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2003 Volkswagen Jetta Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 456 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta, most often about the seats (22% of complaints, typically around 54,500 miles). It is 10th of 27 Jetta model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.

Complaints456
Recalls2
Crashes reported25
Fires reported70
Injuries reported851 death reported

Most common 2003 Volkswagen Jetta problems

  1. Seats

    100 complaints · 22%

    Half of these problems showed up before 54,500 miles. Parts named most often: front assembly.

    Drivers side heat seater failed about 2 months ago. It got hotter than normal when on setting #3, I turned it off, and from that point on it didn't work. Two days ago, I had the drivers side seat heater replaced at the kaiserslautern, germany vw dealership. While driving home from work, the seat became extremely hot…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 54,500 miles
    A hole was burnt into my velour driver seat from the seat heater on my 2003 diesel Jetta. I cannot use the seat heater as it continues to produce a burning smell when the heat is turned on.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 55,000 miles

  2. Electrical

    97 complaints · 21%

    Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring, instrument cluster/panel, 12v/24v/48v battery.

    Ignition coil failed, was told the o2 sensor was bad and needed new spark plugs, I had just replaced the spark plugs 5 days earlier, they only had 11 miles on them, so it cannot be spark plugs, question whether the o2 is truly bad, having ignition coil replaced but was unable to tell whether the catalytic converter is…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 78,203 miles
    Tl contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The vehicle has a fuse box that is under the hood located on top of the battery. The 150 amp fuse is for the alternator; however, the fuse itself is getting hot enough to melt the box. The dealer stated that there are no existing recalls; however, they have seen this failure…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2009, at 79,000 miles

  3. Air bags

    77 complaints · 17%

    Half of these problems showed up before 38,500 miles. Parts named most often: side/window, frontal.

    1. Accident where the car was struck at 90deg between driver door and rear passenger door by pick up truck 2. Side impact airbags did not deploy 3. Dealer did not want to get involved, manufacturer ignored the issue, stating that the air bags do not deploy in all circumstances.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 39,500 miles
    : the contact stated while driving 60 MPH the passenger side and curtain airbags both deployed. After the deployment, the steering column locked and the vehicle was maneuvered to the emergency lane. The airbag light was not illuminated prior to deployment. The driver was the only occupant in the vehicle and was…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 37,922 miles

  4. Engine

    60 complaints · 13%

    Half of these problems showed up before 70,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.

    Vehicle being driven on a highway and motor "blew up". Towed to dealership and told that it was faulty turbo due to sludge in the turbo. Dealership denied any responsibility claiming it was owner's problem because synthetic oil was not used.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2005, at 70,000 miles
    While driving from pa to boston my car's engine broke down in what appears to be a common issue with the vw 1.8 liter turbo engines. The passat (from '98-'04) had an extended warranty on the issue because of this defect. I drive a '03 Jetta with vw's 1.8 turbo engine, but because it's not a passat the warranty was not…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 71,000 miles

  5. Transmission

    54 complaints · 12%

    Half of these problems showed up before 34,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, clutch assembly, manual transmission, driveline.

    : the contact stated while driving at 35 MPH on normal road condition problems were notice with the traction button for the esp system. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the black brake switch failed. The brake light switch has been replaced for the purple brake light switch twice. The black brake…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 33,969 miles
    Tl contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that she experienced premature clutch failure. The clutch was replaced at 34,000 miles. The current mileage is 34,489 and failure mileage was 34,000. Updated 09/17/07
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 34,000 miles

  6. Lights

    29 complaints · 6%

    Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles. Parts named most often: brake lights, headlights.

    : the contact stated while traveling 45 MPH, the rear brake lights stayed illuminated without depressing the brake pedal. There was a NHTSA recall #04v096000, regarding exterior lighting:brake lights:switch. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the year. Updated 08/1/07
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 63,180 miles
    Driving on the highway at night I noticed that my cruise control was inoperative. I researched the problem when I got home on a vw related website and found out that this was most likely due to a brake light switch located under the driver near the brake pedal. When the brake light switch is not working it causes the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 63,000 miles

  7. Brakes

    22 complaints · 5%

    Half of these problems showed up before 14,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, power assist.

    Vehicle was towed twice because the defect described in the ABS ecu recall 02v03100 occurred while driving. This vehicle was not includedin the recall due to model year and VIN.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 17,000 miles
    June 24th, while I was driving my four month old 2003 Jetta tdi on the the highway at a 70mph, the cruise control failed to engage. After the car had stopped and began moving again the cruise functioned properly. Two days later on june 26, 2003, while in lunch hour traffic-with a co-worker in the car the brakes…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2003, at 10,000 miles

  8. Visibility and wipers

    21 complaints · 5%

    Half of these problems showed up before 59,000 miles. Parts named most often: power window devices and controls, sun/moon roof assembly, glass, side/rear, defroster/defogger/hvac system.

    While trying to close the front passenger window, it stopped half way up and got stuck. After pushing the electric button to lower the window, it fell out of the track mechanism and into the door.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2007, at 59,018 miles
    I bought an 2003 vw Jetta wolfsberg on jan. 17th, 2007. I was driving on an interstate and hit a bump and the right passenger window fell into the door panel. I went to the dealer and they said they could fix but its out of warranty and I will be responsible for all charges. I called vw and they said there are no…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 58,900 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2003 Volkswagen Jetta recalls

  1. Air bags: inflator module

    NHTSA 18V406000 · June 13, 2018 · 2,564 vehicles

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began may 2, 2019. Owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69x3.

    Full defect summary

    Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain 2003 volkswagen passat sedan, jetta, jetta wagon, golf, eurovan, eurovan camper van and eurovan chassis vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

  2. Lights: switch

    NHTSA 07V063000 · February 20, 2007 · 1,002,000 vehicles

    Risk: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.

    Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on april 27, 2007, and will be conducted in several staggered mailings through september 21, 2007. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the VIN number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.

    Full defect summary

    On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

NHTSA defect investigations

Questions about the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta

What are the most common problems with the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta?
By NHTSA owner complaints: seats (100 complaints, typically around 54,500 miles); electrical (97 complaints, typically around 78,000 miles); air bags (77 complaints, typically around 38,500 miles).
How many recalls does the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta have?
2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 13, 2018 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
Is the 2003 a bad year for the Volkswagen Jetta?
It is 10th of 27 Jetta model years by number of complaints, with 456 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Volkswagen Jetta years

Volkswagen Jetta problems by year