10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
100,554 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Volkswagen Jetta drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2006 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 1 of 5)

problem #91

May 272021

Jetta

  • 156,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission shuddered without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

- West Branch, MI, USA

problem #90

Jun 272020

Jetta 5-cyl

  • 102,344 miles
I have a 2006 Jetta that I just got from a friend, they stated that it needed some sensors like the maf replaced. I spent the $39.99 and bought the carfax report as well to ensure it was a good car. Everything was great until I drove it for the first time longer than 20 or 30 minutes. I started to experience the transmission slipping when it got hot and the gears not shifting. As I began to look up these symptoms to verify what the issue was I ran into some very concerning statements. Multiple sources say the cars are known for having bad transmissions/ valve body issues. Hundreds of people driving 2006 VW Jetta 2.5 liter automatic cars were having the same issue with the hard shifting and slipping and some were worse than that. My car only has 103,000 miles on it and many of these other vehicles were between 75K and 140K. Having to have entire transmissions replaced. I have not had any issues when I'm on the highway and not needing to switch gears but stop and go traffic is impossible to drive in. It discourages me that so many people are having this issue and a recall has never been issued for it. There is no warranty anymore. Multiple mechanics have looked at the car and immediately stated that the 09G valve cover that VW used was notorious for these issues and they are still pretty common. Https://www.transmissionrepaircostguide.com/Volkswagen-Jetta-transmission-problems/ https://M.carcomplaints.com/Volkswagen/Jetta/2006/transmission/transmission_failure.shtml https://youtu.be/impmdingzog https://youtu.be/glitvicekfc https://youtu.be/qegq0D2nmom https://youtu.be/5kvgsjaxato https://youtu.be/scj0fmncnnm https://www.jettaforums.com/forum/Volkswagen-Jetta-general-discussion/571-2006-Jetta-automatic-transmission-problems.html#/topics/571 https://

- Fort Mccoy, FL, USA

problem #89

Oct 032019

Jetta

  • 265,000 miles
Transmission goes into limp mode once vehicle reaches normal operating temperature. Codes are P1689 and P0746. When this happens the car will only function in 2nd gear and nothing else. This is very dangerous on interstates where the minimum speed limit can not be reached. Researching online, this is a known problem and the mechatronic needs to be replaced.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #88

May 142019

Jetta

  • 115,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving various speeds, the vehicle jerked violently and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure was unknown. The vehicle was then taken to wallace Volkswagen of johnson city (3101 E oakland ave, johnson city, tn 37601, (423) 952-0888) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.

- Fall Branch, TN, USA

problem #87

Jul 242018

Jetta

  • 97,000 miles
Transmission nor shifting properly(automatic). Creates safety issues particularly on highway.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

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problem #86

Jan 012018

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 163,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. During a routine inspection, the vehicle failed to pass emissions inspection. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the signal from the ECU and transmission module indicated that there were two pins that were defective and needed to be repaired. Colonial Volkswagen (89 turnpike rd, West borough, MA) was contacted regarding the failure, but they refused to assist the contact. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

- Littleton, MA, USA

problem #85

Sep 272017

Jetta

  • 180,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving, the car seemingly pops out of gear (goes from 50 mph to 10 mph or less with no warning). It will not accelerate, even when pressing on the gas pedal. Very unsafe! we have been told that it is a transmission issue (one which VW recalled 2007-2010 models for).

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #84

Jan 112017

Jetta

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving various speeds, the instrument panel indicators remained illuminated. Also, while driving on an incline, the transmission would downshift. Furthermore, the battery would drain overnight and the vehicle would fail to start. The contact called the lee summit Volkswagen dealer (located in lee summit, mo, (816) 600-4224) where an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not offer any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #83

Nov 202016

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 250,000 miles
Defective dual mass flywheel should have a safety recall also the mechatronics units are failing and causing major transmission problems. Dropping out of gear while driving, dropping into a lower gear while driving causing major issues and VW knows about it! their claim is that there is no recall so nothing is being done!!!!! please help, had transmission problems when in warranty and nothing was done.

- Beacon Falls, CT, USA

problem #82

Apr 162016

Jetta

  • miles
I've got a 2006 Jetta, 2.0tdi with the dsg, I purchased 04-16-2016 from the original owner. It seems as if every time I stops and takes it out of gear and attempts to go into reverse it won't engage and the flash of death happens. Has to turn the car off/on to get it to move again. This is a classic safety hazard. I read Volkswagen and Audi (few years ago) are recalling 16,000 vehicles because of transmission problems that make them lose power -- or completely stall -- out of the blue.

- Elk Grove Village, IL, USA

problem #81

Aug 302016

Jetta

  • 191,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car has some shifting problems when in motion.my car has a jerking motion that it does when going into gears and when slowing down its rough going down gears.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

problem #80

Jul 042016

Jetta

  • 232,094 miles
I have two major saftey problems that could have ended in a fatality.first my transmission went out without a warning while I was on the interstate going 75 mph and a 18 wheeler was behind me the car dropt down to 40 mph and I almost got rearended by the semi.I had the transmission rebuild.second thing I pulled out of burgerking and the car has no power and about got tboned and theres no check engine light on.

- Jonesborough, TN, USA

problem #79

Apr 062016

Jetta

  • 193,000 miles
My Volkswagen Jetta tdi 2006 got the prnds flash of death, and I found out it was the mechatronic unit when I took it to the shop. I was driving on the highway going 75mph when the flashes started to occur. I couldn't give my engine any power and I started to decelerate at a quick pace, and the vehicle behind me almost hit me. This is a major saftey issue for me and for all other occupants on the highway, because my faulty car could have caused a major accident, that could have resulted in many injuries. I want to bring this attention to the NHTSA to, provide me with more information as to why the vehicle is faulty, and the amount of trouble I would be in if I didn't manage this situation like I did to protect myself and everyone else.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #78

May 202014

Jetta

  • 199,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving approximately 25 mph, the transmission shifted from drive into neutral independently without warning. The engine was turned off. After restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The failure recurred five times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 199,000.

- Danville, KY, USA

problem #77

May 102016

Jetta

  • 133,176 miles
Transmission hard shifting within 15 minutes of vehicle start. Loud clunk noise thru 4 gears. Car in garage. Ost 50-75 degrees. Air bag light comes on with wiring extension completed.

- Roanoke, VA, USA

problem #76

Mar 012016

Jetta

  • 83,000 miles
Automatic transmission shifts hard and sometimes fail to shift. The is a major safety concern while operating the vehicle.

- Milton, GA, USA

problem #75

Nov 272015

Jetta

  • 160,000 miles
Camshaft failure due to excessive wear on a vehicle with 160,000 miles despite using VW recommended $505.01 specification oil and regular maintenance. Engine developed a rattling noise at highway speed, decreased performance, excessive black smoke coming out of tail pipe, and $1500 repair bill. Dual mass transmission flywheel failure on a vehicle with 120,000 miles resulted in rattling noise in the transmission, vibration of the whole vehicle and $1200 repair bill. Both of these issues are widespread. Multiple owners of this year/make/model have experienced these exact same issues due to poor quality parts originally installed by the manufacturer. Manufacturer should recall the affected vehicles and fix these issues due to them being widespread. There are numerous discussions on public forums of these issues as well.

- Cedar Hill, TX, USA

problem #74

Dec 102013

Jetta

  • 138,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle speed decreased to 20 mph and all the instrument panel lights illuminated. When shifting into a gear, the vehicle would jerk. The failures recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the module and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.

- Tucker, GA, USA

problem #73

May 012014

Jetta

  • 85,000 miles
Transmission shifting problem. The transmission was not controlling at any nominal cruising speed, or when accelerating from a stop. Safety concern. Car was shifting when it didn't need to shift, I.e. out of 6th at high speeds when the terrain and speed hadn't changed. It would shift out of gear the way you do in a manual transmission, but instead of shifting back in immediately, it would hesitate (rpms drop significantly) so that the car was essentially idling between gears. Then it would shift back in to a gear for a few seconds, and then shift again inappropriately with the same hesitation. When it would shift back in sometimes it would do the hard shift. The check engine light came on at times but not always. The car couldn't seem to figure out what gear it needed to be in, and it kept shifting in and out of the higher gears even though the driver hadn't changed the speed and the terrain was the same. It was much worse during the heat of the day. Whereas the problem is hardly perceptible at night. Still it seemed to be shifting between 6th down to 5th when it didn't need to. The problem seems to repeat over and over. The check engine light came on at some point, but was not on this morning.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #72

Jul 092014

Jetta

  • 75,000 miles
While driving in the highway the car's transmission suddenly downshifted by it-self and would not respond to the engine's acceleration commands. Since than is has been more often, and has caused fear and anxiety. There is no warning signs on the dashboard to notify the driver of any problems. I researched this issue and found out that there were other people that had the same problem, and there was a recall on the model 2007 and new-er. The 2006 model is not for some reason included in this recall. I contacted Volkswagen and it was just a waste of time.

- Huntingdon Valley, PA, USA

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