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2014 Volkswagen Jetta: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
57%
214 of 375 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

57% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 75% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 65 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 49%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
214
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
440
this model year
Fires reported
2
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
6
24 crashes · 22 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE117 · 27%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM102 · 23%
POWER TRAIN91 · 21%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER75 · 17%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM45 · 10%
AIR BAGS41 · 9%

The years either side

2010
45%
363 of 875
2011
38%
211 of 639
2012
36%
170 of 526
2013
56%
325 of 631
2014
57%
214 of 440
2015
42%
73 of 197
2016
51%
78 of 164
2017
47%
63 of 159
2018
48%
12 of 31
2019
58%
292 of 545
2020
42%
21 of 52
2021
25%
15 of 67
2022
35%
14 of 42
2023
36%
15 of 43

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other compact cars with no elevated signal in 2014

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE01/17/2018CRASH1 INJURED
DEALERSHIP HAS HAD MY CAR FOR 100 DAYS AND STILL NOT FIXED. 2014 - 2 CLUTCHES AND A REBUILT TRANSMISSION LATER. CAR WAS RETURNED, SAME DAY 5TH GEAR WENT OUT AGAIN ON INTERSTATE 95 ALMOST KILLED MY SON.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE03/29/2017CRASH1 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING FLASHED. THE DRIVER DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP. AS A RESULT, THE DRIVER CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM07/18/2016CRASH1 INJURED
CAR CONTINUES TO LEAK, TIRE SENSOR ALWAYS ON DOESN'T GO AWAY, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF LEASE TERMS, ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED IS CONSISTENT, WHILE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY, IN MOTION, ON STREET OR ON A HIGHWAY. FURTHER, THE SAME OCCURS WITH ANY TURN.

Three of 214 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf S…
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, and Passat vehicles equipped with a 1.8T engine and torqu…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Volkswagen CC, and Passat, 2010-2013 Eos, 2011-2014 Golf, GTI, Jetta, and Tiguan,…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 3 body styles NHTSA files separately.