and passenger. The car would start after leaving it alone for 2-3 hrs and try restarting. The warning seems to be when the interior light does not come on which means the switch is acting up; the fuel system is at a low pressure will cause a no start. Under vw new car and independent shops can not duplicate; many on-line owners has have pointed the finger at a door latch/priming circuit board that controls the fuel pump prime when the driver door is opened. Good pics on the circuit board failed/cracked solder joint. …
Purchased 2004 vw Jetta gli on 3/5/04 with delivery on 3/7/04. Car had 41 miles at delivery. By Monday, 3/8/04 noticed burning smell on driver's side of car while shifiting between 1st & 3rd gears. Also noticed vibration in brake pedal at idle and vibration in steering column while braking. Complained at dealership that car was failing with 181 miles on the odometer. Service tech test drove the car with me. Could not identify burning smell, but suggested I try driving the car without the seat heaters on to see if it made any difference (it didn't). Don't understand why there'd be a connection between RPM's and the seat heaters. Will have to go get a fire extinguisher to carry in the car as a precaution, I suppose. Major problem was the vibration in steering wheel upon braking. Turns out all 4 brake rotors were warped (at 181 miles???). …
I drive a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta and in 2008 it began smelling of crayons. The smell has slowly progressed over the years to the point of nauseating me and my fellow passengers. This morning on my drive to work the smell was so potent that I had to pull over twice to throw up. When other passengers enter my car, they experience head aches, extreme allergy symptoms, and sick to the stomach feelings. I've reached out multiple times to Volkswagen through both dealer and corporate media. Dealerships say there is no fix for this smell (caused by an outgassing of sound deadening material). Volkswagen denies claims of this being an issue. However, if you type "my Jetta smells like" into any search engine it immediately populates with "crayons". …
Engine complaints in other Jetta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta, 21% of the model year's 233 complaints. The component named most often is engine (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.