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What 526 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 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 (526)Crash / fire / injury (33)Electrical system (144)Engine (88)Fuel system (62)Transmission & drivetrain (50)Steering (43)Brakes (41)Airbags (35)Fuel System, Diesel (25)Visibility & wipers (24)Speed control (14)

5 of 526 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 16, 2020EngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER HER BOYFRIEND HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE AND PARKED IT IN HER DRIVEWAY; HER BOYFRIEND INFORMED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE AUTHORITIES WERE CALLED AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO ACTIVE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. A FIRE REPORT AND POLICE REPORT WERE FILED, NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. DUE TO THE FIRE, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY INSURANCE TO AN INSURANCE AUTO AUCTION WHERE THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED HER THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE; THEY OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 81,000.

NHTSA ODI 11383693

Jul 26, 2020Electrical systemEngineFire

CAR RAN HOT FIRST TIME AIR CONDITIONING GOT HOT CAR WAS GOING ANY FASTER WITH SMOKE FROM ENGINE. NO INDICATOR AT ALL CAR WAS RUNNING HOT. DEALERSHIP STATED THE BLOCK MESS UP. ADJUSTER CAME STATED THEROMAST WHICH NOT COVER WARRANTY FOR MY CAR. WHY WAS I NEVER AWARE MY CAR HAD THESE ISSUES

NHTSA ODI 11341492

Jul 15, 2019EngineCrash

THE MOTOR KICKS(JERKS) REALLY BAD. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO A COUPLE SHOPS AND THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER ONCE AND NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO DETECT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE CHANGED MANY PARTS THINKING IT WOULD FIX IT AND STILL HAPPENS. AT THIS POINT IM FRUSTRATED AND DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO THE CAR ONLY HAS 84,146 MILES. IT DOES IT WHEN DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET RANDOMLY AND IS VERY SCARY.

NHTSA ODI 11232140

Dec 30, 2015EngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED A BURNING ODOR EMITTING FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY REPAIR CENTER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 10816968

Jan 7, 2015Electrical systemEngineFire

UPON RETURNING HOME ON SUNDAY 12/21 AT 3 PM, SMOKE WAS COMING FROM OUR GARAGE. WE OPENED THE GARAGE DOOR TO DISCOVERY MY CAR ON FIRE AND A GARAGE FULL OF SMOKE. WE CALLED 911 AND REQUESTED FIRE ASSISTANCE. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE USING 5 COMMERCIAL SIZE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES AND DRAGGED THE CAR FROM THE GARAGE. THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR APPROXIMATELY 18 HOURS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10670597

Working with the data? Download all 526 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 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Hev verdict →