2011 Volkswagen Jetta problems and complaints

Owners have filed 640 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta. The most-reported areas: Electrical System (201), Fuel System (97), Engine (93).

Key takeaways

  • 640 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 28 involve a crash, 12 a fire, 16 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Electrical System20131%
Fuel System9715%
Engine9315%
Diesel8213%
Fuel/Propulsion System8113%
Unknown Or Other6610%
Power Train559%
Exterior Lighting467%
Air Bags396%
Service Brakes315%
Vehicle Speed Control264%
Engine And Engine Cooling264%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2011 Volkswagen Jetta 4 DR FWD4/54/55/54/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Electrical System,air Bags,forward Collision Avoidance - filed 2026-09-17

Suddenly the car showed the abs, cruise control, air bag , and a flashing break light on the dashboard. Took to dealership to get diagnostic and the Abs control module needs to be replaced.

Service Brakes - filed 2025-07-30

ABS Control Module total failure No warnings appeared prior to the total failure of the ABS Control Module to indicate that the car needed servicing. ABS would have failed in an emergency braking according to the dealership. Just driving the car without knowing the ABS had issues put my family at risk. After the lights...

Service Brakes - filed 2025-07-15

driving on freeway (speed around 70mph) out of nowhere i start smelling strange burning smell then about 1 minute later the car brakes lock up in the front and I loose control of car but luckily it was in light traffic and I regained control enough to get it off to the shoulder. I got out to address the issue and notic...

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More for the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.