Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Jetta vehicles. The transmission ground wire may not have been properly connected during assembly, causing an open electrical circuit.
Risk: An open circuit may draw a higher current and increase the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair transmission ground wire as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97TC. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 13, 2026.
NHTSA listing: JETTA. Volkswagen campaign 97TC.
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 6 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Jetta. Below, they are sorted by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Electrical system3 · 50%
Forward collision avoidance2 · 33%
Engine1 · 17%
Exterior lighting1 · 17%
Steering1 · 17%
Unknown or other2 · 33%
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 2026 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).
Owner complaints
2026: 6 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
2026: 1 recallTap 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 N/A FWD
Rollover risk 13.0%
VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLI 4 DR N/A FWD
Rollover risk 13.0%
Questions
What are the most common 2026 Jetta problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: electrical system (3), forward collision avoidance (2), engine (1). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2026 Volkswagen Jetta safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2026 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.