2026 Volkswagen Jetta
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Have the VIN?
Vehicles › Volkswagen › Jetta › 2026
These records cover every 2026 Volkswagen Jetta. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 2026 Volkswagen Jetta. Newest first.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Jetta vehicles. The transmission ground wire may not have been properly connected during assembly, causing an open electrical circuit.
Risk and remedy
Risk
An open circuit may draw a higher current and increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and repair transmission ground wire as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97TC. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 13, 2026.
Owner complaints
6 complaints
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system · Forward collision avoidance › Automatic emergency braking · Forward collision avoidance › Warnings
The vehicle’s Forward Collision Avoidance system (Front Assist) and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) intermittently malfunction while driving. On at least three separate occasions during clear, dry weather with clean sensors, the AEB system engaged full hydraulic braking unexpectedly with no…
The vehicle’s Forward Collision Avoidance system (Front Assist) and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) intermittently malfunction while driving. On at least three separate occasions during clear, dry weather with clean sensors, the AEB system engaged full hydraulic braking unexpectedly with no obstacles ahead—once while utilizing Adaptive Cruise Control and twice while driving manually. This severe "phantom braking" creates an immediate, life-threatening rear-end collision hazard on public roadways. Immediately following these braking events, the digital cluster displays the warning message "Front Assist Currently Unavailable."The vehicle has a documented history of electrical instability, including a prior dealership visit where technicians allegedly attempted to fix power errors by servicing a loose battery connection. However, electrical faults have persisted, culminating in instant, false "Engine is overheated. Safely stop the vehicle!" warnings within seconds of starting a cold engine, as well as non-functional rear seat heaters. These combined electrical faults align with an open powertrain ground failure, as described in NHTSA Recall 26V138 / VW Campaign 97TC (loose transmission ground wire causing stray current backfeed through sensor harnesses). The vehicle was towed to an authorized Volkswagen dealership on 09/14/2026 after displaying an instant cold overheating error and remains there for diagnostic inspection. The vehicle and its components remain intact and are available for inspection upon request.
- Electrical system · Engine
The vehicle says it’s overheating and will go into limp mode it has also been reported that other 2026 Jettas have had the same issue
- Forward collision avoidance
The contact owns a 2026 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle brakes engaged independently causing the RPM to decrease and after a couple of seconds the vehicle began to work as intended. No warnings light illuminated A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not…
The contact owns a 2026 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle brakes engaged independently causing the RPM to decrease and after a couple of seconds the vehicle began to work as intended. No warnings light illuminated A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnoses. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 300.
- Unknown or other
When parking the car into a parking spot the car shuts off when put in reverse to leave parking spot
- Unknown or other
While driving on the highway, the sunroof suddenly shattered outward. There were no other vehicles around us at the time.
- Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Steering
I'm not exactly sure on what happened but when using the lane stay assist it doesn't read the lines correctly causing the car to abruptly jerk in a unexpected direction! doing this during certain scenarios would cause an accident for sure. also the headlight auto switching for high beams malfunctions often causing the lights to flicker
Every Volkswagen Jetta model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.