There are 50 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2006 Volkswagen Jettain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
So it appears to be fine until about 30/45 mins drive time Then it starts shifting/slamming real hard and hesitates to shift in the next gear To the point where stopping and going isn’t an option or it slips After about 45 mins all the prnds lights turned on and did the same in manual mode.. I read someone it’s a valve body that leads to a faulty Tranny I’ve read almost 150 of the same exact accounts on here and Reddit With the same 2006 Vw Jetta 2.5 It’s too common of an issue Most of them were under 100k miles and never dealt with by the manufacturer Myself my car has roughly 168k miles and I’ve been working to fix it up I just got it a month or so ago And now I have to deal with this Honestly is sad that VW hasn’t been held accountable for an issue that is WAY TOO COMMON to not be their fault. I understand the car is almost 20 years old but a bunch of these accounts i were reading dated as far back as 2009 with 86k miles it’s a shame..
The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission shuddered without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.
I HAVE A 2006 JETTA THAT I JUST GOT FROM A FRIEND, THEY STATED THAT IT NEEDED SOME SENSORS LIKE THE MAF REPLACED. I SPENT THE 39.99 AND BOUGHT THE CARFAX REPORT AS WELL TO ENSURE IT WAS A GOOD CAR. EVERYTHING WAS GREAT UNTIL I DROVE IT FOR THE FIRST TIME LONGER THAN 20 OR 30 MINUTES. I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING WHEN IT GOT HOT AND THE GEARS NOT SHIFTING. AS I BEGAN TO LOOK UP THESE SYMPTOMS TO VERIFY WHAT THE ISSUE WAS I RAN INTO SOME VERY CONCERNING STATEMENTS. MULTIPLE SOURCES SAY THE CARS ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING BAD TRANSMISSIONS/ VALVE BODY ISSUES. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DRIVING 2006 VW JETTA 2.5 LITER AUTOMATIC CARS WERE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE HARD SHIFTING AND SLIPPING AND SOME WERE WORSE THAN THAT. MY CAR ONLY HAS 103,000 MILES ON IT AND MANY OF THESE OTHER VEHICLES WERE BETWEEN 75K AND 140K. HAVING TO HAVE ENTIRE TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES WHEN I'M ON THE HIGHWAY AND NOT NEEDING TO SWITCH GEARS BUT STOP AND GO TRAFFIC IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE IN. IT DISCOURAGES ME THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE AND A RECALL HAS NEVER BEEN ISSUED FOR IT. THERE IS NO WARRANTY ANYMORE . MULTIPLE MECHANICS HAVE LOOKED AT THE CAR AND IMMEDIATELY STATED THAT THE 09G VALVE COVER THAT VW USED WAS NOTORIOUS FOR THESE ISSUES AND THEY ARE STILL PRETTY COMMON. HTTPS://WWW.TRANSMISSIONREPAIRCOSTGUIDE.COM/VOLKSWAGEN-JETTA-TRANSMISSION-PROBLEMS/ HTTPS://M.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/VOLKSWAGEN/JETTA/2006/TRANSMISSION/TRANSMISSION_FAILURE.SHTML HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/IMPMDINGZOG HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/GLITVICEKFC HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/QEGQ0D2NMOM HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/5KVGSJAXATO HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/SCJ0FMNCNNM HTTPS://WWW.JETTAFORUMS.COM/FORUM/VOLKSWAGEN-JETTA-GENERAL-DISCUSSION/571-2006-JETTA-AUTOMATIC-TRANSMISSION-PROBLEMS.HTML#/TOPICS/571 HTTPS://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/VOLKSWAGEN/JETTA/TRANSMISSION-GEAR-SLIPPING-PROBLEMS.PHP. *TR
TRANSMISSION GOES INTO LIMP MODE ONCE VEHICLE REACHES NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. CODES ARE P1689 AND P0746. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE CAR WILL ONLY FUNCTION IN 2ND GEAR AND NOTHING ELSE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS ON INTERSTATES WHERE THE MINIMUM SPEED LIMIT CAN NOT BE REACHED. RESEARCHING ONLINE, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THE MECHATRONIC NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE JERKED VIOLENTLY AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO WALLACE VOLKSWAGEN OF JOHNSON CITY (3101 E OAKLAND AVE, JOHNSON CITY, TN 37601, (423) 952-0888) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.
TRANSMISSION NOR SHIFTING PROPERLY(AUTOMATIC). CREATES SAFETY ISSUES PARTICULARLY ON HIGHWAY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. DURING A ROUTINE INSPECTION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO PASS EMISSIONS INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE SIGNAL FROM THE ECU AND TRANSMISSION MODULE INDICATED THAT THERE WERE TWO PINS THAT WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. COLONIAL VOLKSWAGEN (89 TURNPIKE RD, WEST BOROUGH, MA) WAS CONTACTED REGARDING THE FAILURE, BUT THEY REFUSED TO ASSIST THE CONTACT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 163,000. *TT *TR
WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR SEEMINGLY POPS OUT OF GEAR (GOES FROM 50 MPH TO 10 MPH OR LESS WITH NO WARNING). IT WILL NOT ACCELERATE, EVEN WHEN PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. VERY UNSAFE! WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE (ONE WHICH VW RECALLED 2007-2010 MODELS FOR).
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING ON AN INCLINE, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD DOWNSHIFT. FURTHERMORE, THE BATTERY WOULD DRAIN OVERNIGHT AND THE VEHICLE WOULD FAIL TO START. THE CONTACT CALLED THE LEE SUMMIT VOLKSWAGEN DEALER (LOCATED IN LEE SUMMIT, MO, (816) 600-4224) WHERE AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.
DEFECTIVE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL SHOULD HAVE A SAFETY RECALL ALSO THE MECHATRONICS UNITS ARE FAILING AND CAUSING MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. DROPPING OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING, DROPPING INTO A LOWER GEAR WHILE DRIVING CAUSING MAJOR ISSUES AND VW KNOWS ABOUT IT! THEIR CLAIM IS THAT THERE IS NO RECALL SO NOTHING IS BEING DONE!!!!! PLEASE HELP, HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WHEN IN WARRANTY AND NOTHING WAS DONE. *TR
MY CAR HAS SOME SHIFTING PROBLEMS WHEN IN MOTION.MY CAR HAS A JERKING MOTION THAT IT DOES WHEN GOING INTO GEARS AND WHEN SLOWING DOWN ITS ROUGH GOING DOWN GEARS.
I HAVE TWO MAJOR SAFTEY PROBLEMS THAT COULD HAVE ENDED IN A FATALITY.FIRST MY TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WITHOUT A WARNING WHILE I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 75 MPH AND A 18 WHEELER WAS BEHIND ME THE CAR DROPT DOWN TO 40 MPH AND I ALMOST GOT REARENDED BY THE SEMI.I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILD.SECOND THING I PULLED OUT OF BURGERKING AND THE CAR HAS NO POWER AND ABOUT GOT TBONED AND THERES NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON.
TRANSMISSION HARD SHIFTING WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF VEHICLE START. LOUD CLUNK NOISE THRU 4 GEARS. CAR IN GARAGE. OST 50-75 DEGREES. AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON WITH WIRING EXTENSION COMPLETED.
I'VE GOT A 2006 JETTA, 2.0TDI WITH THE DSG, I PURCHASED 04-16-2016 FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. IT SEEMS AS IF EVERY TIME I STOPS AND TAKES IT OUT OF GEAR AND ATTEMPTS TO GO INTO REVERSE IT WON'T ENGAGE AND THE FLASH OF DEATH HAPPENS. HAS TO TURN THE CAR OFF/ON TO GET IT TO MOVE AGAIN. THIS IS A CLASSIC SAFETY HAZARD. I READ VOLKSWAGEN AND AUDI (FEW YEARS AGO) ARE RECALLING 16,000 VEHICLES BECAUSE OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS THAT MAKE THEM LOSE POWER -- OR COMPLETELY STALL -- OUT OF THE BLUE.
MY VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI 2006 GOT THE PRNDS FLASH OF DEATH, AND I FOUND OUT IT WAS THE MECHATRONIC UNIT WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 75MPH WHEN THE FLASHES STARTED TO OCCUR. I COULDN'T GIVE MY ENGINE ANY POWER AND I STARTED TO DECELERATE AT A QUICK PACE, AND THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME ALMOST HIT ME. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFTEY ISSUE FOR ME AND FOR ALL OTHER OCCUPANTS ON THE HIGHWAY, BECAUSE MY FAULTY CAR COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT, THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MANY INJURIES. I WANT TO BRING THIS ATTENTION TO THE NHTSA TO, PROVIDE ME WITH MORE INFORMATION AS TO WHY THE VEHICLE IS FAULTY, AND THE AMOUNT OF TROUBLE I WOULD BE IN IF I DIDN'T MANAGE THIS SITUATION LIKE I DID TO PROTECT MYSELF AND EVERYONE ELSE.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD AND SOMETIMES FAIL TO SHIFT. THE IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE.
CAMSHAFT FAILURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR ON A VEHICLE WITH 160,000 MILES DESPITE USING VW RECOMMENDED 505.01 SPECIFICATION OIL AND REGULAR MAINTENANCE. ENGINE DEVELOPED A RATTLING NOISE AT HIGHWAY SPEED, DECREASED PERFORMANCE, EXCESSIVE BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT OF TAIL PIPE, AND $1500 REPAIR BILL. DUAL MASS TRANSMISSION FLYWHEEL FAILURE ON A VEHICLE WITH 120,000 MILES RESULTED IN RATTLING NOISE IN THE TRANSMISSION, VIBRATION OF THE WHOLE VEHICLE AND $1200 REPAIR BILL. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES ARE WIDESPREAD. MULTIPLE OWNERS OF THIS YEAR/MAKE/MODEL HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE EXACT SAME ISSUES DUE TO POOR QUALITY PARTS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER. MANUFACTURER SHOULD RECALL THE AFFECTED VEHICLES AND FIX THESE ISSUES DUE TO THEM BEING WIDESPREAD. THERE ARE NUMEROUS DISCUSSIONS ON PUBLIC FORUMS OF THESE ISSUES AS WELL.
AFTER REPLACING THE CAM SHAFT AND TIMING BELT I TOOK THE CAR FOR A TEST DRIVE. THE PROBLEMS WERE APPARENT, A HARD SHIFT FROM A STOP INTO FIRST GEAR AND HARD SHIFTS ALL THE WAY TO 4TH GEAR. FROM A FULL STOP IT WILL NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR AND IF IT DOES IT JOLTS. MULTIPLE TIMES CROSSING TRAFFIC THE ACCELERATOR DOES NOT RESPOND, AND I HAVE NEARLY BEEN HIT MULTIPLE TIMES. I BROUGHT IT INTO A SERVICE SHOP AND THEY HAVE SAID IT IS THE MECHATRONICS UNIT THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION. I WAS TOLD THAT IS AN ISSUE IN MANY VEHICLES LIKE MINE, AND TO REPORT IT TO NHTSA AND VOLKSWAGEN. *TR
WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OR WILL NOT CHANGE GEARS WHILE THE GAS PEDAL IS BEING STEPPED ON ALSO AFTER A STOP IT WILL NOT ENGAGE AT TIMES IT STAYS ON 5 GEAR WHILE MOVING SLOWLY AND WILL NOT DOWN SHIFT. *TR
WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY ROAD, WHILE ACCELERATING MY ENGINE STARTED REVVING, AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. I PULLED OVER SAFELY BUT WAS UNABLE TO PUSH THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. WHEN TURNING THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN, MY PRDNS ON DASH WAS FLASHING. THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD WHILE IN DRIVE OR BACKWARDS WHILE IN REVERSE. WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL NOTHING HAPPENS. I HAVE SEEN THAT THERE ARE RECALLS ON 2007 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TRANSMISSIONS, BUT WONDERING IF THIS COULD BE PART OF THAT PROBLEM. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026