2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

WE OWN A 2002 JETTA TDI WAGON AND THE DRIVER SEAT HEATING DEVICE BURNED A HOLE IN THE SEAT AND STRAIGHT THROUGH MY OVERCOAT. THIS ALL HAPPENED WITHIN 1 MILE OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE. IF I DID NOT HAVE A THICK JACKET ON, I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN BURNED AND IF I DID NOT CATCH IT IN TIME, A FIRE COULD HAVE STARTED. *AK

MY 2003 JETTA TDI WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF MY APARTMENT BUILDING FOR APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES. WHEN I WENT BACK OUT TO THE CAR TO GET IN IT, I FOUND IT WITH SMOKE BILLOWING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AS I STARTED TO PULL THE HOOD RELEASE TO INVESTIGATE, I NOTICED FLAMES. I DID NOT OPEN THE HOOD AND INSTEAD QUICKLY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEY RESPONDED ASAP. BY THE TIME THEY STARTED PUTTING OUT THE FIRE, FLAMES WERE ENGULFING THE WHOLE WINDSHIELD FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AFTER THE FLAME WAS EXTINGUISHED IN REIGNITED AND HAD TO BE PUT OUT AGAIN. THE CAR IS INOPERABLE. I ONLY OWNED THIS CAR FOR THREE MONTHS AND IT WAS NOT EVEN DUE FOR ITS FIRST OIL CHANGE. NOW VOLKSWAGEN (VW) IS STALLING AND HAS NOT EVEN BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO PERFORM ITS INVESTIGATION. I AM VERY UPSET THAT AFTER TWO WEEKS NO ONE HAS GIVEN ME A PROGRESS UPDATE. I AM SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING SEEKING LEGAL ADVICE. *LA

PROBLEMS WITH REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER AND TRANSMISSION.*MR REAR DEFOGGER DIDN'T TURN OFF. CONSUMER FEARED IT WOULD CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL HAZARD. TRANSMISSION LOCKED AND WOULDN'T MOVE TO REVERSE. TRANSMISSION WAS REPAIRED AND FAILED AGAIN. CONSUMER WAS INFORMED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH WAS INSTALLED. ON THE DAY OF PURCHASE, CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF THE PROBLEM BUT THE SALESMAN STATED HE WASN'T USE TO A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND IGNORED IT. *PH

WHILE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN SIDE CURTAIN AND SIDE AIR BAGS INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED. DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR BURNS TO ARMS AND HANDS. *AK

ON DECEMBER 14TH OF 2002 I PURCHASED A 2003 VW JETTA FROM SMITH VW ON KIRKWOOD HIGHWAY DELAWARE. ALTHOUGH THEY HANDLED ALL MY TRANSACTIONS AND VEHICLE DELIVERY POORLY, I CHOSE TO OVERLOOK IN THINKING I WILL NOT BE DEALING WITH THEM AGAIN. *AK SINCE THEN, I HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR: IN TWO SEPARATE INCIDENTS I HAD A FLAT TIRE. IN ONE CASE THE JACK FELL OVER WHILE THE CAR WAS ON IT DUE TO HIGH WIND. THESE INCIDENTS TOOK PLACE IN THE WINTER WHEN WE HAD HEAVY SNOW. LATER I DISCOVERED THAT MY TIRES WERE OVERINFLATED. I DID NOT TOUCH THEM SINCE I BOUGHT MY CAR AND HAVE BEEN FOR AN OIL CHANGE A MONTH PRIOR AT VW. I STOPPED GOING TO SMITH VW AND STARTED USING GARNET VW AFTER THIS. ON THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 6TH AT 9:30PM I GOT INTO MY CAR AND I COULD NOT SWITCH OUT OF PARK. THIS WAS A SCARY SITUATION BECAUSE SOME FRICK WAS STANDING AT MY WINDOW ASKING ME FOR MONEY. HE FINALLY LEFT, BUT I WAS STRANDED WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. ROADSIDE WILL TOW YOUR CAR, BUT THEY DO NOT DRIVE YOU HOME. IN MID AUGUST MY KEYLESS KEY BATTERY DID NOT WORK. I WAS IN VA AT THE TIME. ON AUGUST 25TH DURING RUSH HOUR MY EPC LIGHT CAME ON RESULTING IN SUDDEN LOSS IN VEHICLE POWER. LUCKILY I WAS IN AN AREA THAT I COULD PULL OVER. VW FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. ON SEPTEMBER 8TH DURING RUSH HOUR AGAIN MY EPC LIGHT CAME ON RESULTING IN SUDDEN LOSS IN POWER. THIS TIME VW REPLACED THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. AT THIS TIME I ALSO FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO VW CORPORATION AND ALSO SPOKE TO GM AT GARNET VW. ON NOVEMBER 22ND I TOOK MY CAR IN BECAUSE OF HESITATION WHILE INCREASING SPEED FROM 20 MPH TO 40 MPH. A VW TECHNICIAN TOOK A RIDE WITH ME AND AGREED OF THE PROBLEM. I AM SCHEDULE FOR SERVICE IN DECEMBER. THIS IS DELAYED MAINLY DUE TO MY WORK SCHEDULE, BUT I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM SINCE MY LAST VISIT. I WILL BE SENDING YOU A FOLLOW UP NOTE WITH MORE INFORMATION LATER THIS WEEK.

WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY MA TRAFFIC THE FRONT BREAKS OF MY 2003 JETTA TDI LOCKED UP. I HAD TO PULL OVER AND IT TOOK ME 30 MINUTES TO GET THE BRAKES TO RELEASE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE IT. THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR FOR 11 DAYS AND THEY STILL REFUSE TO REPAIR THE CAR. VW CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS ALSO BEING UNHELPFUL. *LA

DRIVER'S SIDE HEATED SEAT BECAME EXTREMELY HOT, BURNING THE LEATHER, AND BURNING THROUGH THE CONSUMERS PANTS, SLIGHTLY BURNING CONSUMER'S LEG. DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK *PH *NLM

ON THE EVENING OF OCTOBER 30, MY 2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA VEHICLE DRIVER SEAT AND MY COAT CAUGHT ON FIRE, BEGINNING TO MELT MY PANTS TO MY SKIN. ONCE I REALIZED THE PROBLEM, I MOVED THROUGH TRAFFIC TO FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PARK MY CAR. I TURNED OFF THE SEAT HEATER AND ENGINE HEATER, AND WAITED SOME TIME TO REENTER THE CAR. ON FRIDAY MORNING, I SHOWED A MECHANIC THE PROBLEM AND HE SAID I MUST TAKE THE CAR INTO THE DEALERHSIP IMMEDIATELY. AFTER SEVERAL CALLS TO DICK HANNAH VOLKSWAGEN (DHVW) DEALERSHIP AND VOLKSWAGEN USA, DHVW FIXED THE SEAT HEATER DEFECT AND PROVIDED A CONTACT TO VOLKSWAGEN USA. DHVW PROVIDED MEDIOCORE CUSTOMER SERVICE, LACKED WILLINGNESS TO FULLY DISCUSS THE PROBLEM WITHOUT REPEATED PROMPTS, HAD NO IDEA WHETHER THIS DEFECT HAS BEEN FOUND IN OTHER VOLKSWAGEN VEHICLES AND WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY COMPENSATION. ULTIMATELY, I AM A VERY UNHAPPY DICK HANNAH VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER, WITH A CAR THAT MAKES AFRAID TO DRIVE WITH THE SEAT HEATER FEATURE, NO COMPENSATION FOR MY WINTER COAT AND PANTS, TIME FROM WORK AND STRESS. *LA

I HAVE A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLS 1.8T SPORT EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR RSA TIRES, SIZE 245/45 R17 H91. THE TIRES HAD ONLY 16,000 MILES ON THEM. AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE DRIVERS SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE TIRE SHOWED THAT IT FAILED AT THE SIDE WALL. THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL ALMOST THRU 40 PERCENT OF THE TIRE. I MANAGED TO MAKE IT OVER 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC AND NARROWLY OVERTED A COLLISSION. FUTHERMORE GOODYEAR DECLINED TO HONOR MY WARRANTY CLAIM. I THINK THAT GOODYEAR RSA MODEL TIRES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES AND ONE FAILED AT THE SIDEWALL WITH ONLY 16,000 MILES ON IT AND AT ONLY 60 MILES PER HOUR. *AK

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME NOW THAT MY 2003 VW 1.8T JETTA WOULD NOT START WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE FOR WORK IN THE MORNING. I UN-LOCK THE DOORS WITH THE REMOTE AND GET IN THE CAR, PRESS IN ON THE CLUTCH AND TURN THE KEY, THE HEADLIGHTS, RADIO, DOOR-CHIMES AND INTERIOR LIGHTS ALL COME ON BUT THE ENGINE WILL NOT TURN OVER AT ALL. I ONLY HAVE 8800 MILES ON THE CAR AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THE FIRST TIME WAS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO AND THE DEALER CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM EXCEPT THAT BOTH TIME IT HAS BEEN NEAR FREEZING OUTSIDE AND THE CAR HAD SAT OVER-NIGHT. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALER HAD MY CAR FOR THREE DAYS, WITHOUT GIVING ME A LOANER CAR BEFORE THEY TOLD ME TO COME PICK IT UP BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS TIME THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR FOR TWO DAYS NOW, AND I HAVEN'T EVEN RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THEM TO LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF MY VEHICLE. *LA