NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 52 owner complaints for the 2020 Volkswagen Jetta.
6Safety recalls
52Owner complaints
1Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: fuel system, electrical system, tires, air bags, and 2 more. Most-described problem: stalling or shutting off while driving (6 complaints, 12%). Most-reported area: electrical system (17 complaints, 33%).
6 safety recalls for the 2020 Volkswagen Jetta
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain front-wheel drive 2015-2020 Audi A3 Sedan, 2015-2019 Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, 2018 Golf Sportwagen GP, 2018-2019 Golf Sportwagen A7, 2015-2017 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2020 Golf GTI, and 2015-2020 Golf A7 vehicles. Due to a problem with a suction jet pump seal inside the fuel tank, fuel may flow into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) system and possibly leak out of the charcoal canister.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the suction pump, free of charge. Final owner notification letters for Audi owners were mailed on July 25, 2024. Final owner letters for VW owners were mailed on August 13, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are VW: 20UF/Audi: 20YF. Vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V-647 will need to have the new remedy completed. This recall expands and replaces previous recall number 16V-647.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Golf, Golf Alltrack, Golf Sportwagen, 2019-2020 Golf GTI, and Jetta vehicles equipped with a conventional ignition switch. The ignition switch may fail, especially in high temperature environments.
Risk: Ignition switch failure can cause the electrical system to shut down and the engine to stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 1, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 28H7.
NHTSA listing: JETTA. Volkswagen campaign 28H7.
Tires
Oct 31, 2022
pressure monitoring and regulating systems
Fails federal standard 138 (tire pressure monitoring)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan LWB, Golf Sportswagen A7, Golf Alltrack, Golf R GP, Audi Q3, Audi A3 Cabriolet, 2019-2020 Jetta NF, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Atlas, Golf A7, Audi A3, 2020-2021 Atlas Cross Sport, and 2021 Atlas FL vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system may not detect an air pressure loss in adequate time when deflating occurs among all four tires simultaneously. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Risk: An undetected sudden loss of pressure in all four tires increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will update the TPMS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audis customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Audi) 45J7, and (VW) 45J6 and 45J8.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Jetta and Jetta GLI vehicles. The air bag control module was welded in the incorrect position.
Risk: Incorrect positioning of the air bag control module can cause the vehicle's air bags to deploy improperly during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, the vehicle's air bags can deploy unintentionally, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 28, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69CK.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen ) is recalling certain 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI and Tiguan and Audi Q5 and SQ5 and 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles. Parts of the front seat frame and backrest adjuster may not have been welded properly.
Risk: In the event of a rear-end crash, the backrest adjustment could break, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and, as necessary, replace the seatback frames, free of charge. The recall began September 11, 2020. Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at 1-888-241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling one 2020 Jetta vehicle. The front brake caliper bolts may come loose.
Risk: If a brake caliper bolt comes loose, it may affect the vehicle's brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Volkswagen will notify the owner, and a dealer will replace all four front brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began July 1, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 47Q2.
NHTSA listing: JETTA. Volkswagen campaign 47Q2.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
Owners have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Jetta. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Stalling or shutting off while driving6 · 12%
Check engine light5 · 10%
Shattered sunroof5 · 10%
Auto start-stop problems3 · 6%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Electrical system17 · 33%
Engine12 · 23%
Brakes7 · 13%
Powertrain7 · 13%
Fuel and propulsion system5 · 10%
Speed control3 · 6%
Steering3 · 6%
Unknown or other13 · 25%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Volkswagen Jetta recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2020 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Jetta drew the most (288) and the 2020 drew 21.
Owner complaints
2020: 52 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Volkswagen Jetta
Model year
Complaints
2016
164
2017
159
2018
31
2019
548
2020
52
2021
69
2022
43
2023
43
2024
43
2025
28
2026
6
Safety recalls
2020: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Volkswagen Jetta
Model year
Recalls
2016
4
2017
6
2018
2
2019
11
2020
6
2021
4
2022
1
2023
0
2024
0
2025
2
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Volkswagen Jetta 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 13.1%
Volkswagen Jetta GLI 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 13.1%
Questions
What are the most common 2020 Jetta problems?
In the 52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Volkswagen Jetta, the problems described most are stalling or shutting off while driving (6), the check engine light coming on (5), and a shattered sunroof (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2020 Volkswagen Jetta safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Volkswagen Jetta earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Jetta has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Volkswagen dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: JETTA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.