Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train53
- Electrical system42
- Engine20
- Air bags20
- Service brakes, hydraulic15
- Unknown or other11
- Latches/locks/linkages10
- Visibility8
- Engine and engine cooling7
- Fuel system, gasoline6
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 28 2008 Jetta vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 17 people died inside them, and 5 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 2008 Volkswagen Jetta failed the safety check 2.59% of the time — 5% more often than the average 2008 passenger car (2.48%). Median odometer at inspection: 135,827 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Engines
The most common engines in 2008 Volkswagen Jetta cars on Dutch roads are the 1.4 petrol (90 kW, 121 hp), 1.6 petrol (75 kW, 101 hp) and 1.9 diesel (77 kW, 103 hp), out of 5 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 petrol | 90 kW 121 hp | 136 |
| 1.6 petrol | 75 kW 101 hp | 129 |
| 1.9 diesel | 77 kW 103 hp | 57 |
| 1.6 petrol | 85 kW 114 hp | 22 |
| 1.4 petrol | 103 kW 138 hp | 21 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
405 first registered in 2008 are on Dutch roads; 6% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €26,789.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde245
- Band onvoldoende profiel169
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld119
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm103
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen102
- Veer gebroken of gescheurd75
- Stofhoes fuseekogel beschadigd en dicht niet af69
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect59
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
1,320 cars built in 2008 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 427 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 1,851 of these cars first registered in 2008 took their annual MOT test. 62% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2008 the figure was 57%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 15.2% | 17.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.0% | 19.8% |
| Brakes | 10.1% | 11.3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8.4% | 7.3% |
| Tyres | 8.4% | 7.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.0% | 6.2% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
756 of these cars first registered in 2008 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 272,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
86 2008 cars are on the New Zealand register; 72% arrived as used imports, 23% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 6 variants: combined 9.6–10.4 L/100 km (about 23–25 mpg US), CO₂ 221–239 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jetta · Compact · Premium gasoline | 10.6 | 8.2 | 9.6 |
| Jetta · Compact · Premium gasoline | 11.5 | 8.1 | 10.0 |
| Jetta · Compact · Regular gasoline | 12.0 | 8.3 | 10.4 |
| Jetta · Compact · Regular gasoline | 12.2 | 8.2 | 10.4 |
| Jetta Sportwagon · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 12.0 | 8.3 | 10.4 |
| Jetta Sportwagon · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 12.2 | 8.2 | 10.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta.
| 2020353 4 Aug 2020 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the warning label for the engine block heater cable is written in English only. As a result, a French user may not receive importa… |
| 2010444 10 Dec 2010 | Fuel System On certain Golf, Golf wagon, Jetta and Rabbit equipped with a 2.5L Engine, a small plastic tab located on the windshield washer fluid reservoir may chafe agains… |
| 2009141 14 May 2009 | Structure On certain vehicles, driveshaft cover plate screws may not have been torqued properly during vehicle assembly. Should they loosen, a knocking sound may be hear… |
| 2007306 18 Sept 2007 | Lights And Instruments Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of CMVSS 108 - Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment. 1). The required cap designed to disab… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 JETTA, NEW BEETLE, NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, MODEL YEAR 2009 JETTA SPORTWAGEN AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 RABBIT VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5L ENGINES. THE JETTA, JETTA SPORTWAGEN, AND RABBIT VEHICLES MAY HAVE A SMALL PLASTIC TAB LOCATED ON THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID RESERVOIR THAT MAY CHAFE AGAINST AN UNDERHOOD FUEL SUPPLY LINE. THE NEW BEETLE AND THE NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A FASTENING CLAMP ON A HYDRAULIC HOSE OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM THAT MAY BE LOCATED IN AN IMPROPER POSITION WHICH COULD CAUSE CHAFING AGAINST AN UNDERHOOD FUEL SUPPLY LINE.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 25,594 MY 2006-2009 JETTA 5TH GENERATION EQUIPPED WITH 2.01 ENGINE. THE FASTENING SCREW CONTACT SURFACES ON THE DRIVESHAFT COVER PLATE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED TO FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS. SOME SCREWS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TORQUED PROPERLY DURING ASSEMBLY AND COULD LOOSEN OVER TIME, CAUSING A KNOCKING SOUND WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE DRIVESHAFT SCREWS COULD LOOSEN TO THE POINT WHERE THE DRIVESHAFT DETACHES FROM THE GEARBOX.
CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE HAD A REQUIRED CAP INSTALLED WHICH DISABLES THE HEADLIGHT HORIZONTAL AIM AND SOME VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN A CAP THAT DISABLES THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW.
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 2008 Volkswagen Jetta: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10253215 | Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation |
| 10253214 | Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation |
| 10253213 | Exterior Lights, Moisture Accumulation |
| 10253212 | Ignition Switch Faults Stored - Various Malfunctioning Comfort Functions |
| 10253211 | Ignition Switch Faults Stored - Various Malfunctioning Comfort Functions |
| 10253205 | Wiper Blade Inspection for Proper Warranty Coding |
| 10253204 | Customer States Windshield Wipers Streak or Smear |
| 10253203 | Wiper Blade Inspection for Proper Warranty Coding |
| 10253180 | Antenna Diagnosis Overview |
| 10253177 | Satellite Radio Overview |
| 10252942 | Damage to Data Link Connector (DLC) from Aftermarket Devices (Cannot Communicate with Vehicle OBD System) |
| 10252937 | Vehicles equipped with Immobilizer 4 (Download) ? Adapting Keys after Vehicle Lock Set Replacement |
| 10252238 | Emission Label |
| 10252237 | Emission Label |
| 10252220 | All Vehicles with Bluetooth Phone Kit Installed ? Streaming Audio from Phone to Radio |
| 10252210 | Clock Loses Time |
| 10244545 | VW Engine oil quality standards |
| 10244072 | Rattling Noises from Engine Compartment Area or Exhaust System |
| 10244045 | Volkswagen Elsa Newsletter |
| 10243299 | VW Engine oil quality standards |
| 10243067 | VW Elsa Newsletter |
| 10243066 | VW Elsa Newsletter |
| 10243065 | VW Elsa Newsletter |
| 10243064 | VW Elsa Newsletter |
| 10243052 | VW Elsa Newsletter |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
VEHICLE STALL/LOSS MOTIVE POWER
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation