There are 13 stored owner reports matching the visibility & wipers leading-label group for the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 13 of 13 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT STARTED POURING RAIN. I TRIED TO TURN ON MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON THE VW JETTA 2011 AND THEY DID NOT MOVE. I LOST VISIBILITY IN SECONDS AT 50MPH AND THANK GOODNESS, WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER BEFORE ANYONE WAS HURT BUT IT WAS TERRIFYING AND A CLOSE CALL. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DON'T WORK IN THE COLD, APPARENTLY, WHICH TO ME SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS!
STOPPED WORKING. WIPER MOTOR MALFUNCTION. BLADES STOPPED MID SWIPE, SITTING ON THE WINDSHIELD.
WIPERS DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY IN COLD TEMPERATURES. IN VERY COLD WEATHER, THEY WILL OFTEN TAKE 3-5 MINUTES BEFORE MOVING ONCE TURNED ON. IN COOL TEMPERATURES THEY WILL OFTEN RUN AT A VERY SLOW PACE. CHANGING WIPER BLADES HAS NO EFFECT/IMPACT. THIS IS A WIPER ARM AND/OR WIPER ARM ASSEMBLY ISSUE AND WIDESPREAD THROUGHOUT ONLINE REPORTS. VW SHOULD BE FORCED TO ISSUE A RECALL.
TAKATA RECALL MY WINDSHEILD WIPERS DO NOT WORK PROPERLY. ONLY TOP SPEED WORKS. SPEED 1 AND 2 DO NOT WORK, ONLY 3.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS NOT FUNCTIONING WHEN VEHICLE IS IN 18 DEGREE AND BELOW TEMPERATURES FOR A FEW HOURS. WIPERS WORK FINE ONCE VEHICLE IS HEATED UP IN GARAGE OR OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE 18 DEGREES. REPLACEMENT WIPER MOTOR ASSEMBLY WAS DIAGNOSED AND REQUIRED TO CORRECT MALFUNCTION. WOULD LIKE VW TO REIMBURSE THE $537.03 OUT OF POCKET COSTS TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE/FAULTY PART. HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FOR SAME ISSUE ONLINE. THANKS AND HOPE VW IS LISTENING!
IF THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE GOES BELOW APPROXIMATELY 15 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, THE WIPERS FAIL TO OPERATE. THIS CAN HAPPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED, OR DURING OPERATION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND FROM INDICATIONS ON THE INTERNET, IS A KNOWN SAFETY PROBLEM.
WITHIN THREE TO FOUR DAYS I'VE HAD TWO DOOR WINDOWS BLOW OUT WHILE DRIVING. NOTHING HIT THE WINDOWS. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE OTHER TIME I WAS DRIVING ONTO THE INTERSTATE RAMP GOING APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES/HOUR. THIS IS BAFFLING!
WHEN VEHICLE SUBJECTED TO COLD TEMPERATURES (BELOW FREEZING) THE WIPER MOTOR STOPS WORKING. WHEN VEHICLE PLACED IN WARM GARAGE WIPERS WORK AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OVER THE LAST YEAR. WIPER MOTOR WAS REPLACED BY VW DEALERSHIP. NEW MOTOR IS A NEW PART NUMBER. IT APPEARS THE OLD WIPER MOTOR DESIGN MAY HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE ALLOWING MOISTURE TO ENTER WHERE DRIVE SHAFT ENTERS MOTOR. NEW WIPER MOTOR HAS IMPROVED RUBBER SEAL IN THIS AREA.
WHEN PARKED OVERNIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TEENS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT WORK THE NEXT MORNING. IF I WARM THE CAR UP FOR 20 MINUTES OR SO AND THEN LET IT SIT FOR ANOTHER HALF HOUR THEN THEY WILL USUALLY WORK. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR OR FIVE TIMES FROM 12/2016 - 2/2017. SEEMS WORSE IF IT HAS BEEN SNOWING OR ICING OVERNIGHT. WHEN THEY ARE WORKING THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF HESITATION OR SLOW MOVEMENT. THE FACT THAT IT IS RANDOM SEEMS UNUSUALLY DANGEROUS. SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY OR MOVING DOES NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. CAR HAS 52000 MILES. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL REPORTS FROM OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS ISSUE. SHOULD WARRANT AN INVESTIGATION.
WHEN COLD, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WON'T WORK UNTIL IT WARMS UP ENOUGH. IF YOUR DRIVING AND IT GETS COLD, LIKE DURING SNOWSTORM, THEY QUIT WORKING. I HAVE LOOKED ONLINE AND HAVE ENCOUNTERED MANY INSTANCES OF THIS. THE COST IS AROUND $500 TO $1000 FOR PARTS AND LABOR FOR..., MAYBE THE MOTOR, MAYBE THE WIPER TRANSMISSION, MAYBE BOTH. NONSENSE! THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING AND ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM IS OCCURRING WITH DIFFERENT VEHICLES OVER MANY YEAR MODELS. JUST DO AN ONLINE SEARCH FOR WINDSHIELD WIPER PROBLEMS AND NARROW THE RESULTS TO WIPERS WON'T WORK WHEN ITS COLD. DEALER SAYS WE'VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED THAT. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IF THEY KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE TO REPLACE. PLEASE HELP. PEOPLE ARE IN DANGER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONTAL WINDSHIELD WIPERS SEIZED AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
WE WERE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH ON INTERSTATE 93 APPROX 5 MILES SOUTH OF EXIT 11 IN HOOKSETT, NH NORTHBOUND. THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE LIKE A GUNSHOT. I SWERVED INTO THE LEFT LANE AND BY THE TIME I GOT THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL MY WIFE AND I WERE COVERED IN GLASS AND OUR EARS WERE RINGING. WE LOOKED UP AND THE SUN ROOF HAD EXPLODED OUT/UPWARDS FROM THE BEST WE COULD TELL. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE CAR WAS DRY AND IT WAS CLEAR OUT. THERE WAS NO ICE OR SNOW ON THE ROOF. THE WINDOWS WERE ALL CLOSED AND THE SUN SHADE WAS OPEN. THE HEAT WAS NOT ON IN THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS ROUGHLY 40 DEGREES F OUTSIDE. WE IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT (11) AND PULLED INTO A PARK AND RIDE LOT TO INSPECT DAMAGE. AS EXPECTED THE WINDOW BROKE OUTWARDS, WITH APPROX 33% OF THE GLASS MISSING IN A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE, THE REST SHATTERED AND FALLING OFF IF YOU TOUCHED IT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA CC. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN HE NOTICED HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO SEE THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS DISTORTED AND CAUSED HEADACHES WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT OR IN THE DAYTIME. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD EXHIBITED THE SAME DEFECT AS THE ORIGINAL WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME REGARDING THE WINDSHIELD AND THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE WINDSHIELD COULD ONLY BE REPLACED ONE TIME. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE WINDSHIELD DISTORTION COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A CRASH BECAUSE OF THE IMPAIRED VISION. UPDATED 04/25/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE NEW WINDSHIELD IS ALSO DISTORTED, ESPECIALLY WHEN MAKING TURNS. UPDATED 04/27/11
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.