Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Volkswagen Jetta - part 1

October 9, 2025 epc light on. October 10, 2025, called brown's vw in charlottetown, pei and brought the car in. The epc light was off. The scan revealed that turbo on the vehicle had a seized wastegate. The cost of repair is $4,026. 85 and a wait for parts. If the epc light was flashing, the vehicle would buck and stop in the middle of the road causing a safety issue. There were no warnings previous to the epc light going on. The vehicle is out of warranty but low mileage. Please note I spend 6 months a year in pei, canada and 6 months in the us. My address in canada 81 kilkenny rd. , rte 250, harrington, pe cie 3a5. The vehicle is registered in pei and had a riv certificate. I was also told by an independent source that the above problem is common in the atlantic provinces because of the position of the wastegate and also the salt in the air in the atlantic provinces. I am certain in sea coast areas of the us, there is a similar problem with this vw turbo and the vw tiguan is also affected. Many years of the vw Jetta have the same problem.

See all problems of the 2020 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

Initial call out for oil change and investigation of oil consumption and knocking from engine. Upon examination in person the timing cover was found to be heavily leaking and had pools of oil around the valleys that surround it. Further examination if taking the cover off revealed metal shavings and debris caked all around the interior of the cover and deep inside the engine and oil in areas where there should not be. Even further investigations revealed that one of the bolts on the cam gear was missing and after researching it was found that this is a common issue/failure found on many of the 1. 4tsi engines but is not widespread enough to form a recall as of yet. Many reports state very similar issues of the cam gear/phaser bolts becoming loose and falling down into the engine causing catastrophic failure and metal shavings/debris/fragments inside the engine. I paid nearly 18k$ just to drive the car about 10k miles and still owe 6300$ on the vehicle. This has completely turned my life upside down. Now I have no job, no way to take car of my elderly mom and barely able to take care of myself now that my engine has almost completed failed, if continued to drive the way it is, it may catch fire/explode. Im going to have a professional try to fix this issue but its going to cost more than I have. Vwoa refused to help in any way since the vehicle is out of warranty. Vehicle is at 62388 in miles. I noticed the engine knocking while in a mcdonald's drive thru I was about 800 miles until oil change was needed. So I took it home to check oil and it was extremely low.

See all problems of the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

Exhaust camshaft actuator oil cap bolts loosen and fall out and could cause engine failure. Volkswagen has issued a service bulletin for this problem but not a recall.

My Jetta is only 6 years old and has only 27,350 mileage when this issue happened. Low oil light came and took it to a local shop where they put it on a lift and saw oil all over the bottom of the car. The technician told me this car is not safe and you need to have it towed to vw and see what is happening. I had it towed to vw where I purchased the car. The technician removed the upper timing cover and found camshaft sprocket bolts backed out 1 and another one ready to come out, causing oil to leak out all over. When I asked the service manager what caused this, he had no answer. I also asked him have you ever seen this in any of the Jetta. He said he never seen this. I told the service manager that what happened to my car was a safety issue, due to a defect and workmanship from the manufacture or whoever assembled this camshaft. Their is research on it regarding the camshaft . This particular part has to be assembled correctly while assembling these bolts into the camshaft. If did not bring in my car to find out why I was leaking oil and my oil light was working. I could of had a serious problem harming myself and any passengers in my car, due to losing control of my car. My cost for the repair was $2,407. 99 and no one would give me any compensation on my repair.

Started car in the morning to go to work and 20 minutes later heard loud clunking coming from engine bay. Pulled over and got towed. Upper timing cover was removed and found that screws from camshaft phasers had backed out causing issue. Issue was confirmed at german car shop. No prior problems. Mentioned at last service visit that a rattling was coming from the engine bay. Was told that it was normal. Googled issue and found multiple people complaining of same issue. Car has not ever had work done in that area. Seems like a failure of quality control in the factory.

My 2023 vehicle has needed coolant topped off every 5-10k miles. This appears to be a very common occurrence for several owners however dealerships are just telling folks to top off as it's due to evaporation (it's a closed system and shouldn't evaporate). It is due to a faulty head gasket that vw even later redesigned. If you review reddit and numerous forums about the 1. 5t produced before July 2023 it is a known issue that caused vw to redesign the headgasket. The powertrain warranty on new vehicle purchases is very short (50k miles) so they avoid replacing and tell folks to just "top off" until the warranty expires.

See all problems of the 2023 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

On Monday [xxx] my 2018 vw Jetta s started gushing gas from the bottom of the car. I immediately pulled over and called aaa to have my car towed to my nearest vw dealer which was national city Volkswagen 3131 mile of car national city, CA. The issue my car was having looked similar to a recall due to fuel rails coming loose. My car ended up having faulty gas rails which is part of a recall for my vehicle. I was told it was already corrected 4 years ago so I had to pay out of pocket for it. Yet the repairs or corrected recall are not on the carfax, for one. And for two, I did not own the car when said repairs were completed and I cannot find any record of it. I believe vw is still responsible for this as it is the same parts that were repaired for the recall. Plus, I missed a whole day at work because of this. ($30hr×8=$240) plus the $1438. 26 I had to pay out of pocket. Thank you for your time and consideration. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the abs module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stopped driving the vehicle due to safety concerns. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

See all problems of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

I just got this 2024 Jetta sport 6 speed manual and tried getting up the drive that's slightly inclined and the brake assist would not disengage or the fuel was cut after it didn't progress then dies. It is possible to power through the brake assist but it will cause premature wear on the clutch, flywheel as well as the rear e brake with all this wireless tech on the brakes, throttle can't figure it out so take it back.

See all problems of the 2024 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

I was driving my car on a 100 degree day and and after about a block, a warning popped up on the little screen behind the steering wheel that said "ignition switch off, safely stop the vehicle". I feel like the engine may have shut off, but I'm not sure as I just rolled to the side of the road and turned off my car as fast as a could. I waited a few minutes and turned it on, drove about a block, and it said, "starter system faulty, please service vehicle". I once again turned it off, waited a few minutes. I googled on my phone instances of this and people saying they were still able to drive that car, so I turned it back on and started to drive it the two blocks back to my house, the "starter system faulty" message popped up again and suddenly all of the electrical in the car shut off (the engine was still running). My radio, speedometer, everything was just off. I made it home, got on my computer and found an article about a recall that match my car's make, model, year, and key rather than button ignition. It described my exact experience. I looked up my car to see if it had a recall and it didn't. I called the dealership and they were no help, so I called the Volkswagen of America customer care line. They told me my VIN didn't qualify "probably" because it wasn't within the "manufacturing dates". I'm having a hard time understanding that since everything else lines up. Additionally, I just purchased this vehicle used from a vw dealership less than two months ago. The dealer plates are still on the car. According to them, the car was in great condition. . .

Engine stalling and cutting off while driving. Unsafe while in heavy traffic.

Nhtsa campaign id 15v705000 16v403000 20v648000 20e064000 19v615000.

See all problems of the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

The turbocharger is out. I've had problems with coolant leaking. Mechanic pressurized tank, its fine. While parked coolant disappears, evaporates, idk. . Nothing leaking on ground. Now smoke coming out of exhaust. Car has 56,000 miles.

See all problems of the 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

Faulty started. Per your website, Volkswagen issued a recall for certain 2019 and 2020 Jetta models with traditional ignition keys(not push-button start) due to a faulty ignition switch that can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall, increasing crash risk. This recall, identified as recall 23v-604 by NHTSA. My vehicle needs to be included in this recall.

I purchased my brand new 2025 Volkswagen Jetta s, and not a week later the check engine light came on and the car started acting weird. The rpm's would spike before the car would move. I brought it back to the dealership that I purchased the car from; and they diagnosed it. They said it was a faulty fuel pump. It was very inconvenient, and could end up causing long term issues with the car/ engine. And could seriously harm other people.

The contact owns a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated to 70 mph. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact pulled over onto the side of the road and the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that there was no fault found with the vehicle. The contact continued driving however, while driving uphill at 25 mph and approaching a stop sign at an intersection, the vehicle independently accelerated to 50 mph, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact shifted to neutral(n) and allowed the vehicle to slow down before driving to a local dealer for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that additional diagnostic tests were needed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

See all problems of the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

My 2019 Volkswagen Jetta cannot be refueled — gas nozzle clicks off instantly or overflows. The check engine light came on, and vw corporate confirmed code p00fe, indicating a failure of the evap system vent valve. This is a sealed emissions component integrated with the fuel tank. Dealership initially claimed there were “no codes,” but a video shows their technician confirming the evap code, disconnecting the evap system, and concluding the tank must be replaced. However, since the valve is a powered solenoid, unplugging the system wouldn't allow it to open — this invalidates their test and diagnosis. Vw has denied warranty coverage even though the issue clearly falls under the 8-year/80,000-mile federal emissions warranty as defined by the epa and vw’s own documentation. I also discovered they misrepresented an active recall (#28h7) and falsely told me I had none. Vw customer care told me about the recall and informed the dealership. Vw customer care informed me 7/9/25 that the recall had been repaired. Carfax yesterday and your system today show that it still has not been repaired. This is a safety hazard. I cannot refuel reliably, and the dealership is denying coverage while refusing to provide written documentation or a breakdown of findings. My car is disabled and stranded at the dealership since July 24, 2025 and they will barely communicate.

My Volkswagen Jetta shut off driving down interstate 99 due to major fuel leak (fuel rail bolt broke) I saw Volkswagen had a recall for fuel rail bolt coming loose after time. I called Volkswagen states recall was completed in may 2021 I bought the car may 2025. I asked Volkswagen rep if they would repair it as this is the same issue as the recall obviously it isn’t corrected. This could have been very bad with fuel leaking along a major highway one thing ignited and car would have went in flames. My son could have been seriously injured or even killed! epc light came on as this was happening. The car is at my local mechanic who advised me to call Volkswagen due to an open recall for this issue. Volkswagen rep states I could take it to Volkswagen dealer to have it looked at but advised it would be at my expense. The only way anything would be done or reviewed if the car caught on fire or someone died. I would like this looked into as I believe vw should pay for my car to be fixed. Since the known problem was not fixed. I don’t have any documentation as my car is still in the process of getting fixed.

See all problems of the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the starter failure message displayed. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

2 bolts came lose in engine, need timing belt replaced, caused oil leak and other problems yet to be identified. Volkswagen admitted that should never happen but will not take responsibility.

While driving home from work (I travel with the railroad weekly) on Thursday, [xxx], I had my vehicle set on cruise control going west on [xxx] in TN. Out of nowhere, my engine overheated and I lost my coolant. Upon pulling over, I observed no trail of coolant and nothing leaking under my vehicle. I refilled the coolant and made it home. The next morning, my coolant tank was empty again. I took it to my local vw dealership and was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. Upon research, I found that on August 17th, 2023, vw put out a technical service bulletin stating that the "original engine production head gasket design can lead to coolant leaks. " this bulletin did list the engine for my vehicle purchased that year. I was told that "our manager name is tim. He informed me that TSB is sent out when they are seeing these issues occur. It is a tech tip to help the technician diagnosis the vehicle. Your vehicle is out of warranty therefore it wouldn't be cover. " the engine issue is well known with vw, with a statement that the issue is known. The bulletin also advised "improve head gasket design and coating as of engine number dnka 234 458 July 27th 2023. " so there is a fix to this issue and bw refuses to fix the issue at hand and is attempting to charge just under $3,500 for the repair. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The car has turned off at idle and at low speeds, almost causing accidents and to be rear ended in busy streets and during stop and go traffic on the highway. After numerous mechanic diagnostics at both Volkswagen dealership service departments and third party mechanic shops, no one seems to be able to give me an answer or condition to what is causing the problem. With no error codes being brought up nor any other underlying issues that could be causing this issue, with a car having minor wear. This is a problem that has been reported by many other Volkswagen Jetta owners on online forums and no one seems to have a specific answer as to what is causing this accident prone issue!.

See all problems of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

My cars consumes oil like crazy. I'd say every week I am adding a quart to two quarts of oil. I would lose power while driving. Sometimes the car would just shut off and then it would take a few times to get it started. I was in the middle of driving when the car just completely shut off on me and it will not start at all. It will crank and sound like it's going to turn over but it won't. I've been told it's most likely a timing chain issue.

I’ve been experiencing intermittent start failures with my 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The issue typically occurs after driving short distances, turning off the engine, and attempting to restart the vehicle within 15–45 minutes. The dashboard lights stay on, but the engine fails to crank. After extended wait times (1–3 hours or more), it will sometimes start again. A diagnostic scanner showed dtc im 00, indicating an immobilizer system malfunction, meaning the car isn’t recognizing the key properly. I’ve tested both keys and various conditions (locked/unlocked, sun/shade, full/low gas tank), and the issue continues to be unpredictable. When the car was towed to the dealership, they were unable to replicate the problem since it started by the time they checked it, and they were unwilling to investigate the immobilizer issue without charging me for a wide range of unrelated tests. This is becoming a safety issue, especially if the vehicle stalls or won’t restart in isolated areas or during hot conditions. It is not acceptable for a known electronic security feature to randomly disable the vehicle from functioning.

My mother owns a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta. Recently, the car has developed a strong and constant smell of gasoline, both while driving and when parked. This is extremely concerning, as it appears to be a fuel leak, which poses a serious fire and safety hazard. Upon researching, I discovered NHTSA recall 20v648000, which affects certain 2016–2018 Jetta vehicles due to loose fuel rail bolts that may cause fuel to leak. My mother’s car is experiencing the exact same symptoms, yet her VIN is not included in the recall, and Volkswagen has refused to help because the recall does not technically apply to her vehicle. We spoke directly with vw customer care, and despite clearly describing the fuel smell and matching the recall symptoms, they told us the repairs would be out-of-pocket. My mother does not speak english and relies on me for help — and she cannot afford the cost of repairs for something that is clearly a known defect. The vehicle is undrivable due to the risk of explosion or fire, and we are desperate for help. I’m submitting this complaint in hopes that NHTSA will investigate and expand the recall to include additional vins. There is no reason a vehicle with an identical issue should be excluded simply because of a VIN batch.

It was a hot day and I went to start my 2019 Jetta, it sent me a warning code to safely stop the vehicle and then all electrical shut off but the engine then proceeded to stall in place and not want to start back up. I got it to restart and the parking break locked up. I turned it off again and restarted it and managed to get the parking break off after several attempts. I had to have it towed as it was clearly not safe to drive. As soon as the temperature dropped the car was completely fine no electrical errors making me think this is similar to other Volkswagen vehicle issues. There is no recall in place but this is extremely unsafe for me to drive and I just purchased the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the vehicle, entering the vehicle through the a/c vents. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 20v648000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact stated that the VIN was included; but stated that the VIN had been removed from the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Coolant reservoir keeps getting empty every 1000 miles. . Read more...

I recently bought vehicle seen there is a recall.

See all problems of the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta 🔎.

Oil consumption: my 2014 Jetta 1. 8t se is consuming oil at an excessive rate. This began at 30,000 miles and has been to the vw dealership numerous times ending without resolution.

[xxx] invoice [xxx] vehicle was taken to hoy family auto dealer in el paso, texas (1. )to inspect brakes noise and parking brake not engaging at all times, there has been times when the parking brake does not engage, and humming noise while braking and exiting freeway. Service personnel did not dismount wheels to have visual inspection on braking system they just checked for gap wear and tear. (2. )also told service advisor about emergency braking system warning on dashboard warning system comes on sometimes while braking on empty roads at stop signs and while parking vehicle on a house driveway. (3. ) suspension on front passenger side hard hit noise while driving on uneven pavements. (4. ) passenger rear side view mirror sensor light most of times does not work on approaching moving vehicles. *problem persists information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My camshaft sensors went bad at 77k miles had it towed to auto repair. Auto shop said my timing tensioner and chain were worn and needed replacement. Cost was 6200. 00. A month later the engine blew at 81k miles. This was a lease for the first 3 years so all maintenance was done by Volkswagen. I had it serviced three times after that. Sits in my garage half the year as I travel by airplane or tour bus for work so no need to drive all the time. This shouldn’t be happening.

I bought the car brand new in 2016 had the oil changed on its scheduled maintenance and at 77000 mile my timing chain made my car go into limp mode. Now I am looking at a 4700$ in mechanic and engine work.

When I start the car multiple times the car will throw over half of all the error code and could not start the vehicle. Driving in the highway doing 65mph with the cruise control on the car completely shut off and I had to limp it to the shoulder and was unable to start the car. Each time I cleared the fault codes then was able to start the car. If I didn’t have my scanner I would have had to get towed each time to the dealer. I see there is an ignition switch recall on the 2019 and the 2020 cars but for some reason I don’t see my 2020 included in that. Now the proximity sensor is at fault and I have to take it to the dealer again. Please let me know what I should do.

Car one day decided to have issues. It wouldn't turn over. So we called a row truck to come take it and run diagnostics. The tow truck driver showed up and on his decision making as im not a professional like he is he said can it turn on I said no so he pursued with saying that he is going to jumpstart the battery in his words he says that's mainly the issue is a dead battery so he wanted to jump it with his portable jumper box as we are hooking it up to the vehicle I am inside and he connects the cables and tells me to try and turn it over in doing so the intake manifold had completely blown up. Right in front of the tow truck driver and it sounded like a cannon went off. He told me after he could hear again as well as me. We both have never experienced anything like that before. The pictures I'm providing are the damages of what jump starting the vehicle did.