2008 Volkswagen Jetta Electrical System Problems
- 28
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 28 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- door lock · 11 records
- side door · 6 records
- rear door · 5 records
- passenger side · 4 records
- failed lock · 4 records
- approximate failure · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 12 |
| 100–150k mi | 6 |
| 30–60k mi | 5 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
| 1–30k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System
Ignition switch was stuck in the on position with the engine running. The car was stopped and in park in a driveway. But this failure could have easily occurred inside a garage. The car was successfully turned off after breaking the plastic key transmitter and forcing the key with pliers. Others may not have the strength or tools to force this to turn off. I'm concerned that this could occur and the engine not being…
ODI 11231997
Electrical System · Seats
I utilized my seat warmer on the driver side and only had the setting on 2 (out of 5). After approximately an hour of my trip home for christmas, i started to feel my lower back (on my right) burn because the seat was excessively hot. When i reached my hand behind my back to feel the seat that is when i discovered the hole in my seat and i burnt my hand in the process.
1 injury
ODI 11163359
Electrical System
Cluster..iinteral wiring clock always resets at 12:00 windshield washer pump stopped working air conditioning pops fuses power supply ports have no power.
ODI 11123281
Electrical System
The ignition key gets stuck in keylock and you are unable to turn off engine. Went online and there are tons of complaints on forums.
ODI 11089171
Electrical System
While the vehicle was in motion on a highway, the turn signals began to act erratically. Initially only the left turn signaling appeared to be affected, and would fail to make any indication on the dash or illuminate the lights. Shortly after this, attempting to signal a right turn would actually result in the left turn indicator lights illuminating (yes, the opposite of what was intended). As i am one of the…
ODI 10905971
Electrical System
I pulled into a gas station and tried to turn off engine to fuel the car. An ignition malfunction would not allow me to turn engine off or remove key from ignition.
ODI 10873334
Electrical System
Rear passenger side door lock inoperable. Lock mechanism failed causing the door to not lock manually or with remote. Also, the alarm system failed to "chirp" when pressing remote. Took to dealer and spent $500 on a lock mechanism in the door. I hear this is very common with this model. Buyer beware.
ODI 10825781
Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
I first started experiencing this problem with the rear passenger door on my vw jetta in december 2015. The door would not lock using the key remote. I have to manually lock the doors by pushing the key into the driver side door in order to get a beep sound and flashing indicators to confirm that all the doors are locked. I took the car to the vw dealership which cost $480 to fixed one door. About four months after…
ODI 10937294
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the rear passenger side door failed to lock. The door failed to lock manually and with the key fob. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the door lock mechanism was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
ODI 10809404
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that when the vehicle was placed into park, the key would not release from the ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.
ODI 10735710
Air Bags · Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who discovered that the front driver and passenger side air bag crash sensors would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, there was a shortage within the electrical circuit. The vehicle was not…
ODI 10702806
Body · Electrical System
Sunroof would open and close at random, had that fixed while under warranty. Now the rear drivers side door will not lock and the alarm will not turn on. This is a safety issue as well as a theft issue and appears its pretty common due to previous vw threads. At $400 repair costs and vw knowing this is an issue, i feel this should be elevated to a recall status and not chargeable to owners. Please help me/us, i cant…
ODI 10641765
Body · Electrical System
Driver side front and rear doors don't lock. There is no option to manually lock it, the electronic ignition has malfunctioned and there is no way to lock these doors. There is risk of the doors flinging open in case of accident especially with a child sitting in the rear seat. *tr
ODI 10692721
Electrical System
Tl * the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen jetta. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact steered the vehicle to the side of the road and was able to restart the vehicle. The failure recurred four times in five days. The dealer stated that the electronic computer machine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage…
ODI 10597685
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
I got locked inside the car on a hot day with my kid! I sat in the back to play with him and keep him company. The door closed and it would not unlock no matter how many times i would pull on the lever. I was pinched between the child seat, the driver's seat (i keep it pulled back quite a bit) and the door. I could barely move. My wife had to unlock the door from the outside. The door lock/latch mechanism has (since…
ODI 10586454
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
The back passenger side door lock quit working and the door won't lock at all. Anybody can open the door and hurt your child or still the car. I called the dealer here in austin, tx today, and they told me that is a very common problems with the jetta model and it has happened to hundreds of costumers. The electric locks quit working. This is a safety issue and clearly a manufacturers defect that should be a recall.…
ODI 10558275
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The led mirror turn signal and the front bumper orange illuminated safety reflector both on the driver's side of the vehicle simultaneously stopped working. I'm unsure if this is due to fuse issues or computer related electrical issues. A safety problem is posed when they're not working. *tr
ODI 10551660
Electrical System · Seats
I was driving to work one morning and it started to smell like something was burning. I thought maybe it was just a weird smell in my vents but within 10 minutes of driving a cloud of smoke filed the driver side of my car. Luckily i was not on the highway yet and i was able to pull over and shut off the car. Not knowing where the smoke came from i immediately got out of the car. It when then that i looked down and…
Fire reported
ODI 10500687
Electrical System
My vehicle passenger door(s) will not respond to the keyless entry lock or unlock commands. They can only close and open manually. I have read several different forums and this seems to be a standard default in model years ranging from 2007 and onward. The sunroof will periodically open by itself and the blinkers do not function properly (example is when i flick the blinker up to make a right turn, the left blinker…
ODI 10545599
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
Drivers side door lock actuator failed to lock or unlock the door, alarm horn fails to sound when alarm is activated. Rear driver's door lock actuator failed to lock or unlock the door. The rear drivers door doesn't have an external key hole to unlock door and the only way to open the door is from the inside. In the event of an accident with a child in a child safety seat, this could result in a delay of removing…
ODI 10503128
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
I have a 2008 jetta and i started experiencing problems with 1 door. My car was still under warranty and the lock was replaced at the dealership. Then only months later i started having similar problems randomly (the lock would work some times but not others). Everytime i stopped at the dealership to have it fixed the lock worked- therefore they could not diagnose which door had a problem. The lock failed everytime…
ODI 10466520
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
In 2011, the right rear door stopped locking. When i would try to lock the door both with the internal lock switch and the fob, the door would not lock. It also would not chirp to let me know that all the doors were locked and the alarm was set. Locking the door with the fob does set the alarm, however you can open the rear door and the alarm goes off. In september of 2014 the left rear door stopped locking as…
ODI 10640806
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Fuel System, Gasoline
Every morning my 2008 vw jetta 2.0t is very hard to start. Sometimes when the car is trying to start it stalls in the middle of starting. Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tgw53yvlqa&feature=youtube_gdata_player. *tr
ODI 10430851
Electrical System
December 13, 2010. The check engine light came on. Metro vw service diagnosed an ignition miss. They replaced (1) ignition coil on cylinder #2 with a different type of ignition coil than the original. The "new version" ignition coil has insulation where the original coil did not. February 8, 2011, approximately, two months later, the check engine light came on again. At least one of the three original ignition coils…
ODI 10381290
Electrical System · Seats
Drivers heated seat activated on its own. Control switch on dash was set at 0, drive received moderate burns to legs and buttock. Removed fuse and took vehicle to dealer. Nothing found, dealer suggested if the seat heats up again, bring vehicle directly to the dealer, do not shut it off. Burns are similar to a bad sunburn, some redness, no blisters. *tr
ODI 10352449