2005 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

THE CAR HAS 83K MILES, SINCE APPROX 1 YEAR AGO (73K MILES) THE LCD MULTIFUCTION DISPLAY IS GETTING DIMMER AND DIMMER UP TO THE POINT THAT SOMETIMES IS ALMOST UNREADABLE AND THE PROBLEM OCCUR ONLY WHEN THE CAR IS EXPOSED TO HIGH TEMPERATURES. (IN THE MORNING THE LCD BRIGHTNESS IS NORMAL). I DID SOME RESEARCH IN THE INTERNET AND FOUND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME CONDITION. THE LCD MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY SHOWS THE ODOMETER DATA, THE TRANSMISSION GEAR POSITION AND ALSO SHOWS SAFETY WARNINGS RELATED TO AIR BAGS MALFUNCTION AND FRONT AND REAR DOORS NOT PROPERLY CLOSED. I WAS ADVISED BY A DEALER SERVICE ADVISOR TO CONTACT VW CUSTOMER SERVICE BECAUSE THE REPAIR OF THIS DEFECT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND ACCORDING TO HIM MAY BE CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE PARTS. I WAS TOLD BY VW CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE IS NOT RECOGNIZED AS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS ILLEGAL FOR A CAR OWNER TO ALTER THE ODOMETER DURING THE LIFETIME OF THE CAR, IF THAT IS THE CASE SHOULD BE ILLEGAL A FOR A CAR MANUFACTURER TO SELL A CAR THAT AFTER SIX YEARS YOU ARE UNABLE TO READ THE ODOMETER INFORMATION.

VEHICLE HAS MANUAL TRANSMISSION, DRIVER SELECTED FIRST GEAR AT AN INTERSECTION, PULLED AWAY FROM LIGHT WHEN IT CHANGED TO GREEN, TRIED TO CHANGE TO SECOND GEAR, HOWEVER GEAR LEVER STUCK IN FIRST GEAR, WOULD NOT MOVE INTO NEUTRAL, LUCKILY DRIVER HAD ENOUGH FORWARD MOMENTUM TO CLEAR INTERSECTION AND ROLL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WITH ENGINE RUNNING DRIVER IS UNABLE TO SELECT A GEAR, ONLY WAY TO PUT TRANSMISSION INTO A GEAR IS TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE, VEHICLE TAKEN TO VOLKSWAGEN DEALER FOR REPAIR, CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE HAD CRACKED IN HALF. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE ENGINE WOULD ALSO MISFIRE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK AND DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE B VALVE, THE GLOW PLUG AND THE GLOW PLUG HARNESS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED AFTER THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SECOND DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS WHERE THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THE DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX UNIT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED A RECALL FOR THE 2009-2010 MODELS UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V333000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE RECALL DID NOT INCLUDE THE 2005 MODEL VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000. UPDATED 04/02/12*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND FLASHING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS MISFIRING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN SPROCKETS HAD BEEN SHAVED DOWN, WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE TIMING CHAIN SPROCKETS AS WELL AS OTHER COMPONENTS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,005. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

AT ROUGHLY 6500 MILES MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BROUGHT IT TO DEALERSHIP TO CHECK OUT. FOUND OUT THAT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD JUMPED, OR STRETCHED, RESULTING IN POOR IDLE AND A $2700 ESTIMATE TO REPAIR. LOOKED IF OTHER PEOPLE HAD THIS ISSUE. TIMING CHAIN SHOULD LAST 2-3 TIMES LONGER. SINCE I'M OUT OF WARRANTY PERIOD I AM OUT OF LUCK. VW OFFERED $1500 CREDIT TOWARDS A NEW VW. THIS IS NOT ACPETABLE. MY LAST JETTA LASTED 180000 MILES BEFORE ANY ISSUES. IF MORE PEOPLE HAVE THIS ISSUE, THEN THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AND IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE COMPANY. BE WARY OF VW'S. *TT

THE TRUNK LATCH IS EASILY DEFECTIVE CAUSING INABILITY TO SHUT TRUNK OR OPENING OF TRUNK WHILE DRIVING. SEARCH FORUMS ONLINE AND YOU WILL SEE PLENTY OF HITS AS A RECURRING PROBLEM. OURS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED A SECOND TIME AND HAS OPENED WHILE ON THE ROAD. THANKFULLY THE TRUNK WAS EMPTY AND NOTHING FLEW OUT AND THE ROAD WAS EMPTY. *TR

DRIVING MY DAUGHTER HOME FROM SCHOOL, HOT COOLANT STARTED SPEWING INTO WHERE HER FEET REST ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. *TR

AS EMPHASIS BY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS CAR (HTTP://FORUMS.VWVORTEX.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?5457990-CLASS-ACTION-AGAINST-VW-FOR-TIMING-CHAIN-PROBLEM), VOLKSWAGEN DESIGNED A FLAWED SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWS THE TIMING CHAIN TO FAIL PRE-MATURELY. IN FACT, DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THIS MOTOR, A TIMING CHAIN FAILURE WILL DIRECTLY AND IMMEDIATELY LEAD TO OTHER CATASTROPHIC ISSUES SUCH AS A BENT VALVE IN MY SITUATION. UPON REPLACEMENT OF THE MOTOR, I HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE HAPPEN LESS THAN 1 MONTH LATER (11/16/11). *TR

THE CAR INTERIOR HAS A CRAYON SMELL MOST NOTICEABLE ON HOT DAYS. I AM CONCERNED THAT I AM BREATHING IN POSSIBLY TOXIC FUMES FROM THE EVAPORATION OF CHEMICALS THAT WERE USED WHEN THE CAR WAS BUILT. AFTER TYPING INTO GOOGLE ONLY THE 2 WORDS "CRAYON SMELL" I GET MANY MANY HITS FOR VW CARS THAT HAVE THE EXACT SAME SMELL AS MINE, SO THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT AFFECTS A LARGE GROUP OF VW VEHICLES. *TR

2005 .5 MODEL YEAR VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI (TURBODIESEL) WITH AUTOMATIC (DSG) TRANSMISSION. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING CAR, THE TRANSMISSION WILL FOR NO REASON SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, AND ALL TRANSMISSION INDICATOR LIGHTS 'PRNDS' WILL FLASH SIMULTANEOUSLY. SO FAR, IF ENGINE IS SHUT OFF AND THEN RESTARTED, THE TRANSMISSION WILL AGAIN FUNCTION NORMALLY. I BELIEVE THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 OR 5 TIMES NOW. ON ONE OCCASION, THE CAR WAS IN AN INTERSECTION WHEN IT BECAME IMMOVABLE WHICH PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD.I CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF INFO ON MANY VW INTERNET SITES ABOUT THIS ISSUE, IN FACT IF YOU SIMPLY GOOGLE 'VW DSG FLASHING PRNDS' OR 'VW DSG TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS' ANYONE CAN FIND IT. IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. I SEE THAT HHTSA HAS BEGUN AN INVESTIGATION BASED ON THIS FOR 2007 THRU 2009 MODEL YEARS, OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM ON 2005/2006 VW WITH DSG TRANSMISSION AS WELL. VW HAS INITIATED A NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM TO ADDRESS CUSTOMER CONCERNS RELATED TO CERTAIN DSG EQUIPPED MODELS BUT APPARENTLY MINE (AND MANY OTHERS) ARE NOT COVERED THEY SAY BY THIS PROGRAM- NEVERTHELESS A SAFETY ISSUE EXISTS WITH 2005 AND 2006 DSG EQUIPPED VW'S. I CALLED VW CUSTOMER SERVICE (NATIONAL) TODAY 11/3/11 AND REP SAID "I AM NOT AWARE OF THIS ISSUE' FOR THIS YEAR- SO THEY ARE EITHER LYING OR INCREDIBLY UNDERINFORMED. I HAD THE CAR TO VW DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS, AND THEY STATED THAT A DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWED A MALFUNCTION IN A PART THAT CONTROLS TRANSMISSION OPERATION AND WAS CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL BY ITSELF. THEIR RECOMMENDATION, "SPEND $2000 TO REPLACE THE PART, OR JUST GET A NEW TRANSMISSION = $4000. SINCE THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY RELATED DESIGN FLAW THAT ALLOWS THE TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT ITSELF INTO NEUTRAL- I FEEL THE NHTSA SHOULD EXPAND THE INVESTIGATION TO INCLUDE ALL YEARS OF VW DSG TRANSMISSION EQUIPPED VEHICLES SOLD IN THE USA. *TR