2003 Volkswagen Jetta
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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These records cover every 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
4 recalls name the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. Newest first.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2003 Volkswagen Passat sedan, Jetta, Jetta wagon, Golf, EuroVan, EuroVan Camper Van and EuroVan Chassis vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Risk and remedy
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began May 2, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69X3.
The Gates Corporation (Gates) is recalling certain aftermarket Tru-Flow Water Pumps, part number TFW 41127, sold at certain NAPA Auto Parts and/or installed by automotive service technicians after November 1, 2013 (and manufactured August 2013 through October 2013) that have a black-colored pulley/sprocket or do not have 'US9377' stamped on the water pump…
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Certain cardone master cylinders with part numbers 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987mza, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, and 11-3156, and with date codes lower than dca7078 sold as replacement equipment for use on the vehicles listed above. the seal on master cylinder can fail and leak brake fluid.
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Owner complaints
456 complaints25 involved a crash70 involved a fire85 injuries1 deaths
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags · Exterior lighting
Airbag delopy
- Power train
Since New we noticed transmission malfunctioning, transmission would jerk on the upshifts and downshifting also, then it would take longer than normal to go into gears Im the original owner, I parked it for 11 years waiting for a recall letter, I heard the beatle had gotten a recall on this…
Since New we noticed transmission malfunctioning, transmission would jerk on the upshifts and downshifting also, then it would take longer than normal to go into gears Im the original owner, I parked it for 11 years waiting for a recall letter, I heard the beatle had gotten a recall on this failure,, the Jetta had the same motor and transmission the triptronic, I should get one also it only has 89164 miles, I’m waiting for a letter please respond thank you.
- Electrical system · Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
My jetta stalls without warning when the gas gauge is at a quarter of a tank or less. No engine check light or any other any other device comes on to warn me it is going to stall. My speed does not matter. It happens at freeway speeds or around town. It does not occur if the gas gauge shows more…
My jetta stalls without warning when the gas gauge is at a quarter of a tank or less. No engine check light or any other any other device comes on to warn me it is going to stall. My speed does not matter. It happens at freeway speeds or around town. It does not occur if the gas gauge shows more than 1/4 of a tank of fuel. I do not know if it is an electrical problem, a fuel propulsion problem or an engine problem. From reading volkswagon forums, this is a very common problem with volkswagons of different years, including the new Tiguans. I'm sure there have been many fatalities as a result of this defect. I am surprised volkswagon has not been forced to repair this dangerous, life threatening problem before now! Maybe, a class action law suit involving products liability, merchantability, and fitness for a particular use would benefit not only owners, but the general public at large. I believe it is your duty to protect the general public from manufactures who place dangerous, defective products in the stream of commerce. Your action is required, and demanded. The first time ocurred right after I purchased the car in 2019. It has stalled many times since then, before I realized I needed to keep the fuel tank at least 1/2 full at all times. Keeping it 1/2 full at all times greatly deminishes the range of travel before I have to refill. It is inconvenient and expensive since fuel has to be purchased at places other the most economical place I usually purchase my gasoline. Thank you
- Electrical system
Right passenger side window IS blocked inside door
- Power train
No transmission filter .so there it IS mr var no eont go in any gear.i went to chonge filter and after days of research found out they came w no filher and that my friend. Can not be justified. Every one has these problems whk owns one
- Service brakes
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the brake light was inoperable intermittently without warning. The dealer dick hannah dealerships 10808 ne coxley dr, vancouver, wa 98662 (360) 605-1726 was contacted about the failure and informed the contact that the vin was…
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the brake light was inoperable intermittently without warning. The dealer dick hannah dealerships 10808 ne coxley dr, vancouver, wa 98662 (360) 605-1726 was contacted about the failure and informed the contact that the vin was not subjected to a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred multiple times intermittently. The contact mentioned nhtsa campaign number: 07v063000 (exterior lighting) as a possible solution to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
- Unknown or other
I closed my trunk one day and now it will not open with fob or inside door latch or the key.
- Fuel/propulsion system
The car stalls while driving at any speed or while idling when the fuel gauge IS around or under 1/4 of a tank. I have read up on this and people are dumping a lot of money onto trying to figure out what the issue IS and there IS no answer. stalling on a highway without a median or pull-off IS not only inconvenient but dangerous.
- Exterior lighting
Driving hello all state route after dark at 55 mi./h the headlights went out completely and then came back on in a short matter of seconds. Had the road not been straight at that section I could have very easily collided with trees or guardrails. The 1ST time this happened was 2012-08-01. I had the…
Driving hello all state route after dark at 55 mi./h the headlights went out completely and then came back on in a short matter of seconds. Had the road not been straight at that section I could have very easily collided with trees or guardrails. The 1ST time this happened was 2012-08-01. I had the local volkswagen expert garage replaced the headlights stock. The next time that occurred was july 2018. This IS a severe safety hazard I have not sought any repairs yet.
- Engine · Engine and engine cooling
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle overheated and the check engine indicator illuminated. The contact added water to the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 184,072.
- Seats
When the seat heater IS turned on, the seat catches on fire. When you look at the picture that IS smoke coming from the seat, the holes were caused by the seat heater.
- Seats
The electric seat heater malfunctioned and burned a hole in the seat while in use. It no longer regulates. Dangerous for driving. Smelled like a fire!
- Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Fuel/propulsion system
My car got hacked my charlie miller and chris valasek was seen over at my neighbors house on 4/29/2017 and my EX boss chris stutz jr IS in charge of all the break in of my house and cars edwardsville police will not do anything because the police are friend of them I hope I don't get killed over these hacks but if that's what it will take to do anything about it
- Electrical system
The fuse box on top of the battery melted due to overheating from the alternator cable. No excessive electrical load has been placed on the battery. Just normal use of the car causes this to melt.
- Electrical system · Seats
When I was sitting in the driver's seat with the heated seat option turned to a 5 (high), while the car was warming up, I noticed some smoke coming from the right side of the seat. The heated seat started to burn through the cloth cover directly where my metal jacket zipper was making contact with…
When I was sitting in the driver's seat with the heated seat option turned to a 5 (high), while the car was warming up, I noticed some smoke coming from the right side of the seat. The heated seat started to burn through the cloth cover directly where my metal jacket zipper was making contact with the cloth seat surface. I immediately poured water on the seat to ensure a fire didn't start. I have not attempted to use the seat heaters since this incident.
- Engine
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the engine suddenly began to rev and caused the vehicle to accelerate. The contact applied the brake pedal in order to slow the vehicle down. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the…
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the engine suddenly began to rev and caused the vehicle to accelerate. The contact applied the brake pedal in order to slow the vehicle down. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and heard a banging noise coming from the vehicle and noticed that there were parts on the ground. The contact stated their was also black smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact towed the vehicle to the amb auto dealer where it was diagnosed that the turbo failed and the turbo and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 212,000. updated 10/24/17*lj *tr
- Electrical system
Drivers side seat heater ignited burning through seat trim and burning driver while operating vehicle. This occurred in a seat that the dealer indicated they had replaced under the initial recall (however date on seat IS 11/25/2002 before car was delivered in 4/2003 - so dealer never actually replaced it . Seat retained and photos available for inspection.
- Engine · Power train
This IS in regard to tiptronic transmission failure at 77,000 miles. After the vehicle was fully paid off and 17K miles after warranty had expired. While I was driving vehicle would stay in 1ST and 2ND gear and give a big jolt when going into 3RD and 4TH while still cold, only after engine would…
This IS in regard to tiptronic transmission failure at 77,000 miles. After the vehicle was fully paid off and 17K miles after warranty had expired. While I was driving vehicle would stay in 1ST and 2ND gear and give a big jolt when going into 3RD and 4TH while still cold, only after engine would heat up without any stops would it perform sub par. Previous to this I had have no complaints. Dealer quoted $5600 to rebuild transmission and independent shop $2500. I was informed I had a worn clutch and in 2008 I rebuild the transmission and continued having the same issue. After thousands of dollars spent on this vehicle on april 12 of 2012 I sent it the junkyard. I will follow up and send more hard copies documents to nhtsa as I have my entire service records from 2003 - 2012 to submit. There are 100'S of other american car owners with tiptronic transmission experiencing same issues and its apparent that it IS faulty manufacturing.i'm attaching several pdf documents with articles and other similar costumer complaints. I have all my service records and will submit hard copies separately however wanted to get the complaint started here. The year of my vehicle was never included but its obvious this issue has been happening longer then previous recalls. *tr
- Electrical system
Iam the original owner and have always kept my jetta in the garage. I moved 3 and a half years ago and my car IS no longer garaged. My headline IS starting to detach from the inside of the car and the leather throughout my car IS cracking. I noticed there was a classss action lawsuit regarding the…
Iam the original owner and have always kept my jetta in the garage. I moved 3 and a half years ago and my car IS no longer garaged. My headline IS starting to detach from the inside of the car and the leather throughout my car IS cracking. I noticed there was a classss action lawsuit regarding the sunroof drain getting clogged causing damage to the car. Who can I contact to see if I qualify for this action. At the time of the recall I did take my jetta to a dealership and they said everything was fine, IS this because my car was garaged and now its outside exposed to the elemets, which has caused this damage? Thank you,
- Unknown or other
TL* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that a was smell entered the interior of the vehicle for an extended period of time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cabin filter was replaced but the failure continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000. updated 10/19/16*lj
- Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
Transmission strained to shift out of first gear. Water pump went out cause car to run hot.. Water pump was replaced but blower head gasket.... Airbag light comes on and off
- Electrical system
"Takata recall" burned fuse box caused alternator to go bad.
- Seats
The right area of the driver's side heated seat began to get excessively warm so I discontinued use for a period of time. Subsequent attempt at use resulted in the heating coil burning through the upholstery. Pictures attached. I have discontinued use and learned there IS an expired recall for this as a know issue.
- Electrical system · Power train
Having worked in VW dealerships my transmission control module IS failing at only 130,000 miles on it which has been an ongoing issue and complaint by many. When it acts up it won't upshift or will drop down into low gear and one has to worry about being rear ended when this condition occurs.
- Power train
When the car IS started and the engine IS cold, below 190F, it will not engage reverse gear, all other gears will operate. after the engine reaches 190F, the reverse gear will engage. this car has a sealed automatic transmission so no owner maintenance IS possible and fluid levels can not be verified.
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Engine stalling
By letter received on june 24, 2005, mr. Ronald m. Strickland of raleigh, nc, submitted a petition requesting that the agency investigate the performance of the ignition coil plugs on model year (my) 2000-2003 volkswagen jetta, golf and passat sedans.the petitioner alleges that he had experienced multiple stalling…
By letter received on june 24, 2005, mr. Ronald m. Strickland of raleigh, nc, submitted a petition requesting that the agency investigate the performance of the ignition coil plugs on model year (my) 2000-2003 volkswagen jetta, golf and passat sedans.the petitioner alleges that he had experienced multiple stalling events as a result of one or more ignition coil plugs malfunctioning on his 2002 VW jetta sedan.as a result of the engine stalling, the petitioner experienced a loss of power steering and increased braking efforts when he pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road to control the vehicle.after a few minutes parked on the shoulder he was able to restart the vehicle although the engine operated at reduced power.vw issued a customer satisfaction campaign (csc) on january 31, 2003 to instruct their dealerships to inspect the vehicles for any malfunctioning ignition coil packs and to replace them at no cost to the consumer.consumers were notified to bring their vehicles to their dealerships via owner letters mailed out on june 6, 2003.while VW initially instructed the dealerships to only replace the malfunctioning ignition coil packs, a revised csc was issued to dealerships in december 2003 and january 2004, instructing dealerships to replace all ignition coil packs regardless of their performance.a reminder to the dealerships was sent by VW on april of 2004.although the concerns of the petitioner could theoretically create a safety problem, the risk IS very small, due to the engine still running on either 3, 5, or 7 cylinders.there are no reported crashes or injuries due to the alleged defect.once drivers are aware of the problem (loss of power due to one of the ignition coil packs malfunctioning), drivers are able to take precautionary and compensatory measures and still maintain control of their vehicles.in addition, four fires were reported to odi.these were ignition coil burnouts with no additional damage to the vehicle and were localized on top of the engine. During the last 24 months the number of stall and drivability complaints reported to odi has greatly diminished from a peak of 195 in january of 2003 to only 3 in august of 2005.this coincides with the csc released by vw.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
- Inadvertent side-airbag deployment
The subject vehicles are equipped with side-thorax and side-head curtain airbags to protect the front and rear outboard occupants in a side-impact crash.this investigation identified a total of 499 reports (482 owners reports and 17 warranty claims).the crash sensing system?s algorithm may recognize certain non-crash…
The subject vehicles are equipped with side-thorax and side-head curtain airbags to protect the front and rear outboard occupants in a side-impact crash.this investigation identified a total of 499 reports (482 owners reports and 17 warranty claims).the crash sensing system?s algorithm may recognize certain non-crash impacts (wheel, tire and undercarriage impacts) as deployable events.the 97 alleged injuries were minor in nature and consist of abrasions, bruises, ear ringing and headaches.there was no alleged loss of control crash as a result of side-airbag deployment.odi also obtained counts of alleged inadvertent side-airbag deployments from peer manufacturers.the data shows that the subject vehicles are not unique in being subject to such allegations.the complaint rate for non-subject individual model vehicles varies widely.the rate for the subject vehicles IS comparable to three peer models, each with compact chassis/wheelbases.odi has not identified any component failure or manufacturing trend that may relate to a component or manufacturing issue.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
- Driver side front seat overheats
This investigation concerns the electric seat heater installed in some my 2002-2003 volkswagen (VW) jetta vehicles.consumers allege that the seat heater may overheat, resulting in burn damage to the seat cover and to the driver's clothing and/or skin.this ea addresses whether such failures may pose a risk to motor…
This investigation concerns the electric seat heater installed in some my 2002-2003 volkswagen (VW) jetta vehicles.consumers allege that the seat heater may overheat, resulting in burn damage to the seat cover and to the driver's clothing and/or skin.this ea addresses whether such failures may pose a risk to motor vehicle safety.odi concludes that the driver-side seat heater may fail or malfunction due to normal vehicle use, (i.e., driver ingress and egress from the vehicle).the investigation disclosed that such failures do not pose a significant risk of injury or fire.odi believes that further investigation would not likely identify a safety-related defect trend.therefore, this ea has been closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.the attached summary report provides further detail concerning this ea.
- Driver seat overheats/burns
The subject vehicles are equipped with optional electrically heated driver and front passenger seats.information received during pe03-052 disclosed a significant number of incidents of malfunctioning/overheating of the driver seat heater in the subject vehicles.additional incidents may occur during the final months of…
The subject vehicles are equipped with optional electrically heated driver and front passenger seats.information received during pe03-052 disclosed a significant number of incidents of malfunctioning/overheating of the driver seat heater in the subject vehicles.additional incidents may occur during the final months of the winter season.this matter IS also currently being investigated by transport canada.this pe has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea04-010)in order to fully investigate these occurrences and their safety implications.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10253215Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253214Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10253213Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10252204Air Conditioning Does not Operate
- 10243059VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243046VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243040VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243034VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10243011VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242996VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242399VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242397VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242384VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242378VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242375VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242372VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10242349VW Elsa Newsletter
- 10241749Quick Reference Update Guide
- 10241713Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241712Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241711Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10241340Engine Oils Which Meet Volkswagen Oil Quality Standard VW 502 00/505 00/505 01 and VW 504 00/507 00
- 10241339Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241335Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241333Oil Consumption Measurement
- 10241311Gasoline Quality
- 10241310Software Version Management
- 10241266Squeaks, Rattles, Noise, Repair Materials
- 10241265Fuel Additive to Help Prevent Sporadic Misfire Faults
- 10241177Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
- 10240922Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
- 10240605P0102, P1128, P1296 - WA front oxygen sensor faults
- 10239831Battery, Testing and Charging Using Midtronics VAS6161, MCR340V, InCharge 940, or GRX3000 Charger
- 10239789To detect which line(s) is inoperative, utilize a volt meter to check for 0 V, which will be present after the open in the grid line. The check must be performed with the engine running and heated rear window switched on. Switch OFF the ignition and visually locate the damage. Proceed with checking any other lines as necessary. Once the damaged line is identified, repair utilizing the Repair kit by Permatex ITEM 09117.
- 10239592Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239591Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239590Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation
- 10239541Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.Only)
- 10239534HVAC, Unpleasant Odor
- 10239533HVAC, Unpleasant Odor
Every Volkswagen Jetta model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.