Home · 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Hev · Complaints

What 639 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Hev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (639)Crash / fire / injury (43)Electrical system (200)Fuel system (96)Engine (93)Fuel System, Diesel (82)Transmission & drivetrain (55)Lights (46)Airbags (38)Brakes (28)Engine & cooling (26)Speed control (26)

2 of 639 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 15, 2025BrakesFire

driving on freeway (speed around 70mph) out of nowhere i start smelling strange burning smell then about 1 minute later the car brakes lock up in the front and I loose control of car but luckily it was in light traffic and I regained control enough to get it off to the shoulder. I got out to address the issue and notice the front tires smoking alot and it was at night and the inside (rotor, brake caliper, and rim were glowing bright red and the heat was melting the tire". Then I notice a flame and grabbed a bottle water and applied the tire and extinguish it. I sat there for a good 30 minutes to let everything cool down and the car would not move. "THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFTEY RECALL" AND IF IT'S NOT IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED A.S.A.P PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH VOLKSWAGON! AND HAVE THIS SERIOUS SAFTEY ISSUE CORRECTED thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11673804

Nov 2, 2019BrakesCrash

ON 05/22/2019 AROUND 6 PM, MY WIFE PARKED THE CAR (VW JETTA, 2011 WAS STATIONED IN PARKING MODE), TURNED THE CAR OFF AT 309 SMITH STREET, NEWARK, NJ 07108, THEN SUDDENLY THE CAR ROLLED BACK THE DOWNHILL, CROSSED SMITH STREET TO HIT OUR NEIGHBOR CAR ON THE RIGHT SIDE, A BLACK HONDA ACCORD PARKED IN FRONT OF 310 SMITH STREET (A ONE WAY STREET). A POLICE COMPLAINT WAS NOT FILED. I SPENT ALMOST $500.0 TO PARTIALLY FIX MY NEIGHBOR CAR. WE WERE LUCKY THAT ANOTHER CAR WAS NOT DRIVING BY, NOR A PEDESTRIAN WALKING BY. WE DIDN'T THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT, BUT FOUND IT WEAR. ALMOST 3 WEEKS BEFORE, ALSO, MY WIFE COME BACK FROM THE GROCERY STORE, SHE PARKED THE CAR, TURNED THE CAR OFF, WENT OUT AND REMOVED THE GROCERY FROM THE TRUNK, AND SUDDENLY THE CAR ROLLED BACK TO CRUSH THE GROCERY ITEMS ON THE FLOOR AND ROLLED OVER RIGHT FOOT

NHTSA ODI 11277689

Working with the data? Download all 639 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Volkswagen Jetta Hev verdict →