The 1998 Volkswagen Jetta has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 497,095 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 253 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
EQUIPMENT03V1560002003-04-239,811 affected
Defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.8L VR6 ENGINES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THE RECOMMENDED COLD TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE PUBLISHED ON THE LABEL FOR TIRES OF THE SIZE 205/50 R15 86H IS 0.1 BAR (1.45 PSI) TOO LOW. IT…
Consequence
UNDER INFLATED TIRES CAN AFFECT VEHICLE HANDLING, AND DRIVING WITH SUBSTANTIALY UNDER INFLATED TIRES PUTS THE CONSUMER AT A RISK FOR A CRASH.
Remedy
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH CORRECTED LABELS, OR A DEALER CAN INSTALL THE LABEL IF THE OWNER WISHES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 29, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT VW AT…
ON SOME PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL TANK FILLER NECK CAN SUFFER ABRASION DAMAGE IF THE REAR TIRE GOES FLAT AND THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN UNTIL THE TIRE DISINTEGRATES.
Consequence
FUEL LEAKAGE CAN OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL FIT PASSAT VEHICLES WITH A NEW WHEEL HOUSE LINER THAT WILL BETTER PROTECT THE CAR'S FILLER NECK. JETTA VEHICLES WILL BE FITTED WITH A DIFFERENT METAL SHIELD DESIGNED TO ENHANCE ABRASION PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF TIRE DISINTEGRATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 13, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR…
Complaints by component
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
33
TIRES
13
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
8
1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
7
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
7
1fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
5
4crashes6injuries
Total complaints253
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Airbag warning light on”
“The vehicles' anti theft had went haywire. Went to start, beep sound went off. Then was locked inside car. With the alarm going off. Was only able to exit vehicle by having passerby unhook battery, while I held the unlock button. This was over 2 weeks ago. When hooking battery back up, the alarm…”
“The vehicles' anti theft had went haywire. Went to start, beep sound went off. Then was locked inside car. With the alarm going off. Was only able to exit vehicle by having passerby unhook battery, while I held the unlock button. This was over 2 weeks ago. When hooking battery back up, the alarm…”
“To yo proxies four inner im assuming tire bands? Failed causing a bulge on the iner part of my passenger side front tire. Never struck any object I was just driving and started to notice a wobble I thought it was a front end issue so didn't check tire but had front end looked at and tire still…”
“Late in april, 2013 I installed a passenger side control arm on a 1998 vw jetta tdi. The control arm was purchased from autozone ( their part # 520-782) as an assembly with the ball joint installed. The car ran fine for about 2 weeks. Then while driving it began pulling to the right. On…”
“Late in april, 2013 I installed a passenger side control arm on a 1998 vw jetta tdi. The control arm was purchased from autozone ( their part # 520-782) as an assembly with the ball joint installed. The car ran fine for about 2 weeks. Then while driving it began pulling to the right. On…”
“I have been trapped inside the front seat of this vehicle. Both front doors will occasionally not open from inside or outside the car, even with the doors unlocked. This is an intermittent and unpredictable problem that I feel is quite dangerous. These vehicles should have been recalled and had…”
“I have been trapped inside the front seat of this vehicle. Both front doors will occasionally not open from inside or outside the car, even with the doors unlocked. This is an intermittent and unpredictable problem that I feel is quite dangerous. These vehicles should have been recalled and had…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA00028 Opened 2000-12-28 · closed 2002-01-29
FUEL TANK PUNCTURE
InvestigationPE00033 Opened 2000-08-10 · closed 2000-12-28
FUEL TANK PUNCTURE
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION ON AUGUST 10, 2000 BASED ON 9 REPORTS REGARDING PUNCTURED FUEL TANKS INVOLVING THE JETTA, PASSAT, AND CABRIO MODELS.THE REPORTS INDICATE ADDITIONAL REPORTS IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED FOR FURTHER STUDY.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Volkswagen Jetta as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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