2011 Volkswagen Jetta problems
The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta has 883 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (22%) concerns electrical system. After that come fuel system (20%) and engine (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 883 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 37 and 14
- Injuries and deaths
- 23 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 50,000 miles 709 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 173 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 100 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 137 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 115 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 80 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 50 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 30 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 16 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 709 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 50,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 60,000 miles (156 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 37 complaints mention a crash; 14 complaints mention a fire; 23 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Volkswagen Jetta with enough data (578 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
2011 VW jetta tdi failed while driving on highway. As car slowed due to traffic, the coil (glow plug?) light came on. When car came to complete stop due to traffic, engine light came on and the car stopped and would not restart. There was no time for me to move to the side of the highway due to traffic congestion so I was stranded in the middle of the freeway.
Tl*the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. The contact was driving approximately 30 MPH, and crashed into the rear end bumper of the proceeding vehicle. Suddenly, flames emitted from the front hood area. The contact exited the vehicle which then engulfed into massive flames. There were no personal injuries. The fire department extinguished the fire and a police report was filed for the incident. The vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to a collision center.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. While the vehicle was parked the contact was removing an item from the trunk when she was burned on the calf of her left leg by the muffler. The contact stated the muffler was extended outward too far causing her to come in contact with it. The contact had to go to the doctor for the burn. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000.
I bought a new VW jetta 2011, on 11/11/10 next day I felt a problem when braking. The dealer said the brake drums were damage, it was a factory defect. Now I feel unsafe and disappointed driving it.