The 2011 Jetta is what you’d expect from VW: solid engineering, high safety ratings, and a comfortable ride. However, it has its share of problems, like the ignition key getting stuck, engine stalls, and faulty airbags. But they tend to be infrequent issues.
Key Points
- The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta‘s most common problem sees the ignition key getting stuck in the “on” position when you’re trying to bring it to a stop.
- The engine may stall out in some 2011 Jettas, owing to an issue with the electrical fuses where the system would shut down.
- The car has been under NHTSA investigation for a broken clockspring in the airbag for more than five years now.
- At the end of the day, a 2011 VW Jetta is a fine-used car with few common flaws, especially considering its low entry price of about $6,000.
Ignition Key in Some 2011 Jettas May Get Stuck in ‘On’ Position
Fresh off a 2010 redesign, the “New Compact Sedan” 2011 Jetta had its share of kinks to work out in the electrical department, with approximately 200 of the nearly 600 NHTSA complaints pointing to problems in this category. As is usually the case with electrical problems, it’s a whole bunch of different issues, but with a few recurring patterns. Among the most common concerns: the ignition key has a tendency to get stuck, refusing to turn back to the off position.
One driver reports that “a few times my key got stuck in the ignition with the car on and would not turn off for a long time.” Another owner mentions, “the ignition key will not turn backwards to turn the car off.” A similar report states, “two months ago, the key got stuck in the ignition and would not turn off.”
Typically the key will take up to a half-hour before you can turn it off, and there’s not much you can do but park somewhere safe and wait it out.
The 2011 Jetta was subject to an ignition key recall, but not for this. In August, 2019, over half a million Volkswagens were called back to the dealer for a fix because the key could be pulled out while the car was in drive. Nice that they took care of that, but drivers experiencing the opposite problem have yet to be given a solution.
2011 Jetta’s Engine May Stall Due to Electrical Issues
Another electrical issue, but this one overlapping with many of the engine complaints: in a number of 2011 Volkswagen Jettas, there is the risk of a blown fuse resulting in total electrical shutdown, including the engine management system.
The good news is they recalled this one pretty quick. The issue led to a recall in March 2011, before the car was even a year old, with just over 71,000 units being called in for repairs.
There have been a few reports of engines stalling since then, however. One driver stated in early 2021, “My car would randomly stall while driving, happens both when braking and not braking.
Whether the recall proved to be inadequate, the complaints point to another issue entirely, or the owners of these cars simply didn’t bother having the initial recalls done, there’s no telling. But the vast majority of complaints pointing to engine stall are at least five years old, so if this issue hasn’t been eradicated entirely, we can at least say that new incidents are rare.
Airbag Investigation on 2011 Jetta Remains Open…Over Six Years Later
The 2011 Jetta has been the subject of an ongoing NHTSA investigation since early 2015. The initial 2015 recall was closed, then a follow-up investigation was launched in late 2017, and that investigation was closed with the launch of an engineering analysis in early 2018.
The investigation has to do with a number of complaints regarding the front driver airbag. In affected units, there is a clockspring that can fail to engage if too much debris works its way in there, meaning that the airbags won’t deploy as expected.
One driver reports that when turning their steering wheel to park they “heard a noise in the steering wheel that sounded like a wire stretching.” Shortly thereafter, the airbag light came on, and the dealer informed that while there was a recall for this issue, their car wasn’t covered in it.
This brings us to the purpose of the investigation, which is essentially to determine if another recall is warranted, and if so, which units will be affected by it.
2011 VW Jetta is Still a Safer-than-average Pick with Few Common Problems
An open investigation sounds scary, but the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta is still a safe pick for a used car buyer. It has a four-star safety rating with the NHTSA, a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, and Kelley Blue Book values starting at well under $6,000.
Engine stalls and broken airbags can be a major issue in affected units, but the rate of incident is pretty low, and a thorough test drive will tip you off to any problems. Overall, you could do a lot worse at that price.
Photos: Volkswagen
