2023 Volkswagen Jetta Owner Complaints

On April 1, 2023 I leased a 2023 VW Jetta for 39 months. I test drove the car. Upon delivery, it had 12 miles on the car. I drove the car for 150 miles (162 TOTAL miles on car) At 11:30PM on April 6th, it left me stranded in the middle of the road. I called VW 36 month/36,000 roadside assistance for help. They asked if I was in a safe place. I told them No, I am in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night. They proceeded to tell me to call 911 and hung up on me. I then went to push the SOS button in my car, to my disbelief, “this feature is not active in your vehicle.” I called AAA. 3 hour wait. Called multiple towing agencies and was finally picked up after an hour. Tow truck driver arrived. He asked what happened. I explained. He got in the car. The emergency brake was not on, however, he had to manually take a tool to disengage the emergency brake. I had the car towed to the dealership in which I leased the car 5 days prior. It has now been almost 3 weeks and I am being told that I am responsible for a burned out clutch because warranty has been denied by VW because of “outside influences”. I talked with several mechanics and I am simply being told, I am being taken. There is NO WAY a clutch can be burned out in 150 miles. I am reaching out for help anywhere and everywhere I can because this is unacceptable. I am beyond furious and frustrated. I will keep fighting until someone helps me get through to VW about how ridiculous this claim is. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

4/25/2023

Accelerator petal does not always result in acceleration from a stopped position. This causes the hill assist to hold and does not allow movement forward, resulting in an engine stall. The vehicle has also set the EPC light while traveling resulting in reduced engine power to the point of not enough power to move forward. Turn the ignition off, then on resets the EPC and limb mode.

7/14/2023

I would like to report a safety issue with my wife’s new 2023 VW Jetta sedan with standard transmission. It has a hill hold feature that clamps the brakes on for approximately three seconds after you remove your foot from the brake pedal, if you are on a hill. Three seconds is way too long and often causes the following: you see an opening to pull into traffic, move your foot to the accelerator and start letting the clutch out. The car stalls, leaving you in the middle of the road with the electronic parking brake now applied where it was not before. This is very dangerous. Both of us have been driving standard transmission vehicles for many years. Our previous VW models with standard transmissions and hill hold, as well as my present 2014 VW GTI, did not have this safety defect. They released the brakes quickly and smoothly on hills and never caused us to stall or roll back. The behavior of the 2023 Jetta was a shock to both of us. There are lots of comments online about this unacceptable behavior of hill hold. Please require VW to issue a recall to change the coding of its ABS module on these cars to release sooner. System: hill hold via ABS. Risk of collision. Not confirmed by dealer. Not inspected. Symptoms on every hill.

7/6/2023

Rear brakes grinding after 1 year. It also took 8 months for dealer to repair knocking sound on driver side while turning steering wheel to the right.

2/4/2024

After parking the car one day the remote app functions stopped working. The next morning, a scary warning came on the dash stating: SOS Error: Emergency Call Function! Service Vehicle! It also blocks off many functional areas of other dash display and the error will not go away. The bluetooth in the car no longer works and the post-crash and SOS emergency calling are disabled.

10/27/2023

Car has multiple electrical issues that can affect the safety of driving. OCU Module is the main one which allows for 911 services to be called in case of an accident. This module failed in September and now it failed again in January. The cruise control also sometimes doesn't work and the front assistance sensor doesn't seem to always work as indicated in the screenshots.

2/5/2024

On April 1, 2023 I leased a 2023 VW Jetta for 39 months. I test drove the car. Upon delivery, it had 12 miles on the car. I drove the car for 150 miles (162 TOTAL miles on car) At 11:30PM on April 6th, it left me stranded in the middle of the road. I called VW 36 month/36,000 roadside assistance for help. They asked if I was in a safe place. I told them No, I am in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night. They proceeded to tell me to call 911 and hung up on me. I then went to push the SOS button in my car, to my disbelief, “this feature is not active in your vehicle.” I called AAA. 3 hour wait. Called multiple towing agencies and was finally picked up after an hour. Tow truck driver arrived. He asked what happened. I explained. He got in the car. The emergency brake was not on, however, he had to manually take a tool to disengage the emergency brake. I had the car towed to the dealership in which I leased the car 5 days prior. It has now been almost 3 weeks and I am being told that I am responsible for a burned out clutch because warranty has been denied by VW because of “outside influences”. I talked with several mechanics and I am simply being told, I am being taken. There is NO WAY a clutch can be burned out in 150 miles. I am reaching out for help anywhere and everywhere I can because this is unacceptable. I am beyond furious and frustrated. I will keep fighting until someone helps me get through to VW about how ridiculous this claim is. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

4/25/2023

- Navigation system (GPS) constantly not working. - The navigation system stop working completely or works imprecisely, taking the attention of the driver from the road in order to locate himself. - Yes, two service. One software update and a module replacement, neither solved the problem. - Volkswagen South Charlotte dealership is the company responsible for the service. - No, it worked fine for about 3 months and has been showing this symptoms ever since.

2/8/2024

Accelerator petal does not always result in acceleration from a stopped position. This causes the hill assist to hold and does not allow movement forward, resulting in an engine stall. The vehicle has also set the EPC light while traveling resulting in reduced engine power to the point of not enough power to move forward. Turn the ignition off, then on resets the EPC and limb mode.

7/14/2023

While in operation the dash cluster goes completely black. Aprox 45mph. Dealer had to replace entire dash cluster

10/2/2024

Car has multiple electrical issues that can affect the safety of driving. OCU Module is the main one which allows for 911 services to be called in case of an accident. This module failed in September and now it failed again in January. The cruise control also sometimes doesn't work and the front assistance sensor doesn't seem to always work as indicated in the screenshots.

2/5/2024

3 times in the past year, the automated braking activated with no other cars in front of me. Luckily, the cars behind me we following at a large distance and it was on a "slower" road around 50mph

6/30/2024

Accelerator petal does not always result in acceleration from a stopped position. This causes the hill assist to hold and does not allow movement forward, resulting in an engine stall. The vehicle has also set the EPC light while traveling resulting in reduced engine power to the point of not enough power to move forward. Turn the ignition off, then on resets the EPC and limb mode.

7/14/2023

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The components that failed or malfunctioned include the rear brake system and the EVAP (Evaporative Emission Control) system of my 2023 Volkswagen Jetta SE 1.5T FWD. Both components are available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The safety risks include premature wear of the rear brakes, which could lead to reduced braking efficiency or failure, especially under emergency braking situations. The EVAP system malfunction poses an environmental risk by potentially releasing excessive emissions, and it could also lead to engine performance issues, including stalling or hesitation during acceleration, which may cause hazardous driving conditions. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the issues with both the rear brakes and the EVAP system have been reproduced and confirmed by the service departments at two authorized Volkswagen dealerships. Despite multiple repair attempts, the problems have not been fully resolved. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by Volkswagen service departments, but no inspections have been conducted by the police or insurance representatives. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes, for the EVAP system, the check engine light illuminated repeatedly, indicating a malfunction. The brake issues were not accompanied by warning lamps but were noticeable through audible grinding noises and reduced braking performance, which started occurring within the first few thousand miles after purchasing the vehicle. The brake issue was first reported to the dealer when the vehicle had less than 10,000 miles.

8/15/2024

This is now the second time this has happened on my brand new 2023 Jetta SE. The vehicle only has 1831 miles on it. The fault happens when the car is being driven after approx. 15 minutes. EPC light, Check Engine Light, and Yellow Warning Light illuminate. Also sounds like a misfire when limping off the road. Codes read at dealer are P0304, P0363, P1D74, and P1D75. All of these codes relate to Cylinder 4 misfire. Car is driven only at highway speeds, since it is a commuter car. This happened on 2/16/2024 and 2/22/2024. I attached PDFs of the Service Invoice from the first instance. I also attached a PDF of a NHTSA file containing a list of VW vehicles that are having the same issue, with the same engine.

2/22/2024

The follow failed module faults have REPEATEDLY FAILED: U010400 lost communication with cruise control module, U112100 databus missing message & U112300 databus error value received, C110BF0 Adaptive Cruise Control Sensor, C111207 Haldex Clutch Pump Mechanical Malfunction, P030400 Cyl 4 Misfire, ***P085000 Park/Neutral Switch Input Circuit Open or Short***, U105400 Information Electronics Control Module 1 No Communication. I’ve had it repaired once by VW. Been at dealership multiple times for all of these issues. Currently, they are not helpful. My car does not recognize PARK, it thinks it’s in NEUTRAL.

12/10/2024

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH in traffic, the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated, causing the vehicle to slow down and the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnose. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 25.

6/1/2023

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the rear brake pads and rotors. The contact was informed that the rear brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: VWP-22-18. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 20,000.

12/11/2023

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the rear brake pads and rotors. The contact was informed that the rear brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: VWP-22-18. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 20,000.

12/11/2023

Rear brakes grinding after 1 year. It also took 8 months for dealer to repair knocking sound on driver side while turning steering wheel to the right.

2/4/2024

Car has multiple electrical issues that can affect the safety of driving. OCU Module is the main one which allows for 911 services to be called in case of an accident. This module failed in September and now it failed again in January. The cruise control also sometimes doesn't work and the front assistance sensor doesn't seem to always work as indicated in the screenshots.

2/5/2024

When driving roughly 75mph on the interstate the passenger door opened on its own. No warning was shown for 10 minutes or 8 miles. When taken to get serviced I was told it was due to freezing from the cold weather and the latch couldn’t latch. This not only confused me because I’ve never had that issue with any vehicle but the vehicle also did not show a warning of it earlier. This was extremely scary due to the fact I had a passenger in the vehicle at the time who could have been injured or someone else could have.

2/15/2024

This is now the second time this has happened on my brand new 2023 Jetta SE. The vehicle only has 1831 miles on it. The fault happens when the car is being driven after approx. 15 minutes. EPC light, Check Engine Light, and Yellow Warning Light illuminate. Also sounds like a misfire when limping off the road. Codes read at dealer are P0304, P0363, P1D74, and P1D75. All of these codes relate to Cylinder 4 misfire. Car is driven only at highway speeds, since it is a commuter car. This happened on 2/16/2024 and 2/22/2024. I attached PDFs of the Service Invoice from the first instance. I also attached a PDF of a NHTSA file containing a list of VW vehicles that are having the same issue, with the same engine.

2/22/2024

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the engine coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir, but one week later the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that engine coolant had leaked into the head gasket and that the head gasket and sealant needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 43,000.

9/6/2024

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop on an incline, the hill start assist system activated but activated the brakes for an extended period causing the contact to stall the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose a failure. The contact was informed that the system was functioning as intended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 0.

10/15/2024

I was driving 50 mph and hit a very large deer. The airbag did not deploy and there was no warning

11/15/2024

I was driving 50 mph and hit a very large deer. The airbag did not deploy and there was no warning

11/15/2024

The backup camera in my 2023 VW Jetta has been malfunctioning since the car was new. It intermittently fails to display an image when shifted into reverse, creating a serious safety hazard. Backup cameras are federally required safety equipment, and when it doesn’t work, visibility behind the vehicle is completely lost. This failure also affects all associated safety systems, including rear cross traffic alerts and lane assist, reducing driver awareness and increasing the risk of a collision. We were advised early on that the issue would probably be resolved through a future software update, but that never happened. The issue continues without warning and has been documented on video. Despite this, Murdock Volkswagen in Logan Utah refuses to perform warranty repairs because no diagnostic trouble codes are present. They have been offered video proof but declined to review it. According to the dealer, VW policy requires technicians to personally witness the malfunction or retrieve a fault code, otherwise Volkswagen will not approve warranty work. This policy effectively blocks repair of an ongoing federally mandated safety feature failure and raises serious concerns about compliance with safety obligations. I have had a lot of trouble with this car with mechanical and electrical issues. The manufactures policy of no pay if no codes is not acceptable and making our highways more dangerous than they should be. I bought the car in part because of all the safety features.

11/26/2025