Body complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2023 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2020 | 2 | 4% | — |
| 2019 | 23 | 4% | 6,000 miles |
| 2017 | 3 | 2% | 39,000 miles |
| 2016 | 4 | 2% | 33,000 miles |
| 2015 | 5 | 3% | 68,000 miles |
| 2014 | 7 | 2% | 47,000 miles |
| 2013 | 15 | 3% | 55,000 miles |
| 2012 | 7 | 1% | 43,000 miles |
| 2011 | 20 | 3% | 45,000 miles |
| 2010 | 19 | 2% | 70,000 miles |
| 2009 | 16 | 2% | 54,000 miles |
| 2008 | 4 | 2% | 78,000 miles |
| 2007 | 11 | 5% | 51,000 miles |
| 2006 | 23 | 4% | 79,000 miles |
| 2005 | 12 | 5% | 94,000 miles |
| 2004 | 8 | 3% | 82,000 miles |
| 2003 | 11 | 2% | 44,000 miles |
| 2002 | 19 | 3% | 65,000 miles |
| 2001 | 43 | 6% | 52,000 miles |
| 2000 | 20 | 5% | 55,000 miles |
| 1999 | 25 | 7% | 90,000 miles |
| 1998 | 14 | 7% | 18,000 miles |
| 1997 | 7 | 13% | 97,000 miles |
| 1996 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 1995 | 10 | 5% | 100,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the upper left corners on both the driver and passenger side doors of the vehicle would bend outward upon opening the doors. While the contact's husband was stepping down from a curb to enter the passenger side of the vehicle, the door's sharp corner pierced his husband's right eye. The contact was taken to the hospital where he sought medical treatment for the injury. Since the injury, the contact's husband continued to seek treatment from an eye specialist and stated that the injury had left him legally blind. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
The panoramic sunroof glass shattered spontaneously while driving. I was accelerating onto the highway from an on-ramp at approximately 50 to 60 mph. There were no vehicles in front of me and the highway was empty, so nothing could have struck the glass. I heard a loud bang similar to a gunshot, looked up, and saw a hole covering roughly 20% of the sunroof panel with cracks spreading across the rest of the glass. I pulled over to the right shoulder and inspected it from outside. The glass at the break was bent upward and outward, indicating the failure came from inside the panel and not from an external impact. I removed the larger loose pieces for safety and taped over the roof before continuing. Safety risk: The sudden loud explosion at highway speed was startling and could have caused me to swerve or brake suddenly in traffic. …
Car can be turned off even if the vehicle is not in park. The car was turned off while still in drive unbeknownst to the driver. This resulted in the car rolling into another vehicle in a parking lot. This could have caused a lot of damage to pedestrians and other vehicles. A accident did occur on feb 12, 2021 in sprouts grocery store parking lot in la mesa, san diego ca. Insurance companies have been involved to repair the other parties vehicle involved. The damage to the mentioned car includes damage to the bumper, tail light and side body. The other vehicle involved needs the entire side panel replaced.
The brakes make noise upon starting to brake and this has been happening since we owned it . Took it to the dealer which is gerald jones vw August's ga and they didn't look at it but o my tipped off the oil . They said the brake system doesn't come with a courtesy check . Also there were small dents in the car from the beginning that I made the dealer aware of and he blamed me . Even though o did I soft w him several brand new cars on the lot with small dents that looked the same . I think it needs to be repaired and free of charge
-The front right passenger electrical system that contains the wiring in order for the front headlight and front high beam to function properly suddenly started a short circuit and caused the front passenger light system wiring to catch fire to that part and the parts that surround it. The car is available for inspection at any time. -My safety was put at risk because my vehicle caught fire in a matter of seconds and spread so fast that it was impossible to stop the fire without requesting help of the Miami Gardens Fire Department that arrived on the scene as fast as they could a few minutes later. Other vehicles waiting at the traffic light were also put at risk because of the fire, smoke, and the hazardous wastes that could've possibly led to an explosion from the fire spreading over the whole right side of the engine. …
I had hit snd run By this car. IT looks like that Driver had attention to hurt me Moving in same line, I Made him space behind me than he hit on back, I was tih king tha he/she was trying to escape he moved again in right line but he again started to move in left side where I was driving. I hit part of shoulder and there is a damege on my car from the back side and both left side how he/she hit me and right side how I hit on shoulder. Than he/she was trying to run as crazy trought crowd but my car got only body damages and I was able to run after him/her and wrote down License plate. I am a Remitter agent, I was able to find only lien holder for this car but not yet the assigned owner. Hopfully I can get same help from you. Thanks.
2015 Volkswagen Jetta active grille shutter. A shutter system on the front end of the vehicle on the lower half of the radiator that allows air flow during different temperatures. The shutter assembly along with the electrical motor seems to go bad after a set amount of time. Giving off a Check Engine Code P05A0 as the shutters freeze open. Volkswagen dealerships have quoted $700-900 to replace the assembly as the only fix with vehicles being out of warranty. A quick search online has determined that this is a known problem for all these vehicles, Volkswagen are aware as they released a newer engine for the assembly. Also the check engine code can not be cleared until the assembly is fixed or replaced, thus not allowing vehicles to pass annual registration or smog check here in California.
The vehicle had been stationary for about 6 hours then caught on fire from the engine throughout the whole vehicle. The fire department came and out the vehicle fire out but the whole from end of the vehicle to the inside and backseat was affect by the fire.
Related recalls (2)
Structure › Frame and members
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some of these vehicles do not comply with the head injury criterion requirements of FMVSS no. 201, "occupant protection in interior impact." the upper retainer clip near the bp1 impact location is designed to break when impacted by the head form.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the trim cover from each of the b pillars and install a new cover.
Structure › Frame and members
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The sound absorbing mat attached to the inside of the b-pillar side trim panel could have been improperly installed. Surface and edges of the mat could have been damaged during the assembly process.
Remedy: Dealers will remove the matting materials from inside the b-pillar on both sides of the vehicle.
NHTSA investigations
Hood latch failure
Odi has received three reports, including the petitioners, regarding alleged hood latch failures.all of the odi reports indicate the hood flew up while driving.following a telephone inquiry, Volkswagen provided odi with some limited information regarding six additional reports of hood fly-up for model years 1995 and 1996.this investigation was opened to further study this issue.defect description:it is possible that…
HOOD FLY-UP
There is no summary currently available
Frequently asked questions
Which Volkswagen Jetta years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2001 (43), 1999 (25), 2006 (23), 2019 (23) and 2000 (20) model years. Body complaints make up 6% of all complaints for the 2001.
Is there a recall for Volkswagen Jetta body problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 99V-251 (frame and members, Sep 17, 1999); 99V-022 (frame and members, Feb 5, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Volkswagen Jetta body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles; 41% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body (155 mentions), followed by the body › door (52).
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.