2003 Volkswagen Jetta: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 552 complaints
552
Total Complaints
56,860mi
Median Mileage
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Top Issue
38
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

28,750 25th Percentile
56,860 Median Mileage
90,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
69
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
65
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
45
SEATS
34
AIR BAGS
22
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
21
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
20
ENGINE
16
POWER TRAIN
15
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
14

Severity Assessment

38
Crashes
79
Fires
92
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN ACTIVATING CRUISE CONTROL VEHICLE WILL STAY ON CRUISE CONTROL AND NOT TURN OFF. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK *YH"
"VEHICLE DESCRIPTION - 2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLI. VR6 WITH 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. VIN 3 V W V H 6 9 M 1 3 M 0 5 4 8 0 3. DATE OF PURCHASE - 17-OCT-2002. MILEAGE AT TIME OF NHTSA COMPLAINT - 1550. PROBLEM: DOOR "RATTLE" UNDER ANY DRIVING CONDITION. THE "RATTLING" WAS FIRST THOUGHT TO B..."
"VEHICLE DESCRIPTION - 2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLI. VR6 WITH 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. VIN 3 V W V H 6 9 M 1 3 M 0 5 4 8 0 3. DATE OF PURCHASE - 17-OCT-2002. MILEAGE AT TIME OF NHTSA COMPLAINT - 1550. PROBLEM: DOOR "RATTLE" UNDER ANY DRIVING CONDITION. THE "RATTLING" WAS FIRST THOUGHT TO B..."

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