"How reliable is the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta?"

"Based on 736 NHTSA complaints, the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta has a median complaint mileage of 55450 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 736 total complaints filed."

2013 Volkswagen Jetta: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 736 complaints

736

Total Complaints

55,450mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

29,475 25th Percentile

55,450 Median Mileage

80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

143

Power Train

139

Engine

112

Unknown Or Other

Steering

Fuel/Propulsion System

Air Bags

Service Brakes

Exterior Lighting

Vehicle Speed Control

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WE JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SPORTS WAGON WITH DIESEL TDI ENGINE AND DSG TRANSMISSION. DRIVING THE CAR HOME FROM THE DEALER THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 110 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IT HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE MECHATRONIC UNIT HAS FAILED. THE SYMPTOM OF THE FA..."

"DSG TRANSMISSION ISSUES: WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC, I COASTED UP TO THE LIGHT WHEN IT WAS MY TURN, THEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR HAD NO POWER. IT CROSSED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AT APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 2 MPH. IT TOOK 5 TO 10 SECONDS FOR THE POWER TO RETURN. IT FELT LIK..."

"A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER BUYING THIS NEW VEHICLE I NOTICED THAT HUNDREDS OF FOGGY LOOKING SPOTS WOULD APPEAR IN THE REAR WINDSHIELD AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE DAY. WHEN THESE SPOTS APPEAR IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE OUT OF THIS WINDSHIELD OR INTO IT . THIS USUALLY HAPPENS AROUND DAWN AND AROUND DUSK..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 143 complaints

25th: 35,390 mi Median: 53,500 mi 75th: 81,597 mi

Power Train 139 complaints

25th: 42,500 mi Median: 67,000 mi 75th: 98,500 mi

Engine 112 complaints

25th: 23,155 mi Median: 54,000 mi 75th: 77,250 mi

Unknown Or Other 98 complaints

25th: 43,750 mi Median: 68,500 mi 75th: 84,500 mi

Steering 37 complaints

25th: 29,500 mi Median: 55,950 mi 75th: 74,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 135 TX: 76 NY: 44 FL: 40 MD: 38 OH: 37 VA: 26 IL: 25 GA: 24 NC: 17

Who Files Complaints?

0.5%

Original Owners

99.5%

Second+ Owners

Volkswagen Jetta — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	29	120,000	Heater Core	2
1991	38	103,000	Heater Core	3
1992	33	-	Gasoline	6
1993	22	-	Latch	0
1994	167	-	Accessory Scissor/Screw/Bottle Jack/Lift	9
1995	338	100,000	Latch	23
1996	36	94,969	Power Window Devices And Controls	3
1997	100	74,500	Power Window Devices And Controls	8
1998	253	78,000	Power Window Devices And Controls	14
1999	488	70,419	Power Window Devices And Controls	44
2000	633	55,000	Power Window Devices And Controls	38
2001	861	51,120	Side/Window	44
2002	885	54,900	Seat Heater/Cooler	41
2003	552	56,860	Seat Heater/Cooler	38
2004	295	69,995	Electrical System	16
2005	354	74,000	Power Train	13
2006	792	76,000	Electrical System	21
2007	280	60,000	Electrical System	15
2008	250	62,000	Electrical System	7
2009	1269	66,655	Fuel System, Diesel	53
2010	1184	54,000	Electrical System	31
2011	880	50,000	Electrical System	37
2012	690	53,000	Electrical System	32
2014	550	57,000	Engine	33
2015	283	41,000	Engine	11
2016	248	38,937	Engine	32
2017	247	38,000	Engine	27
2018	34	32,000	Unknown Or Other	2
2019	758	4,900	Power Train	36
2020	75	6,000	Electrical System	2
2021	91	9,000	Service Brakes	3
2022	55	-	Service Brakes	1
2023	55	20,000	Engine	3
2024	41	17,600	Engine	1

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