Total Complaints
21 filings
Volkswagen Jetta · model year
21 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The verdict
The 1987 Volkswagen Jetta posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
The 1987VolkswagenJetta carries 21 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 1 fire, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1987 Jetta is visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system:heater core with 3 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump (2) and seat belts:front:retractor (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 1987 Jetta, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
Total Complaints
21 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE | 3 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT | 1 |
OXYGEN SENSOR NEEDED ON A 5-SPEED JETTA WITH GASOLINE ENGINE.-----DIMS 11 IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS-------769740. *AK
FUEL PUMP INSIDE OF GAS TANK GETS HOT IT AND QUITS. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK THE MANUFACTURER ISSUED RECALL ON FUEL PUMP PROBLEM AND REPAIR WAS DONE. *YH
CONSUMER STATES THE HEATER CORE EXPLODED WHILE SITTING IN A DRIVE-THRU, ANTIFREEZE LEAKED THROUGH THE VENTS AND RADIO COMPARTMENT ONTO THE FLOOR WITH PASSENGERS IN VEHICLE, ONE PERSON WAS BURNT WITH RADIATOR FLUID, RADIO SHORTED. *SLC
WHILE CONSUMER WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND TIRED TO STEP ON GAS TO GO, RADIATOR EXPLODED, AND THROUGH RADIATOR WATER ENTERED INTO VEHICLE BURNING PASSENGER, AND FLOODING VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER COULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT PART OF RECALL NUMBER 92V050000.*AK
WHILE CONSUMER WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND TIRED TO STEP ON GAS TO GO, RADIATOR EXPLODED, AND THROUGH RADIATOR WATER ENTERED INTO VEHICLE BURNING PASSENGER, AND FLOODING VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER COULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT PART OF RECALL NUMBER 92V050000.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH, LOWER BALL JOINT BROKE, WHEEL CAME OFF, TIE ROD SNAPPED IN HALF, VEHICLE ROLLED 3 OR 4 TIMES. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH, LOWER BALL JOINT BROKE, WHEEL CAME OFF, TIE ROD SNAPPED IN HALF, VEHICLE ROLLED 3 OR 4 TIMES. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. *AK
THE DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS FREQUENTLY STICK, AND EVENTUALLY BREAK, ESPECIALLY WHEN EXPOSED TO COLD WEATHER. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET INTO THE CAR FROM THE OUTSIDE, THOUGH THE INTERIOR MECHANISMS FOR THE DOOR LATCHES USUALLY WORK WELL.
POWER WENT OFF/ LIGHTS/ENGINE FAILED AT 65 MPH ON HWY FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS. THEN CAME BACK ON AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED. NEVER DID IT SINCE. NOT SURE WHAT FAILED, BUT IT WAS SCARY. *AK
WHILE BACKING UP THE VEHICLE ON A HILL AREA THE LOWER CONTROL ARM CRACKED AT ONE POINT, CAUSING THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL TO MOVE AROUND FREELY. VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS INCIDENT. THE OWNER CORRECTED THE PROBLEM HIMSELF. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL GOES MOST OF THE WAY DOWN AND THE VEHICLE DOES NOT STOP UNTIL IT IS PRESSED FOR THE SECOND TIME. MECHANIC SAID NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT. *AK
DRIVING 25MPH VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 45MPH APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH BOTH FEET AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. IN ORDER TO STOP, THE GEARS WERE SWITCHED SEVERAL TIMES AND THEN TOOK THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.
WHILE DRIVING THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBACK BROKE, CAUSING THE SEAT TO FALL BACKWARDS. *AK
BRACKET HOLDING ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TOGETHER BROKE, DUE TO BEING MADE OF ALUMINUM, CAUSING FAILURE OF VEHICLES FINAL DRIVE. *DSH
THE FUEL SYSTEM HAS A VAPOR FORMING WHICH HAPPENS IN HOT WEATHER OR HEAVY TRAFFIC AND CAUSES THE CAR TO SHUT OFF. TT CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 87V053 REGARDING A FAULTY FUEL PUMP, OVER THE YEARS AFTER REPAIR, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HESITATION AND STALLING IN HOT CONDITIONS OR HEAVY TRAFFIC, CONSUMER STATES PRIOR TO HESITATION OR STALLING, FUEL PUMP WOULD MAKE A HUMMING NOISE. *SLC
THE FUEL SYSTEM HAS A VAPOR FORMING WHICH HAPPENS IN HOT WEATHER OR HEAVY TRAFFIC AND CAUSES THE CAR TO SHUT OFF. TT CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 87V053 REGARDING A FAULTY FUEL PUMP, OVER THE YEARS AFTER REPAIR, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HESITATION AND STALLING IN HOT CONDITIONS OR HEAVY TRAFFIC, CONSUMER STATES PRIOR TO HESITATION OR STALLING, FUEL PUMP WOULD MAKE A HUMMING NOISE. *SLC
WINDSHIELD HAS BECOME PITTED, CAUSING DIFFICULTY TO SEE THE ROAD. TT
ELECTRICAL FIRE, ORIGINATING AT FUSE BOX AND PRECEDED BY A CLICKING NOISE. *TW
SHOULDER BELT WILL STICK IN COLD WEATHER. DRIVER STATES MUST RIDE WITHOUT BELT UNTIL VEHICLE WARMS. TT
HEATER CORE BURST, CAUSING INJURY. *TW
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Inadvertent Door Opening
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
LGES High Voltage Battery Failures
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1987 Volkswagen Jetta; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.