2012 Volkswagen Jetta Electrical System Problems
- 106
- 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 106 stored complaint records:
- 5 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 3 indicate fire
What owners report
- Horn · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 35 |
| 60–100k mi | 31 |
| 1–30k mi | 19 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System
Ignition key will not turn off after starting car. Have to jiggle and tap on key to eventually get key to turn to the off position. Once out of ten times the key may turn off normally. I have tried moving the steering wheel back and forth while turning key off. I've also tried moving the gear shifter to see if the lock is preventing the key from turning. Nothing really seems to work. Then for no reason at all i you…
ODI 10895929
Electrical System
The ignition switch is becoming increasingly difficult to turn off and remove the key from. I've done my research and have found a community of other vw owners experiencing similar issues with the vw models (many jettas like mine). The vehicle is safely parked, etc, and the key must be turned so hard that it feels like one could break/damage the key in the ignition switch before it releases.
ODI 10895824
Electrical System · Engine · Unknown Or Other
Key stuck on the on position and not able to turn key, to turn car off.
ODI 10895785
Electrical System
Key gets stuck in ignition when turning off the engine. (car in park, stationary.) must turn key back and forth several times to remove. Ongoing since early august.
ODI 10908301
Electrical System · Service Brakes
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen jetta. When starting the vehicle, the epc warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled when attempted to drive. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the failure code was cleared for the abs fuse. In addition, while driving 60 mph, the brake light failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake switch and brake booster failed and…
ODI 10889133
Electrical System
Like the recall on 2011 jetta horn the 2012 jetta horn have the same issue. While driving through a parking lot was hit by a driver backing up and vould not warn the driver due to ahorn that does not work. Today i was almost sandwiched between a semi-truck and a car moving into my lane. Luckily for me and thekid the driver in the car got back in their own lane. It appears the trunk light does not work either. This…
Crash reported
ODI 10896998
Air Bags · Electrical System · Seat Belts
Car's fuse # 6 keeps blowing which controls the back lights that turns on at night, when fuse blows lights on back go out and cars behind you can't see you and may cause a collision where serious injury and death may result. I think this an engineering flaw where they connected the back lights to other modules in the car, so the short remains and car is not safe to drive at night fuse keeps blowing every time you…
ODI 10863781
Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
Engine light comes on and off from time to time at random times. It comes on and off when driving and when parked.
ODI 11014154
Electrical System · Engine · Steering
Received verbal quotes to fix the issue with the key getting stock in the ignition with car running and was told it was not covered by vw and that it would cost close to 500.00 to fix and i chose to live with the issue...now i received a letter to get reimbursed for the cost when i did not have it fixed. Called to set up an appointment and the dealer told me the car is over 100,000 miles and i would have to pay for…
ODI 11090976
Electrical System
The horn has not been working since november 2015. There is a recall on the air bag in the horn.
ODI 10904723
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Both of the low-beam headlights stopped working as i was driving home on a unlit highway at night. The daytime running lights worked when i turned off the headlights, and the high-beam headlights worked when i tried using them. The next morning i replaced both low-beam headlights and they still do not work.
ODI 10789318
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen jetta. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle accelerated forward in a jerking motion without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be serviced per a recall related to the failure; however, the failure recurred. Also, a howling sound emitted from the engine and the oil and check engine warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but the…
ODI 10914267
Electrical System
Vehicle has 38,000 miles, we're the original owner, horn became intermittent, then stopped working. We took it to the vw dealer in brandon, fl. They said there's a recall about to be announced in november that will cover the horn, and the potential for an airbag earning light. We're left with major safety hazard with not having a horn. The dealership said it would cost over $2000.00 to fix, they won't have the parts…
ODI 10785037
Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
The key locks in the ignition while the car is running and in park, will not disengage to turn the car off (steering wheel not locked). I was unable to turn my car off. This first occurred while i was parked in a parking lot (no danger). After the dealership forced the key, i had to pull over to the shoulder on a highway for a flat tire and was unable to turn the car off. I could not change the tire safely and could…
ODI 10781121
Electrical System
2012 jetta tdi. Horn intermittent and about the same time my moon roof stopped working. As a military member stationed near seoul, south korea, i was in heavy traffic and someone pulled out in front of me even though i was a low speed i still had to smash on the brakes causing the anti-skid system to work. As soon as they pulled out in front of me i was pressing the horn and nothing happened. I believe this is a…
ODI 10781290
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the epc warning light illuminated and the accelerator pedal failed to respond each time the failure recurred. The contact indicated that there was a drastic reduction in speed. The contact had to turn the vehicle on and off multiple times in order to reset the epc code. The vehicle was to be taken to a dealer for inspection and diagnosis. The…
ODI 10759175
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the horn and security system did not function when attempting to lock the vehicle. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact attempted to replace the sparks plugs on four different occasions, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 69,868.
ODI 10819599
Electrical System
Ignition lock/switch stuck in "on" position. Unable to turn off engine or remove key. Safety and security risk being unable to secure vehicle or turn off engine.
ODI 10735697
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen jetta. The contact's key became stuck in the ignition switch while in the run position. The dealer was able to shut off the engine only by disconnecting four of the five fuel injectors. The dealer stated that they would need to destroy the trim and remove and replace the ignition lock and switch assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
ODI 10733910
Air Bags · Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
The vehicle was being backed out of a driveway into the roadway when the horn began to sound continuously and the airbag warning light illuminated. The vehicle needed to be turned off completely to stop the horn. Subsequently, the horn sounds whenever the ignition is engaged sometimes stopping once the engine turns on, sometimes not. Once started the vehicle is driveable but the airbag warning light is illuminated,…
ODI 10730955
Electrical System
2012 volkswagen jetta. Consumer writes in regards to key stuck in the ignition. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle could not be turned off. A mechanic un-plugged a wire. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer. *jb
ODI 10723987
Electrical System
Cannot shut engine off. Cannot remove ignition key. *tr
ODI 10705750
Electrical System · Engine
Upon returning home on sunday 12/21 at 3 pm, smoke was coming from our garage. We opened the garage door to discovery my car on fire and a garage full of smoke. We called 911 and requested fire assistance. We then proceeded to extinguish the fire using 5 commercial size fire extinguishers. The fire department arrived and extinguished the flames and dragged the car from the garage. The car had not been driven for…
Fire reported
ODI 10670597
Electrical System
On several occasions the ignition will not turn off. The key is stuck in the on position and can not be removed. On one occasion it took over 7 minutes to remove the key. This may not seem like a long time, but sit in your car after parking then time 7 minutes and you'll see how frustrating this is!
ODI 10743600
Electrical System
The horn on this vehicle becomes unresponsive at times. When it does work, the horn tone is very low and is difficult to hear. This could be a safety issue. It also concerns me since an operational horn is needed to pass the state safety inspection. I have not taken it to the dealership yet for repair, but a quick internet search, i have confirmed this is far too common problem on newer model jetta's. *tr
ODI 10659875