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Volkswagen Jetta Windows

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William of Lutherville MD 94/17/02):
My 2000 Jetta has required two power window regulators at a cost of about 1000 dollars each.

Marcia of Las Vegas writes: (9/14/01):
I just bought a 2001 VW Jetta about 3 months ago. This was my first "brand new car". I only have about 1,000 miles on it. One day while I was driving on the freeway I heard a very loud bang on the passenger side door. In concern, my sister tried to unroll the window, by doing this the window fell directly into the door panel. As soon as I got home I called the dealership to make an appointment, luckily they got me in first thing in the morning.

I was very concerned on leaving my car parked on the street in fear that it would be stolen. The other problem with this is that I live in the desert and the tempeture outside was 105 degrees, as you can imagine this was very uncomfortable to drive with the window down. Luckily it only took the dealership 2 hours to fix my car.

While I was waiting in the "packed" waiting room, I found out that everyone there had the same problem. One lady I sat next to said that this is the FIFTH time this has happened to her 2000 Jetta. I really don't understand why Volkswagon dose not do something about this ongoing problem. Why would you replace a defective part with the same one? You buy a new car so you don't have to worry about these problems.

Erika of Haines City, FL (10/21/02): I have had the power windows in my 1999 Jetta fixed eight times since I leased it brand new in 1999. I have missed work on numerous ocassions and have had no consideration from VW on compensating me or reconciling the situation. They would prefer to apply a "band aid" to the situation instead of taking responsibility for their shoddy product. I have called VW Customer Care several times and they just keep telling me to bring the car in each time a window breaks.

My time has been spent sitting in the service centers, talking on the phone and losing use of my vehicle due to broken windows. My window tint has been ruined, as well as the glass in windows being chipped. We asked VW to purchase the vehicle back from us and they would not do so because of the year and mileage on the car. It was too late for me to file the lemon law once the problem kept recurring or I would have pursued that option.

Greg of Fort Worth (9/3/01):
My 1999 VW Jetta has now had two windows fall into the doors. First the driver's side about 3 months ago (post-warranty), and yesterday the passenger side window fell in. We haven't gotten the latest one fixed, but the first incident required replacing the entire regulator because you can't just get the small parts that broke.

First, the car cannot be secured. Second, it cannot be driven in the rain. Third, there is time lost dealing with repair. Fourth, the repair costs hundreds more than is required because the small part that needs replacing only comes attached to a complex and costly part.

Elizabeth of Buckhannon WV writes (7/3/01):
My first car was a 1983 VW Jetta. I loved that car and I truly believed that it was indestructible. When it came time for me to purchase a new car, I again chose a VW Jetta because I wanted something that had little to no overall problems. This time it was a brand-new shiny black '99 Jetta (not a hand me down from my dad!) with only 21 miles on it when it became mine, all mine! I was so excited about this car. I took such good care of it - taking it in for normal tune-up things (oil, air, etc.) while the warranty was in effect.

About 2,000 miles after the warranty was up, the passenger side window fell down into the door and didn't come back up. This was the middle of winter and, not only did I freeze while waiting for an appointment, but I was scared that my car was going to be stolen - anyone can tear through a plastic bag covering an open window. I took my car to Star Motors (40 mins away) in Clarksburg, WV where they fixed it for free becuase I was not much over the mileage warranty. I thanked them profusely and went on my way - never expecting that I would have much more trouble with the car.

Well, I was so very, very, wrong. Not two weeks ago, the driver's side window did the same thing! I had an independent repair place look at it and show me what happened to make a window break like that. It turns out that the window in my car is held up by these flimsy, white, PLASTIC clips that have no business holding up such a heavy object.

I am in the process of having VW assist me in the cost of the parts and labor. They are paying 75% of the total cost. I appreciate the help, but it is still not right - the broken windows are not at all my fault (even the customer service person at VW admitted this). Also, I am not the only Jetta owner with this problem; on the day that I took my car (two and a half hours away - and on the way, yes you guessed it - I drove through a torrential downpour with my window totally open and the rain just soaking me to the bones) to the VW dealership to have it "officially" diagnosed by VW, I was the fourth person to come in with this very same problem!

I have never contacted Consumer Affairs, but I felt that I had to in this instance. The problem did not happen once, but twice and it was the very same broken clips both times. It is just upsetting that I must pay one cent for the repair of a faulty design/manufactured part.

Stacy of Cherry Hill NJ (6/19/01):
I purchased my Volkswagon Jetta in 1999 brand new with 7 miles. Immediately after the purchase my dim light started to go on and off and enventually my whole car shorted out and I could not start it. In March of 2000, my drivers side glass windoe fell into my door panel. They indicated that this was the window regulator, they replaced it. In August of 2000, my passanger side glass window fell into my door panel. Once again they replaced the window regulator.

Today, June 19, 2000, once again my driver's side glass window has fallen into my door panel. They indicated to me that my warranty is up but they will fix it, however, they will not give me a rental car, even though this is a continuous problem with the Jetta. I know that this is not only happening to my car.

The consequences are: 1. is the dangers invloved with driving with no window. The second time it happened in a rain storm. The dangers of leaving my car for fear of a break in. Economically because the dealership closes at 4:30, I work during the day. I can't just drop it off because it will not be fixed and they will not supply me with a courtesy rental since it is their problem.

Rashid of Orlando (5/30/01):
I have been having the same problem with power windows on my 1997 VW Jetta GLX. I took my Jetta in during the warranty period and said that two of the windows do not work. The dealership inspected them and said they were fine. A few months later the problem was happenning again. I took the car in and the dealership said that you need to replace the window motors and regulators. Of course, at this point I was out of the warranty period.

After much arguing and contacting VW America, I got the windows fixed, not for free, but discounted. A year later not only were the same two windows not working again, but also a third window. And just this weekend the fourth window stopped working. On top of this the cruise control has stopped working also. The dealership has not helped and VW America has not helped. It seems that this problem is happening a lot and there is not relief. I filed this complaint with the NHTSA also, but have not received a response. I notice other complaints in this regard on their website, but since they do not consider non-operable windows as a safety concern, they are not pursuing anything.

Paul of Glendale AZ (4/5/01):
Numerous faults with my 1999 Jetta TDI leased in June of 1999. Many of the same faults as listed by your other complainants, including three power window regulator replacements ...

Buck of Northglenn CO (4/3/01):
I own a 2000 Jetta GLS. It has been in the shop numerous times in the last year and a half. I brought the car in over a year ago to complain about the passenger side front/back windows not rolling up properly, told that they couldn't find anything. Now passenger side front window has fallen into door, both front and back need new window regulators. Not covered under warranty or extended warranty (car has 35k miles).

Kelly of Austin TX (3/15/01):
I have never owned a Volkswagen car in the past but decided to buy a new 1999 Jetta GLS after the rave reviews in Consumer Reports magazine. According to them and their tests this was the year that Volkswagen had gotten their past problems taken care of and it became a recommened buy.

Boy were they wrong! The first problem began at 3,053 miles. When it would rain outside (I lived in Houston, TX at the time and it rains a lot there) the water would leak into the car from the driver side door. Not dripping but excessive leaking. I took the car into the dealership on 7-15-99 and they repaired the problem and a week later I received my car back. They had to send my car to a body shop and have the door readjusted. Problem was taken care of so I thought. Still today I have a small leak in the same area on the drivers side door when it rains outside.

The problem went away for several months but it is now back and getting worse. I reported the problem to Volkswagen America since I am over the warranty period and they came to the conclusion that this was no longer their problem. Simply just wear and tear. You will hear this a lot in my story as you read on.

The second problem has been occuring ever since I owned the car. Yellow goo leaks out from the bottom of the doors on both sides of the car (I know this is happening to other VW owners). Volkswagen says that they cannot fix this problem and it is perfectly normal even though this yellow goo, if left on for a long period of time, will take the paint off your car.

Now we come to the final problems and it is quite a list. Of course my car has started to fall apart so convientely after the warranty expired.

1. The door seal on the driver side and back passenger side doors is completely torn off. I have submitted a complaint to Volkswagen America but they came to the conclusion that this was due to wear and tear.
2. Arm rest (middle console) leather material on bottom is peeling off. This looks really bad and I know there are other VW owners out there that this is happening to. What did Volkswagen America have to say about that one? Yes, wear and tear. How could an area that you don't even touch be considered wear and tear when it is deteriorating?
3. Driver side vanity mirror light does not come on. I have had this problem previously fixed at the Volkwagen dealership and only after much complaining was this repaired at no charge. I can see why it was no charge because it is broken once again. Volkswagen America again came to the conclusion that this was wear and tear.
4. Gas tank does not open or close automatically anymore. There are other VW owners who have expierenced this problem. Again Volkswagen America says this is due to wear and tear.
5. A spring popped out from under the passenger seat. Volkswagen America agreed to pay for this and accept responsibility. My car has been at the dealership service for 2 days. Not only was the spring missing but the entire frame of the seat was bent. What started out as a $45.00 repair turned out to be $400.00. At first Volkswagen America refused to pay for any of the problems I was having with my Jetta but after many phone calls and arguing they agreed to pay for this spring replacement even though they still considered it a wear and tear issue.

What really disturbs me more than anything is that I was given the same excuse on a numerous amount of problems by Volkswagen America. And they only agreed to fix one problem. Do they really stand by their workmanship? I don't think so. You buy a new car so you don't have to worry about any problems for at least 3-4 years not right after you purchase the car. If that was the case what would be the point of buying a new one? Please visit www.vw.com and look under Owner's Expierence..Read Stories..and enter 1999 Jetta for the state of Texas and you will see several pictuers showing the above problems that are unresolved. If you are having problems with your VW please take a picture and request that it be put on the vw website. Maybe if more people come forward with their VW problems Volkswagen America will finally see that it is not wear and tear but simply poor workmanship. By the way, Consumer Reports no longer gives Volkswagen Jetta's a recommend buy because of all the complaints.

The biggest distress of all is that Volkswagen dealerships are overbooked in the service department. To get an appointment you have to wait 2 to 3 weeks even for general maintenance repairs. How do they expect you to get the problems fixed before the warranty expires when the waiting list is so long. Volkswagen America has made it very difficult in resolving the issues. Once they have made their decision that is it. They no longer want you to call or complain to them. This has caused me stress and time away from work not to mention the depreciation in the value of my new car.

Hillary of Pasadena, CA, writes:
I am the owner of a 1995 Volkswagen Jetta GLS, and I have had constant problems with the power windows, almost from the day I got it. Within a couple of months, one of my windows froze half up. I took it to my local dealer (I lived in Stockton, California at the time). In talking to an acquaintance who had the same make and model, she said she had had the same problem. Since then, my windows have frozen (either up, down, or in-between) no less than eight times among all of my power windows (I've lost count, it's happened so many times).

As I write this, my right rear window is stuck up, the left rear is stuck down, and the two front windows can only be rolled up or down with the key from the outside. I've taken it to two different dealers (Volkswagen of Santa Barbara and Stockton), as well as my local non-dealer mechanic at various times to have the problem fixed. Sometimes the windows spontaneously begin working again, other times when the motor is taken apart and reassembled, it begins working again. Once, all four went out at the same time, which was fixed by replacing the fuse. Then, it promptly blew out again within two days.

I've had two of the motors replaced (I think), and on one instance when I took my car to my non-dealer mechanic, he told me that the dealership had the window motors in stock, which are a $400 item. He said that this is an unusually high-priced part for the dealer to have in stock, which made him (and me) think that many other Volkswagen/Jetta owners were having the same problem as I was.

When one (or more) of my windows freezes down, I'm unable to take my car places I need to go, for fear of someone breaking in to or vandalizing my car. When one (or more) freezes up, I'm uncomfortable, even with the air conditioning (and it makes it difficult to order at drive-through restaurants!). These situations are very inconvenient, but nothing compared to having to go without my car while the problem is being fixed over and over again. I haven't calculated my exact out-of-pocket expenses related to the windows, but I would estimate it at over $2000 over the past 5 years, since my warranty ran out long ago.",""

Reading some of the complaints on your site, I found that Cabrio and Beetle owners have had similar problems. I am interested to know if there are any window-related class action lawsuits, and I am not aware of any window-related recalls.

Hillary's original complaint was filed during the summer. On Oct. 23, 2000, she sent us this update:

Since I wrote my complaint, I took my car to my local dealership to be fixed (New Century Volkswagen in Glendale, California), and the total cost came to -- get this -- $835.66! I had to replace two regulators and a motor. The parts alone were nearly $500! I'm in the process of reconstructing my service history concerning the windows, and have already been informed by the dealership in Stockton, California (now called Toyota Town) that the first time a window broke was under warranty in the Fall of 1995. This latest round of repairs with such a high price tag certainly adds to my frustration! Thanks for your help!

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