2021 Volkswagen Jetta Brakes Problems

Your rear brake pads and rotors wore out twice in quick succession — first replaced under warranty at 20,000 miles, then needing replacement again by 34,000 miles (only 14,000 miles later). At the second visit, the pads were down to 2-3% thickness with overheated and scored rotors, creating a safety risk you weren't aware of since you had no warning signs or symptoms. The unusually rapid brake wear may indicate a defect or improper installation from the first repair.

Your rear brake pads are wearing out much faster than normal — yours needed replacement at only 8,000 miles and again by 20,000 miles, when rear brakes typically last much longer. This premature wear reduces your braking performance and creates a safety concern. Volkswagen acknowledged this problem with a warranty extension for 2020–2023 Jettas, but refused further help when your pads failed again after the warranty expired. Fixing this will likely require replacing the rear brake pads and investigating whether there's an underlying issue with your brake system components.

On steep hills, your car's brake system automatically holds the brakes for 2.5 to 3 seconds before releasing. With your manual transmission, the brakes won't release during this time no matter what you do, making it very difficult to coordinate releasing the clutch and applying gas to move forward—you either stall the engine or risk damaging the clutch. Having to restart your car on a hill creates a safety hazard and potential accident risk.

Your rear brake pads and rotors wore down to just 1mm of thickness in under 20,000 miles and just over 1 year of ownership, making the car unsafe to drive and requiring a $500 repair. You noticed squeaking tires in cold weather but received no warning from the car itself. Additionally, your ABS system caused the car to stall twice in busy traffic during the first 6 months of ownership. The repair may involve replacing the brake pads, rotors, and possibly inspecting or servicing the ABS system.

During a service appointment at 27,000 miles, you were told your rear brake pads needed replacement—much earlier than you expected for normal driving. Your brake pads had worn down to 1mm, though they were working normally with no noise, so you had no warning of the wear. VW's warranty on brake pads covers only 2 years or 24,000 miles, which your car was approaching. The service adviser didn't catch this issue at your previous service appointment, despite VW's multi-point inspection requirement. Replacing worn brake pads involves removing the wheels and installing new pads on the brake calipers.

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.

Right rear brake pads at 33.5K (mostly highway miles) are completely worn. (Cannot be blamed on the driving pattern)

The right rear brake disk and inner pad wore out prematurely. Only the inside of the brake disk and pad were worn, metal to metal. ALL other brake disks and brake pads were "normal" for a car with 22,000 miles.

Upon backing out of a parking spot a vehicle approached at a fast rate of speed. The rear cross-path sensor and emergency braking activated. This action caused the brake line to rupture and the brakes failed on the vehicle. I resumed reversing out of the parking spot and put the vehicle into Drive. Once I applied the brake, the pedal went to the floor with total brake system loss. The vehicle was towed to Armstrong Volkswagen in Gladstone, Oregon. The dealer found the rear passenger side brake like had ruptured due to it rubbing on the fuel filler neck shield. The sudden increase in brake line pressure caused the final failure of the brake line. The brake line was repaired under warranty. This could have been a significant life threatening situation had I been traveling at high speeds and the brake system failed (i.e. exiting an Interstate, etc.).

I replaced the rear brakes on this vehicle at 16,000 miles due to them prematurely wearing out and the were covered under an extended warranty due to known issue. I took the vehicle in for an oil change at 28,871 miles and was told the rear brakes were down to 2mm and needed to be changed as well as the rotors. This is only 12,000 miles since the last rear brake change and when I had the brake pads inspected at 23,000 miles they were fine. It appears there is a major defect in the rear brakes of the VW jetta since the front brake pads are fine. I was charged $522 after a discount to have the brakes and rotors replaced. I don't think it is reasonable for a car with only 28,871 miles to have already had to change the rear brake pads twice and the rotors at all.

My 2021 VW Jetta at 8 months old with 21305 miles had a grinding noise in the rear. Took it to the dealer Aug 9 2022 and was told the rear brakes and rotors needed to be replaced at my cost. I informed them I thought this was way too early to have to pay for brakes and that something must be wrong. They made me pay over $600. I later found out a TSB was issued by VW in Dec 2022 to extend brake coverage to 2 years 24,000 miles. I want my money back as they have now admitted there is an issue with the brakes. 14 months later in Oct 2023 same issue at 40,250. The dealer now informs me of this TSB and although it was intended to ONLY cover your first set of failing brakes, the Service advisor got the ok from the VW district manager to warranty them this time. Once again VW admitting to a problem with my vehicles parts and or manufacturing. The fact that they and the NHTSA know there is a problem with the electronic braking and they refuse to fix it is dumbfounding. My front pads at 41,250 have only used 3mm of the original 12 while the rear pads went through 2 complete sets or 24mm. This could not be more obvious it is a manufacturing defect as the rear pads are applied nearly 100% of time and the front nearly 0%. This is outrageously unacceptable and I demand my car be fixed properly and not be hassled with having to argue warranty issues every 15,000-20,000 miles for new pads and rotors. I will be contacting VW about the issue.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated while reversing, the brake pedal was depressed, and the contact heard a grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer stated that the rear brakes were metal on metal and the front brakes were okay. The rear brake pads and rotors were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the repair was not covered under Extended Warranty because the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,469.

I purchased my vehicle brand new from VW. My vehicle only has just over 33,000 miles on it. After hearing a grinding noise in the rear brakes I took it to Les Shwab to have the brakes inspected along with a tire rotation. After a short time waiting they told me that the rear brakes were metal on metal and the front were just fine. I asked how the rear brakes could go out so soon when the front brakes are the ones that normally wear out so quickly. They had planned to replace the pads and rotors on the rear of the vehicle. When they tried to remove the calipers the piston would not release and I had to pay foe new calipers as well. A couple hour brake inspection turned into three days without my vehicle waiting for parts and a $1,314.49 bill. I went online looking for recalls and there weren't any. I did however find that this is a common issue for the 2021 Jetta, and it is presumed that the roll back brake assist is faulty causing the calipers to not release thus causing excessive wear to the rear brakes. Had my rear brakes gone out completely before I had them inspected this could have been very bad causing myself or others serious injury or even death. I am seeking for NHTSA to investigate this further and force VW to issue a recall. I am also seeking full reimbursement for my bill from VW. Thank you.

On 01/12/2023 at approximately 4:20 PM, I paid the cost to replace the rear brakes on my 2021 VW Jetta SEL. This included parts and labor. I found this very odd due to the vehicle being less than 2 years old. About 1 week after this, I received via USPS mail, a letter from VW of America stating that an extended warranty of the rear brakes applies to my vehicle (see attached). I filled out the required information and submitted the included form as instructed. On 04/08/2023 I received an email from VW Customer Care stating they will not reimburse me for the price of the brakes I had to replace. The only reason I had to replace the said brakes is due to Volkswagen's faulty parts and I fear this is happening to many consumers as well. After a bit of "back and forth" with VWoA, I contacted NYS AG's office and with their help, VWoA finally paid me for the replacement of the stated brakes. Seeing that many others on your site have had this same issue, I think a recall should be enacted by you. This should not be an expense that VWoA's customers should have to bear.

I do not feel safe with my Vehicle. I purchased new and at 16,550 Miles it needed new rear rotors and pads. Again at 38417 it needed new rotors and pads. I drive the car softly and am not heavy on the brakes. This seems to be a known issue and the dealership says I should be prepared to replace rotors and pads this frequently. It was only 1.5 years until the 2nd pad/rotor change. Not only do I not feel safe, that is a financial hardship.

Without warning, the rear brakes started making unusual scraping sound with slight loss of braking power. Within a week of the issue took car to dealer who informed me that rear brake pads were completely worn out with calipers scraping and damaging the rotors. VW refused to fix the issue via warranty. By the end of the week, the scraping escalated and significant loss of braking power occurred. The premature failure or the braking pads and subsequent rotor damage seems to be a pervasive problem and well documented problem at VW. Their approach to safety and resolution however very troubling. The car was purchased new from the dealer 30 months ago and has 15,300 miles at the time of the incident.

The rear breaks wore down t 1MM(Dangerous Level) in under 2 years and at 26,973 miles. They extended the warranty to 2 years and 24,000 at 2mm at the end of December but we did not get notification of this to have the breaks checked. The vehicle was seen in September 2022 and the breaks were noted to be at 6MM which is not typical but not at the recommended replacement (3mm). This is a defective part and should be replaced by Volkswagen. The front breaks have been at 12 this whole time. No warnings or messages from the car. We took it in when we noticed a scraping sound from the rear breaks on 4/26/23. We were never going to meet the new warranty qualifications but were put in danger with them knowing there is a significant problem and no notification or recall on the break parts.

I purchased my Volkswagen Jetta July 2021. I had been getting my car serviced ever since at the dealership in Orange Park for routine maintenance, repairs, and recalls. There were times when I brought the vehicle to the dealership and the check engine light was on but they said nothing was wrong. I continue to complain about a noise coming from my trunk but again I was informed that nothing was wrong. March 6 2023, I went back to the dealership for the same noise but this time it was very very loud, and they informed me I needed new break pads and rotors for my vehicle totaling 555.50 before tax. I declined the service and consulted with my father who is very familiar with cars and have worked on them in the past. He explained to me that it is uncommon for a car my age to have the rear break pads and rotors worn down, and the front break pads and rotors still in good condition. I then called the service department at the dealership and asked was this a common issue among these vehicles. He said yes, and that Volkswagen has issued an extension of their break pad warranty from 1 year or 12,000 miles to 2 years or 24,000 miles. But explained to me that I was now over 26000 miles and that he would have to contact management to see what they could do. After much complaining from myself and my father, the manager agreed to place aftermarket break pads on my car no charge , but I needed to pay for the rotors. I was still very upset, but could not decline the offer because my car was in need of immediate servicing. Due to the negligence of the dealership I am out of $275 and I feel that Volkswagen should cover the complete cost of the damages to my rotors, this could have been avoided if my vehicle was properly being serviced. My life could’ve been in jeopardy because of this situation. The dealership informed me that Volkswagen sent out letters in regards to the rear break issue but I never received it. Bad handling by Volkswagen and you have lost a customer!

I recently took in my 2021 VW Jetta to the dealership for a routine service visit. The car is 18 months old and has 24,000 miles on it. I constantly get a recurring loud squeaking brake noise when reversing the car after a cold start. It seems to be coming from the rear brakes. I took the vehicle to the dealership and was informed that they are aware of the issue but have no fix for it yet. Upon inspection of my brake rotors and pads, the front pads were fine with each having 12mm of pad remaining. The rear brakes however, were down to 4mm, with uneven wear noted by the service technician. The car is FWD and with the small amount of miles, along with the squeaky brake issue on cold starts while reversing and braking, I believe there is a caliper issue or perhaps the electronic parking brake is getting stuck somehow. The car is fully covered under a bumper to bumper warranty yet the dealership doesn’t want to investigate further, and insists the rear pads needs to be replaced as it’s normal. There is nothing normal about the rear brakes being 3x more worn than the front brakes, on a FWD car that only has 24k miles on it. I believe this is a larger issue that will affect more vehicles in the future.

Recently had the rear brake pads replaced at appx 30,000 miles under normal driving conditions. (suburban driving, no towing or any driving behavior that would accelerate excessive/irregular wear). Significantly, during the 5/5/2022 20,000 mile oil change the dealer noted the following:, "rear pads and rotors pads down to 2 on inner" The vehicle is equipped with a 6 speed manual transmission and standard electronic parking brake. Volkswagen customer service was contacted and responded that brakes were not covered under warranty.

Brake pedal sunk to floor. No Brakes at all. Vehicle being brought to VW dealership10/24/ 2022.No warning /lamps, or indications of brake problem.