2021 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 65 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (19 complaints · 29.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 1
  • Deaths 2
Compare with 2020 →
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 SERVICE BRAKES appears in 19 of 65 owner complaints (29.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. SERVICE BRAKES: 19 complaints, 29.2% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 19 · 29.2% FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 8 complaints, 12.3% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 · 12.3% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 8 complaints, 12.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 8 · 12.3% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 6 complaints, 9.2% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 9.2% LANE DEPARTURE: 4 complaints, 6.2% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 4 · 6.2% AIR BAGS: 3 complaints, 4.6% of reports AIR BAGS 3 · 4.6% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 3 complaints, 4.6% of reports ENGINE 3 · 4.6% STEERING: 2 complaints, 3.1% of reports STEERING 2 · 3.1% VISIBILITY: 2 complaints, 3.1% of reports VISIBILITY 2 · 3.1% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 23 complaints, 35.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 · 35.4% · 1 crash 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)
SERVICE BRAKES 19 29.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 12.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 8 12.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 9.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 4 6.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 3 4.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 3 4.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 2 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 2 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 35.4% 1 crashes · 0 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 Apr 2021; the first recall shown was reported in Nov 2020. 2021-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2024-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2024-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2025-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Nov 2020 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 20V716000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V716000 Recall campaign 21V038000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V038000 Recall campaign 21V492000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V492000 Recall campaign 22V514000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V514000
  • Campaign 21V492000 was reported 23 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2021-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q4 Owner reports 5
2023-Q1 Owner reports 4
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q3 Owner reports 3
2023-Q4 Owner reports 3
2024-Q1 Owner reports 5
2024-Q2 Owner reports 4
2024-Q3 Owner reports 7
2024-Q4 Owner reports 5
2025-Q1 Owner reports 3
2025-Q2 Owner reports 3
2025-Q3 Owner reports 2
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 2
2026-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 20V716000
Recall campaign 1 21V038000
Recall campaign 1 21V492000
Recall campaign 1 22V514000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V716000

    Report date
    Component:
    BACK OVER PREVENTION
    Consequence:
    A black or frozen rear view image reduces the driver's visibility when reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91BB/91BC.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V038000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    The seat can move front and back without restriction if bolts are missing, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
    Remedy:
    Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat tracks and, as necessary, install the bolts, free of charge. The recall began February 18, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 72L6.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V492000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    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.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V514000

    Report date
    Component:
    BACK OVER PREVENTION
    Consequence:
    A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will update the infotainment software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DV.
    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 65 complaints · page 1 of 3

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