2008 Volkswagen Jetta electrical system problems
Owners reported electrical system problems in 43 complaints for the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta, 17% of the complaints on file. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 43 17% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 34 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 34 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 90,000 miles, and 26% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 1 fire, 1 injury.
What owners wrote
I was driving to work one morning and it started to smell like something was burning. I thought maybe it was just a weird smell in my vents but within 10 minutes of driving a cloud of smoke filed the driver side of my car. Luckily I was not on the highway yet and I was able to pull over and shut off the car. Not knowing where the smoke came from I immediately got out of the car. It when then that I looked down and saw the source of the smoke, there was a quarter size hole in my driver seat.
Drivers side door lock actuator failed to lock or unlock the door, alarm horn fails to sound when alarm is activated. Rear driver's door lock actuator failed to lock or unlock the door. The rear drivers door doesn't have an external key hole to unlock door and the only way to open the door is from the inside. In the event of an accident with a child in a child safety seat, this could result in a delay of removing the child from a potentially dangerous situation.
Other problems reported for the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta
- Transmission 28 complaints
- Drivetrain & axles 27 complaints
- Engine 27 complaints
- Brakes 24 complaints
- Air bags 20 complaints