2004 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 221 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (36 complaints · 16.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 14
  • Fires 20
  • Injuries 15
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2003 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 36 of 221 owner complaints (16.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 36 complaints, 16.3% of reports ENGINE 36 · 16.3% · 1 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 31 complaints, 14.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 31 · 14.0% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 30 complaints, 13.6% of reports POWER TRAIN 30 · 13.6% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 22 complaints, 9.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 · 9.9% · 4 fire reports AIR BAGS: 19 complaints, 8.6% of reports AIR BAGS 19 · 8.6% · 9 crash reports 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 8 complaints, 3.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 8 · 3.6% · 1 crash reports VISIBILITY: 8 complaints, 3.6% of reports VISIBILITY 8 · 3.6% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 7 complaints, 3.2% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 6 complaints, 2.7% of reports SEAT BELTS 6 · 2.7% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 132 complaints, 59.7% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 132 · 59.7% · 5 crash reports 14 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 36 16.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 31 14.0% 1 crashes · 2 fires
POWER TRAIN 30 13.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 9.9% 0 crashes · 4 fires
AIR BAGS 19 8.6% 9 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 8 3.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 8 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 7 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 6 2.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 132 59.7% 5 crashes · 14 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2004. 2004-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2006-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2006-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2007-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2007-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2008-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2008-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2010-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2004 Jul 2025 Recall campaign 04V586000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V586000 Recall campaign 07V063000 ◆ Recall campaign 07V063000 Recall campaign 07E023000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E023000 Recall campaign 14E007000 ◆ Recall campaign 14E007000 Recall campaign 20E064000 ◆ Recall campaign 20E064000
  • Campaign 07V063000 was reported 384 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E023000 was reported 946 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14E007000 was reported 3,648 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20E064000 was reported 5,873 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q1 Owner reports 2
2004-Q2 Owner reports 6
2004-Q3 Owner reports 6
2004-Q4 Owner reports 4
2005-Q1 Owner reports 6
2005-Q2 Owner reports 5
2005-Q3 Owner reports 11
2005-Q4 Owner reports 6
2006-Q1 Owner reports 7
2006-Q2 Owner reports 7
2006-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q4 Owner reports 7
2007-Q1 Owner reports 5
2007-Q2 Owner reports 9
2007-Q3 Owner reports 5
2007-Q4 Owner reports 7
2008-Q1 Owner reports 7
2008-Q2 Owner reports 3
2008-Q3 Owner reports 4
2008-Q4 Owner reports 4
2009-Q1 Owner reports 5
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 4
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 7
2010-Q3 Owner reports 4
2010-Q4 Owner reports 4
2011-Q1 Owner reports 5
2011-Q2 Owner reports 5
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 6
2012-Q3 Owner reports 3
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 3
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 3
2014-Q2 Owner reports 5
2014-Q3 Owner reports 4
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 5
2016-Q1 Owner reports 5
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 4
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 4
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 04V586000
Recall campaign 1 07V063000
Recall campaign 1 07E023000
Recall campaign 1 14E007000
Recall campaign 1 20E064000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V586000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY LEAD TO A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DIESEL PUMP. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 8, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E023000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN RESULT IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07V063000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    THE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OR REMAIN ON. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 27, 2007, AND WILL BE CONDUCTED IN SEVERAL STAGGERED MAILINGS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21, 2007. VEHICLES WITHIN THE MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR OF THIS POPULATION MAY BE INVOLVED IN EITHER THIS RECALL OR 06V-183, BUT NOT BOTH. THE REMEDY IS THE SAME FOR EACH RECALL. VOLKSWAGEN DEALERS WILL APPLY THE REMEDY BASED ON THE VIN NUMBER OF THE VEHICLE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14E007000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    A failure of the timing belt may cause the engine to shut down, potentially increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
    Remedy:
    Gates will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump, free of charge. The recall began during May 2014. Owners may contact The Gates Corporation at 1-303-744-1911.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20E064000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    If there is a brake fluid leak, it can reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Beck/Arnley will notify the distributors that sold the master cylinders and will work with the distributors to notify the end users. Affected master cylinders will be exchanged for a new master cylinder (part number 072-9990), free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2020. Owners may contact Tenneco customer service at 1-800-625-9319.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 221 complaints · page 1 of 9

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources