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2013 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen: True Cost, Problems & Verdict

543 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.

Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
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Owner complaints: 543 filed with NHTSA

Complaints per year on the road: 41.77

Electrical System152Power Train142Engine116Unknown Or Other100Fuel/Propulsion System41Steering37

What owners say

Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.

I had lost power driving over the grapevine on Highway and then recently I had difficulty putting vehicle in gear and it would make a loud noise. Independent service center confirmed that the TCM was faulty.
The car has turned off at idle and at low speeds, almost causing accidents and to be rear ended in busy streets and during stop and go traffic on the highway. After numerous mechanic diagnostics at both Volkswagen Dealership service departments and third party mechanic shops, no one seems to be able to give me an answer or condition to what is causing the problem. With no error codes being brought up nor any other un…
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that whenever the temperature fell below 20 degrees, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact stated that the Body Control Module (BCM) had previously been replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the Body Control Module (BCM) needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was n…

Recalls: 1 campaigns (1 severe)

2016
CampaignComponentSummary
16V078000Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator MoVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Golf, 2007-2010 Passat sedans and wagon, 2012-2014 …

True cost of ownership

EPA combined 32 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,500

Fuel (your region) $2,500
Maintenance band (your region) $0$1,511
Estimated running cost this year (age 13) $4,011

Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.

02468101214$4,381vehicle age (years)
fuel/energy + maintenance band (annual, USD, estimate)

Run your own numbers in the true-cost calculator →

FAQ

What is the most common problem with the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen?

The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (152 complaints in our indexed sample).

Is the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen a good used car to buy?

Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 34/100, computed from 543 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.

Does the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 10/02/2016. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.

What will a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen really cost YOU per year?

Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.

Open the true-cost calculator

Data sources

Complaints & recalls: NHTSA · Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov · Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements. Last updated: 2026-08-20.

34RELIABILITY / 100
AVOID
  • 543 NHTSA complaints on record (41.8/yr of exposure)
  • 1 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems

How this score is computed →

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