2018 Volkswagen Jetta: What to check before buying

A passenger airbag warning light comes on and stays lit, sometimes after a bump and sometimes with no trigger. Several reports point to the seat sensor that detects a passenger: it fails to register a child, or it chimes for a phone left on the seat, mostly in cold weather. Another pattern ties an airbag error on the dash to a dead horn, cruise control, and steering wheel buttons, plus a noise from the steering column in turns. In the one crash-related report, the side airbags deployed but were found torn afterward.

Fuel leaking from the engine compartment is the main problem. Drivers report a strong fuel smell, warning lights at startup, stalling, and puddles of fuel under the fuel rail. One repair found the fuel rail loose and leaking at the #4 injector, with one retaining bolt broken and another loose. A raw fuel leak in the engine bay is a serious safety concern. A separate complaint describes a loud popping or clicking near the exhaust when accelerating or lifting off the gas.

Hard starts and sudden loss of power while driving recur in these reports. The car fails to start on the first try, then loses power on the road and comes back after a restart. Erratic infotainment behavior and several warning lights come along with it. In another case the car would not start, smelled of fuel, and leaked fluid. A dealer found a leaking fuel rail at 51,723 miles, the same fuel rail leak reported under other categories.

Transmission trouble leads this group. In the most serious case the car would not move in Drive at about 40,000 miles, with an ESC code on the dash, and the transmission was replaced under warranty. Other reports describe a hard pop into gear when shifting from Reverse to Drive, and a grinding or scraping noise with some loss of power at 28 to 30 mph. A key that gets stuck in the ignition, leaving the driver stranded, also appears here.

Fuel gushing from under the car and an oil leak with engine noise are the two failures reported. The fuel leak traces back to faulty fuel rails, and the owner had to pay for the repair because records said the work had already been done before they bought the car. The oil leak came from cam phaser cover bolts that had worked loose, with no warning light. A mechanic warned that bolts loosening further could cause serious timing and engine damage.

Two different failures appear. The ignition switch and cylinder wear out: the key will not come out, and at around 50,000 miles one driver struggles for 10 to 20 minutes each time to remove it. The other is a sudden stall at different speeds with no warning. The car will not restart, the battery and EPC lights stay on, and the mechanic could not find an exact cause. Stalling in traffic is a real loss-of-control risk.