NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2009 Volkswagen Jetta (Page 3 of 6)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,815 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.

2009 Volkswagen Jetta electrical problems

electrical problem

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2009 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 3 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #63

Nov 142016

Jetta

  • miles

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

Feb 2014 headlights and brakelights were out...fuse plate and plug was replace at dealership. No charge. Since then I constanly had to replace headlights and brake light bulbs. November 2016..headlights and brake light wont come on even woth bulbs change.took to dealership..states I need new fuse box..call VW customer care..I have to pay out of pocket...this lighting issue been a nuisance for two years.

- Va Beach, VA, USA

problem #62

Mar 072015

Jetta

  • 22,000 miles
The back door locks won't unlock, either from the outside or inside, with button or key. First it was the driver's side back door lock and now it is both back doors. I have contacted Volkswagen and their answer is "sorry for the problem."

- Yountville, CA, USA

problem #61

Jul 182016

Jetta

  • 44,957 miles
We went to replace a key and remote on this car and when they went to "program" it they said that they were unable to as both the front drivers side door actuator and rear drivers side door actuator were both non responsive and would have to be replaced. As a consequence, we learned that the car cannot actually be locked using the remote. We understand that sometimes this gets worse over time and other aspects of the lock go bad -- you can't open the trunk, the rear door, etc. Not being able to lock or unlock your doors is clearly a safety issue and one that you would have to fix in order to use the car. Several people have fixed their own cars and Volkswagen is aware of the issue, but won't provide the part at a decent price. The door lock actuator is $233.20 for the front door and $238.70 for the rear door. And the labor is $150 for each (involves fully removing both door panels etc.). the grand total the dealership is asking for the repair is $833. And this is only for 2 doors that have failed. We are asking that the NHTSA look into how many of these are failing in cars under 10 years old and looking into whether Volkswagen is involved in a cover up of the faultiness of the original parts. They will not tell consumers how many of these fail or how many they replace. People who work on their own cars are repairing the parts themselves and the blogs are saying that it is an issue with the contacts inside the actuator failing and needing to be resoldered.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #60

Jun 132016

Jetta

  • 100,000 miles

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

Here's another ABS module failure thanks to VW's horrible design. The failure is causing the entire dash cluster to go haywire. Car beeps all the time because it thinks the emergency brake is on. Speedometer doesn't work! fuel gauge jumps up when engaging brakes. ABS, traction, epc, cel lights constantly on, and sometimes it goes into limp mode making it dangerous to drive on the highway. VW charges $2,000 for the part excl labor which is 20% of the price of the car new. This should not happen with a seven year old car at only 100K miles

- Spring Valley, CA, USA

problem #59

Jun 102016

Jetta

  • 120,000 miles
Dealer states "replace under hood fuse panel and 30 amp fuse (fuse panel under hood melting at SB16)". also reports "remove diesel particulate filter and replace ABS module, bleed brake system, code new module and set basic settings for sensors (fault code 01130 ABS operation implausible signal)". after I've researched this it seems there was a recall on many cars, #97am, but somehow not mine.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

problem #58

May 012014

Jetta

  • 60,000 miles
Check engine light comes on frequently and when I take to dealer it is always a sensor problem I have also had some electrical issues replacing bulbs frequently. Also while driving the shifting lights will all light up prnds, sometimes there is a loss of power. Also one of the overhead light seems to have melted due to a high heat source of some kind.

- Glen Burnie, MD, USA

problem #57

Jan 082012

Jetta

  • 97,000 miles

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

Car door locks not working / erratic. When I bought the car from the dealer in santa cruz, California in 2012, they did not tell me the rear right passenger door did not automatically lock, nor could it be locked from inside. I had to manually lock it from the side, and now it stays locked all the time unless I pull the inside lever. Then, an year later, the other (left) passenger side started never locking too, and most of the time I have to manually lock the driver door with the key. The front right passenger door still works fine, as do all the alarms. The dealer says it will cost me $1400 to fix.

- Watsonville, CA, USA

problem #56

Apr 112016

Jetta

  • 106,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that the dealer completed a repair due to the vehicle randomly stalling and was uncertain of what part was replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled more than once and was unable to restart. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #55

Mar 132016

Jetta

  • 74,000 miles
I smelled something burning in my car for a little while last night. This morning, when the sun was out, I was able to see that there was a burn mark in my seat from the seat warmer.

- El Dorado Hills, CA, USA

problem #54

Aug 012015

Jetta

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that when the lock button was depressed on the key fobik, the front driver's side door failed to lock. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the locking mechanism failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Orange Park, FL, USA

problem #53

Nov 212015

Jetta

  • miles

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

I've had to replace the low beam headlights 3 times within 18 months and now both low beam headlights do not work even after replacing the bulbs. VW has had recalls on other vehicles for a similar problem but this make and model was not included in previous recalls. Perhaps the scope of the problem is wider than originally thought.

- Hazleton, PA, USA

problem #52

Oct 192015

Jetta

  • 57,642 miles
Driving home when exiting off to the hwy my Jetta will flash the ABS, brake and ESC lights while beeping. Took car to mechanic it was relayed that the ABS module was bad. I refuse to take car to VW dealer because I already have issues with them about the erc valve and diesel fuel particulate filter (engine light constantly stays on) being 1 of the issues VW has admitted being faulty but still not doing anything about it. To get the ABS fixed it's going to be over $2500 and the have the erc & diesel fuel particulate filter fixed is over $3000. Each of these items are faulty and should be taken care of by the dealer with a cent paid from my pocket. Both are life threatening faults that eventually could lead to my death or deaths of others. I have no choice as this is my sole source of transportation so I have to drive it. Even though VW admits fault they are doing nothing to help except for offering "consolation" gifts - none will cover cost to fix car and get myself and others out of danger. VW needs to be held responsible.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #51

Mar 192015

Jetta

  • 70,000 miles
I think there is an electrical problem with my car. Since the beginning of this yr 2015 my seats burnt a hole threw the seat and my clothes. I no longer use the heated seats cause I am afraid my car will catch on fire. Also my I have a light go out every time I replace a light. First a head light then a blinker light then a tail light next the licenses plate light and currently another front light. This has been over the last 6-8 mons.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #50

Jun 232015

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 196,000 miles
Started the car and after about 5 minutes of driving, the engine shuts off but all electrical systems appear to be working. No trouble/ indicator lights come on. This has happened on the interstate traveling 70, on a side street traveling 35, and sitting idle at a stop light. Every time, the car will run for between 5-7 minutes than not restart for 5-7 minutes. At attempts to restart inside that 5 minute window after the engine stalls, there is no turning over, no clicking or anything. There is no temp issues, or low fuel issues. This has happened on a full tank and a half tank also.

- Oconomowoc, WI, USA

problem #49

May 082015

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
I was approaching a red light when suddenly the ABS brake light came on, followed by every light on my dashboard. My car stalled and came to a complete stop. Fortunately I was in the right hand lane of a semi-busy street and was able to wait until my car started up again. Had I been on the freeway with my two small children in the backseat, I have no doubt that this would have caused a serious accident or death. I was told that I need to replace my complete ABS system. I have approximately 72,000 miles on this car and have serviced it regularly. There is no reason for a part which affects the electrical system and safety of the driver should go out this soon unless it is a defective part - period!!! I know that hundreds have experienced the same problem as me as I have read their complaints online. VW needs to immediately make the repairs necessary to correct this problem in order to make their vehicles safe to the public and before anyone is injured or dies. If VW ignores this problem, instead of dealing with repairs, VW will be dealing a class action suit. Please take note, VW.

- Aliso Viejo, CA, USA

problem #48

May 132015

Jetta

  • 32,211 miles
The sun roof opened to the first tilt position without any action caused by the driver or passenger. It happened again on May 17 during a slow left turn in a shopping center. My concern is that it may be electrical in nature and may affect the door locks as well. On a previous occasion, I had difficulty opening the trunk and had to use my key to open the drivers side door.

- Deland, FL, USA

problem #47

Mar 162015

Jetta

  • 60,200 miles
The trunk lid of my 2009 VW Jetta opens unexpectedly. It has happened while driving and while it is parked. This problem is intermittent and it is difficult to predict when it will occur. I will sometimes find it open when I am ready to drive in the morning. Sometimes it will open immediately after starting the car. Once it opened while I was entering a freeway ramp. Luckily it has not yet happened while unattended during a rain or snowstorm ! yet the potential for danger is very real. Finding a place to pull over to close a trunk lid while my rear vision is blocked can be a very dangerous scenario -- not to mention the security issues an open trunk lid raises. The VW dealer has attempted two fixes, once under warranty and another attempt on March 6, 2015 cost me several hundred dollars. The last incident occurred just this afternoon as I was returning to my car from the bank lobby. I'm scheduled for a third visit to the dealer tomorrow afternoon. I really don't want to be a throwing any more money at a safety and quality issue that should not occur and hope that you will be able to help me. Thank you very much.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #46

Feb 262015

Jetta

  • 47,692 miles
Was driving at 50mph car just shut off-returned on hazard lights pulled over -waited -had to wait one-two minutes before car would start. This happened three additional time going between 30-50 mph same day took it right into VW shop. Shop diagnosed ignition problem and replaced it.

- Rogers, AR, USA

problem #45

Nov 012010

Jetta

  • 65,000 miles
Hoses for the sunroof drains not sealed properly. Water leaks into passenger compartment. Fills spare tire well, rusting the jack and tools making it hard to use if needed. Water also runs down a pillar (where there is an airbag) and then over (soaking) the fuse box on the side of the dashboard. Then it runs down the plastic trims and leaks onto the feet of the driver soaking the floor mat. The wet fuse box and airbag seems dangerous. Date first noted and mileage are guesses. I know of many other Jetta sportwagens that have this issue.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

problem #44

Jan 092015

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 136,000 miles
The "under hood fuse box" was replaced in May 2014 under recall #97am. When the weather turned cold the car began to get hard to start, the engine light came on, and when it turned very cold the car would not start at all. I took the vehicle back to dealer, they cleared the code and said if the code came back they would need to replace the "glow plug control module". when I came home I started searching the "tdi forums" for similar problems. I found others had the same issue and someone found the solution. When the fuse box was replaced, there is a little jumper (VW part number: 3C0-971-249) (cost $5.) that goes in a relay slot (R2) that sends power to a 50 amp fuse (SB27), that sends power to the "glow plug control module" (J179) that sends power to the glow plugs when the engine is below 18 degrees C, allowing the engine to start when cold (and without smoking). ** problem is that there is no legend provided for the under hood fuse box, so no way to know if something is missing. This is also a safety hazard because if someone would pull a fuse and not pay attention, there is nothing to indicate where or what size of fuse to put back in. This could effect anything from headlights to ABS.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

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