Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1999 Volkswagen Jetta, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Visibility81
- Engine and engine cooling78
- Electrical system44
- Air bags30
- Power train30
- Service brakes, hydraulic29
- Vehicle speed control26
- Structure25
- Seat belts24
- Unknown or other17
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 29 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 8 1999 Jetta vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 7 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1999 Volkswagen Jetta failed the safety check 2.35% of the time — 34% more often than the average 1999 passenger car (1.76%). Median odometer at inspection: 149,863 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 10.1–10.7 L/100 km (about 22–23 mpg US), CO₂ 232–246 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jetta · Compact · Regular gasoline | 11.5 | 8.3 | 10.1 |
| Jetta · Compact · Regular gasoline | 12.2 | 8.9 | 10.7 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 1999 Volkswagen Jetta.
| 2006122 24 May 2006 | Lights And Instruments On certain Golf, GTI, Jetta, Jetta wagon, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, Passat and Passat wagon, the brake lamp switch may malfunction. If this happens, … |
| 2004075 27 Feb 2004 | Electrical On certain vehicle, the brake lamp switch may malfunction. If this happens, the brake lamps could become inoperative; or the lamps could come on and stay on, e… |
| 1999021 15 Feb 1999 | Structure On certain vehicles, a sound absorbing mat attached to the inside of the B-pillar side trim panel could have been improperly installed. The surface and edges o… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC OR MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND CRUISE CONTROLS, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION IF IT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY DURING SAFETY RECALLS 03V-265 OR 04V-096.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.8L VR6 ENGINES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THE RECOMMENDED COLD TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE PUBLISHED ON THE LABEL FOR TIRES OF THE SIZE 205/50 R15 86H IS 0.1 BAR (1.45 PSI) TOO LOW. IT SHOULD BE 2.5 BAR (36.3 PSI). THE LABEL RECOMMENDS 2.4 BAR (34.8 PSI = 35 PSI).
ON SOME PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL TANK FILLER NECK CAN SUFFER ABRASION DAMAGE IF THE REAR TIRE GOES FLAT AND THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN UNTIL THE TIRE DISINTEGRATES.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE HEAD INJURY CRITERION REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." THE UPPER RETAINER CLIP NEAR THE BP1 IMPACT LOCATION IS DESIGNED TO BREAK WHEN IMPACTED BY THE HEAD FORM. IN SOME CASES, THE MATERIAL OF THE TRIM PART MAY BE MORE IMPACT RESISTANT AS A RESULT OF VARIATIONS IN THE MOLDING PROCESS.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SOUND ABSORBING MAT ATTACHED TO THE INSIDE OF THE B-PILLAR SIDE TRIM PANEL COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY INSTALLED. SURFACE AND EDGES OF THE MAT COULD HAVE BEEN DAMAGED DURING THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS. IT COULD IGNITE WHEN EXPOSED TO THE EXHAUST GAS OF THE SEAT BELT PRE-TENSIONER IGNITER IN THE EVENT OF A SEVERE FRONT OR SIDE COLLISION.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Volkswagen told its dealers about the 1999 Volkswagen Jetta: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 633842 | FRESH AIR BLOWER MOTOR, INOPERATIVE AT AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURES NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING. *TT |
| 632149 | TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON REPLACING / ADJUSTING THE BRAKE SWITCH. *TT |
| 626974 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A HUMMING NOISE FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE DURING CORNERING. *SLC |
| 626970 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER MALFUNCTION. *SLC |
| 622402 | EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE NOISE AND / OR VIBRATION ORIGINATING FROM THE FRESH AIR BLOWER MOTOR ASSEMBLY. *TT |
| 622400 | A CONDITION MAY EXIST WHERE THE RADIO DOES NOT REGAIN VOLUME CONTROL AND / OR THE SINGLE CD PLAYER LED BLINKS WHEN INTERIOR LIGHTS ARE AT THE LOWEST SETTING. *TT |
| 621623 | SUBJECT REGARDING MALFUNCTIONING INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *TT |
| 621613 | SUBJECT REGARDING LATCH SYSTEM LOWER ANCHORS AND TETHERS FOR CHILDREN, INSTALLING / RETROFITTING. *TT |
| 619873 | SUBJECT REGARDING COOLANT LEAKING FROM COOLANT RESERVOIR BOTTLE WIRING CONNECTOR CONTAMINATES THE WIRING HARNESS. *TT |
| 619708 | SUBJECT REGARDING WIRING DIAGRAM FOR DOOR CONTROL MODULE (DRIVER SIDE), SWITCH FOR REMOTE / FUEL TANK DOOR, MOTOR FOR FUEL TANK LID UNLOCK, POWER MIRROR (DRIVER SIDE), HEATED OUTSIDE MIRROR (DRIVER SIDE). *TT |
| 619551 | SUBJECT REGARDING ELECTRICAL WIRING DIAGRAMS, TROUBLESHOOTING AND COMPONENT LOCATION INFORMATION. *TT |
| 618422 | SUBJECT REGARDING ELECTRICAL WIRING DIAGRAMS, TROUBLESHOOTING AND COMPONET LOCATIONS TECHNICAL BULLETION NO. 8. *TT |
| 616808 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P0411 SECONDARY AIR SYSTEM INCORRECT FLOW DETECTED STORED IN DTC MEMORY. *TT |
| 615895 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0411 - SECONDARY AIR SYSTEM INCORRECT FLOW DETECTED - STORED IN MEMORY. *TT |
| 615893 | SUBJECT REGARDING THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM), MATING HARNESS CONNECTOR AFTER REPLACING ECM OR HARNESS. *TT |
| 615892 | SUBJECT REGARDING ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM), MODIFYING ECM CONNECTOR TO MATCH WIRING HARNESS. *TT |
| 615888 | SUBJECT REGARDING FRONT FLOOR MAT FASTENER DAMAGE. *TT |
| 612477 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE INSTALLATION OF THE GROUNDING STRAP DURING REPLACEMENT OF THE FUEL TANK. *MJS |
| 610178 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT THROTTLE PEDAL VIBRATION AT IDLE AND / OR RAPPING NOISE AGAINST ENGINE COVER HEARD ON VEHICLES WITH SECONDARY AIR INJECTION. *TT |
| 610177 | CONCERNS WITH TRANSMISSION IN LIMP MODE WITH NO MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATED. *TT |
| 610164 | CONCERNS WITH POOR OR NO RECEPTION FROM AM RADIO. *TT |
| 610161 | SUBJECT PERTAINING TO THE SUNROOF SLIDING HEADLINER, REPLACING SLIDES. *TT |
| 610157 | INFORMATION ON REPAIRING THE HEADLIGHT ELECTRICAL CONNECTION. *TT |
| 608353 | CONDITIONS WITH RADIO FREQUENCY REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS ONLY AT CLOSE RANGE ON VEHICLES UP TO AND INCLUDING VIN 3VWRC29M0XM043029. *TT |
| 608346 | INFORMATION ON RADIO SERIAL NUMBER/CODE, STICKER LOCATION ON VEHICLE'S BEGINING WITH VIN #'S: GOLF/ JETTA (1999, 2000, 1H_XM215697), NEW GOLF/ NEW JETTA (1999,2000 ALL), NEW BEETLE (1999-2000-1C_WM024452), CABRIO (1999-2000- 1 H _XM215697), PASSAT (1999,2000 ALL). MJS |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH
FUEL TANK PUNCTURE
FUEL TANK PUNCTURE
PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FIRE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation