Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Volkswagen Jetta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's daughter owns a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at undisclosed speeds in the rain, an abnormal popping sound was heard. The wipers were moving slowly and became inoperable. The contact stated that after turning on the windshield wipers, the wiper blades went into the down position. The driver was able to pull over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The owner called an unknown local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
Windshield wipers do not function in low temperatures. I own a 2012 vw Jetta. I first noticed this during the first snowfall we had. I cleared the vehicle of all snow and made sure that the wipers were not frozen to the windscreen. Getting back in the vehicle I went to turn the wipers on and they did not move. The relay inside of the car can be heard clicking, but the wipers do not move. I was forced to drive with extremely low visibility as I was not able to clear the incoming snow off of my windscreen. When I arrived safely back home I moved the car to a garage in order to see if I could figure out the issue. Upon being turned off and standing in the garage the wipers began to work again when I turned the vechile over. The same thing has now happened 3 times. Two of these instances occurring without any snowfall, just low temperatures. …
Purchased certified preowned in May. 2nd time when it is cold out that wipers will not turn on. The 1st time this happened in October, it took over 5 minutes of driving the car with defroster on high for them to start working I called dealer and was told that it had been cold that morning and the wipers were probably frozen to the window, even after I told them I had let the car warm up for 10 minutes. The 2nd time was this morning, I let the car warm up for 15 minutes since it was about 5 degrees out and even after driving the car for 1 hour, the wipers still would not turn on. I called the dealer, made an appt to bring in that day and the wipers started working around noontime. …
Ongoing issue: in cold weather, the wiper blades will not work. Generally anytime below freezing temperatures. In a few instances, if I turn the wipers on and off, on and off, they will begin to work. But that is quite infrequent. In the winter months. The biggest problem while driving is the wet salt will cloud the windshield and need to be cleaned. The wiper fluid will squirt out, and stay splashed where it landed on the windshield. The wiper blades will not engage. Only a click-click. I then need to pull over and wash the melted salt and squeegee the wiper fluid off of the windshield at the gas station. And then pray the window stays clean for the remaining portion of my drive to work. Or pull over again and clean the windshield by hand. Vw dealer had quoted $400 to "look at replacing the motor" but would not guarantee that will solve the issue. …
The horn which is attached to auto security system stopped working initially when coming in contact with heavy snow fall after moving to indiana from florida after the summer weather arrived it worked for a short time ass soon as the weather and rainfall changed the horn no longer worked, the water dispenser/washer for the wipers stopped working will no longer dispense anything. My vehicle was in use when the issues were noticed, it is driven daily and within a short amount of time it became noticeable that the weather was causing possible a shortage so that the horn or water dispenser refused to cooperate
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Jetta. While the vehicle was stationary and while driving various speeds, the horn became inoperative in cold climates. In addition, the windshield wipers failed. Furthermore, the ignition key became stuck in the ignition on several occasions. An independent repaired the ignition. A dealer was not made aware of the failures. The manufacturer was made aware of the ignition failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
When the weather is cold (below freezing), while driving, after sitting outside overnight, or in snowy conditions, the windshield wipers freeze and do not work until the weather warms up, or the vehicle is parked in a garage. I live in the mountains of colorado and this has been an ongoing issue during cold and snowy weather. This is a safety hazard as the roadway is no longer visible because the windshield wipers no longer work.
When the temperature is cold, the windshield wipers on our 2012 vw Jetta refuse to activate causing a serious safety concern, especially when we're driving and the temperature drops. When the temperature warms back up, the wipers start working again. I've contacted vw of America and despite the # of complaints about this issue, they refuse to help me out.
My windshield wipers would not move. Temperature was approximately 15 degrees fahrenheit. Fuse was not broken. Motor fine. When it warmed up, the wipers began to work again. My vehicle was stationary initially, but even as I drove for 30 minutes, the wipers would not work.
When it is cold outside and the temperature goes below 20 degrees the windshield wipers stop working. When the temperature warms up the wipers start working again. This is very dangerous when it is raining or snowing an I am unable to clear the windshield!
Window & Wiper complaints in other Jetta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, 5% of the model year's 500 complaints. The component named most often is sun/moon roof assembly (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Volkswagen Jetta window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta, though it has 5 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 2012 Volkswagen Jetta window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
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.