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2016 Volkswagen Jetta

HybridGas
Compact Cars
7 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
54 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls2 critical4
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA164
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA44 mpg
202720262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Volkswagen Jetta is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas compact car with 7 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Jetta Hybrid, is EPA-rated at 44 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 164 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Jetta HybridHybridFWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo + 220V Li-Ion424844$1,750
JettaGasFWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo284033$1,900
JettaGasFWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo283932$1,950
JettaGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl turbo253529$2,150
JettaGasFWD1.8L 4-cyl turbo253629$2,150
JettaGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo243327$2,300
JettaGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233327$2,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36821, 37074, 36822, 36674, 36741, 36677, 36678.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Volkswagen Jetta is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (4)

Source: NHTSA recall database
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

24Gi
218,192 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Jetta vehicles. The fuel rail bolts may become loose over time, allowing fuel to leak.RiskA fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.FixVolkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rail bolts and, as necessary, the fuel rail. The recall began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 24Gi.
NHTSA campaign 20V648000reported Oct 21, 2020Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Steering

37M2
679,027 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmission shift lever is not in "Park."RiskRemoving the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.FixVolkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.
NHTSA campaign 19V615000reported Aug 22, 2019Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

15F7
55 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jetta vehicles manufactured October 31, 2015, to January 21, 2016, 2016 Passat vehicles, equipped with 1.8T engines manufactured November 13, 2015, to December 9, 2015, and 2016 Golf vehicles manufactured November 5, 2015, to November 11, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head and result in a fuel leak.RiskA fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, can result in a vehicle fire.FixVolkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the cylinder heads, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 15F7.
NHTSA campaign 16V403000reported Jun 6, 2016Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

23R1
91,867 vehicles
ProblemVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.RiskIf the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.FixVolkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
NHTSA campaign 15V705000reported Oct 26, 2015Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
164complaints filed

18 involved a crash · 5 a fire · 14 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2015: 1 · 2016: 7 · 2017: 15 · 2018: 18 · 2019: 32 · 2020: 24 · 2021: 19 · 2022: 11 · 2023: 16 · 2024: 9 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 4

Most-cited components

Engine44
Electrical System38
Unspecified35
Fuel/Propulsion System28
Power Train22
Service Brakes22

What owners describe

“The vehicle lost it's ability to shift into gear and accelerate on a busy road, almost causing a collision. Pulled over and it failed to shift into any gears, (as if it was in neutral with a higher engine RPM). According to the technician at the Volkswagon dealership it was a complete internal failure of the transmissi…”Sep 27, 2022 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report
“My car went into limp mode and smelled heavily of gas I went to a garage to have it checked out and they told me there diagnostic said it was fuel rail.”Sep 5, 2022 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“I brought my car in for the 60k service and the check engine light had just turned on. After being told they had to run a diagnostic and keep my car for several days, the dealership came back with "it had a fault for a purge valve. Tested the purge valve with a vacuum tester and found it would not hold a vacuum." I was…”Aug 4, 2022 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%
4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Compare the 2016 Jetta with

2016 Honda Civic →

Other Jetta model years

A

2027 Volkswagen Jetta

0 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2026 Volkswagen Jetta

1 recalls · 5 complaints

C

2025 Volkswagen Jetta

2 recalls · 28 complaints

A

2024 Volkswagen Jetta

0 recalls · 43 complaints

A

2023 Volkswagen Jetta

0 recalls · 43 complaints

A

2022 Volkswagen Jetta

1 recalls · 42 complaints

C

2021 Volkswagen Jetta

4 recalls · 67 complaints

F

2020 Volkswagen Jetta

6 recalls · 51 complaints

F

2019 Volkswagen Jetta

11 recalls · 545 complaints

C

2018 Volkswagen Jetta

2 recalls · 31 complaints

F

2017 Volkswagen Jetta

6 recalls · 159 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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