2011 Volkswagen Jetta Exterior Lighting Problems
- 34
- 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 34 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- exterior lights · 6 records
- brake lights · 5 records
- same problem · 4 records
- stopped working · 4 records
- notified failure · 4 records
- failure mileage · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 13 |
| 60–100k mi | 12 |
| 100–150k mi | 3 |
| 1–30k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Driver side of my jetta lighting went off , i went online to see what can be wrong with it and i see many people having the same problem, thats unsafe, should be recalled, its not a fuse or light bulbs ,so its the wire in, i think this is no safe to be driving and should be check , like i say its many people having the same problem, thanks
ODI 11300579
Exterior Lighting
Premature low beam headlight bulb failure. The low beam h7 bulbs fail after just 2 to 3 months of use. I have used oem bulbs, sylvania bulbs of every level, and the bulbs still fail after a short time. Doing a quick online search will show many people have this same problem with even newer (same body style) jettas.
ODI 11209137
Exterior Lighting
Low-beam headlights go dark within a year at best. I have replaced headlight bulbs at least 6 times since i've owned it. I recently replaced one bulb and the next day it was out. Upon inspection, the bulb does not appear to be 'burned-out'. Other lights function, including the low-beam on the other side of the car.
ODI 11155934
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
My horn and front right parking light both stopped working at the same time. I noticed there is a recall for the same make/model/year as my car, but my vin is not included. I will need to have this repaired and pay for it, however, i do hope vw and nhtsa sees this is a problem and expand the recall to include more models.
Crash reported
ODI 11124715
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Exterior Lighting
Purchased 2011 vw jetta car recently for my daughter. It drove ok for a short while but then lost power while driving. First the radio turned off, then several lights turned on on the dash and the steering became hard. Finally the car turned off. I managed to pull off the freeway. After this, it would not start. We tested the battery but it was not the problem. Replaced the alternator but that also did not work. Now…
ODI 11014225
Exterior Lighting
Both low beam lights went out at the same time. Checked all fuses none burnt. Changed the bulbs still out.
ODI 10909558
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Horn
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. While driving various speeds or while parked, the horn failed to operate when pressed. Also, the headlights inadvertently failed to illuminate without warning. Leith volkswagen of raleigh ([redacted] raleigh, nc 27616, [redacted]) was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the diagnostic fees. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure…
ODI 11074565
Exterior Lighting
Since 2012 i have had to replace all exterior lights including break and tail lights. My head lights have been replaced at least at 8 times over the past two years or so. Vw claims there is nothing wrong and its my fault because i am not replacing them with their brand and buying them elsewhere.
ODI 10837842
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that while driving at night, the front driver and passenger side exterior head lights and the rear driver side tail light became inoperable as the lights out error message displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
ODI 10809028
Exterior Lighting
I have owned a 2011 jetta since it was released and this vehicle has had to hvae the headlights replaced multiple times over the last several months no matter what side or brand of bulb and there is no indication as to why.
ODI 10786166
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
My cars low beam headlights unexpectedly stopped working after bringing it into the west broad volkswagen of richmond, va for a safety recall. I thought there may have been a chance that they both burned out simultaneously and had the light bulbs changed, but still no luck. I also purchased a new light switch for my dash and it still does not work. I am a college student and do not have a lot of money to spend on…
ODI 10898404
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Unknown Or Other
I have issues with the headlights. Every other month my headlight goes out. When i drove off the lot i had one headlight. This has been ongoing for almost 2 years. When i change it the other side goes out. I know thats not normal. And then one day i had been running arrends and made a stop . I was wearing flip flops that day. Well when i went to turn around in my seat to get what was being handed to me from my…
1 injury
ODI 10907988
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Random exterior lights were non-functional with multiple dashboard notification errors. Took vehicle in for service and was told that a bad fuse had shorted out and melted the fuse box causing the problem. Fuse box must be replaced due to overheating of bad fuse. Repair place said this is a known problem with volkswagen and certain models had already been issued a recall.
ODI 10745555
Exterior Lighting · Unknown Or Other
My vw jetta blows white smoke on start up. It fills my garage with white smoke.
ODI 10894485
Exterior Lighting · Fuses And Circuit Breakers
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. While driving approximately 70 mph, the bulb failure warning indicator illuminated sporadically indicating that the external lights were failing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the fuse panel had thermally overheated, melted, and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The…
Fire reported
ODI 10722896
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
I was having trouble with various light bulbs going out. It turned out to be a fuse that had melted the fuse plate. I am lucky that it had not started a fire. My dealer replaced the fuse plate at a cost of 372 which vw is refusing to reimburse me for. I know other vw models have had the exact same problem and have been recalled. This is a serious safety issue and should be recalled as soon as possible. Loosing your…
ODI 10714692
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
I was on route 95 in florida driving at night and a car had cut in front of me i honk my horn and then both of my headlights blew. I had to put flashers on and get off next exit to find a auto parts store where they change both headlight bulbs. I then checked for recalls on my car found out that the horn was faulty and that it could cause electronic malfunction and shut engine off. Headlights are working now but my…
ODI 10683935
Exterior Lighting
Exterior lights kept going out - first the front left low beam and then the high beam, then the right side front lights, then rear brake lights - right, then left. Problem diagnosed as a fuse plate - "found 30amp fuse that controls lights that are out is melted and blown" know this was part of a recall for other vin #s for the 2011 jetta but believe the part was flawed/had a defect and vw won't stand behind their…
ODI 10672086
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 volkswagen jetta. While driving approximately 50 mph, the headlights and brake lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact diagnosed that a fuse melted and damaged the fuse box. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 13v569000 (electrical system, exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not notified…
ODI 10663757
Exterior Lighting
Headlights, brake lights, turn signals and license plate lights all went out at the same time while driving at night with a toddler in the car. Numerous warnings flashed on the car. Tracked down the problem to a melted fuse connection on the fuse plate in the engine compartment, next to the battery. The fuse (f16) was also melted. I replaced the fuse and everything is now working, but since the plate is still…
ODI 10663629
Exterior Lighting
Right side headlight stopped working. I took it to an independent mechanic who changed the light bulb. One day later, the right side headlight stopped working again. *tr
ODI 10672239
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
My external light malfunction indicator went on. I stopped and saw that the left running light and the right low beam light were out. I turned the car back on 2 hours later the indicator was off and all the lights were working. Today i got the warning again and it cycled through to show multiple external lights needing replacement. It appears this is the melted fuse box issue. I see there has been a recall on some…
ODI 10644193
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Turned my vehicle on and heard the radio pop and has been useless ever since. The radio in this vehicle controls everything. I have talked to vwoa and several other vw repair shops and they have told me this is not their problem and i must pay for diagnostics and repair myself. I am very displeased with the quality of parts and service in this vehicle. Also the way everyone seems to know what the problem is but lies…
ODI 10649246
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
This complaint is for the 2011 vw jetta sportwagon tdi . There is a manufacture defect that caused the fuse box under the hood to melt. This caused most of the lights on the exterior to fail, which included the headlights, taillights, brake-lights, ect. There were recalls on similar models, but not this specific car. There needs to be a recall on this car to prevent potential injuries. *tr
ODI 10607800
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
All of a sudden, i would turn on my car and most of the exterior lights would not work, including headlights, high beams, brake lights, blinkers, and daytime running lights. It was dangerous to suddenly drive without lights when it was nighttime or changing lanes without working blinkers to alert other drivers. I took the car in to get it checked out and apparently this is a common issue in recent vw cars, that the…
ODI 10568724
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2011 Volkswagen Jetta.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.