2002 Volkswagen Jetta: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 885 complaints
885
Total Complaints
54,900mi
Median Mileage
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Top Issue
41
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

25,999 25th Percentile
54,900 Median Mileage
88,100 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
86
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
63
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
61
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
56
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
51
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
41
AIR BAGS
35
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
33
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
31
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
28

Severity Assessment

41
Crashes
81
Fires
83
Injuries
10
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FRONT BUMPER COVER FIBER GOT CAUGHT ON TREE AND SNATCHED IT OFF. CONSUMER'S CONCERN IS THAT BUMPER COULD CATCH UNDER FRONT WHEELS AND CAUSE VEHICLE TO FLIP OVER. VOLKSWAGEN SHOWED NO CONCERN TO CONSUMERS ISSUES.*AK"
"WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AT 65MPH BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK"
"DRIVING @ A BELOW AVG. SPEED 3 SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED W/O ANY SORT OF IMPACT. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE (I HAVE PICS) TO THE BODY OF MY BRAND NEW CAR (W/LESS THAN 2500 MLS) THE UTTERLY RANDOM DEPLOYMENT OF THESE AIRBAGS IS ENOUGH TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT ON ITS OWN. FORTUNATLY, THAT WASN'T THE CASE HE..."

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