Problems · by component
2015 Volkswagen Jetta engine problems
43 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2015 Volkswagen Jetta cite engine, 22% of all 196 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
43
22% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Vehicle Information •Make / Model / Year: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T SE •VIN: [XXX] Recall Information (if known) •Camshaft recall: 23R1 (2016) •ECM software update: 24DR (2020) Description of Problem: My 2015 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T SE experiences loss of power while driving, where the engine RPM increases but the vehicle does not accelerate properly, especially when driving uphill. This creates an unsafe driving condition. The vehicle previously received recall repairs for the camshaft (23R1) and ECM software (24DR). Despite these recall repairs being completed, the same symptoms persist, indicating the recall may not have fully resolved the defect. I reported this issue to Volkswagen Customer CARE under case number [XXX], but the concern remains unresolved. I am filing this complaint to document that this is an ongoing safety concern, post-recall, that has not been resolved by Volkswagen. I request NHTSA to review this unresolved post-recall safety issue and ensure Volkswagen investigates whether the original recall repairs fully corrected the defect.”
“The turbocharger is out. I've had problems with coolant leaking. Mechanic pressurized tank, its fine. While parked coolant disappears, evaporates, idk..Nothing leaking on ground. Now smoke coming out of exhaust. Car has 56,000 miles.”
“I’ve been experiencing intermittent start failures with my 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The issue typically occurs after driving short distances, turning off the engine, and attempting to restart the vehicle within 15–45 minutes. The dashboard lights stay on, but the engine fails to crank. After extended wait times (1–3 hours or more), it will sometimes start again. A diagnostic scanner showed DTC IM 00, indicating an immobilizer system malfunction, meaning the car isn’t recognizing the key properly. I’ve tested both keys and various conditions (locked/unlocked, sun/shade, full/low gas tank), and the issue continues to be unpredictable. When the car was towed to the dealership, they were unable to replicate the problem since it started by the time they checked it, and they were unwilling to investigate the immobilizer issue without charging me for a wide range of unrelated tests. This is becoming a safety issue, especially if the vehicle stalls or won’t restart in isolated areas or during hot conditions. It is not acceptable for a known electronic security feature to randomly disable the vehicle from functioning.”
“My Volkswagen vehicle (Jetta Model 2015, MOdel 4DJSA, VIN [XXX] ) had a first event on [XXX] where the car suddenly stop in the middle of [XXX]. The car was taken to Volkswagen at Inver Grove and the cause was related to failure in a piston. The car was fixed without cost as it was covered by the guarantee of the vehicle. Again, around [XXX], the car again suddenly stopped working and needed to be thawed to Volkswagen at Inver Grove, the diagnosis done was extreme misfires on all cylinders that cause the car to die while in operation. The root cause was due to excessive oil inside the cylinder. In this occasion, the repair would not be covered under the guarantee and thus the option provided was to replace the motor at an estimated cost of $11,000 USD which is above the cost of the vehicle. It is important to notice that the car was routinely checked and serviced by Volkswagen at Inver Grove during the time we have owned the vehicle. There were not diagnostic tools that we could have to address this issue, to our knowledge there is nothing we did to cause this catastrophic failure. This recurrent incident could be likely a manufacturing issue and thus it is not…”
“My car has been recalled twice for a camshaft which is making a ticking noise inside still. I reached out to dealership and they said they can only handle the situation once they get approval from NHTSA. Please help me out with this issue. Below are the recall codes 23R1 - Camshaft 24DR - ECM Thankyou.”
“I purchased a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta from North Coast Auto Mall on March 19, 2023 and the following day several issues went wrong with the vehicle like: The car reeked of gasoline, oil and engine lights came on, driver side head light blew out. Also, I was told that the car had an inspection, come to find out they didn't do an inspection by North Coast Service manager, so they lied. Also, the reason for the gasoline smell is because the vehicle needs a fuel rack, oil pan, oil pressure switch, and a new headlight. Too many things are going wrong with this car in such a short period of time. It took North Coast two weeks to take my vehicle and they didn't want to give me a loaner car. Also, they have had my vehicle since March 28, 2023 and refuse to disclose of the reconditioning shop of my vehicle. They moved my car from Volkswagen Of Streetsboro to North Coast to another undisclosed location that they won't disclose. Lastly, the car was unsafe for me and my special needs son. He couldn't even ride in my car due to the bad gasoline fumes and I had to ride with the windows down, and come to find out the car could have caught on fire or exploded.”
Showing 6 of 43 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.