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Volkswagen Jetta

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

37 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

1,197 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2023 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 Jetta →Which years to avoid Compare it

Volkswagen Jetta — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Volkswagen Jetta · Photo: Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Active NHTSA advisory on 1 model year of the Jetta — park outside or do not drive. The year rows below carry it.

Every Volkswagen Jetta model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Gas	A	0	0	—	34 mpg
2026	Gas	B	1	6	★★★★★	34 mpg
2025	Gas	B	2	30	★★★★★	33 mpg
2024	Gas	A	0	46	★★★★★	34 mpg
2023	Gas	A	0	43	★★★★★	35 mpg
2022	Gas	A	1	43	★★★★★	35 mpg
2021	Gas	B	4	70	★★★★★	34 mpg
2020	Gas	D	6	54	★★★★★	34 mpg
2019	Gas	F	11	549	★★★★★	34 mpg
2018	Gas	B	2	32	★★★★★	33 mpg
2017	Gas	D	6	160	★★★★★	33 mpg
2016	Hybrid Gas	C	4	164	★★★★★	44 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2023

On the filed record so far, the 2023 is the cleanest Jetta year we hold, and the 2019 the one to check hardest. The 2019 carries a standing park-outside or do-not-drive advisory, which outranks every other number on this page.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2023	A	0	14
2018	B	0.2	4
2022	A	0.2	11
2016	C	0.4	16
2021	B	0.8	14
2020	D	1	9
2017	D	0.7	18	1 critical
2019	F	1.6	78	Advisory

Which Volkswagen Jetta years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2019 engine complaints at 0.02× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 940 miles). Latest: 2019 electrical system at 2.29× (35,000 miles).

Year	Engine	Electrical System	Fuel/Propulsion System	Service Brakes
2019	0.02×	2.29×	—	1.8×
2017	1.12×	1.04×	1.65×	—
2016	0.74×	0.92×	1.0×	0.93×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Volkswagen Jetta, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

electrical problems 292 complaints, every model year engine problems 286 complaints, every model year transmission and drivetrain problems 226 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: best combined mpg 33 → 34
2025: best combined mpg 34 → 33; 3 → 2 EPA configurations
2024: best combined mpg 35 → 34
2022: best combined mpg 34 → 35; 4 → 3 EPA configurations
2019: best combined mpg 33 → 34
2018: 5 → 4 EPA configurations
2017: dropped hybrid; best combined mpg 44 → 33; 7 → 5 EPA configurations

Compare

All Jetta head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 Jetta vs Toyota Corolla · Compact Sedan	Corolla +12.8
2027 Jetta vs Genesis G70 · Compact Sedan	G70 +14.6
2027 Jetta vs Mercedes-Benz C-Class · Compact Sedan	Jetta +11.1
2027 Jetta vs Mercedes-Benz CLE-Class · Compact Sedan	Jetta +38.1
2027 Jetta vs Audi A3 · Compact Sedan	Jetta +29.5
2027 Jetta vs Aston Martin DB12 S · Coupe	DB12 S +10.1
2026 Jetta vs BMW 3 Series · Midsize Sedan	Jetta +21.2
2025 Jetta vs BMW i4 · Compact Hatchback	i4 +32.1
2025 Jetta vs Porsche Taycan · Midsize Sedan	Taycan +32

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 8 of 79 0.36× the mileage of same-age vehicles Volkswagen Jetta owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 6,500 miles across 2019–2019 (fleet 23,512), earlier than vehicles of the same model year. 251 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +4.2% at the median across 5 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Volkswagen Jetta against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $22,995 → $23,995. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Volkswagen Jetta

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Volkswagen Jetta year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2023 Jetta comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 43 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Volkswagen Jetta years should I avoid?

2017, 2019, 2020 have the weakest recall records in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Jetta model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Volkswagen Jetta have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 37 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Jetta. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.