Home · 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hev · Complaints

What 586 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 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 (586)Crash / fire / injury (20)Transmission & drivetrain (195)Electrical system (156)Engine (125)Fuel system (38)Steering (36)Airbags (32)Brakes (30)Speed control (21)Lights (17)Body & structure (15)

38 of 586 complaints match · Fuel system · clear filters · page 1 of 2

Feb 2, 2025Fuel system

My car has 80,000 miles on it. The high pressure fuel pump sent metal shavings all through the entire system. Dealer quoted $9,000 to fix. This should have never happened. They said that the extended warranty from the diesel gate situation has expired and there’s nothing they can do. With the car only having 80,000 miles on it they should honor the warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11640173

Nov 6, 2024Fuel system

Cp4 pump failed on car with 85,000 miles on it sending metal pieces throughout the fuel system causing damage and a $9,000 bill to fix a car worth $9,000 so it is essentially totaled.

NHTSA ODI 11623806

Sep 26, 2024EngineFuel system

2013 Jetta TDI with 92k miles. I am the third owner of this car which has been regularly maintained since new with all service records, including a 2019 emissions modification per VW recall. I bought this vehicle less than a year ago. My son was driving to work when the car shut off without warning. He was able to restart it and park safely and had it towed home. After replacing the battery and a fuse, the car continued to show a code for the ECM Power Relay Load Circuit . We took it to the mechanic to have it inspected, and learned that the high pressure fuel pump had imploded and metal shavings were found throughout the entire fuel system. This is evidently a common and very costly issue that VW has an obligation to fix. They knowingly continue to use a defective part that is essentially a ticking time bomb without regard to the owners safety and the financial ramifications of the repair. All VW vehicles with this defect should be covered by VW, not just selected model years and models. This causes catastrophic damage and VW is completely negligent by not doing what is right by the customer. The VW dealer quoted a $9,000. repair and VW North America declined any assistance with the vehicle. The car is not worth that, and it would be absurd to pay out of pocket for the repair; especially since VW continues to use a defective designed HPFP that can eventually fail again. VW was selective in the model years that they recalled, but only after the parts failed. They should have applied the recall and repairs to ALL vehicles proactively. I now have a 2013 paperweight in my driveway. The reason I purchased this specific car was for the longevity that diesels are known for. What a shame that VW does not rectify the situation in lieu of the previous diesel scandal. I'll be going back to Volvo or Subaru, two companies that I have had great experiences with, both in safety and reliability. VW should do the right thing, but I guess that's of no importance anymore.

NHTSA ODI 11616723

Sep 21, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION As I was accelerating to enter traffic on the expressway the engine lost partial power. I reduced accelerator pressure, and then the engine seemed to recover. I then reapplied pressure to the accelerator, and it seemed normal but when I put in the clutch to shift, the engine accelerated beyond redline. I completed the shift, and car began to accelerate rapidly. I tapped the accelerator, and the acceleration stopped, and then after about 3 seconds it began to accelerate again. I attempted to reduce acceleration with brakes, but it was only partially effective. The only way to effectively reduce acceleration was to take the car out of gear. (thankfully this was a manual transmission) When I shifted into neutral, engine RPMs would exceed redline. The excessive RPMs ultimately destroyed the engine (Big bang, lots of smoke). In hindsight I would have turned the ignition off but did not think to at the time.. The safety implications are obvious. This event occurred without warning and under normal driving conditions. I suspect an engine sensor anomaly combined with computer software failure. (Maybe an RPM sensor?) Specific cause is unknown, and situation cannot be recreated since the engine has failed. The Diesel Particulate Filter warning light was on, and had been on for several weeks. It did not clear using the recommended remediation in the manual. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer or other interested parties, but is available for inspection. (This is one of the vehicles recalled for “diesel-gate” purchased from VW after reprogramming)

NHTSA ODI 11615745

Aug 28, 2024Fuel system

2013 Jetta hybrid 80,00 miles on it driving on a highway suddenly rpm go lowered in the middle of highway loss power trying to maneuver to the side of the highway has to towed home now can't do reverse and lots of leaking fluid on the car take to the mechanic shop found out the transmission no working the mechanic shop said the probably my cars is in those car on recalled because they worked on those problems before

NHTSA ODI 11611407

Jun 12, 2024Fuel system

High pressure fuel pump failed on a 2013 TDI diesel. Every other manufacturer was forced to recall / replace the Bosch CP4 hpfp , why was volkswagen's not recalled? The failure of this component stops the car on the interstate. VW offered a 10 year extended warranty while all other manufacturers recalled and replaced the pump. The failure mode is a slow degradation of the internal components becuase it is not designed properly for ultra low sulfur diesel in the united states. It's not acceptable to just extend the warranty on a component that is a ticking time bomb. The failure can be at 2,000 miles, or it can be at 200,000 miles, but it will fail due to the missed engineering specification on diesel fuel. These are very common failures continuing to happen with VW diesel cars and continuin to put people at risk for a known problem that was not properly addressed.

NHTSA ODI 11593931

Jul 22, 2023EngineFuel system

Unknown system failure or component. Ever since I've bought the vehicle in I believe 2017 from EICH VW, it has consistently died while driving or idling. It also was "slamming on the brakes on its own" when the car would die. It jerks consistently as well. The latest out of hundreds of incidents, was yesterday, it stalled at a red light that had turned green, so I was stopped, I turned my hazards on immediately when it had stalled. The vehicle behind me went into the turn lane and the vehicle behind it was coming at me at 60+ mph as that was the speed limit on the road. There is NO warning as to when it will stall, almost never any dash light, maybe only once or twice a year. And it can go weeks or even months without incident and then go crazy for weeks or months straight. It stalling out has almost killed me and my son when trying to cross the highway to get to his dad's house, in that situation me and my at the time when I used to take that way he was 1/2 years old, and we were almost t boned by the oncoming traffic after it had stalled. I have taken it to some many certified dealers and "experts" and no one can tell me what is wrong. It has now gotten to the point where it is happening so often I'm scared to put my three year old in my car. This is a VERY COMMON issue Volkswagen knows about but won't acknowledge or do anything about, I did not know about it until after buying the car. There are no beforehand symptoms, there is no way to tell when it is going to happen, even the car is running perfectly fine before it happens. I know that service providers have been able to experience exactly what happens, but they may not remember as this has been going on for years and I'm not their only customer, and I don't even remember everywhere I've been to try and fix the problem. But it is something I have been publicly asking about and complaining about for years. My ex who works for Toyota, even experienced it when we first met, and we had to have my car towed.

NHTSA ODI 11533830

Apr 18, 2023Transmission & drivetrainFuel system

Driving on the interstate, my spouse stated that the car just lost power. Fortunately, he was able to pull off. But once he tried to start the car, it wouldn't do anything. The car was towed to my home. We took the car to the local VW dealer to have the recall completed. Since the car had to be towed there, we were told that we would have to pay $500 for a diagnostic before anything can be completed. I took the car to a local repairman and he stated that the fuel pump was bad. We replaced it and the battery. The car now will not start at all. We are getting an error of "hybrid system failure", "air bag failure", epc light is on and transmission warning. The car tries to start but will not.

NHTSA ODI 11517654

Mar 23, 2022Transmission & drivetrainFuel system

VW issued a recall (20E064000) for the transmission failing to engage though VW is claiming vehicles within the year range specified and with the exact same problem are not included in the recall. A quick search on complaints on Safercar.gov will show VW is not actually fixing this issue but pushing customers along saying they are not covered. This is a huge safety issue that VW is skirting around. I was told my car - within the years affects and with the same problem - is not included in this recall.

NHTSA ODI 11457976

Feb 18, 2022BrakesFuel system

The transmissions on the 2013-2016 Jetta Hybrids have an extremely high failure rate. These transmissions fail without warning and leave the car without propulsion and deactivate the regenerative brakes causing the car to behave erratically. VW issued a recall (19V866000) but are claiming owners within those model years with the exact same issues are "not covered". I have experienced this myself and you can find many many many examples on the complaints section of this website. VW issued a recall but is claiming everyones vin is not included.

NHTSA ODI 11452765

Dec 11, 2021Electrical systemFuel system

1. Fuel pump control module shorted out and electrical fuse was blown. 2. Yes, the part is available for inspection. 3. Vehicle completely shut off while driving on the road without any prior dashboard indicators or symptoms of something going wrong. 4. Part #1K0-906-093-J manufactured by Kuhnke a tier 1 supplier for VW. Fuel pump control module is mounted on top of gas tank area and was melted and shorted out, and a thorough inspection, and replacement was done by the VW dealer: Diehl Toyota/VW, Butler, PA. 5. This same issue was a recalled on 281,000 VW models as per NHTSA bulletin #20AE. VW recall #17V509000. 6. VW said my VIN is not included in the recall. But, it the exact same failure, part, and manufacturer of the part for VW/Audi. So WHY? is my VIN not included. It doesn't seem to be batch related, but a design defect. 7. Vehicle would not restart and could not be driven. It was flat-bedded to the dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11443426

Mar 29, 2021Transmission & drivetrainFuel system

ABOUT 2 DAYS AFTER HAVING MY FUEL INJECTORS REPLACED DUE TO A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING/IN CONJUNCTION WITH MISFIRING, I GOT THE HYBRID LIGHT. IT WAS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. I NOTICED RPM'S AND CHARGE LEVELS WERE FLUCTUATING ALONG PRIOR TO LOSS OF POWER. TOTAL LOSS OF POWER AGAIN. SHUT OFF VEHICLE. WAITED A MINUTE. TURNED VEHICLE BACK ON THEN CONTINUED DRIVING. HAD ONE ADDITIONAL LOSS OF POWER BUT THE HYBRID LIGHT DIDN'T COME ON. THE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR SHOWED A WRENCH INSTEAD OF "D" THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE FORWARD DESPITE HEARING THE ENGINE REV.

NHTSA ODI 11405481

Aug 18, 2020Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

2013 VW JETTA HYBRID HAS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND GO OFF INTERMITTENTLY. CAR WAS TAKEN INTO VW DEALER TO EVALUATE. DEALER PROCEEDS TO SAY TRANSMISSION IS DEFECTIVE, CLUTCH WAS MALFUNCTION & OIL WAS LEAKING. ACCORDING TO A NEW RECALL IN 2/2020, VW MENTIONED THAT IF THE SOFTWARE RECALL WAS NOT ADDRESSED ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION & CLUTCH COULD OCCUR. WHEN CAR WAS TAKEN AND EVALUATED IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE ALL OF THE POSSIBLE PROBLEMS LISTED WITH THIS RECALL

NHTSA ODI 11350128

Jul 23, 2020Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, RIGHT AFTER CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR AND CAR BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER ADVISED A RECALL WOULD SOON BE RELEASED AND TO WAIT UNTIL THEN FOR REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS PARTIALLY REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED ANY FURTHER REPAIRS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11341122

Jan 15, 2020Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

HYBRID EMOTOR (ELECTRONIC TRACTION MOTOR ) FAILS AT 100K MILES . CAN CAUSE SUDDEN FAILURE AND FIRE. VW DOES NOT CONSIDER THIS PART AS PZEV AND DOES NOT FOLLOW CALIFORNIA PZEV LAW.

NHTSA ODI 11299604

Sep 7, 2019Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineFuel system

THE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF WHEN CAR IS IN TRAFFIC OR COMING TO STOP. ENGINE RPM WILL GO TO ZERO AND POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKING IS LOST.

NHTSA ODI 11253917

Apr 12, 2019Electrical systemEngineFuel system

ON DECEMBER 8, 2016 WE PURCHASED A 2013 VW JETTA HYBRID WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY. WITHIN 3 MONTHS IT WAS LOSING POWER, JUMPY AND NOT DRIVING CORRECTLY. THIS WAS FOR MY 16 YEAR OLD SON. IT WOULD LOSE COMPLETE POWER ON THE STREET. NOT IDEAL FOR A BRAND NEW DRIVER. TOWED IT TO DEALER, TOLD NEEDED NEW TRANSMISSION. FOUR WEEKS LATER WE FINALLY GOT CAR BACK. STILL NOTICED A JUMPY FEELING WHEN DRIVING BUT ASSUMED DEALER FIXED CORRECTLY. IN NOVEMBER 2017 SAME THING HAPPENED, LOSS OF POWER, JUMPY, NOT SAFE AT ALL. TOWED IN TO DEALER AGAIN AND THEY SAID VEHICLE NEEDED REPAIRS OF 12K AND NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I COULD NOT PAY THAT NOR COULD I NOT UNDERSTAND WHY IT WASN'T COVERED??? DEALER SAID CAR WAS UNDRIVEABLE AND THEY GAVE US 500.00. I STILL OWE 11K ON THE LOAN. PLEASE HELP, I AM JUST SICK ABOUT THE WAY I WAS TREATED AND THE DEBT I INCURRED FOR NO REASON. I REALLY FEEL LIKE THIS WAS A LEMON.

NHTSA ODI 11195794

Feb 9, 2019Fuel system

GASOLINE SMELL WHEN ENGINE STARTS. MORE OFTEN WHEN VERY COLD. ALSO WHEN CAR SHIFTS FROM ELECTRIC MOTOR TO GASOLINE POWER WHEN CAR IS MOVING OR STOPPED. AUTHORIZED VOLKSWAGEN DEALER COULD FIND NO FUEL LEAK WHEN THE CAR WAS SERVICE IN MAY 2018. THIS HAS PROBABLY HAPPENED 12 TIMES SINCE 1/1/2019.

NHTSA ODI 11175965

Dec 26, 2018EngineFuel system

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE AND GLOW PLUG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO VOLKSWAGEN OF OCALA (5135 SW COLLEGE ROAD, OCALA, FL 34474) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,890.

NHTSA ODI 11163431

Nov 17, 2018EngineFuel system

TAKATA RECALL: THE HYBRID SYSTEM FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE ENGINE STILL RAN BUT I COULDN'T DRIVE. I WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI 11152238

Aug 4, 2018Electronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel system

AS I AM DRIVING THE CAR ON HIGHWAY OR STREET THE CAR JUST STALLS AND TURNS OFF. NROUGHT IT TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD OUT OF WARRANTY AND WOULD HAVE TO PAY $9500 TO REPAIR HYBRID BATTERY SYSTEM AND NEW TRANSMISSION. THE USUAL THAT THE VIN NUMBER IS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL WHICH IS JUST NOT RIGHT. AND OF COURSE MILEAGE OVER 70000. WAITING FOR A RECALL SO THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM IS FIXED

NHTSA ODI 11115714

Feb 27, 2018Transmission & drivetrainFuel system

RECEIVED A HYBRID SYSTEM ERROR ON 01/02/2018 WHILE DRIVING TO WORK JUST WITHIN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, THEN IT DISAPPEARED AND I NOTICED THE GAS MILEAGE WAS GETTING WAY OUT OF CONTROL (USUALLY GET 50/GAL, THEN GOT LESS THAN 30/GAL). I KNEW SOMETHING WAS OFF ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE BEEN ASKING THE DEALER TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION AT 53K (HAD A PREVIOUS JETTA WITH TRANSMISSION ISSUES). AFTER KEEPING MY CAR FOR A MONTH, THE DEALER PUT IN A CLUTCH ONLY TO CALL BACK TO SAY THEY NOW NEEDED A FULL TRANSMISSION AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE INSPECTED AND TESTED BY THE WARRANT COMPANY. ANOTHER 15 DAYS AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS FINALLY ADDED. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN FIXED BUT THE GAS MILLAGE HAS NOT BEEN RESTORED. CALLED THE DEALER AND SAID THAT I AM BRINGING IT BACK AT THE END OF THE WEEK. AFTER HAVE BOTH A REGULAR 2009 AND A 2013 JETTA HYBRID WITH THE SAME ISSUE, I NO LONGER WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH VW VEHICLES.

NHTSA ODI 11075167

Jan 9, 2018Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

ERROR CODE P309D, EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING. CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO HYBRID MODE, THEN 1 DAY LATER, EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING. VOLKSWAGEN HAS RECALLED SAME MODEL AND YEAR, HOWEVER THEY SAID MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. GEAR SHIFT BOX REPLACED UNDER RECALL IN 2014. VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER SERVICE WILL NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR OR INCLUDE IT IN THE RECENT NEW RECALL. WHILE DRIVING AND PRESSING THE GAS PETAL, THE CAR WON'T MOVE FORWARD AND FEELS LIKE ITS STUCK IN NEUTRAL. HAS TO TURN OFF AND IN THE CAR TO GO 50 FT. CAR ISN'T DRIVEABLE OR SAFE.

NHTSA ODI 11061530

Nov 5, 2017Electrical systemFuel system

"FUEL PUMP DEFECT". MY 2013 VW JETTA HAS BEEN RANDOMLY STALLING OUT IN MID COMMUTE WITHIN THE LAST FEW MONTHS. I WILL BE DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE JUST CUTS OFF AND I HAVE TO CRANK THE CAR BACK ON AND BEING MINDFUL OF ONGOING TRAFFIC. THIS IS INCREASING BECOMING AN ISSUE AS I INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A RANDOM OCCURRENCE HOWEVER AS THIS HAS REPEATEDLY OCCURRED OUT OF NO WHERE WHEN I'M TRAVELING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IT HAS BECOME VERY SCARY IN AN ACCIDENT OCCURING. I SAW THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON SELECT VW VEHICLES HOWEVER IT DOES NOT INCLUDE MY VEHICLE WHICH APPEARS SHOULD ALSO BE IMMEDIATELY INCLUDED AS THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11043417

Oct 26, 2017EngineFuel system

I PURCHASED MY 2013 JETTA ON END JUNE 2017 FOR 47 K MILES FROM HAYWARD CERTIFIED USED VEHICLE DEALERSHIP IN CALIFORNIA. COUPLE MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE, MY CAR START TO SHOW PROBLEMS WITH CAR STALLING. IT HAS BEEN FOUR TIME IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH TIME WHERE THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING FOR NO REASON. . THE FIRST TIME I WAS DRIVING ON THE FRONTAGE OF I-35 SOUTH, ON 50 MPH, IT SHUT DOWN OUT OF BLUE, I WAS LUCKILY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO PULL OVER AND PARK ON THE GRASS, I HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND RETRY THE CAR AGAIN AND IT WORKED FINE. THE SECOND TIME I WAS DRIVING ON THE WEST WILLIAM CANNON DR ON WAY TO HOME, IT SHUT DOWN FOR NO REASON AGAIN ON 45 MPH, AGAIN I WAS CAPABLE TO PULL OVER, SHUT DOWN AND RESTART AGAIN, DID NOT WORK FOR 10 MINUTES THEN I TRIED AGAIN THEN IT WORKED. THIRD TIME I WAS ON WAY TO MY FRIEND HOME, AT THE STOPLIGHT I WAS PLANNING ON TAKE A LEFT TURN ON MY WAY TO LITTLE TEXAS LANE, AND IT SHUT DOWN FOR NO REASON, I HAD TO REACT FAST AND HOPING THAT IT WOULD START AGAIN IN ORDER TO NOT CAUSE TRAFFIC, IT WORKED FINE AGAIN. THE FOURTH TIME I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH ON HIGHWAY OF I35 SOUTH, IT SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN AGAIN AND I HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL TO SLOWLY PULL OVER TO THE SIDE WITH NO POWER IN THE ENGINE AND LUCKILY THERE WAS NOT MUCH OF CARS AT THAT TIME. I WAS VERY LUCKY, BECAUSE I COULD EASILY BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP IN AUSTIN WHERE I WAS LOCATED AT THAT TIME, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. IT IS FRUSTRATED BECAUSE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO AND I NEED TO RETURN TO CALIFORNIA AND I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING WITH THIS CAR AT ALL BECAUSE OF MY SAFETY.

NHTSA ODI 11040086

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Working with the data? Download all 586 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 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hev verdict →