Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2024 | 3 | 7% | 5,000 miles |
| 2023 | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 5% | — |
| 2020 | 3 | 6% | 5,000 miles |
| 2019 | 16 | 3% | 1,000 miles |
| 2017 | 7 | 4% | 52,000 miles |
| 2016 | 12 | 7% | 24,000 miles |
| 2015 | 4 | 2% | 3,000 miles |
| 2014 | 11 | 3% | 74,000 miles |
| 2013 | 17 | 3% | 47,000 miles |
| 2012 | 14 | 3% | 42,000 miles |
| 2011 | 26 | 4% | 24,000 miles |
| 2010 | 30 | 4% | 50,000 miles |
| 2009 | 29 | 3% | 45,000 miles |
| 2008 | 6 | 3% | 147,000 miles |
| 2007 | 6 | 3% | 80,000 miles |
| 2006 | 18 | 3% | 54,000 miles |
| 2005 | 11 | 4% | 38,000 miles |
| 2004 | 7 | 3% | 60,000 miles |
| 2003 | 7 | 2% | 36,000 miles |
| 2002 | 18 | 3% | 84,000 miles |
| 2001 | 14 | 2% | 104,000 miles |
| 2000 | 17 | 4% | 81,000 miles |
| 1999 | 26 | 7% | 80,000 miles |
| 1998 | 8 | 4% | — |
| 1997 | 4 | 7% | 130,000 miles |
| 1996 | 2 | 6% | 78,000 miles |
| 1995 | 7 | 3% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated without a warning light being illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.
I own a Silver 2024 Volkswagen Jetta. My car stopped accelerating while I was driving on the freeway on 7/18/2026 which was a huge safety issue resulting in my car needing to be towed to the dealership because it was not drivable. The warning lights came on after the car stopped accelerating on the freeway. My car needs a ECM replacement which is covered by the Federal Emissions Warranty and I received a call from my Volkswagen representative on the case at Family Volkswagen of Burleson. The representative with Volkswagen told me on 7/25/2026 that the ECM needs to be replaced as they did not think it was safe for them to release the vehicle until this repair has been made and they were waiting for Volkswagen to authorize the repair. The representative later stated that Volkswagen will not authorize the replacement of the ECM and this is a safety concern. …
The follow failed module faults have REPEATEDLY FAILED: U010400 lost communication with cruise control module, U112100 databus missing message & U112300 databus error value received, C110BF0 Adaptive Cruise Control Sensor, C111207 Haldex Clutch Pump Mechanical Malfunction, P030400 Cyl 4 Misfire, ***P085000 Park/Neutral Switch Input Circuit Open or Short***, U105400 Information Electronics Control Module 1 No Communication. I've had it repaired once by VW. Been at dealership multiple times for all of these issues. Currently, they are not helpful. My car does not recognize PARK, it thinks it's in NEUTRAL.
Accelerator petal does not always result in acceleration from a stopped position. This causes the hill assist to hold and does not allow movement forward, resulting in an engine stall. The vehicle has also set the EPC light while traveling resulting in reduced engine power to the point of not enough power to move forward. Turn the ignition off, then on resets the EPC and limb mode.
Was is merging onto interstate i95 and the Jetta wouldn't accelerate no matter how hard I pushed the gas pedal eventually took my foot off and had to turn on emergency lights then The Jetta started slowly moving as if it was just going to stall almost got rear ended and then the car wanted to send me in to another lane. Due to the angry driver behind me.
2 separate incidents involving the epc. One was about 10 day's ago, July 9th getting on the freeway in houston. Car threw up numerous error codes, it automatically slammed on the brakes upon entering the middle lane of the freeway, gave an epc error code, transmission error code, and start/stop error code. I got it to the nearest dealership, montroad Volkswagen off I-45. They claim they could find nothing wrong after sitting on it for 24 hours & sent me on my way. Fast forward to last night, now 10 day's later, July 19th, coming back home from dallas, a nearly 600 mile round trip & another epc code code comes up & says fault: electronic parking brake when I went to park the car & head inside. Now I've only had this car a month, it shouldn't have all these kinds of issues & it deeply concerns me.
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost automotive power intermittently, and the vehicle shuddered abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer stated that the cause of the failure was unknown. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.
While driving, the following warning will appear "Starter system faulty! Service vehicle." The instrument panel will then shut down entirely, and brake lights, headlights, and blinkers will not work. This can happen anywhere-on the highway traveling at 70 mph at night, for example. When the vehicle is pulled over and turned off, it will restart as normal-but while driving it might shut down again. There are numerous complaints on the internet, in VW forums and elsewhere, and the dealers do not seem to know how to correct the problem because it doesn't happen all of the time. It is unpredictable. This creates an extraordinarily dangerous situation, and the vehicles should be recalled and VW should correct the issue immediately.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel tank puncture
The office of defects investigation opened this investigation on August 10, 2000 based on 9 reports regarding punctured fuel tanks involving the jetta, passat, and cabrio models.the reports indicate additional reports in its response to the preliminary evaluation.this investigation has been upgraded for further study.
Fuel tank puncture
Frequently asked questions
Which Volkswagen Jetta years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2010 (30), 2009 (29), 1999 (26), 2011 (26) and 2002 (18) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 4% of all complaints for the 2010.
Is there a recall for Volkswagen Jetta acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Volkswagen Jetta model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Jetta acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles; 51% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (19 mentions), followed by the cruise control (14).
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.