The 1987 Volkswagen Jetta has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 936,520 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 21 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE END CAP CONNECTING THE HEAT EXCHANGER'S CORE TO THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM COULD RUPTURE AND ALLOW HOT COOLANT TO ESCAPE INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT.
THE COOLANT ESCAPING INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT COULDCONTACT THE DRIVER'S FEET AND INJURE THE DRIVER. ALSO, STEAM FROM THE HEATEDLIQUID WILL CLOUD ON THE WINDOW SURFACES AND IMPAIR THE DRIVER'S VISION ANDCOULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
REPLACE THE HEATER CORE WITH AN IMPROVED HEATER CORE.
PROLONGED CHAFING COULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE A LEAKING BRAKELINE RESULTING IN DIMINISHED BRAKING IN ONE BRAKE CIRCUIT WHICH WOULD INCREASETHE STOPPING DISTANCES AND RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
CURVE OR REPLACE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE LINE.
FUEL PUMP, LOCATED INSIDE FUEL TANK, COULD SEIZE DURING HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES BECAUSE OF AN EXTREME FINE MESH FUEL FILTER RESTRICTING THE FUEL FLOW.
FUEL SUPPLY TO ENGINE WOULD BE PARTIALLY INTERRUPTED,RESULTING IN STALLING.
INSTALL A MODIFIED FUEL PUMP AND FILTER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Fuel pump inside of gas tank gets hot it and quits. Dealership is aware of problem.*ak the manufacturer issued recall on fuel pump problem and repair was done. *yh”
“Consumer states the heater core exploded while sitting in a drive-thru, antifreeze leaked through the vents and radio compartment onto the floor with passengers in vehicle, one person was burnt with radiator fluid, radio shorted. *slc”
“While driving about 45 mph, lower ball joint broke, wheel came off, tie rod snapped in half, vehicle rolled 3 or 4 times. Vehicle was totalled. *ak”
“While driving about 45 mph, lower ball joint broke, wheel came off, tie rod snapped in half, vehicle rolled 3 or 4 times. Vehicle was totalled. *ak”
“The door latch mechanisms frequently stick, and eventually break, especially when exposed to cold weather. It is very difficult to get into the car from the outside, though the interior mechanisms for the door latches usually work well.”
“While backing up the vehicle on a hill area the lower control arm cracked at one point, causing the right front wheel to move around freely. Volkswagen does not have any knowledge of this incident. The owner corrected the problem himself. *ak”
“Power went off/ lights/engine failed at 65 mph on hwy for about 2 seconds. Then came back on as if nothing happened. Never did it since. Not sure what failed, but it was scary. *ak”
“Driving 25mph vehicle accelerated to 45mph applied the brakes with both feet and the vehicle would not stop. In order to stop, the gears were switched several times and then took the key out of the ignition. Please describe details.”
DEFECTIVE HEATER CORES
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1987 Volkswagen Jetta as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.