Volkswagen Jetta Reviews

Got the same reply from each: rebuilt needed. Big bucks. Note: I dont believe this was a lemon, the seller was trustworthy and you really can't hide tranny problems. When they go, they really really go.

Total costs came to around $2700.00. The car was in the shop for two weeks as additional parts were ordered and mystery problems arose. The shop I picked didn't seem too bad and I was delighted that it was under the original $3k estimate.

They had to take the transmission out twice to fix the problem and stopped charging labor past the quote they gave me. They probably worked an extra 6 or 7 hours uncompensated to get it fixed. If you're reading this because you are having the same problem currently, I feel for you. I know every car design has problems but there seems to be ALOT of complaints about VW transmissions.

As a testament to this, when I went to finally pick up the repaired car...the shop had another Jetta ('02) inside and two waiting outside. Yep...german engineering at its best. More like cheap parts assembled in Mexico.

They have a monopoly on this issue. Getting the oil changed is awful because VW has so few service facilities which are overcrowded with customers. Second issue is tires. My Jetta has a little over 30K miles on it and have gone through a complete set of tires plus new tires. The car has those low profile tires and when you suspect you have a low tire, it is already ruined. The tire will ruin when slightly under inflated.

You have no way of knowing that is a tire problem until it is too late. There are no low tire sensors. VW sales does not warn customer that they should buy the extended tire warranty. Even if I had the warranty, you better have the flat near a VW dealer.

Ever since then, every time it is taken to a repair shop, we are told that the computer has cylinder misfire codes in it, but no one can figure out why this happens. The knob to adjust the side mirrors fell off in my lap one day while driving down the road. The speed sensor (which tells the transmission to shift gears once the engine reaches a certain number of rpm's) has been replaced twice. It was finally decided that the cause of this problem was the computer, which was replaced the third time the speed sensor went out.

The floor heating vent stopped working the first time it was cold enough to need it (fall 2004). The air conditioner went out at the end of this summer. All in all, way too many problems for as young as the car is. The people at VW have been less than helpful. When the dealership has offered to fix anything, they have quoted me prices for brand new parts, telling me that there is absolutely no way for anyone to do it any cheaper.

For example, VW quoted me $5600 to repair the transmission. I had a local auto repair shop fix it for $2000. When I called customer service to complain, they told me there was nothing they could do.

Dealership states it is the transmission contol module. This part tells the transmission when to shift gears. Told not covered under warranty. This part was never chkd when trans replaced? Called 800 VW refused to help. I suggest after reading the same complaints on this web site a civil suit against VW.

My Dad who is an attorney discussed this issue with them about the voltage irregularity in the design of the ignition system of the car. The dealer referred my Dad to the factory saying that they really don't know why this problem persists. My Dad tried repeatedly speaking to VW HQ and they keep referring back to Customer Care who keeps referring back to the dealer. This catch 22 nonsense continued till today. Twe weeks ago, for the forth time my coil went back again and the dealer replaced it with a new one at a cost of over $250.00. Within 12 days the same thing happened again and yesterday I picked up the car from Neftin VW dealer with coil # 1,2,3,5,and 6 replaced. #4 coil was replaced over 10 days ago.

I have almost got into accidents twice as I tried to get to the right lane due to loss of power. My Dad is a classic car collector and knows a lot about cars. His 1936 Rolls Royce Phantom has a voltage regulator that prevents high voltage from iginition coil going to the spark plugs. He raised exactly the same issue with the Service Manager who agrees with him and say that it is certainly a design deficiency and that I should address this issue directly to the engineering department of VW America. He also took my name and phone info telling me that the VW Rep visits us once a month and that he will contact me when he is at the dealership the next time to look at this problem. In the meantime, if the coil keeps going bad I have to keep spending everytime over $250.00. But the problem is that I do not feel comfortable and safe in driving the car.

So I drive my Porsche instead and parked the VW untill this issue is resolved or the coil defect is illiminated for once and all. I can never think of taking my VW Jetta on any of my skiing or other trips too far away from home. It is absolutely unbelievable that the German car makers like VW could make such an unreliable and defective product.

Plastic CAM covers within the engine melted circulating plastic throughout the interior of the engine. The engine and oil pump are a complete loss and must be replaced.

i can not use my car without having to jump start it every use and I am tired of hearing nothing is wrong.

I live one houre from the dealer i have to go bring the car every other week or so i have wasted money on gaz time with my children me and my husband are stress out because no one will help us or do the wright thing we dont want money we just dont want this unsafe car.

We are faced with an approx. repair bill of $5,000 to replace the complete head assembly. We've contacted VW Customer Care and explained the situation and they are unwilling to help in anyway or stand behind their product. VW's response has been there is no help - you are beyond your warranty. They were unwilling to admit there was a problem, even though we told them what their Master Technician had said.

VW should recall these parts and make their brackets out of metal or at least start making them out of metal so when we replace them they dont just break again. I am so mad!!!!!!!!!!

I do not believe such a thing because in the technical language oil consumption means the engine is worn out. I have contacted several other service shops and they have told me that the enigine, or parts of the engine are worn out. One of the shops that I contacted informed me that it would cost me $3,800-4,300 to repair the engine.

Thankfully they had the part, but only because as we were told, this was a common problem. Actually, so common the man doing our intake diagnosed it!! Anyway, we were told the window clips were poorly designed out of plastic, and that Volkswagon WAS covering the cost of repair for 7 YEARS, and we missed the cut-off for coverage by 3 WEEKS! Apparently the new part is now made out of metal.

We called our warranty company who also would not cover this problem. They told us Volkswagen should cover it. We were out $200. because of poor design that the company knew about and covered for a time. I tried calling Volkswagen of America to see if I could be reimbursed but got nowhere. They wouldn't even transfer me to corporate offices. I am so angry by the principle of this! If a company knows they have a defective part shouldn't they replace it?? I was going to buy a Passat but now I am DONE with this company. I do not and will not recommend anyone buying a Volkswagon if this is how they operate.

They also replaced a part in my driver seat due to a recall, when I received the car back the driver seat was rubbing on the center console. The dealer told me this was the best they could do.

Then my trunk locked down completely and refused to open no matter what I tried. I took it in to have it repaired only to find out that latch had come off. This cost me over $100. Then my transmission blew. I had always taken perfect care of my car so obviously there was no reason for the transmission to blow at only 50,000 miles.

It first began with my gears locking up. The car would lock in park and it would take hours for me to release them. Then the car would refuse to go into reverse it would have to idle for 15 minutes before it would go into reverse. Then on my way home one night my car completey stopped in the middle of the road. I somehow rolled my car into a nearby parking lot and called for help. I had to have my car towed into the nearest VW dealership which was 60 miles away and cost me $125. When the repairman looked at my car he told me that it would cost $5000 to have the car repaired.

My car had to be towed to Classic VW on Tyler Blvd in Mentor. Have been told it is the clutch master and slave cylinders must be replaced and then the brake lines must be bled and refilled. This model has the 2.0 engine, and I have had a manual transmission car for over 30 years. Surprisingly, an hour after my Jetta was towed, and a 2000 Jetta was towed in to the same dealer with a clutch pedal stuck in the same position.

I also had the ignition coils fail on this vehicle in 2005, to the tune of $420. -Another system that seems to fail very often in VW models. VW of NA recalled all Golf, Jetta and Passat ignition coil systems EXCEPT those models with the 2.0 engine. All this, and I still have two payments to make before I actually own this Jetta. What a deal.

The transmission went and i had sludge in my engine that magically disapeared when I took it to the dealership, only other mechanics could find it. This car is a piece of junk and the dealerships will do nothing about it. I'm a broke graduate student so I'm pretty much stuck with this thing until May 07 when you can bet I will be buying a new car.

Supposedly they were going to replace the whole transmission, but they can't seem to find one. I have spoke to my dealer, and I have spoken to VW Customer Care and no one knows anything. My car is just sitting there waithing for a new transmission.

Customer Care has been extremely rude to me. The lady told me not to call back, that they would call me back when they got an update. I finally got a rental. They gave me a KIA!

I complained that due to my very first car payment being due- I was not paying $504 to drive a KIA, so they gave me a Toyota. I still have yet to hear why they have not found a transmission yet. I am very dissatisfied and have asked for my money back- my dealer says that this is not an option.

I got home and began to research the problem and found this site (ConsumerAffairs.com) where people where listed the exact same symptoms I was having.

Shortly I was contacted by the dealership, told the maintenance logs were not necessary (ever) and that they would do the repair under warranty. Now, 1 year later the same thing has happened. After consulting with the dealership here and getting a second opinion, it came to light that my engine was full of old oil sludge because the dealer did not flush the sludge out of my engine. They simply replaced the pump and left all the sludge in there to fester and damage my engine.

I called them since this recent malfunction to clarify that it was oil sludge that caused them to replace the pump. I was told yes. Then when I asked if they had flushed my engine I was told that it wasn't sludge, it was debris and there was no reason to flush the engine. Other mechanics tell me that anything in the oil pump is reason to flush the engine. Then, when I complained to VW Corporate and they did an investigation, The dealer lied. They told Corporate that there was never any sludge or debris. It was a part malfunction and they just needed to replace it. So, now, I am left paying for engine repair, diagnosis, etc., and have been denied any help from Corporate because of their lies.

I bought GAP insurance at the time of purchase and then approximately 2 months later received a letter from the GAP Insurance Company stating they could not write me a policy and to contact the dealership. It took the dealership almost 7 months to resolve this issue also. The total cost of the GAP Insurance was $600 and during the time in which they were "looking into it" they refused to refund me that money. No one can answer were the portion of my monthly car payment that should have been designated to the GAP Insurance is or where is it was going and they still refuse to refund me that money.

Then the brakes went, and had to be replaced. Next, it began to burn oil like crazy (a common problem, one that I've seen several people complaint about on this website), and every so often, the "low engine oil pressure" light will come on and I have to immediately stop at a gas station to buy oil (I had to go to another mechanic to find out that this was the way to fix the problem -- the VW mechanic was completely baffled). I try to keep a spare bottle or two on hand. The dealer can't figure out what's causing the problem.

Then the catalytic converter broke, which made the entire car shake, and the rattling noise as I drove from my home in Philadelphia to the nearest dealership (about 45 minutes) was terrifying. Luckily, VW paid for it, even though my warranty had run out, because the problem had become so common that there was yet another recall.

I've had to have the taillights fixed countless times because of a "faulty switch" that, yes, you guessed it, has been recalled. The front passenger-side window fell inside the door while I was on my way to work one day, damaging some part in the door that the dealer informed me he had convinced VW to pay for (SO very kind). ALSO covered by a recall, but I had to miss work to get it fixed. While they were in there, they discovered that I needed new front brakes. AGAIN. So I had those replaced, but the dealer put them in wrong, so I had to go back. While they were fixing THAT problem, they discovered that the belt around the A/C unit was rusted and cracked (why they didn't see that when they "fixed" the brakes the first time is a mystery). That was August.

In October, I had to replace those same brakes YET AGAIN. I thought that would be the end of it for a while, but no, I found a nasty note on my windshield this morning, informing me that I had "left my car alarm on" and that it had gone off "every hour, all day" yesterday. I thought the neighbor who complained was full of it, but right now, the car is parked right in front of my house and the alarm has gone off 3 times in the past 2 hours. It also goes off when I lock the car. Without explanation. Nobody is messing with it or anything. This car has been a nightmare. I'm buying myself a Honda for graduation!

My passenger side vanity mirror broke and the light above it won't switch off, so i have to use a rolled up nakpin to keep it from burning out. An important button on my radio stopped working and the top-coat of stuff on my door handles is peeling off. My driver side window came off the track and fell down the inside of my door (luckily it was summer). My check engine light was on for a year and a half because it was a "misfire" and now i have a brake pad light that is on for the same reason. My a/c stopped working, but since I got it fixed, it smells weird everytime i turn it on.

I really don't know what to do about the car; most of these problems are small annoyances but they shouldn't be happening. I have to do alot of do-it-yourself things to fix my car and it's really sad and almost funny that I've had to repair things with duct tape and napkins. Other things are too expensive to fix; I'm a college student and some of the interior things can't be fixed (like the radio button) without having to buy a whole new console, and I don't have $150 to install a new cupholder. My warranty is worthless. I love my car but I just can't afford to fix the little things.

I have had 2 different defective messages this week with my left headligths going on and off once I shut the car off. I do not want this car or any car from this dealer or VW. I traded my old VW in and do not have any other means to get to work or elsewhere. They need to take the car back. I have proof that this is the 3rd car with simliar problems to the last one. VW has put a bad car on the market and it is unfair to me for $24,000 over 5 years -- I refuse and want to know what my options are. I do not want this car. I am frustrated and do not deserve this.

I have left a message with this dealer that I will leave the car on their lot. I do not want to drive this car anymore and and I am not paying the next car note payment. They entered into a contract with me and are breaking it and I do not have to continue paying for a bad car -- no way.

I had a 1994 Jetta which was totaled in an accident, and since I was so pleased with that vehicle, I thought "Hey, the new ones must have only gotten better!" - yeah right, not even close.

I bought a 2001 Jetta GLS from a Southern California VW dealership in April 2001. It is now April 2002 and I am looking for another car due to my 9 visits to the VW dealership, and after my unsuccessful meeting with Jeff T. from VW of America in an Arrbitration/Mediation thru the BBB Auto Line. I presented to them the fact that a brand-new vehicle having this many problems is obviously defective and I would be happy with a replacement, since I trust VW and enjoy the car. Well, didn't happen, nothing happened.

In fact, I was given the BBB's response of: " We feel that as long as the vehicle has been repaired, and all warranty items were in fact covered at no cost to the consumer, a replacement or refund is not awarded." I never claimed time off work, stress, money I had to front on 2 occasions for a rental, all other times Hoagie at one VW dealership was wonderful enough to take of for me, and he is always a pleasure to work with by the way.

So here is a short list of some of my problems: A/C Valves and components faulty, repaired twice, front seats "click" in and out slightly at acceleration and braking, was told it was "normal", rear doors rattle was "repaired" twice and told nothing further could be done and a tech actually said " you got one that isn't so bad maam, I have seen much noisier in the new models."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I would LOVE to vigorously pursue any and all class-action claims against VW and I am sure I am not alone. All I want is a new vehicle with which I can serve out my lease term, or a service contract retroactively awarded, along with full monetary indemnification. Of course, I will gladly accept awards of a punitive nature against VW.

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).

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.

The next problem occurred at 17,300 miles. The sunroof shade became jammed and the inside brackets on the sunroof dislodged (I believe this problem has occured to other VW owners). I took my car into the Volkswagen dealership on 4-5-00 and they fixed the problem on the same day. 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.

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: