Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Volkswagen Jetta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I would assume the issue had something to do with the power train. 2 days after i had bought the car my wife and i were on our way to the gym and we had just came to a complete stop. Upon entering the highway the car would no longer accelerate no matter how much pressure was put on the accelerator pedal. The engine light also came on. Luckily there were no cars behind me and I was able to pull over with the car moving on its own. This is really dangerous. This has happened to me multiple times. I have taken it back to the dealership i had bought the car from and they have a private mechanic that solely works for the company. He has scanned for any codes and has told me no codes are populating so he's not sure why the engine light is still on. It was taken to a VW dealership and the vehicle will no longer start. …
On more than one occasion the front left brake seized up. The last time was when I was on a toll road and felt warbling in the tires so I got off on an exit and when I reached the red light the left front brake seized up and the car wouldn't budge. Once the car rested and the brake cooled off I was able to drive it to a safe place and had it towed to the VW dealership who because they couldn't get it to duplicate the issue couldn't tell me what was wrong. It does not happen consistently and I fear to think that if I was doing 55 MPH the car would have caused a horrible accident. In the past when it happened the car would not accelerate over 40 MPH and I could feel the brakes were applying pressure.
The brake system has malfunctioned, and I would be happy for you to inspect it. The brakes come on suddenly when the foot brake is not being applied. The car will not move when this happens, creating a very dangerous situation on the road. I have been stranded in a lane with cars zooming around me. Everyone is at risk. A tech on the VW helpline confirmed the problem with my mechanic and suggested two very expensive fixes which have not resolved the problem. There have been no warning indicators for this problem. It happens randomly and unexpectedly.
The transmissions on the 2013-2016 Jetta Hybrids have an extremely high failure rate. These transmissions fail without warning and leave the car without propulsion and deactivate the regenerative brakes causing the car to behave erratically. VW issued a recall (19V866000) but are claiming owners within those model years with the exact same issues are "not covered". I have experienced this myself and you can find many many many examples on the complaints section of this website. VW issued a recall but is claiming everyones vin is not included.
The car automatically locked its brakes without me even touching the brakes while I was going 60mph and almost lost control. My safety was put at risk because the car locked its brakes without me pushing the breaks, they would not disengage and was stuck in the middle of the road with the brakes not releasing and almost caused an accident. I has happened multiple times but not confirmed by dealer or independent mechanic.The vehicle has been inspected by VW dealer. No warning lights came on the dash.
I was driving on a rainy day on the freeway where my breaks went out on me. I pressed down all of the way and the car wouldn't stop. After I let go of the break I then pressed on the break again and they seemed to have locked on me. I ended up using my emergency breaks and was able to get off the freeway and luckily no one was hurt. Soon after they started working again and I was able to get it safely to a near by shop.
The ABS lights go on and the speedometer stopped working and all the lights have activated. the abs module has been reported that there is a defect in most of the jettas and so i believe that this should be a recall issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 15 MPH, the brakes failed and the contact's vehicle rear ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was not injured and a police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a certified independent mechanic and the body damage was repaired. In addition, when the vehicle was in park or reverse, it would jerk. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000.
My 18 year was driving the car down a side street when the brake pedal went to the floor and the car wouldn't stop. She was able to avoid hitting anything or anybody by pulling to the side and allowing the car to drift to a stop. The car has approximately 43000 miles and just came out of warranty less than 9 months prior to incident. Car was towed to a vw dealer where it was discovered the master brake cylinder had failed. Vw refused to cover the repair which was over $1000. Vw insists this is not a chronic problem on their vehicles despite the fact that complaints of exactly this problem are prevalent on the internet.
In the middle of driving on the highway, the car spontaneously shut down electrically, as if a fuse shorted, almost all dashboard lights turned on, the steering wheel locked up, and the brakes went unresponsive, nearly causing a collision. Once the car came to a complete stop, it was turned off in an attempt to regain control. After turning the car back on, the same dashboard lights remained illuminated, and the car wouldn't go more than 40mph, creating another accident risk during the remainder of the drive home.
Brake complaints in other Jetta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, 4% of the model year's 518 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Volkswagen Jetta brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2013 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 2013 Volkswagen Jetta brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.