Volkswagen Jetta sudden acceleration problems

Filed Mar 9, 2026 · Fuel system · DE · crash

I am reporting a safety concern involving unintended acceleration in a 2025 Volkswagen Jetta SE (VIN [XXX] ) Te vehicle has experienced two separate incidents in which it surged forward unexpectedly when shifting from park to drive while my foot depressed the brake pedal. The first incident occurred in approximately August 2025 while attempting to move the vehicle into a residential garage. When the transmission was shifted into Drive, the vehicle accelerated forward despite continued brake application and traveled approximately 30 feet before stopping. A collision with a structural wall was narrowly avoided. The second incident occurred on [XXX]. When shifting from Park into Drive with my foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle again surged forward unexpectedly and struck a storage cabinet inside the garage, causing property damage. A family member was nearby at the time. Following these incidents, the vehicle was taken to an authorized Volkswagen dealership (Garnet Volkswagen of West Chester, Pennsylvania) on December 15, 2025 for inspection. The dealership preformed diagnostic scans and reported no stored fault codes and was unable to duplicate the condition. The vehicle was returned without repair. The vehicle was later presented to another authorized Volkswagen, Pohanka Volkswagen of Salisbury, Maryland in February 2026 for additional evaluation without any solution. I subsequently notified Volkswagen Group of America and requested a manufacturer-level engineering review to determine whether a defect exists and whether the vehicle is safe to operate. Volkswagen declined to conduct any further manufacturer-directed investigation. Because the problem has not been resolved, I remain concerned that an intermittent mechanical or electronic defect may exist. The vehicle has relatively low mileage and is less than one year old. I am submitting this complaint so that the incident is documented as a potential safety defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)

Filed Dec 26, 2025 · Fuel system · DE · crash

Two safety defect incidents involving unintended acceleration. This defect has resulted in two loss of control incidents causing property damage. First incident: While attempting to move vehicle inside garage, I started engine with foot firmly on the brake, shifted the transmission into drive, and maintained full brake pressure. Immediately upon shifting, the vehicle bolted forward at an accelerate rate, despite my foot remaining fully depressed on brake. Vehicle travel about 30 feet in only a few second, coming within three feet of a structural cinder-block wall supporting house beams before braking force finally overcame the surge. Avoided a serious collision required immediate corrective action and full driver control. Second incident: Again, vehicle parked in my driveway in front of storage garage. After briefly backing up to clear the driveway, I again shifted to drive with my foot firmly on brake. As with previous incident, the vehicle surged forward unexpectedly and forcefully, overcoming normal braking and collided with full-length of storage cabinet system inside garage, destroying the cabinetry and stopping the vehicle's forward motion. At the time, my brother-in-law was nearby. Had he been in the vehicle's path serious injury could have occurred. As in the first incident, avoiding a more catastrophic impact required immediate and precise driver intervention. Following these incidents, I presented the vehicle to Garnet Volkswagen of West Chester, 1620 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, PA 19382, on December 15, 2025. The dealership reported that: They were unable to replicate the condition. Diagnostic scans reportedly showed no stored fault codes. The vehicle was returned without identifying or correcting the issue. Both major incidents occurred under the same operating scenario: shifting into drive from a stationary position with the brake pedal fully depress.

Filed Mar 6, 2025 · Acceleration · 5,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated without a warning light being illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.

Filed Jun 14, 2024 · Driver assistance, Transmission · VA

This experience was with a rental vehicle - and I sent an email to the federal safety agency address with additional details. Later, I saw this form. I am pasting the information here: Request #[XXX] 2024 VW Jetta Rental Vehicle - Unintended Acceleration / Braking The vehicle was rented from Fox Rent-a-Car in Las Vegas, NV for my short trip to California and back. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 2, 2022 · Brakes · 78,000 miles · TX · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that when depressing the brake pedal the vehicle would lunge forward. While driving approximately 40 mph and suddenly depressing the brake pedal the vehicle lurched forward and crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. During the crash, the driver sustained an injured left hand. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.

Filed Apr 27, 2021 · Transmission · 160,000 miles · CA

In early april, my 2014 jetta started experiencing jerking into gear while driving occasionally. It appeared that inclines or acceleration (even though both were gentle) were the culprit. So I tried to drive the car even gentler than I already am. On april 16, however, the car almost completely stalled on a busy 75 MPH highway multiple times. As such, I was driving at 20mph in case it was sudden acceleration and speed that was the culprit. I couldn't drive any faster. As you can imagine, this makes for an extremely dangerous situation. So this is happening every time I accelerate for the next few weeks. I bite the bullet and drive on the right lane at very slow speeds on the freeway, because I don't have any other form of transportation. I take it to aamco on april 20th, and the mechanics there are all terribly slick and sleazy. They [xxx] me and essentially want to charge me $4000 to fix the torque converter/transmission. Which is completely ridiculous, because according to kbb my car couldn't be worth more than $2k. Now, I've taken my jetta to be recalled for two separate issues (the specifics I forget) over the past two years. Never has vw ever mentioned there was a problem with 2014 transmission/power trains. Upon doing research, there are heaps of folks experiencing the same issue as me. Some are eligible for recall, some are not. This is all dependent on VIN. Now, I call my local dealership and they say my VIN isn't eligible for recall. However, I disagree. The problems that are plaguing my jetta are the exact same symptoms listed on their website - basically that the transmission is faulty. The o-ring seals are clearly leaking fluid, which is in turn coming in contact with my hot engine. My car overheats and smokes, and totally stalls. I think that despite what the dealership says, my jetta is eligible for this recall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Aug 27, 2020 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 30,000 miles · PA · crash · 1 injury

I suspect that my 2019 vw jetta computer system/car was hacked/driven remotely on 12/3/2019 that caused an accident (photos attached) that LED to my car being a total loss. I sustained injuries and was taken by ambulance to the local er from the accident. This case is still involved in court proceedings as of today. I was driving home and my car speed accelerated without me being on the gas and my breaks were not working. Without turning the steering wheel I drove off to the right hitting a parked car. The police report indicated that after impact with parked car #1, I rolled back 55 feet and hit another parked car on the opposite side of the street. I did not think any of this was possible until I was reading about car hacking and cars being driven remotely. I also did not think that it was possible with the 'impact safety features' on a vw jetta, I could possibly roll backward after the impact of parked car #1? I am looking to have this issue investigated. I am also sending information to the fbi internet crime complaint center.

Filed Mar 9, 2020 · Transmission · 38,900 miles · MI

While exiting an interstate onto a city street, I applied the brakes. As the jetta slowed to about 15 MPH, it experienced a sudden acceleration. The cause of this sudden acceleration is unknown. The sudden acceleration consisted of the engine increasing it's rev with a resulting increase in the speed of the vehicle. I applied the brakes harder and was able to bring the jetta to almost a complete stop, however, the engine continued to rev at a high speed. I placed the jetta in neutral and the engine's revving decreased to normal range. I placed the jetta in drive and had no further problems. The next day I took the jetta to my mechanic who ran a diagnostic program. No problem was identified. I have not experienced another episode of sudden acceleration.

Filed Oct 9, 2019 · Transmission · 110,000 miles · MI

Transmission is in need of replacement at 110,000 miles. The mechatronic unit was replaced at 55,000 miles while the vehicle was still under warranty. The condition that exists is exactly similar to what is described in the recall (34f6/4v) making the vehicle unsafe to drive. Unfortunately, the cost to repair the vehicle is more than the kbb value. It is difficult to think that 55,000 miles is acceptable for a transmission to need to be replaced. Our vehicles manufacture date is 9/26/12, missing the cut off to qualify for the recall by 5 days. When the vehicle is at a stop it wants to lurch forward due to the clutches not turning the electric engine on. The car will cycle on and off the gas engine until you are back under power. The lurching can be violent and if you don't have firm pressure on the brake the vehicle will lunge forward.

Filed Oct 16, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · 38,000 miles · CA · crash · 2 injuries

Tl* the contact owned a 2016 volkswagen jetta. While driving 25 MPH, the contact depressed the brake pedal and heard a loud boom sound. The contact's vehicle suddenly accelerated to approximately 45 MPH and rear ended the preceding vehicle. The vehicle was towed and the insurance company declared it a total loss. The driver was slightly injured along with the driver of the other vehicle, but neither motorist received medical attention. A police report was not filed. The contact's vehicle was kept by the insurance company from july to october 2018 because they could not locate the vehicle in the salvage yard. The manufacturer was notified and stated that they could not assist until they heard from the insurance company. The dealer had not been contacted. The failure mileage was 38,000.