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What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 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 (51)Crash / fire / injury (3)Electrical system (16)Engine (12)Brakes (7)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Fuel system (5)Speed control (3)Steering (3)Airbags (2)Driver assistance (2)Suspension (2)

1 of 51 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 3, 2020Electronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

MY CAR ROLLED INTO A WALL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A PARKING LOT WHILE I WAS INSIDE THE OPPOSITE BUILDING. THERE IS NO ALERT/INDICATOR/NOTIFICATION THAT THE E-BRAKE IS ENGAGED. THERE ARE ALERTS FOR THE SEAT BELT, AIR BAG, TRUCK/DOOR OPENED, LOW GAS, LIGHTS, ETC. THERE IS EVEN A NOTIFICATION ON THE SCREEN TO REMIND ME TO GRAB MY PHONE AFTER I TURN OFF THE CAR AND OPEN THE DOOR. BUT FOR THE E-BRAKE, WHICH IS A TWO-STEP PROCESS THAT REQUIRES DISCRETE PAUSES BY THE DRIVER, THERE IS NOTHING.THIS IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW, THAT COULD RESULT IN A CAR ROLLING AND INJURING SOMEONE. I URGE YOU NOT TO WAIT FOR CRITICAL MOMENTS AS IN THE PAST FOR AUTO ALERTS TO BE INSTALLED IN CARS, BUT TO ACT NOW. I REQUEST ALL AUTO MANUFACTURES, VW AND OTHERWISE, THAT HAVE E-BRAKES, CREATE AN ALERT THAT NOTIFIES THE DRIVER THE CAR IS OFF AND THE E-BRAKE IS NOT ENGAGED, RECALL THOSE CARS, AND UPDATE THE COMPUTER. AND IF THERE ISN'T ROOM, I SUGGEST DELETING THE NOTIFICATION TO NOT FORGET ONE'S PHONE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11337341

Working with the data? Download all 51 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 2020 Volkswagen Jetta Hev verdict →