1991 Volkswagen Jetta problems & reliability
31 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 Volkswagen Jetta. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1991 Volkswagen Jetta vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 7 | 23% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 16% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 13% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 10% |
| Power Train | 2 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 6% |
| Steering | 2 | 6% |
| Structure | 2 | 6% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Accelerator cable disconnected from the gas pedal while driving at 30 mph on city street. Pulled over to side of road as car died. Dangerous situation!”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jun 6, 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 1991 volkswagen jetta. While driving approximately 35 mph, the accelerator pedal independently disconnected. The contact was able to reconnect the pedal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vin and failure mileage were unknown…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed May 23, 2017
“I was driving on hw 87 in san jose ca. I was in the center lane when the left rear tire separated. A piece of the tire tread that had separated hit the parking brake cable and jammed the left rear parking brake on. This caused vehicle to spin out of control. The vehicle did a complete 180 degree turn, crossing the…”
Tires · filed Feb 25, 2013
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- REAR WHEEL SEPARATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE94068 · opened Sep 14, 1994 · closed Dec 30, 1994
- DETACHMENT OF BUMPER COVER
Engineering Analysis EA93008 · opened Mar 3, 1993 · closed Sep 17, 1993
- DETACHMENT OF BUMPER COVER
Preliminary Evaluation PE92089 · opened Dec 17, 1992 · closed Mar 3, 1993
Technical service bulletins
16 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1991 Volkswagen Jetta. The 10 most recent:
The part number listed in the document is to be returned if it meets the criteria provided.
SM 33-2019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 27, 2019
This special notice is to inform dealers to return all part numbers listed in the document and order the superseded part numbers going forward.
SM 44-2017 EN · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 28, 2017
VAS 6154 Replacement Part Setup Guide
VHW-17-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 22, 2017
This communication is to update our ProFi dealers of the current status of the latest inbound and outbound ProFi requests.
1-2017 Update · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2017
Update model year applicability to include 2017.
V691601 2010479 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 31, 2016
Airbag Issues.
Airbag · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 22, 2016
This document contains the VW Elsa Newsletter that contains a general overview of wiring diagrams updates, technical bulletins, pending service solutions, tech tips, campaigns, updates, and suggestions.
Elsa 6-29-15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 29, 2015
This document contains the VW Elsa Newsletter that contains a general overview of wiring diagrams updates, ElsaPro infomedia icons grayed out, workshop equipment tool storage application, technical bulletins, pending…
Elsa 6-22-15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 22, 2015
Jetta Bluetooth manual coding procedure.
Bluetooth · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 19, 2014
Perfect Delivery Inspection (PDI) - Technician and Detailer Inspections
PDITECHCHECKi · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 28, 2013
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1991 Volkswagen Jetta in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1991 Volkswagen Jetta?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.