This hub covers 9 Volkswagen model-years across 2 models: Jetta, Tiguan. Across those model-years, NHTSA's databases record 1,967 owner complaints and 54 recall campaigns. The most-recalled is the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta with 11 campaigns, while the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta has the most owner complaints at 549. 6 of the 9 model-years earned NHTSA's top overall rating of five stars. Complaint totals are raw counts from the database and are not adjusted for sales volume, so they are best used to compare components and patterns within a model rather than as a league table between brands. Each model-year page reproduces the full underlying records: every recall campaign with its official summary and remedy, complaint counts by component, the complete crash-test scorecard, and EPA fuel-economy figures for every configuration.
Volkswagen Model-Years
| Model-Year | Complaints | Recalls | Overall Rating | Combined MPG (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Volkswagen Jetta | 518 | 6 | ★★★★☆ | 27 |
| 2015 Volkswagen Jetta | 194 | 8 | ★★★★★ | 29 |
| 2017 Volkswagen Jetta | 160 | 7 | ★★★★★ | 29 |
| 2019 Volkswagen Jetta | 549 | 11 | ★★★★★ | 31 |
| 2021 Volkswagen Jetta | 70 | 4 | ★★★★★ | 30.5 |
| 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan | 62 | 4 | ★★★★☆ | 22.5 |
| 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan | 76 | 4 | ★★★★☆ | 21.5 |
| 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan | 194 | 5 | ★★★★★ | 24.5 |
| 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan | 144 | 5 | ★★★★★ | 24.5 |
What Volkswagen Owners Complain About
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 514 | 26.1% |
| Engine | 460 | 23.4% |
| Power Train | 378 | 19.2% |
| Unknown Or Other | 356 | 18.1% |
| Air Bags | 157 | 8.0% |
| Service Brakes | 150 | 7.6% |
Across the tracked Volkswagen range, 75 complaints report a crash and 12 report a fire, with 80 injuries recorded in owner filings. The most fuel-efficient tracked Volkswagen is the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, whose EPA configurations return a median of 31 combined MPG, while the most-complained-about is the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta with 549 filings. Tracked years run from 2013 to 2021. Component shares are computed against the make's tracked complaint total; because an owner can name several components in one filing, shares can sum to slightly more than 100%. Use the component table to see whether a make's problems concentrate in one system — a pattern worth checking on the individual model-year page — or spread evenly across the vehicle, which usually reflects age and mileage rather than a single defect.
Models covered: the Jetta (5 model-years, most-reported component: Electrical System); the Tiguan (4 model-years, most-reported component: Engine). The highest-rated tracked Volkswagen is the 2015 Volkswagen Jetta at 5 stars overall for its tested variant. Where a model's most-reported component repeats across several of its model-years, the pattern is visible in the model-year pages' component tables — the clearest sign in this dataset of a systemic issue rather than scattered owner experience.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and safety ratings databases and EPA FuelEconomy.gov dataset, accessed October 2026.