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 2010 Volkswagen Jetta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving down a busy road when I saw smoke coming out from under my hood of the car. I immediately pulled over onto a side street and popped the hood. The engine was engulfed in flames. I then pulled my panicked 4 year old daughter out of her car seat and took her across the street. We then called 9-11 and the sheriff's department and fire department showed up to put out the fire. I had my car towed to a mechanic where he says the fire was caused by a fuel line. There is a recall for the same year and model for my car but it is not for my VIN# even though it's the same cause as my car's fire!
Engine of my car caught fire after a short drive, luckily my daughter was able to pull it on our drive way and move away safely before engine caught fire. We had to call fire department to put off the fire.
The car affected is a 2010 vw Jetta tdi. Ever since I've owned the car, it has had an issue with running ruff or stalling out. At 30,426 miles I had the dealer look at the vehicle. They ran a diagnostic and test drive with no issues found. This enough for it to be noticeable, but no symptoms are present. I brought the car in again for the same issue on 12/8/14 at 83748 miles, but this time there was an ESP error that flashed in the mdi display and then went away. The dealer could not verify the customer complaint. The service manager also stated that he had a similar vehicle with the same problem and the could also not be diagnosed. At the time the dealer told me that I could have the software upgraded and that would be a charge to me or I could have the injectors changed out and that would be covered under the extended warranty. …
While driving home from work, about 30 minutes into a 40 minute drive, driving about 30 MPH, in 16 degree f weather, my vehicle, a diesel with a 6 speed manual transmission suddenly stalled. I was able to engage the clutch, go to a lower gear, release the clutch and re-start the engine. With the engine bucking and hesitating, I was able to drive the rest of the way home. The next morning, the vehicle would not start. I had it towed to a vw repair shop where they found a completely blocked intercooler, full of ice. Doing some research, I have found that vw has a TSB to correct intercooler icing, which involves replacing the original factory unit with a new intercooler design. As I looked on vw forums, I found that many drivers have had similar unpredictable failure due to intercooler icing. …
Dealership performed 90K mile checkup. Also asked them to determine if CEL p0472 was covered by warranty. They confirmed code, and said not covered under any warranty. The also advised the car is showing intermittent code of p0638 for throttle actuator control (bank 1). Written on the estimate by vw dealership is "technician noted that while driving vehicle into the shop, vehicle had no throttle control and would not increase in engine speed. Technician recommends replacing the throttle body and exhaust pressure sender. Technician recommends customer not to drive vehicle --vehicle will at some point stop driving (moving) - it could stop moving at any point, including crossing a intersection". I have not had any issues whatever with my throttle, but due to their documentation, it appears there is a safety issue here deserving of a mandatory safety recall.
Tl* the contact owned a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. The vehicle was parked when the contact noticed flames coming from under the hood area. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire. The manufacturer was contacted and sent an engineer to inspect the vehicle and determine a cause of failure. The engineer discovered that there were leaves in the engine, caused by rodent infestation, which resulted in the fire. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was repaired under a voluntary recall for the fuel system. The contact was concerned that the recall could have been related to the fire and did not agree with the engineer's findings. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000. Updated 07/06/12 updated 07/16/12
At 60,000 miles we noticed a decrease in acceleration and gas mileage in 2010, vw Jetta tdi. The dealer said they fixed the issues, but we only saw a slight improvement in the vehicles performance. In between the 60,000 miles and now 113,000 the car has been diagnosed to have the EGR valve, DPF filter, all sensors,. Nox and sox burners to be replaced at a total cost of $10,000 dollars. When we purchased the vehicle the dealership said that the DPF filter would only cost us $1000 dollars to replace, try $4000 just for it. We have taken very good care of the care and feel that vw has misrepresented themselves in the vaule of the vehicle and the upfront repairs. The radio, all doors actuators and trans have been repaired on this car. It has been a money pit.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle failed to stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The driver had to engage the emergency brake to stop the vehicle and the anti-lock brake system warning indicator illuminated. The driver was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that oil was leaking from the engine and the brake pedal was temporarily repaired. The vehicle was later taken to dublin Volkswagen (6085 scarlett ct, dublin, ca 94568, [phone]), but was not diagnosed or repaired due to the diagnostic and repair fees. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but the contact was unsure about what part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure recurred and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the gasket, sealant, the oil separator, the timing chain tensioner, the timing chain, the timing chain case cover, the timing rail tensioner and multiple other unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000. The VIN was available.
I was driving at freeway speeds and my check engine light came on. I took it into the dealer only to find out that it was the DPF (diesel particulate filter) failed. The filter was plugged with carbon. The dealer admitted to me that this was a known defect and bad engineering that affected models 2006 - 2010. They told me it fails every 100-110K miles and has to be fixed! I told them I would take it elsewhere to get fixed as I wasn't paying that kind of money. They informed me no local shop would touch it. That is not true other than the local shop had to bring it to them for the "software reset". I have since learned it May affect later models but cannot confirm. The dealer wanted $2300 to fix plus tax.
Engine complaints in other Jetta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta?
NHTSA has 188 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, 22% of the model year's 852 complaints. The component named most often is engine (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, though it has 4 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 2010 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles, and 28% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 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.