2007 Volkswagen Jetta: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 201 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes, hydraulic (17% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Sep 2020
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 201 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the failure could be duplicated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2025
“TPMS failure on each tire and ABS went out immediately. Was on he highway when failure happened; had to use the emergency run away truck ramp to stop. Break pads seized on back left side causing damage to rotor that was just replaced. Only thing that saved my life was it was in the middle of the night.”Owner report · Tires · Sep 2021
“I had a mass airflow sensor signal connection failure which caused morning of the second cylinder in a hole in the piston see you”Owner report · Engine · May 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2007 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the key failed to turn when placed into the ignition switch, causing the steering wheel to lock up. The vehicle was not yet taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.”Owner report · Steering · Sep 2020
“Strong fuel smell coming in from ac vents when car at a stop. Seen this car model was previously recalled for fuel smell in past. When driving off smell seems to go away since air seems to be flowing it out of engine bay. *tr”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jun 2020
“Door locks fail to lock. Front driver door will lock but all other doors do not lock. Alarm will sound off if door is opened but will only work for 1 minute then shut off. This has resulted in an auto burglary at my sons work place parking lot. It also poses a danger to children in back seat if door is opened while car is in motion. Safety is at issue when people in the vehicle need to prevent being car jacked or robbed as well. We have researched this issue and have found that there are thousands of complaints on this same issue. What is it going to take to have a recall issued on this vehicle to force the manufacturer to repair these vehicles?”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Dec 2019
“Transmission slips extremely badly even though it doesnt even have 90k miles almost makes it impossible to drive in city and is dangerous when needing to speed up and slow down. Transmission slips more when speeding up from slow speeds and will reach high rpms of 4700 even when not touching the gas but I have had it slip on the highway out of nowhere and it peaked at 7300 rpm when not touching the gas which is past the redline on the rpms. It happens almost every day I drive to work (20 minutes on the freeway) and shouldn't be happening with this low amount of miles.”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2019
“The vehicle caught fire in the engine bay by the front driver side headlamp. The low beam of the headlight kept going off and on prompting a broken headlight or headlamp bulb signal on dash board. After replacing the bulb the issue was not resolved it continued periodically for about one month . While driving I smelled burning plastic after which I noticed flames from the front driver side headlamp. I pulled over opened the hood noticing that the front driver side headlamp was melting and on fire. Within two minutes of pulling over the engine bay was completely melted . The fire spread to the interior ' melting it.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2019
“I've had to replace the headlights multiple times due to faulty electrical wiring inside the headlight unit that could have easily resulted in fires. Airbag fault hindering usage”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2019
“Had to replace both cooling fans on my 2007 vw wolfsburg jetta. Check engine light was on cand causing the engine to overheat. Causing the pressure relief lid on the overflow bottle to be activated causing coolant to come out. This would happen when the outside tem was 50+ degrees fahrenheit. Vehicle would be driving or idle.”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 14 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
Tenneco Automotive (Tenneco) is recalling certain Beck/Arnley Master Cylinders, part number 072-9831, sold as aftermarket or replacement parts for 2004-2018 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2012-2019 Volkswagen Beetle vehicles. The fluid seal crimp on the master cylinder may be insufficient, causing brake fluid to leak or the cylinder to come apart.
Remedy: Beck/Arnley will notify the distributors that sold the master cylinders and will work with the distributors to notify the end users. Affected master cylinders will be exchanged for a new master cylinder (part number 072-9990), free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2020. Owners may contact Tenneco customer service at 1-800-625-9319.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners and repurchase the affected vehicles. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D7. Note: This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 18V-329.
CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE HAD A REQUIRED CAP INSTALLED WHICH DISABLES THE HEADLIGHT HORIZONTAL AIM AND SOME VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN A CAP THAT DISABLES THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE LOW BEAM HORIZONTAL AIMING SCREW AND INSTALL ONE IF MISSING, AND INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW AND IF PRESENT, THE CAP WILL BE REMOVED. THE RECALL WILL BEGIN ON OCTOBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 25,594 MY 2006-2009 JETTA 5TH GENERATION EQUIPPED WITH 2.01 ENGINE. THE FASTENING SCREW CONTACT SURFACES ON THE DRIVESHAFT COVER PLATE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED TO FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS. SOME SCREWS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TORQUED PROPERLY DURING ASSEMBLY AND COULD LOOSEN OVER TIME, CAUSING A KNOCKING SOUND WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE DRIVESHAFT SCREWS COULD LOOSEN TO THE POINT WHERE THE DRIVESHAFT DETACHES FROM THE GEARBOX.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DRIVESHAFT SCREWS AND REPLACE THE SCREWS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 24, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
The Gates Corporation (Gates) is recalling certain aftermarket Tru-Flow Water Pumps, part number TFW 41127, sold at certain NAPA Auto Parts and/or installed by automotive service technicians after November 1, 2013 (and manufactured August 2013 through October 2013) that have a black-colored pulley/sprocket or do not have 'US9377' stamped on the water pump housing. These service replacement parts were sold for use in model year 1999-2005 Audi A4, 2000-2006 Audi TT, 1998-2005 Volkswagen Beetle, 1999-2006 Golf, 1999-2008 and 2011-2013 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2000-2005 Volkswagen Passat. In the affected water pumps, the pulley or sprocket that turns the timing belt may develop microfractures causing the timing belt to fail.
Remedy: Gates will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pump, free of charge. The recall began during May 2014. Owners may contact The Gates Corporation at 1-303-744-1911.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 JETTA, NEW BEETLE, NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, MODEL YEAR 2009 JETTA SPORTWAGEN AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 RABBIT VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5L ENGINES. THE JETTA, JETTA SPORTWAGEN, AND RABBIT VEHICLES MAY HAVE A SMALL PLASTIC TAB LOCATED ON THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID RESERVOIR THAT MAY CHAFE AGAINST AN UNDERHOOD FUEL SUPPLY LINE. THE NEW BEETLE AND THE NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A FASTENING CLAMP ON A HYDRAULIC HOSE OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM THAT MAY BE LOCATED IN AN IMPROPER POSITION WHICH COULD CAUSE CHAFING AGAINST AN UNDERHOOD FUEL SUPPLY LINE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE UNDERHOOD FUEL LINE. ADDITIONALLY, DEPENDING ON THE VEHICLE MODEL, DEALERS WILL EITHER REMOVE THE PLASTIC TAB FROM THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID RESERVOIR, OR INSPECT THE POSITION OF THE FASTENING CLAMP AND ADJUST THE RELATED FASTENING CLAMP INTO THE CORRECT POSITION. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 31, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
How other years compare
Check your exact Jetta 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 2007 Volkswagen Jetta reliable?
NHTSA has 201 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2007 Volkswagen Jetta. The most complained-about area is service brakes, hydraulic (17% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2007 Volkswagen Jetta problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 59,500 miles or less.
Does the 2007 Volkswagen Jetta have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinder. 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.