The Lemon Index$2,800 middle bill · most between $2,600 and $4,000
Higher than the $2,500 middle bill owners of all 63 models reported.
Owners who gave their mileage: a middle of 78,000 miles (6 reports).
Volkswagen Jetta owners reported paying a median of $2,800 for a timing chain replacement, with the middle half of bills between $2,600 and $4,000. That's from 8 owner reports (7 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $5000%
- $500–$1,0000%
- $1,000–$2,50012%
- $2,500–$5,00062%
- $5,000 and up25%
Share of the 8 owner reports in each price band.
By model year
- 2005 Volkswagen Jetta4$2,700 middle bill
- 2006 Volkswagen Jetta1too few for a middle
- 2010 Volkswagen Jetta1too few for a middle
- 2013 Volkswagen Jetta1too few for a middle
- 2011–2018 Volkswagen Jetta (YouTube)1too few for a middle
Reports per model year, with the middle bill where there are 3 or more. YouTube amounts count for the generation the video covers.
How often owners report the failure
- 2005 Volkswagen Jetta15 complaints name it6% of that year's complaints
- 2014 Volkswagen Jetta12 complaints name it3% of that year's complaints
Owner complaints to NHTSA whose own words name a timing chain. Raw counts: popular years get more complaints. A complaint is a report, not proof of a defect.
Engines in these years
Engines with a page of their own that this model was sold with in the years above. Owners don't always say which engine they had.
Engine codes that can lead here: P0016 P0017 P0008 P0018 P0019. A code is where a shop starts, not proof the part failed.
Keep going
- Volkswagen Jetta reliability by year
- Timing chain replacement cost on every car
- Car symptoms and what they can mean
Other repairs Volkswagen Jetta owners reported
Fuel pump replacement (40) · Clutch replacement (38) · Transmission replacement (30) · Brake repair (29) · ABS module replacement (20) · Ignition coil replacement (14) · Engine replacement (11) · Fuel injector replacement (10) · Wiring harness repair (10) · Radio and infotainment screen repair (7) · Timing belt replacement (7) · DPF replacement (6) · Turbocharger replacement (6) · MAF sensor replacement (5) · Valve body replacement (5) · Water pump replacement (5)
The details
How we count
Every number here is a repair bill an owner reported, never a shop's price list. Two sources: the bills owners wrote in their own complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), and the dollar amounts owners said out loud in YouTube repair and ownership videos. A figure counts for a repair when that repair is the part named nearest to it. Left out: purchase prices, payments, rentals, towing, warranties and deductibles, amounts under $50 or over $15,000, parts-only prices ("the part was $80 on Amazon"), bills for two different repairs named together, and money someone else paid. One number per complaint (or video) and repair: the biggest, so it's the bill, not the diagnosis fee.
The range is the middle half of the bills (the 25th to the 75th percentile), so one wild number can't swing it. Owners who complain to the government often had expensive repairs, so a typical bill can be lower. Costs vary by shop and region, by dealer vs independent shop, by parts and by miles. This is what owners reported, not a quote for your car.
Check the bills yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11166768, 11101499, 10668779, 10667918, 10467593, 10446070, 10381660.
Said out loud on YouTube: $3,000 ▶
Quick answers
How much does timing chain replacement cost on a Volkswagen Jetta?
Volkswagen Jetta owners reported a median of $2,800, and the middle half paid $2,600 to $4,000, from 8 owner reports. Costs vary by shop and region.
Is a Volkswagen Jetta timing chain replacement more expensive than on other cars?
The Volkswagen Jetta middle bill of $2,800 is higher than the $2,500 owners of all 63 models we have reports for paid.
Where do these Volkswagen Jetta repair costs come from?
From 7 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video: what owners themselves said they paid. They aren't verified bills or a shop's quote.
Which Volkswagen Jetta years report this failure most?
In complaints to NHTSA, owners of the 2005 (15), 2014 (12) Volkswagen Jetta named it most. Raw counts, not a failure rate.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints and YouTube videos (amounts said out loud), sorted by The Lemon Index. Owner reports, not a price quote. Costs vary by shop and region.