2023 Volkswagen Jetta

Showing the 2023 Jetta SE. EPA's version Jetta Sport/SE/SEL shows it with a 1.5 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
33–35 mpgcombined; city 29–31, highway 40–42; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$9,280–$9,840U.S. average; Ohio $8,290–$8,790 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
43filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2023 Jetta. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 43 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Jetta. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine11000
Service brakes10000
Unknown or other10000
Electrical system9000
Forward collision avoidance5100
Fuel/propulsion system3000
Vehicle speed control3000
Lane departure2000
Power train2000
Air bags1100
Back over prevention1000
Engine and engine cooling1000
4 more parts
Service brakes, hydraulic1000
Steering1000
Structure1000
Suspension1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2006580
  2. 2007201
  3. 2008190
  4. 2009905
  5. 2010875
  6. 2011640
  7. 2012527
  8. 2013632
  9. 2014441
  10. 2015197
  11. 2016164
  12. 2017160
  13. 201831
  14. 2019549
  15. 202054
  16. 202169
  17. 202243
  18. 202343
  19. 202445
  20. 202530
  21. 20266

Every Jetta year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2023 Jetta. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 348 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2023 Jetta, the latest on Sep 30, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: electrical system (78), unknown or other (75), engine and engine cooling (67), engine (55), equipment (47).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2023 Jetta.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2023 Volkswagen Jettas for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: compact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Jetta
Front-Wheel Drive		1.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Regular Gasoline31 / 41 / 35
Jetta
Front-Wheel Drive		1.5 L, 4 cyl, turboManual 6-spdRegular Gasoline29 / 42 / 34
Jetta Sport/SE/SEL
Front-Wheel Drive		1.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (S8)Regular Gasoline29 / 40 / 33

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data