Equal-exposure complaint evidence and changes in the reported problem mix

2008 vs 2009 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Share shifts show how a vehicle's problem mix changed. They do not measure reliability, and complaint counts are not normalized for sales volume.

First 215 months on market for each model year

Exposure window calculated through Aug 22, 2026

Age-matched reports

▲ 383.1% more reports in the equal exposure window

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Bars start at the neutral midpoint. Left means a smaller share; right means a larger share.

View component share data as a table

Component	2008 share	2009 share	Share change
FUEL SYSTEM	3.8%	30.3%	▲ 26.5 pts larger share
POWER TRAIN	23.2%	13.4%	▼ 9.9 pts smaller share
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	14.1%	6.3%	▼ 7.7 pts smaller share
AIR BAGS	8.7%	3.1%	▼ 5.6 pts smaller share
VISIBILITY	4.3%	0.7%	▼ 3.6 pts smaller share
ENGINE	9.2%	12.1%	▲ 2.9 pts larger share
SERVICE BRAKES	10.3%	12.8%	▲ 2.5 pts larger share
STEERING	1.1%	2.4%	▲ 1.3 pts larger share
WHEELS	1.6%	0.5%	▼ 1.2 pts smaller share
STRUCTURE	1.6%	1.0%	▼ 0.6 pts smaller share
PARKING BRAKE	0.5%	0.1%	▼ 0.4 pts smaller share
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	not reported	0.3%	▲ 0.3 pts larger share
TIRES	not reported	0.2%	▲ 0.2 pts larger share
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	2.7%	2.5%	▼ 0.2 pts smaller share
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	2.7%	2.5%	▼ 0.2 pts smaller share
SEAT BELTS	1.1%	1.2%	▲ 0.2 pts larger share
SUSPENSION	0.5%	0.6%	▲ 0.0 pts larger share
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	45.4%	46.8%	▲ 1.4 pts larger share

NHTSA Safety Recalls recalls · snapshot 2026-08-22

2008 6

Campaign components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, POWER TRAIN, and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

2009 7

Campaign components: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, POWER TRAIN, and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21