2013 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 36 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is fuel/propulsion system (22% of complaints).
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 36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I had lost power driving over the grapevine on Highway and then recently I had difficulty putting vehicle in gear and it would make a loud noise. Independent service center confirmed that the TCM was faulty.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2025
“It seems that my vehicle's clock spring has broken. There is already a warranty issue with this part. However, my local service center cannot get my vehicle in for 5 weeks. How is it acceptable for me to drive a vehicle for 5 weeks without a working airbag and horn?”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2024
“Twice since hitting 50k miles, my high pressure fuel pump has failed, resulting in complete and sudden loss of power midst driving. VW says that it is a warranty issue, but, has no real guidance or promise that it will be fixed. I DO NOT feel comfortable driving the vehicle until we know WHY this issue is happening and how to fix.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Sep 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“Airbags failed to deploy during severe front impact crash. Car is supposed to be picked up from body shop by my insurance company tomorrow Thursday 4/13/2023. Don't know if it would be available for inspection after that day. Driver safety was at risk without airbag deployment. Problem was confirmed by auto body shop which is a "service First" body shop for my insurance carrier. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I was told by body shop that the wire to the airbags was disconnected from the airbags and that was the reason for the failure to deploy the airbags.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2023
“Loss of sudden fuel pressure, Loss of Acceleration,Car shut off while driving.Car would not start again Vehicle unsafe to drive.Check engine light on Glow plug light on.P0087 code low fuel pressure caused by Catastrophic fuel pump Failure Fuel pump fails on these Diesel vehicles requiring to have all of the fuel system to be replaced VW quoted price $9377.13 almost there Price of another used Car”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Dec 2022
“Fuel pressure Malfunction Vw poorly designed the fuel pump When the fuel pump goes out it Shoots Metal shavings into the whole Fuel System Causing the car to lose Fuel Pressure and causing the car to Shut off.Had the Car towed into VW and they told me the whole fuel system hd to be repaired at my expense at an estimate of $9000.Vehicle speed Dropped Drastically I had no acceleration and Car ended up shutting off in trafficc”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Dec 2022
“I received an "Error: Airbag" message on my car so I brought it to the dealership on 09/15/2022. According to Schmelz Volkswagen, it is the PODS Module (passenger occupancy detection system) and that VW no longer makes this part nor provides a way to fix it and there isn't anything they can do. I am driving a vehicle that the airbag system will NOT deploy if I am in an accident. I have reached out to various mechanics on what to do and no one is able to give me an answer without this part. Seems very reckless to no longer make a part for a safety feature and I am unsure what to do. My car is basically not worth anything now so I can't get rid of it, not that I want to if I can fix it.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2022
“clock spring / clock part: 5k0953569al Air Bag light is on... steering click.... dealer says parts are nowhere to be found as there are over 5000 back orders right now.. I am not a rich person... what do we do? I am afraid to drive it.”Owner report · Steering · Mar 2022
“This is on recall and on backorder. They are calling it an extended warranty? What is going on as I drive this car with no clock spring and a defective airbag? I was told by the dealer that the part is ordered and it is a recall. I paid for the diagnosis and this was supposed to be covered later by a VW dealer, but I had no choice and needed to find out. My clock spring is bad and my air bag light remains on.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2022
“The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagen. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, it was discovered that fuel was leaking from the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the fuel tank coupler located between the fuel tank and exhaust pipe had failed to cause the fuel tank to leak fuel. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Jun 2021
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 0 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
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 2013 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 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen reliable?
NHTSA has 36 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen. The most complained-about area is fuel/propulsion system (22% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 82,250 miles or less.
Does the 2013 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.