10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,347 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.

2010 Volkswagen Jetta drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2010 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #40

Feb 032014

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 80,000 miles

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

My engine started to run louder than usual. When I took it in for a oil change I asked if they can tell me why my car was running so loud. When the oil change was done they came and told me that the reason why my car was running louder than normal was I need to replace the dual mass flywheel. My Volkswagen dealer said that I do not replace it right away it will end up breaking and ruining my whole transmission.

- Stuart , FL, USA

problem #39

Jun 202014

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 105,780 miles
I have a 2010 Jetta tdi with the dsg transmission. When I was driving yesterday, I noticed the "D" flashing as I lost power to the wheels. It was acting as if it was in neutral. I tried to shift it to "N" and back to "D" with no success. I pulled off the road, turned the switch off, waited for it to completely power down and restarted it. It went a couple of minutes down the road and the "D" started flashing again, the transmission disengaged again (false neutral). This cycle went on several times before I was able to get it home. When it was flashing, it would flash in any gear selected (prnds) and it was continuous until I turned the key off. There were times that I didn't have a safe place to pull off the road. This is a big safety issue, it can cause people to be put in a very dangerous situation. This issue can happen at any time and cause a fatal wreck. During the failure, there was no power to the wheels at all, it failed to go into a limp mode to safely move the vehicle.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #38

Jun 052014

Jetta 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Dsg transmission dropped out of gear (like in neutral) several times over period of 1 week. Speeds ~20mph and 65 mph. Required drifting to safe area, stopping, and restarting car to get transmission to work. During failure the ep was illuminated, shifting between gears did nothing. VW dealer reprogrammed tranny between failures. Have been using the shift mode for ~ 1week without issue. Saw several youtube videos of same problem - "false neutral". numerous posts on tdiclub.

- Solvang, CA, USA

problem #37

Feb 182014

Jetta

  • 40,000 miles

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

Car would not move forward or backward. Had to turn off ignition, then car was fine. April 25th put car in drive to enter street from my driveway and car shot backwards. Tried three times and the same thing occurred. Husband turned off ignition and restarted car. This took care of the problem. We have an appointment with the dealership on Monday, April 28th case #[xxx]. frankly, I don't think I will ever again be comfortable driving this car. I was very lucky this happened in my driveway and no one was behind me. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Nevada City, CA, USA

problem #36

Apr 122014

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 78,883 miles
There have been several times in the past where my Jetta didn't go into gear. Both times happened on a cold start and driving throughout the day while parked. I put the car in R and it just revs like it's in neutral. I shifted it to D or S all the same outcome; revs like it's in neutral. I have to shut the car off and turn it back on to get it to engage into gear. Check engine light then lights up. Also other issues with the transmission when I come to a stop, transmission shift rough and loud from 3-2-1 gears. Seems like the tranny is trying to figure out to shift to 1st gear for launch. Car on 04/16/2014 is at gunther VW in ft. Lauderder getting inspected for issues.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

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problem #35

Dec 152013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 48,000 miles
Driving on highway on 12/15/13 and as I accelerated, I lost power and "check engine light" came on. Car fell to 50mph and I exited highway immediately, stopped the car, re-started and the car and light was still on. Showed error code G450 and the "exhaust pressure sensor 1" was replaced by dealer in January 2014. Glow plug light also came on intermittently at that time. Two months later (February, 2014), "glow plug light" came on again intermittently. Turned off car and started it again and light went out. Dealer says P0237 code means intermittent failure of "boost pressure sensor" and "sensor harness". VW advises the car is not drivable due to unpredictable performance of turbocharger on engine performance due to failure of this sensor. The loss of power has been documented widely for this engine (pump, carbonized intake, other?), but VW has accepted no responsibility for the problem. Car is 4 years old with 48,900 miles. Repairs are approaching $1000 at this time.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #34

Dec 292013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 51,848 miles

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

Came to a stop at a light and the car was fine at first. Then, all of a sudden the rpms started bouncing around and the car turned off. It wouldn't turn on for about a minute and I was able to drive off. The incident has happened again on at least 3 occasions. Name-brand diesel has always been used, full maintenance has been followed including fuel filter replacement and dsg transmission service.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #33

Aug 282013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 50,126 miles
While driving home to panama city beach fl via the Florida turnpike car the engine revved up, I had no power and the esp light on the dash came on. I had to coast to the side of the road where I put it in park. I could not put the car back in gear. I then turned the engine off and waited a few minutes. I cranked the car back up and the light was not on. Put the car in gear and proceeded on trip. After arriving at my destination, I had three more instances of the same action. I contacted my local dealer to make arrangements to bring the car in. This has been a very frightening experience, especially during highway travel (which is mostly where this car is driven). Losing power at 70 mph in congested traffic would no doubt result in multiple injuries, property damage and most likely deaths. This problem needs to be resolved on a global level with Volkswagen.

- Panama City Beach, FL, USA

problem #32

Aug 202013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 43,000 miles
The 2010 VW Jetta sportwagen tdi (with dsg automatic transmission) was decelerating on a turning lane from a two lane highway from speeds of 55 mph to 15 mph. There was an audible "click" and the engine stopped and only dash lights were operable. No discernible dash light or error code message was received. The vehicle restarted after the transmission was placed in park, and the ignition key was again turned on. Again no messages or warnings appeared on the dashboard. Note: The seat heater was engaged (driver's side), air conditioning on, turn signal (left) activated, headlights on, bluetooth for phone linked, radio was operating until the shut-down.

- Frederick, MD, USA

problem #31

Apr 232010

Jetta

  • 7,000 miles
The vehicle is a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta tdi with dsg automatic transmission. On many different occasions the vehicles engine has stalled while the vehicle is in gear at low 0-5 mph. This occurs most frequently in stop/go traffic and occurs when stopping and also pulling away from a stopped position. Once the vehicle has stalled you must turn the ignition to the off position, shift the car into park and then restart the car. Most recently (43,000 miles 8-10-2014) the vehicle stalled at an intersection and I had to start the vehicle three times before I could safely proceed through the intersection. This was stopped at a very busy intersection in philadelphia pa and was dangerous. The vehicle has been to cvm dealership, mechanicsburg, pa (car was purchased at this location Dec 2009) for services. All service work has been completed on as recommended by Volkswagen. This issue was reported and noted on my services records on several different occasions, with no known cause and remedy. I have been told many times that there is no "service code? or ?error? code on the vehicles computer. I have also been told that the dealership could not replicate the issue as I described it. I"M very frustrated at this point as I purchased this car new and paid for an extended warranty to 50,000 miles that is fast approaching. I will be taking the car into the dealership again to see if they can give me any information. I feel this is safety concern for my family and others driving similar vehicles. Please help.

- Conshohocken, PA, USA

problem #30

Jul 082013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 20,833 miles

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

Vibration/ dragging felt when releasing the clutch pedal on my 2010 VW Jetta tdi sport wagon. Car was taken into local VW dealer for service. Clutch assembly, flywheel, clutch, pressure plate and release bearing replaced due to excessive play in flywheel and hotspots on the flywheel along with broken springs. Now at 31184 miles and 10,344 miles on the new clutch, etc. I am having the same issue local VW dealer said there is nothing wrong and it is a wear and tear item and not covered under the warranty. Manual transmissions should last until 80,000-100,000 miles plus. I have never had this many problems with a manual transmissions in my 17 years of driving them. This transmission is defective and needs to be looked into.

- Petaluma, CA, USA

problem #29

May 012013

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 113,000 miles
While in drive on the highway at 70 mph, dsg transmission slipped into neutral, where it became locked. Esp icon on dash illuminated. I had to coast to the side of the road in heavy traffic. After coming to a stop I put the vehicle into park. I was then unable to remove the vehicle from park because the shifter became locked. I turned the vehicle off, and restarted it, and that seemed to fix it; as I was then able to shift into drive. During this, I had my 10 month old and 4 yr old in the car with me...a scary and unsafe situation with heavy and fast moving traffic, while left stuck revving in neutral with no power available to move me out of harms way. Just glad I was able to maneuver my vehicle over to safety. Similar situation happened after refueling that same day. Started car, shifted to drive, esp icon came on, transmission was stuck and revving in neutral, even though I was in drive. Shifted into park, where it again became locked and unable to shift. Turned vehicle off and back on, and was ok.

- Pennington, NJ, USA

problem #28

Aug 202010

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 500 miles
2010 VW Jetta 2.0 tdi cup edition: Entering traffic in first gear, at about 4000-4200 RPM, car had a complete loss of power. Engine did not die. I pushed in clutch and power returned. This has occurred monthly with no consistency since I purchased the car in July 2010. Occurs with a warm engine. Cold engine. Various levels of fuel, and various climate conditions. It has been taken to O'brien Volkswagen, a certified repair facility, every 3-6 months to have the issue resolved. Dealership can not replicate the issue and as a result has not solved the problem. Problem has been witnessed by three different passengers. A secondary stalling issue occurs between 1200-1800 with light gas peddle pressure. In this case, the car has a small pause or decrease in power. Down shifting and accelerating eliminates the problem.

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #27

Mar 112013

Jetta

  • 30,000 miles
My engine stalled unexpectedly. I was able to start the engine again but there has been frequent hesitation when finding gears.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #26

Feb 132013

Jetta

  • 40,000 miles
When an engine stall occurs, this car requires a full reset before a restart can be performed. This is very dangerous when said reset happens while the car is moving. Meaning ' a full reset means the ignition key must first be fully turned off. When the car is in motion and the key is fully turned off, at that time the locking gear in the ignition switch engages and locks the steering wheel... while the car is in motion!!! this is a common occurrence in the manual shift transmission models.

- Bainbridge Island, WA, USA

problem #25

Nov 032012

Jetta

  • 78,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the transmission overheat warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact moved off the roadway and restarted the vehicle, as it resumed properly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection where they advised the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer also stated that while performing an inspection of the vehicle, he noticed that the wires that were connected to the alternator were burned and the fuse block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 78,000.

- Goodlettsville, TN, USA

problem #24

Nov 042012

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 72,010 miles
My 2010 VW Jetta sportwagen got the glow plug light intermittent flash starting on 72K miles. In the cold morning I could drive 10-15 minutes without issue. However, once the glow plug is on, it could not exceed 40mph. Here's the diagnostic from the dealership: 72017 confirm mile on, glow plug light intermittent flash. Perform guided fault finding, faults tored P00af. Turbocharger boost performance visual inspection found vacuum hoses good. Following test plan, check N75 solenoid good. Check wiring to G581 ref volt good. Perform gff function test vacuum diaphram good. Function test N75 good. Vacuum at 9psi. Check internal resistance at boost actuator position sensor out of spec. Rec replace G581 charge pressure actuator position sensor (within turbo assembly)... parts will need to be special ordered $1,444.41 + tax...

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #23

Jul 312012

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 43,000 miles
While driving on the highway with cruise control engaged at/around speed limit, I noticed the rpms jumping and could feel the car jerking, as if some kind of acceleration/deceleration was happening. I also notice rpms jump 50 up/down while idling. This seems to happen when driving down hills on cruise control, more prevalent in colder weather. No loss of control has occurred, but appears to be issue that is slowly worsening.

- Arlington, MA, USA

problem #22

Sep 122012

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 48,169 miles
I was driving on the highway and experienced an extreme loss of power and flashing yellow check engine light. After stopping the vehicle stalled and wouldn't restart on multiple attempts. Brought vehicle to dealer who says it needs the entire fuel system replaced, due to metal shavings in the fuel delivery system caused by a bad hpfp. Originally VW said it would be covered under warranty, but now are citing biofuel as a reason for the failure. I have used only B5 which complies with VW's standard policies but they have stated they believe the reason to be owner negligence and have a higher blend than B5. I only put in what the fuel stations tell me they have, I don't test my fuel before I put it in. This seems like a smoke and mirrors play by VW, attempting not to pay the claim and trying to have me shell out $10K for the repair. Seems pretty ridiculous for a 2year old vehicle with such low mileage.

- Oakland, CA, USA

problem #21

Sep 052012

Jetta 4-cyl Diesel

  • 172,212 miles
I have a 2012 VW Jetta tdi which has been acting very strange in the past 2 years. Recently it has been more often and the dealer stated that this is normal. As a result, I have noticed that when the car is put in park, it wants to keep moving and going forward with a very loud clunk!!! the car is only 3 years old, although it has 172,000 miles, it is supposed to be more reliable than this. I drive 100% highway miles, no city stop and go. This has been an issue since the car was about 1 year old. The dealer is aware of this issue and stated that there is no recall on the transmission, therefore they cannot honor a repair. In addition, there are times when the indicator where it says park, drive, sport, located on the dash board, goes blank and the vehicle stays in 1st gear and will not shift. I am very concerned and have had no support whatsoever from the dealer, who should stand behind the product sold.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

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