1990 Volkswagen Jetta: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 29 complaints
29
Total Complaints
120,000mi
Median Mileage
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
Top Issue
2
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

112,551 25th Percentile
120,000 Median Mileage
125,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1

Severity Assessment

2
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS."
"VEHICLE WON'T START, ALSO WHEN VEHICLE DOES START IT MAKES GRINDING NOISE. *SKD"
"GRINDING NOISE IN TRANSMISSION WHEN SHIFTING FROM LOW TO HIGH GEARS."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28