I bought car back in June or July 2024. Since then Ive had issues with vehicle. Bad breaks, bad wheel bearings that were replaced & car just never drove smooth. Since buying car & driving it around for months I have felt a jerk/pull when in drive mode from 0mi when stepping on gas. The Engine has completely shutt off at random at a light when in drive mode & Ive had to put in parking & restart engine while making a right hand turn & while pulling into a parking lot. I notified dealer & taken in but told nothing was found & they didnt seem to see the safety issue at hand or care. It has done this a few times since Ive had it. Very scary, thankfully no accident YET! The lane assist warning light randomly comes/came on before this happened. Dash read, error stop/start engine when it shutt off. It happened so fast I was unable to take a pic. I was able to take a picture of dash reading; please manually start engine in Drive mode at time of last inccident June 22, 2026. This issue seems to get worse the more I drive it.
Volkswagen Jetta start-stop problems
10 of the 9,926 owner complaints about the Volkswagen Jetta describe start-stop system problems, most of them for the 2019 model year.
- owner complaints
- 10
- worst model year
- 2019
By model year
- 20231
- 20221
- 20201
- 20196
- 20151
Often reported together
Stalling 4Check engine light 3Slipping 1Misfire 1Jerking 1Hesitation 1Harsh shifting 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P0841 1
What owners say
I was driving and the and the stop start error came on, smelled gasoline and the EPC and check engine lights came on. I kept driving because we were on the freeway and couldn’t quite stop there but my car automatically turned off. The lights stayed on. I was able to turn it off after a few tries and get it to the mechanic (with it turning off a couple times on the way there). After diagnosis, they stated that it is the fuel injectors that need to be replaced because the gasoline and oil are mixing and thinning out the oil as well as potentially cause a fire. Due to that, i now need to replace the spark plugs and replace the oil as well as all 4 fuel injectors. I checked with volkswagon and they stated my car is not on a recall list but I did see there was a recall previously for the fuel injectors. Even if my car is not on the list, this is literally hazardous. The mechanic sent me a video of the oil mixed with gas firing up.
Engine misfire on all cylinders. Engine start/stop failure, check engine light illuminates. Vehicle hesitates and looses power when accelerating. Vehicle then stalls while operating. Happens while in traffic or trying to pull out from intersection causing vehicle to stop in roadway. Almost causes crashes from rear due to sudden stop and sides due to not clearing the intersection. Dealer confirmed the issue but states there is no repair or known fix. Dealer said to use premium fuel which is not required by manufacturer. Problem still occurred with premium fuel. Several trips to two separate dealers and both state there is no fix for the dangerous issue just to keep driving it. The vehicle is available for inspection. This issues is occurring in other 2022 jettas and Taos models. Dealer stated they were aware of the issue but vw does not have a fix. Has occurred multiple times with my vehicle.
The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving 70-80 MPH, the electronic parking brake engaged independently. The message "Driver's Side Door Fault" and a message indicating that the auto Start/Stop feature was unavailable were displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving at various speeds, while making turns, and while coming to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the driver's side door wiring harness had failed and caused the module to experience an electrical shortage. The dealer informed the contact that the electronic parking brake had engaged because the door was securely closed while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,789.
When the 8-speed automatic transmission attempts to shift from 3rd to 4th gear it will slip into neutral causing the engine to redline at maximum RPM. The accelerator pedal does not function and poses a serious safety issue. The vehicle will unexpectedly stall when the auto start stop is used and intermittently requires you to shift into park and restart the engine. The transmission also has difficulty shifting into reverse and puts the vehicle in neutral until it slams into gear.
With no warning, the transmission/mechatronics unit in this 2015 Jetta Hybrid, reported an error code. This "error" results in the car not being able to enter the Hybrid (electric motor) mode when asked for by driver. Also, the car no longer goes into Stop/Start mode when stopped (engine cycles on and off). Car thus failed state inspection due to error code. Dealer tested and found code "P0841". Dealer reported failure in power train, needing a full replacement at over $7,000 cost. Review with VIN shows not within a Recall which was offered for this model. Yet failure seems to be same as that which led to Recall on same models. Dealer cannot verify the actual fault w/out a full tear down, which they don't want to do. Thus, they suggest a full replacement of transmission and control module (mechatronics). I feel the car should be repaired by manufacturer.
I bought the car October 1 2022 around October 15th it shut off without and warning while crossing over a intersection on November 19th I was on i95 north and it shut off again with no warning I got to the side of the highway and it started I got about a mile up the highway and it shut off a 3rd time this time it said error stop/start
2019 jetta gli with less than 500 miles equipped with the dsg (automatic) transmission - engine stalls out as soon as the speed of the vehicle reaches 0mph - whether on the highway (bumper to bumper traffic), stopped at red lights, stopped at stop signs, or changing gear to reverse in parking lot or street to get in driveway. The stalling happens regardless of the "auto stop start" feature being disabled or enabled, and happens approximately once every three or more complete stops but usually not for the first 3 when the car is first turned on. The car also makes an audible grinding sound when engine stalls. In all instances once the car has stalled it requires a manual restart by putting the vehicle back in park, and pressing the vehicle start button with brake depressed. In addition to the above stalling, the car has once turned off when started remotely and no passengers inside. I have approached the vehicle approximately 30 seconds after remote start was engaged, opened the truck, loaded a few items, and car turned off. A check engine light came on. Using a vag505 scanner I was able to find 01-engine fault code 15080 and 08-auto HVAC fault code 1048838. Videos of the aforementioned issues have been uploaded to youtube and can be made available via request.
My car is 2 weeks old with 400 miles on the car. Since the odometer had aprox 100 miles on it the car has been having a issue with stalling when coming to a stop. In the past 2 weeks it has stalled aprox 26 times when coming to a stop. I have brought the car back to the dealership for this issue because the car stalled 3 times in a 15 mile drive on the freeway in bumper to bumper traffic. The car is very unpredictable as to when it will decide to stall but becomes a very dangerous situation when commuting on the freeway and it decides to stall. The car is a manual transmission and does not have the auto start stop function but stalls out when coming to a stop. I have informed the dealership that this car is very dangerous to have my family or anyone ride in as you do not know if it will fail and put you at risk of being hit by another vehicle. This is a brand new car and should not have stalling or engine failures at any point let alone having over 20 in a 2 week period. The car is at vw being evaluated but I do not feel comfortable or safe knowing this situation is happening.
Driving a 6 speed m/t. Without auto start/stop, traffic in front of me was slowing to a stop. Slowing down, I shifted to neutral to come to a stop. When stopped, the engine completely shut off and had to be restarted. Has happened twice in the 3 days I've owned.
Related recalls
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 Jetta and Taos vehicles. The instrument panel may fail to display warning lights or gauges. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays."
- Risk
- An instrument panel that does not display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the instrument panel software and replace the instrument panel as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90Z5. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on March 22, 2026.
Recall number 26V185000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Jetta vehicles. The transmission ground wire may not have been properly connected during assembly, causing an open electrical circuit.
- Risk
- An open circuit may draw a higher current and increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair transmission ground wire as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97TC. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on March 13, 2026.
Recall number 26V138000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Jetta vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 114, "Theft Protection."
- Risk
- Without an audible warning, the driver may be unaware that the key is left in the ignition, which can increase the risk of vehicle theft or a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the instrument cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 3, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90W7.
Recall number 23V619000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf Sportwagen, 2019-2020 Golf GTI, and Jetta vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch. The ignition switch may fail, especially in high temperature environments.
- Risk
- Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 1, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H7.
Recall number 23V604000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: anti-theft: control module
- What is wrong
- 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 SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmission shift lever is not in "Park."
- Risk
- Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.
Recall number 19V615000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Volkswagen Atlas and Tiguan and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles that do not have keyless entry. The instrument cluster may not provide an audible warning to let the driver know that the key is still in the ignition when the door is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection."
- Risk
- If the driver is not notified by an audible noise that the key is left in the ignition, it can increase the risk of vehicle theft or crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1‑800‑893‑5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 90L3 and 90L4.
Recall number 18V824000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2011 jetta vehicles, manufactured from march 2010 through march 2011. These vehicles may have an electrical wiring and fuse layout where the converter box is protected by the same fuse used by the signal horn and the anti-theft alarm system. Should that fuse be blown, the converter box will be disconnected from the power supply which, in turn, will shut off applications such as the engine management system, lighting system, and wipers.
- Risk
- Should this happen while the vehicle is being driven, the engine could stall, or the headlights or wipers could turn off unexpectedly, potentially leading to a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners when sufficient quantities of repairs kits are available. Dealers will separate the wiring for the horn and the theft protection horn from the power supply of the converter box and route the wires to separate fuses to correct the condition free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during april 2011. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1‑800‑822‑8987.
Recall number 11V196000 · Recall details
Questions about the Volkswagen Jetta start-stop
Which Volkswagen Jetta years have start-stop system problems problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2019 (6 complaints), 2015 (1 complaints) and 2020 (1 complaints).
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