2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

TWICE IN THE PAST FOUR MONTHS I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR AND UNFORTUNATELY HIT A POTHOLE. NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY, A SIMPLE POTHOLE ON THE ROAD. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE FRONT PASSENGER-SIDE WHEEL (RIM) HAS BENT AND THE TIRE BLEW OUT. I HAVE NOW HAD TO REPLACE THE WHEEL AT AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE. I FIND IT RIDICULOUS THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS AT NIGHT AND IN THE RAIN. I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE, AND NO ONE STOPPED TO HELP ME. I HAD TO PAY $25 TO A TOWING COMPANY TO HAVE SOMEONE COME OUT AND CHANGE THE TIRE. *LA

PROBLEMS WITH AIR BAG SYSTEM RESULTED IN UNNECESSARY DEPLOYMENTS. *MR VW REFUSED TO DISCUSS THE MATTER WITH THE DEALER OR THE CONSUMER. THERE WAS AN INTERMITTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT OF THE HEAD AND SIDE PASSENGER AIR BAGS DURING NORMAL TRAVEL. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED THAT 40 OTHER 2002 JETTA OWNERS EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. *SC *JB

BOTH FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED WITH LESS THAN 60,000 MILES. FRONT RIGHT ELECTRIC WINDOW FELL INTO DOOR AT 65,000. REPLACED SPOOL AND BROKEN RETENTION CLIPS. RADIO HAS FAILED 3 TIMES AND BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THIRD TIME I HAD TO RESET FUSE #42. OLD PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. *AK

WHILE ON THE FREEWAY WE HAD A BLOWN TIRE IN OUR 2002 VW JETTA GLS VR6 VEHICLE. WE COULD NOT OPEN THE WHEEL BOLTS SINCE THEY WERE GLUED FROM THE FACTORY, INTO THE WHEEL. IT TOOK A 4' PIECE OF PIPE TO OPERATE THE BOLTS WRENCH TO OPEN THEM. FURTHERMORE, THE JACK SUPPLIED WITH THE VEHICLE IS UNDERSIZED AND UNSAFE TO OPERATE. IT SHIFTED WITH THE VEHICLE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE A STEADY SUPPORT FOR RAISING THE VEHICLE FOR THE WHEEL CHANGE. AFTER A FEW TRIES, WE RESORTED TO USING A HYDRAULIC JACK SUPPLIED BY THE LOCAL SHERIFF DEPUTY WHO WAS PASSING BY THE LOCATION WE WERE STOPPED AT. *AK

I PURCHASED A NEW 2002 JETTA GLS AND HAVE HAD THE CAR JUMP STARTED FOUR TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR. AFTER THE SECOND TIME THE BATTERY DIED, THEY GAVE ME A SOLAR PANEL TO HELP KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED. MY BATTERY DIED AGAIN LAST WEEK WITH THE SOLAR PANEL PLUGGED IN. VW RAN ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND STILL MAINTAINS THAT, AMONG A LONG LIST OF THE OTHER POSSIBILITIES THEY HAVE OFFERED ME, THEY ARE SURE IT IS BECAUSE I DON'T DRIVE THE CAR ENOUGH TO CHARGE THE BATTERY SUFFICIENTLY TO HANDLE ALL THE ELECTRONICS THAT ARE STANDARD ON THE CAR. I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS EXPLANATION. IF THEY PUT ALL THESE "EXTRAS" ON THE CAR AND IT DRAWS TOO MUCH ON THE BATTERY WHEN NOT DRIVEN FOR A FEW DAYS , THEN WHY PUT THEM ON THE CAR? IN ADDITION,I ALSO HAD THE FRONT WINDOWS CRASH INSIDE THE DOOR WHILE ENTERING A MAJOR HIGHWAY. THEY WERE REPLACED. AND, LAST MONTH WHILE I HAD THE CAR IN FOR A RECALL REGARDING THE TAIL LIGHTS, I HAD TO HAVE THE WINDOW MECHANISM FIXED AGAIN DUE TO A FAULTY CLAMP. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VOLKSWAGEN. I NEVER EXPECTED A NEW CAR TO HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS. IT IS AN INCONVENIENCE AND A WASTE OF TIME. *AK

I HAD A VW JETTA 2002 MODEL WITH 13880 MILES. PRIOR TO THAT INCIDENT, I HAD NO ACCIDENT OR TROUBLE. I HAD SERVICE CHECK UP DONE AND THE LAST ONE WAS DONE ON MAR.16, 2004. ON APR.5, I PARKED THE CAR IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARKING LOT. I TOOK OUT THE IGNITION KEY, BUT THE CAR WAS STILL SHAKING AND VIBRATING AND THE SOUND WAS GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER. I CALLED OUT FOR HELP AND THE JANITOR CAME TO OPEN UP THE HOOD. BY THE TIME, THE BURNING SMELL WAS ALL OVER AND THE SMOKE WAS COMING OUT. THE CABLES ATTACHED TO THE BATTERY WAS ON FIRE AND THE BATTERY WAS MELTING. THE JANITOR HAD TO CUT OFF THE CABLES IN ORDER TO STOP THE FIRE. IT WAS TOWED AWAY TO VW SUNNYVALE. AFTER THE INSPECTION, VW SAID THAT THE PROBABLE CAUSE WAS THE SAFETY KEY DEVICE WHICH WAS INSTALLED AT THE BOB LEWIS DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT THE CAR. THEN THE STARTER DISENGAGED. VW SAID IT WAS AN AFTERMARKET PRODUCT THAT THEIR BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY WON'T COVER THE REPAIR. WHEN WE BOUGHT THIS CAR, IT WAS NEW AND WE REFUSED TO HAVE AN EXTRA SAFETY DEVICE, BUT BOB LEWIS HAD LEFT IT THERE WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE. THEY ALSO DID NOT DISCLOSE THAT MODIFICATION WAS DONE NOR AFTER ANY MODIFICATION. THE CAR WILL NOT BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. NOW THE SUNNYVALE DEALER ESTIMATED THE COST OF REPAIR FOR $14500. MY INSURANCE HAD SENT 2 APPRAISERS AND I AM WAITING FOR THEIR REPORTS. I TRIED TO REACH BOB LEWIS, BUT THEY HAVE NEVER CALLED ME BACK. *LA THE POINT OF ORIGIN WAS IN THE WIRING. THE STARTER DISENGAGED AND THE PROBABLE CAUSE WAS THE AFTER MARKET PRODUCT DUE TO A MODIFICATION ON THE ORIGINAL WIRING. (THE DAMAGE APPEARED TO BE DIRECTLY BELOW THE BATTERY) *SC *JB

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ROLL THE WINDOW UP, THE WINDOW FELL INTO THE DOOR. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT DURING THE DAY, WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SECURELY LOCK THE VEHICLE. THE LOCAL VW SHOP WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM THE FOLLOWING DAY. THIS WAS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE. *LA

1) TRANSMISSION SLIPS, AND CAUSES A THUD. HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. 2) LED DISPLAY DISAPPEARS. HAVE INFORMED DEALERSHIP OF THIS PROBLEM TWICE AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. 3) BRAKES ARE MUSHY. HAVE INFORMED DEALERSHIP ONCE AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. 4) VEHICLE IS SLUGGISH WHEN ACCELERATING. HAVE INFORMED DEALERSHIP ONCE. 5) ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON, AND THERE IS PECULIAR SMELL. HAVE INFORMED DEALERSHIP ONCE. *NM

VEHICLE HAD DIFFICULTY SHIFTING OUT OF PARK. DEALERSHIP SAID IT HAD TO DO WITH A BRAKE SWITCH RECALL AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. WHEN VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AFTER REPAIR, BRAKES FELT DIFFERENTLY, BUT WORKED. A WEEK LATER WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE BRAKE PEDAL STUCK AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 50MPH. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS BAD AND WILL REPLACE IT. OTHER PROBLEMS INCLUDE THE ARM REST BREAKING THREE TIMES, WINDOW MECHANICS NEEDED REPLACED, DOOR LEAKS, AND COVER ON PLASTIC INTERIOR PEELING.*AK

PASSENGER SIDE/WINDOW AIRBAG DEPLOYED. DEALER STATED THAT COMPUTER WAS READING CRASH DAMAGE. CONSUMER INDICATED VEHICLE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A CRASH. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER PULLED DATA OFF THE COMPUTER THAT INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A CRASH AND DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. DUE TO THEIR FINDINGS THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO COVER ANY REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER'S INSURANCE COMPANY ALSO PERFORMED AN INVESTIGATION AND THEY CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A CRASH. THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND MANUFACTURER ARE TRYING TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO GET TOGETHER AND TAKE THE AIR BAGS APART TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THEM TO DEPLOY. *NM