2013 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems

Filed Sep 24, 2025 · Engine · IL

Hairline crack developed in the accumulator housing of the transmission (mechatronic unit), leaking and leading to insufficient transmission oil pressure. There is loss of power to the wheels. Was never notified and on last inspection they told me it was my fault. Recall code 34J6. The only thing the service department did was update the software, the issue was that before the update it was already damaged and they refused to replace the “MECHATRONICS UNIT” The car is not drive able, and is just sitting in my drive way.

Filed May 12, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · OH · crash

The car has turned off at idle and at low speeds, almost causing accidents and to be rear ended in busy streets and during stop and go traffic on the highway. After numerous mechanic diagnostics at both Volkswagen Dealership service departments and third party mechanic shops, no one seems to be able to give me an answer or condition to what is causing the problem. With no error codes being brought up nor any other underlying issues that could be causing this issue, with a car having minor wear. This is a problem that has been reported by many other Volkswagen Jetta owners on online forums and no one seems to have a specific answer as to what is causing this accident prone issue!

Filed Feb 23, 2025 · Engine · UT

Car one day decided to have issues. It wouldn't turn over. So we called a row truck to come take it and run diagnostics. The tow truck driver showed up and on his decision making as im not a professional like he is he said can it turn on I said no so he pursued with saying that he is going to Jumpstart the battery in his words he says that's mainly the issue is a dead battery so he wanted to jump it with his portable jumper box as we are hooking it up to the vehicle I am inside and he connects the cables and tells me to try and turn it over in doing so the intake manifold had completely blown up. Right in front of the tow truck driver and it sounded like a cannon went off. He told me after he could hear again as well as me. We both have never experienced anything like that before. The pictures I'm providing are the damages of what jump starting the vehicle did.

Filed Sep 26, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

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.

Filed Sep 21, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · OH

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)

Filed Jun 25, 2024 · Engine, Suspension · CA

Unknown

Filed Mar 21, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · MA

There is an open recall on 2013 Volkswagen Jetta hybrid for known electrical and power train issues. My car was purchased last year and kept up on in maintenance . I have had it in the shop multiple times for checks due to the lights on my dashboard all going off. Nothing was found until recently the hybrid and engine light turned on out of no where and the cause was the clutch failing which is one of the known recalls. My VIN Isn’t listed under this recall and I have been in contact with Volkswagen and they are refusing to help even thought it’s a known issue with this years make and model. The car is unsafe to drive and could likely result in an accident due to the behavior of the car from these issues. The car will randomly buck when driving and when coming to a complete stop and trying to accelerate it will buck as well. I did add the open recalls on this car that are alike to my issues. There are also 4 other open recalls on this years make and model. I don’t have an exact date when the issues start I could look through my paper work but I put down 11/11 as they have been happening for awhile now

Filed Nov 26, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · FL

My vehicle has the Mechatronic failure that the recall is open for some 13’ Jetta hybrids but I don’t have an open recall for it. The car would start shutting on and off constantly at stop lights instead of staying off running soley on battery power. The error codes are pointing to a failure to maintain fluid pressure inside the mechatronics unit. The mechatronics unit is included in a VW recall from June 2021. There was a design flaw in the housing that caused transmission fluid to lead out under pressure. My vehicle should be included in the recall but since I don’t have an open recall for this to my vehicle I can’t get it fixed and repairs are to expensive for something VW should own up for this mistake but they won’t repair it.

Filed Aug 10, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · 110,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side road and was able to continue driving to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and unknown sensors were replaced, but the failure persisted. On another occasion while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the electrical control module was replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Filed Jul 22, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · MN

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.