2003 Volkswagen Jetta electrical system problems
Owners reported electrical system problems in 97 complaints for the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta, 18% of the complaints on file. It is the 2nd most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 97 18% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 78,000 miles 89 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 15
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 12 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 14 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 12 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 89 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 78,000 miles, and 36% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 1 crash, 15 fires, 7 injuries.
What owners wrote
Dt: the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetty. The contact stated s dashboard control system caught on fire. Last night was driving on highway smelled something burning. Was not sure what it was. Got close to home and smoke was coming out of the dashboard. By the time she got within a block of the house the dashboard was on fire. Husband came out with a fire extinguisher. Husband used extinguisher on vehicle. Called fire department and police departments. They unhooked the battery.
As we were driving home, all the lights on the dash started blinking. The accelerator pedal stopped working in the middle of a busy intersection. The car engine continued running, but it just stalled in the middle of traffic and could not accelerate to get out of traffic. So we coasted the car for about 1.5 miles to a family members house. When we arrived, we turned off the car and tried to restart it, it would not start.
Other problems reported for the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta
- Seats 103 complaints
- Air bags 82 complaints
- Air conditioning & heating 69 complaints
- Engine 54 complaints
- Lighting 31 complaints
- Drivetrain & axles 29 complaints
- Transmission 26 complaints
- Brakes 22 complaints