2021 Volkswagen Jetta

There appears to be a known issue with the rear braking system on the VW Jetta for various model years including 2021. The issue seems to be a combination of soft brake pads combined with the autonomous braking system which overuses the brakes and causes premature wear. This rear autonomous braking system cannot be turned off. VW acknowledged this issue by issuing Policy and Procedure Bulletin VWP 22-18 on 12/20/2022 which extended the warranty on the rear brake pads to 2 years or 24K miles. This extension was due to a premature wear issue though they did not acknowledge in the bulletin that the autonomous braking system was to blame or faulty. I had to replace my rear brakes and rotors at 25,100 miles and have now been told I need to do this again at 47,800 miles. I paid over $500 the first time and have been quoted over $600 this time. I believe VW is aware that the rear braking system is faulty and is causing excessive wear to brake pads and resulting damage to rotors. This premature wear could lead to a safety issue if the rear brakes do not function as needed. I believe VW should issue a recall for the rear braking system and fix the issue rather than force consumers to keep replacing pads/rotors every 24K miles. I will attach the service bulletin from VW along with my invoice for replacing my brakes at 25K miles and the estimate to replace them again at 47,800 miles.

While traveling at the posted speed limit and approaching a signalized intersection, I attempted to brake for stopped traffic ahead. The vehicle did not decelerate as expected, and the automatic emergency braking/forward collision mitigation system did not activate or provide any braking assistance. Additionally, no forward collision warning or audible/visual alert was provided prior to impact. A red warning indicator illuminated immediately before the collision; however, there was insufficient time to take additional evasive action. As a result, my vehicle rear-ended the vehicle stopped in front of me. The apparent failure of the braking assistance and forward collision warning systems placed both myself and the occupants of the other vehicle at risk, resulting in a motor vehicle collision. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The cause of the malfunction has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or independent repair facility (UNKNOWN). The vehicle has been inspected by law enforcement and insurance representatives as part of the accident investigation. Prior to the incident, I had not observed any warning lamps, messages, or symptoms indicating a problem with the braking or forward collision systems. The only warning observed was the red indicator light that appeared immediately before the collision.

Vehicle Information: Year: 2021 Make: Volkswagen Model: Jetta Date of Purchase: March 2022 Approximate Mileage at Time of Incident: 25,000 miles --- NATURE OF COMPLAINT: I am filing this complaint regarding premature and dangerous rear brake pad and rotor wear on my 2021 Volkswagen Jetta, purchased new in March 2022. At approximately 25,000 miles — well below any reasonable expectation of normal brake wear — I was informed by a service technician that my rear brake pads required immediate replacement due to excessive wear. The front brakes showed no comparable wear, which is inconsistent with normal braking patterns and strongly suggests a manufacturing or design defect. SAFETY CONCERN: Premature rear brake failure at such low mileage presents a serious safety hazard. Degraded braking performance increases stopping distances and reduces driver control, particularly in emergency situations. I was given no prior warning indicators or alerts from the vehicle's onboard systems before being advised the brakes were critically worn. This lack of advance warning compounds the safety risk. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE OF A KNOWN DEFECT: This is not an isolated incident. Volkswagen has already acknowledged premature rear brake pad wear as a systemic issue in 2020–2023 Jetta vehicles by issuing a Rear Brake Pad Limited Warranty Extension, extending coverage from the standard 1 year/12,000 miles to 2 years/24,000 miles. Despite this acknowledgment, Volkswagen has refused to provide adequate and lasting remedy to affected owners, and many consumers — including myself — have been denied reimbursement or further assistance after the extended warranty window expired. Notably, my vehicle reached 25,000 miles just outside the extended warranty coverage limit, yet exhibits the exact defect the warranty extension was designed to address. Multiple complaints filed with NHTSA and reported on consumer safety platforms describe the identical pattern.

I took my car into dealer at 20,000 miles. They told me rear brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. At that time, they were replaced under warranty. I took my car into dealer at 34,000 miles for regular service and was told rear brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. Pads were at 3%, service associate warned me about driving on the highway. I took my car to another location and mechanic for a second opinion and was told "rear brake pads approx. 2mm remaining friction material, and brake rotors are overheated & scored. Not knowing that my rear brakes had worn down to this level in 14,000 miles put myself and other drivers at risk. I had no warning nor did I experience any symptoms in my brakes until I took it in for regular service.

The rear brake pads on my 2021 Volkswagen Jetta have worn out prematurely twice by 20,000 miles. The first replacement occurred at only 8,006 miles in April 2023. At that time, Volkswagen acknowledged the problem and provided “goodwill” coverage of 50% since my vehicle was only one month outside of the Rear Brake Pad Limited Warranty Extension. Now at approximately 20,846 miles in September 2025, the rear pads have worn out again and required replacement. Volkswagen has refused to provide any assistance this time. Normally, front brake pads wear faster than the rear. In this case, the rear pads are failing far earlier than expected, which creates a potential safety issue since brake performance is being compromised at very low mileage. Volkswagen has already acknowledged this defect by issuing the warranty extension for 2020–2023 Jettas, but coverage expired by time, not mileage, leaving owners like me with repeated failures and no support. When I raised the issue with my dealership, they suggested that the premature wear is due to the emergency brake always being engaged when the car is parked. This explanation does not make sense, since pads do not normally wear when the car is stationary. The fact that VW created a warranty extension for this exact problem shows this is a design defect, not a misuse issue. This issue has been confirmed by a Volkswagen dealer and independent service centers, and is well-documented among other owners. If the pads continue to wear this quickly, it poses a recurring safety risk and results in abnormally high repair costs for a critical safety component. I am reporting this so NHTSA is aware that the defect continues to affect owners even beyond the limited warranty extension and goodwill offers, and that a long-term solution is needed.

On steep hills the car automatically holds the brake for a predetermined amount of time, I believe 2.5 to 3 sec. I have a manual transmission car and when its time to move the brake assist won't release no matter what until the time interval is satisfied. The problem this creates is a stall issue. Its hard to coordinate when to depress the clutch and give gas. Too early and you lead to premature clutch wear or clutch overheating. Too late and the car stalls and you have to restart it. This is very because now you have to restart the car and can cause an accident.

Under 20,000 miles, but over 1 year old (leased new february 12, 2021). VW dealership and secondary party reported rear brake pads and rotors were worn down to 1mm and that the car was unsafe to drive. This cost $500 to repair and I had to pay it for a car that was just over 1 year old. The dealership wanted to charge double to replace. The brakes are only warrantied for 1 year, and because most don't hit 20k miles for a year, they know that the parts are unsafe and will wear down at 20,000 miles (as reported by many many others for the 2021 VW Jetta). I have receipts of inspection and for part replacement by Brakes Plus. There were NO warnings, just the tires squeaking when the weather got cold in December. Also, ABS issues - car stalled twice in the middle of a busy street in the first 6 months of use.

Went in for service appointment at 27000 miles. I was told rear brake pads needed replacing. Upon questioning this as I have NEVER had to replace a set of brake pads with such little miles, and I am not a hard braker, the service advisor stated that VW extended to warranty for the brake pads to 2 years, 24,000 miles. VW claims to have lower cost maintance than other car brands. They also never sent me a notice on this brake issue, and they are supposed to perform a multi-point inspection with each service appointment, which they failed to do at my prior service appointment or else this issue would have been caught and remedied. The brakes have been working as normal, making no noise. I would have not known they were worn down to 1mm like the service advisor told me until it resulted in catastrophic failure leading to a crash and possibly death.

Vehicle was brought in for 30k miles service with vibration during braking. Under inspection the dealership condemned all the brake rotors and pads (on 4 corners). The technician associated this failure to "temperature" pointing at radial marks on the rotors. This is clearly incorrect as the marks on the rotor are corrosion marks, including a corrosion ring around the central area of the disk. VW has already extended the warranty on the rear brakes for a known issue with premature failure of the brakes. Upon calling VW corporate they refused to extend the warranty or analyze the case again.