2020 Volkswagen Jetta
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 53 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 21st highest complaint count among 26 Jetta model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 1 involved a crash. 2 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasolineFeb 14, 2024
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.
Campaign 24V110000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, ignition, switchAug 30, 2023
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf Sportwagen, 2019-2020 Golf GTI, and Jetta vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch. The ignition switch may fail, especially in high temperature environments.
Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 1, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H7.
Campaign 23V604000 on NHTSA.gov
Tires, pressure monitoring and regulating systemsOct 31, 2022
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Campaign 22V815000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, air bag/restraint control moduleJun 30, 2021
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Jetta and Jetta GLI vehicles. The air bag control module was welded in the incorrect position.
Incorrect positioning of the air bag control module can cause the vehicle's air bags to deploy improperly during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, the vehicle's air bags can deploy unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 28, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69CK.
Campaign 21V492000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsAug 26, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
Campaign 20V505000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, disc, caliperJun 17, 2020
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling one 2020 Jetta vehicle. The front brake caliper bolts may come loose.
If a brake caliper bolt comes loose, it may affect the vehicle's brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify the owner, and a dealer will replace all four front brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began July 1, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47Q2.
Campaign 20V359000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
53 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 70-80 MPH, the electronic parking brake engaged independently. The message "Driver's Side Door Fault" and a message indicating that the auto Start/Stop feature was unavailable were displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving at various speeds, while making turns, and while coming to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the driver's side door wiring harness had failed and caused the module to experience an electrical shortage. The dealer informed the contact that the electronic parking brake had engaged because the door was securely closed while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,789.
Electrical system, Oct 4, 2023
Incident Occurred in May. Was on Reddit and saw someone say to report any issues to NHTSA so that's what I'm doing At the end of the month in May (2023) when starting my car after work that had been sitting in the sun, it turned on but then turned off about 10 seconds later saying "ignition switch off safely stop the vehicle" then it flashed to another screen saying "please check the starter system." I waited about 10 minutes then I was able to start my car with no issue. Then after leaving work I pulled onto the highway and the issue happened again while going 60+ mph. Everything cut off and it gave me the same message. My jetta is a manual so it was still in gear and could keep driving but it was super sketchy. I immediately pulled off the road and when I came to a stop the car completely shut off. Then I waited another 10 minutes. Started my car again and the exact same thing happened and I had to pull off the highway. After that I was able to start the car without it happening again and I drove straight to the Volkswagen dealer to have them fix it. I left the the next day to go to a work conference out of state and returned the following Sunday to my car which was now fixed. Part P2532 was replaced in the ignition switch. Luckily I have a 4 year 40,000 mile warranty so I didn't have to pay anything.
Other or unspecified, Sep 27, 2023
The sunroof shattered after closing the car door from the pressure or motion of the car door closing. The sunroof glass panel popped up in the center and all the shattered glass was in an upward motion indicating the cause was from the pressure in the cabin. There were no visible chips or debris on the sunroof prior to this occurring. I took the vehicle to the Volkswagen dealership for an inspection and repair but they denied warranty coverage even though the vehicle is under the original warranty. Volkswagen claims that a chip or rock would cause the sunroof to shatter from the door closing. This is not a safe or acceptable design - sunroofs should not shatter when car doors are opened/closed or from the movement of the vehicle driving.
Power train, Sep 25, 2023
Internal Component on Transmission has failed, Vehicle is Available for inspection (Niello Volkswagen has already confirmed). The vehicle shakes when shifting which could potentially cause an accident. Yes, Niello Volkswagen confirmed the issue. Dealer for Manufacturer has confirmed issue. No vehicle warning or Lights or messages, check engine light didn't trigger. Dealership attempted to "Flash" Transmission and ECM which made the issue worse.
Electrical system, Jul 11, 2023
I live in a very hot area where the temperatures rise to well above 100°. My dashboard gets hot. I imagine that the computer system is in the dashboard after the car has been in the sun I get into my vehicle start my engine things seem fine and then I’m driving down the street and the whole front panel turns off. The air turns off, the stereo turns off most importantly, the air turns off and there is an ecosystem set in my car, where the engine turns off while I’m idling. . The air turns off, the stereo turns off most importantly, the air turns off and there is an ecosystem set in my car, where the engine turns off while I am at a lot of times the whole car will turn off. I cannot see any of the gauges and I can’t roll the windows down for air most of the time, the car will continue to drive down the street, but under very dangerous and uncomfortable conditions. Below I’m going to add today’s date because it’s the most recent time that it happened but it happens. Every day doesn’t happen at night doesn’t happen in the morning because the car was cool overnight. Let me be clear that the engine is not overheating. It is the computer system. Just like when an iPhone is too hot to work.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Jul 8, 2023
MY SUNROOF WAS EXPODED during I drive to home.
Electrical system, Jul 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot, the instrument panel went blank without warning. The contact turned off the vehicle and after several attempts was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 25,000.
Visibility, Dec 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the panoramic sunroof shattered without impact. The contact stated that he was cut by shards of falling glass from the sunroof. The contact stated that no medical attention was sought. The contact pulled over and inspected the vehicle but found no cause or evidence that an object had struck the sunroof glass to cause the failure. The contact was able to drive to the residence with no additional issues. The local dealer was notified of the failure and suggested that the vehicle be brought in for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,829. The VIN was not available.
Power train, Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 22, 2022
Hit a pot hole in the road and vehicle completely shut down and will not crank. Diagnostic code U0100 is saying that the ecm and pcm are no longer communicating. If I had been on the highway or in a high traffic area that could have been a life threatening situation as everything is run through the electronics of the car.
Electrical system, Sep 20, 2022
The problem I am facing is with making calls in the car both via android auto and Bluetooth. When making a phone call, if the volume is adjusted during the call, the other person will hear a very bad echo of their own voice. The echo only occurs when the call volume is adjusted, and I can't hear it in my own car. I have been to the dealer twice to diagnose this issue, and talked to VW Customer Care, neither has been able to fix the problem or determine why it's happening. The first visit I didn't know that changing the volume caused the issue, during one of the trips they replaced the microphone and tried multiple phones (iPhone and Android), neither fixed the problem. I purchased this car used with around 10k miles on it from VW and have had the issue ever since. This is NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, it’s just very annoying.
Power train, Service brakes, Apr 20, 2022
When I was driving my engine randomly increased rpms and i was forced to apply the brake. Regarding my brakes, my brakes make a clicking noise and sometimes have decreased braking performance at times which is a serious safety concern.
Steering, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jan 3, 2022
When vehicle goes over 60mph starts to shake really bad and warning not enough power for engine light is on
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Dec 21, 2021
Was is merging onto interstate i95 and the Jetta wouldn’t accelerate no matter how hard I pushed the gas pedal eventually took my foot off and had to turn on emergency lights then The Jetta started slowly moving as if it was just going to stall almost got rear ended and then the car wanted to send me in to another lane. Due to the angry driver behind me.
Tires, Dec 21, 2021
Since I PURCHASED MY Jetta SEL the car IN 2020 March the back right tire will not hold air. Have taken to the dealership and the young man said it was the valve stem and simple fix small issue. Claiming had an stem issues. Leaving the dealership 15 minutes later Hit the interstate and all of a sudden light comes on low air right tire ongoing issue for over a year refuse to be fixed by the car dealership just being pushed over. Bought car brand new very upsetting treatment.
Air bags, Dec 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V492000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was opened. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 15, 2021
CATASTROPHIC FUEL PUMP FAILURE AT 14,000 MILES ' BOTH FUEL PUMP AND FUEL PUMP MODULE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN MAINTAINED PROPERLY ACCORDING TO SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE STANDARDS.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Apr 11, 2021
VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN PARKING SPOT AND UPON IGNITION BEGAN REVVING UNCONTROLLABLY AND THREW UP ERROR CODES "ENGINE SPEED MAX. 4000 RPM" AND "START-STOP SYSTEM ERROR", ALONG WITH EPC AND ENGINE LIGHTS. THE BRAKE WAS ALSO DEPRESSED. UPON PUTTING INTO REVERSE THE PARKING BRAKE WAS AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGED WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV. SOON AFTER, ENGINE WOULD SPUTTER BUT NOT TURN OVER WITH THE SAME ERROR CODES ON DISPLAY.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 7, 2021
SUNGLASS HOLDER KEEPS BREACKING WHICH PREVENTS ME FROM SEEING REVIEW VIEW MIRROS. THIS IS AN ONGOING VW ISSUES THAT HAS NOT BEEN FIXED FOR MANY YEARS. IT IS CHEAP AND BREAKS EASILY .
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Feb 3, 2021
I CAME TO A STOP LIGHT AND HAD MY CAR IN NEUTRAL. PUT IT INTO FIRST AT A GREEN LIGHT AND THERE WAS NO POWER, THE ENGINE HAD CUT OFF. I DRIVE A MANUAL AND HAVE FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE. THERE WAS NO LURCHING OR ANYTHING, JUST A SILENT CUT. HARD TO GET IT TURNED BACK ON, THE VEHICLE SEEMED CONFUSED WHEN I HIT THE START BUTTON... WAS NEARLY REAR ENDED.
Steering, Power train, Engine, Jan 19, 2021
AS I WAS DRIVING HOME LATE LAST NIGHT FROM WORK ON A CITY STREET , MY CAR SUDDENLY WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN SPEED WHILE IN MOTION BUT YOU CAN HEAR THE CAR ACCELERATE WHEN I WAS PUSHING ON THE GAS. IT FELT AS IF THE CAR HAS TURNED OFF BECAUSE THEN MY STEERING WHEEL GOT HARD WAS HARD TO MOVE WHILE IN MOTION. CAUSE OF PROBLEMS IS UNKNOWN BUT MAY NOT BE SAFE TO DRIVE IF IT CONTINUES
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jan 11, 2021
THE HILL HOLD ASSIST DID NOT DISENGAGED QUICKLY WHEN STOPPED ON AN INCLINE, BURNING THE CLUTCH TO GET THE VEHICLE TO MOVE FORWARD. THIS CAUSED SMOKING FROM THE HOOD OF THE CAR AND WE WERE THEN FORCED TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF A VERY CONGESTED HIGHWAY AND WAIT FOR THE SMOKING TO STOP AND GIVE THE CLUTCH A BREAK. THIS HAS NOW CAUSED PREMATURE CLUTCH WEAR.
Electrical system, Oct 23, 2020
VEHICLE IS BRAND NEW AND HAS BEEN IN MY POSSESSION FOR 7 DAYS. CAR-NET MODULE AND BLUETOOTH AUDIO MODULES HAVE BOTH FAILED. CAR-NET FAILED ON DAY 5, BLUETOOTH ON DAY 6. PRESCRIBED RESOLUTION INVOLVES PULLING THE APPROPRIATE FUSE TO RESET THE SYSTEM. AFTER THIS PROCEDURE, SYSTEM FAILED TO RESET.
Steering, Oct 3, 2020
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WILL SWAY TO THE RIGHT AND AT TIMES VERY ABRUPTLY GOING OVER OR NEAR THE LANE DIVIDERS WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WHEEL REMAINS STRAIGHT BUT IT FEELS LIKE I'M DRIVING WITH A STRONG CROSS WIND THE ENTIRE TIME.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 28, 2020
THE EPC LIGHT COMES ON RANDOMLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN REVVING UP THE ENGINE TO OVERTAKE CARS. THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BOGS DOWN AND ENGINE RPMS ARE LIMITED TO 3000 WHEN LIGHT IS ON. IT COULD BE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE THE CAR WILL NOT WANT TO ACCELERATE AND FORCES ME TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY. THE ONLY WAY FOR THE LIGHT TO COME OFF IS TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON. I VISITED A LOCAL VW DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME OF A FAULT CODE P227900 INTAKE AIR SYSTEM LEAK PASSIVE/SPORADIC. THEY PERFORMED AN AIR INTAKE SYSTEM TEST AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS EPC LIGHT COMES ON. IF IT HAPPENS A 4TH TIME I WILL ONCE AGAIN TAKE IT TO THE DEALER IF SOMETHING COMES ON. IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING THAT I CAN'T REV MY CAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR ELSE THIS LIGHT KEEPS TURNING ON.
Other or unspecified, Aug 20, 2020
IN HEAVY RAIN OR ADVERSE WEATHER THE SONAR IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR FOR CRASH AVOIDANCE FAILS AND STATES THAT IT'S UNABLE TO PROTECT ME AND MY PASSENGERS! THE DEALER HAS HAD THIS CAR FOR 3 TIMES AND THE OWNERS MANUAL DOESN'T TELL THAT IN THOSE SITUATIONS THAT THIS CAN OR SHOULD OCCUR