2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 27 owner complaints on record; most reports concern suspension.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2016
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 27 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Cp4 high pressure fuel pump will self-destruct causing little pieces of metal to go throughout the fuel system and causing thousands in repair lots of manufacturers are doing recalls to this pump but nothing for Volkswagen I have contact the dealer no help if you go online thousands of people it's complaining about the CP4 high pressure fuel pump it has a design flaw from factory and needs to be corrected”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Sep 2024
“I was looking at the GMC Duramax diesel and it has the same problem as the Volkswagen Jetta TDI fuel pump failure due to American Diesel in the pump is designed for foreign diesel which is very expensive to repair can we please have some help with this where they can come out with a replacement pump that can resist American diesel”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2024
“The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagon Jetta Sportwagen. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal became inoperable and the vehicle did not accelerate. The engine and power steering had failed. The glow plug warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the high-pressure fuel pump which sent metal shards through the fuel line. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.”Owner report · Engine · Oct 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“Volkswagen knows they have a problem with their ABS module but refuse to correct it. This has been going on for years. Codes: 01130 ABS operation not a plausible signal. They need to recall!!!”Owner report · Service Brakes · Apr 2021
“Per dealer vehicle has non-functioning horn and high-beam headlights apparently due to clock spring failure. In addition, water instruction (of as yet unknown origin) has rusted brake, steering, and dash components. Tdi recall/repair/sale and was last perhaps last sold by and serviced at vw dealer 08/2020.”Owner report · Steering · Dec 2020
“2012 vw jetta wagon that was purchased new and always housed in a garage until february 2020. Water leaked into car interior carpet and spare tire well. Never received any notification of recall due to sunroof leaking. Repair was $900 out of my pocket”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2020
“I had to have all four springs replaced because they were broken. I've seen many complaints about the same problem. This is a known problem with vw. Why are they not addressing this? The car had about 89 thousand miles on it.”Owner report · Suspension · Jul 2020
“Broken left front & left rear coil springs. I don't believe this was created by running over anything. Service associate blamed it on rust due to snow, ice, debris build up. Hard to believe a coil spring will rust through in 8yrs. It appears vw has had other issues with coil springs on vehicles. I checked with an independent mechanic & he agreed they were broken. Front wheels are out of alignment & squeal when lightly pressing on brake. Car can't be aligned until repair is made. *tr”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2020
“I noticed my car has been cutting out and not having power when driving down a freeway. Ill put the pedal down it didnt move. I noticed my stereo started kind of flashing as well. I figured maybe it was electrical so I started looking around and I opened up my trunk and it was 4 inches of water where my spare tire is. Then I started looking around where my panoramic sunroof is and there's a huge spots of water that's wet. They did not disclose this to me when I purchase the car and I asked them if there was any problems of leaking. I think it's messing up my electrical system and my power. I felt very unsafe when I wasn't able to accelerate in the middle of traffic.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jan 2020
“When moving from stop, transmission takes a second to engage. This is dangerous because when trying to take a turn from stop, hesitation could lead to serious accident. Engage 1st gear.”Owner report · Power Train · May 2019
Recalls - 1 campaign
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 Passat sedan and Eos, 2009-2014 CC, 2009-2012 Audi Q5, 2010-2012 S5 Cabriolet and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. Volkswagen issued an interim notification to owners on April 12, 2016, and will send a second notification when parts are available. Volkswagen will notify owners again once parts are available. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2012 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Jetta Sportwagen by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen reliable?
NHTSA has 27 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen. The most complained-about area is suspension.
Does the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.