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What 31 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (31)Crash / fire / injury (1)Fuel system (8)Airbags (6)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Electrical system (3)Engine (2)Brakes (1)Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness (1)Seat belts (1)Tires (1)Wheels (1)

3 of 31 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters

Aug 30, 2024Electrical system

Malfunction ignition switch, and ignition cylinder, 50,000 miles on car. Took it to the dealer for diagnosis. No warning lamps or lights showed. My car just stopped allowing my key to come out of the ignition to turn the car off. I have to struggle to get it out of the ignition for 10-20 mins every time I take my key out. My car could potentially not turn on or off when the pieces go out completely

NHTSA ODI 11611846

Oct 18, 2023Electrical system

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The contact shifted in neutral and attempted to restart the vehicle. The contact had to push the vehicle to the side of the road and made several attempts to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was made aware of a recall regarding the fuel rail. The mechanic was unable to determine the exact cause for the failure however, the mechanic linked the failure to a failure with the electrical system. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure persisted with the battery and EPC warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,782.

NHTSA ODI 11550559

May 15, 2020Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

AFTER REVERSING AND THEN STOPPING AND SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE THE TRANSMISSION POPS IN TO GEAR. ALSO VEHICLE RADIO TURNS ON AND OFF AT RANDOM TIMES HAVING TO RESTART WHILE IN MOTION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11324610

Working with the data? Download all 31 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 2018 Volkswagen Jetta Hev verdict →