2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI - VW REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY OF A DEFECTIVE CLUTCH/FLYWHEEL ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURANCE APPARENTLY. I LEARNED OF THIS WHEN I WENT ONLINE TO DO SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THE PROBLEM. VOLKSWAGEN IS HONORING THE WARRANTIES IN EUROPE WITH THE SAME ISSUE BUT IGNORING ITS QUALITY / SAFETY ISSUE HERE IN THE US. THE DEFECTIVE CLUTCH / FLYWHEEL ISSUE CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY AND OR DEATH WHEN THE FLYWHEEL DISENTIGRATES. *TR

MY 2006 VW JETTA TDI CLUTCH WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT COME BACK UP. I PULLED IT BACK UP AND IT WOULD NOT GO BACK DOWN. CLUTCH WAS NEVER SPONGY BEFOREHAND AND JUST WENT OUT WITH NO PRIOR INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY (CAR HAS APPROX 40,000 MILES). AFTER DOING RESEARCH AND FINDING OUT OTHERS HAVE SAME PROBLEM I WILL BE COMPLAINING TO DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT COVERED. I AM A STUDENT AND MY HUSBAND IS IN THE ARMY WE DON'T HAVE $2000 TO PAY FOR SUCH A REPAIR, THAT WAS NOT CAUSED BY "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR". *TR

THE ORIGINAL ACCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING FOR CHRISTMAS (DEC 26, 2006). IN A BRAND NEW CAR WITH "UP GRADED" CONTINENTAL TIRES GOING ABOUT 60 MPH THE TIRES DISINTEGRATED, THE CAR SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT HIGHWAY WALL. IT WAS A CLEAR TIRE MALFUNCTIONED AND AFTER SENDING TIRE TO CONTINENTAL NORTH AMERICA IN CHARLOTTE, NC THEY SAID THAT THEIR "INSPECTORS" FOUND NO FAULT. WE ASKED THEM TO RECONSIDER AND ENDED UP GETTING A $1,500 GOODWILL OFFER FROM THEM. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE HAD A RENTAL CAR FOR 8 WEEKS WHILE OUT CAR WITH $6,000 IN DAMAGES WAS FIXED. JUST THIS WEEK AS WE WERE ABOUT TO COUNTER OFFER AND GET AT LEAST OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES, SINCE ITS GOING INTO THE 2ND YEAR, ANOTHER "UPGRADED TIRE" SHREDDED. THIS TIME WITH OUR 4 MONTH OLD SON IN IT. THE ONLY THING EXTRA THEY ADDED TO THE CLAIM WAS TO PAY FOR NEW TIRES FOR US. THEY HAVE NOT BARGAINED IN GOOD FAITH AND THEY ARE USING THEIR CORPORATE POWER TO DEFLECT THE LIABILITY OF PRODUCING INFERIOR PRODUCTS. OF THE ORIGINAL SET OF 4 "UPGRADED" TIRES, 3 HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH 2 COMPLETELY SHREDDING THROUGH THE MIDDLE. *TR

REAR BRAKES WEAR UNEVENLY (DRIVER SIDE REAR PADS HAVE WORN AT AN INCREDIBLE RATE) REAR BRAKES ALSO LOCK UP EASILY WHILE BRAKING ON LOOSE PAVEMENT OR GRAVEL. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI 5-SPEED WITH 39,000 MILES. MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN MEXICO IN JANUARY OF 2006, AND I PURCHASED IT IN JUNE OF 2006. THIS WEEK, THE CLUTCH STARTED SLIPPING AND IT WARRANTED A VISIT TO THE LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME THAT MANY 2006 VW JETTA TDI 5-SPD VEHICLES WERE MADE WITH A DEFECTIVE CLUTCH PLATE, BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE MY TRANSMISSION TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT MY VEHICLE HAD THE DEFECTIVE PART. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IF MY VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE THE DEFECTIVE PART, THEY WOULD CHARGE ME NEARLY $500 IN LABOR FEES FOR REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION FOR INSPECTION. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE MY VEHICLE INSPECTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT HAS THE DEFECTIVE PART, NOR SHOULD I HAVE TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE WHEN THIS CLUTCH HAS BEEN FAILING PREMATURELY. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS CLUTCH PLATE ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. I ALSO FOUND 88 PAGES ON ONE FORUM ALONE (HTTP://FORUMS.TDICLUB.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=137014) ABOUT THIS PART AND THE CLUTCH/FLYWHEEL ASSEMBLY FAILING PREMATURELY. MANY OF THESE PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO PAY FOR A NEW CLUTCH AT A COST OF OVER $2000.00. SOME WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS CLUTCH PLATE AND THE CORRESPONDING ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN RECALLED BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS IN MANY COUNTRIES EXCEPT FOR THE UNITED STATES. I FEAR HAVING MY CLUTCH FAIL WHEN I NEED THE ENGINE TO BE ENGAGED. IF I WERE TO HAVE A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, IT COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND ENDANGER MYSELF AND THE OCCUPANTS OF MY VEHICLE. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO BRING THIS PROBLEM TO THE SURFACE, AND PROMPT AN INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA TO LOOK INTO THIS KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE? THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS NEED TO BE RECALLED AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. IT SEEMS THAT NHTSA IS IGNORING THIS MATTER AT THE CONSUMER'S EXPENSE, AND THE AUTOMAKERS BENEFIT. *TR

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE SEATBELT LIGHT HAS COME ON AND STAYED ON. THE FIRST TIME VWOA REPAIRED WIRING UNDER MY SEAT AT 49,000 MILES. THE LIGHT IS NOW ON AGAIN, LESS THAN ONE YEAR LATER AND THEY WILL NOT REPAIR IT UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE I HAVE MORE THAN 12,000 MILE SINCE REPAIR. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE COVERED REGARDLESS OF TIME. SAFETY IS THE PRIORITY AND IF VWOA HAS A SAFETY DEFECT THEY NEED TO STAND BEHIND IT. *TR

THE FLYWHEEL HAS FAILED AND DISABLED THE VEHICLE. THIS IS AN UNSAFE AND UNDER DESIGNED COMPONENT OF THE DRIVE TRAIN. THE FLYWHEEL SELF DESTRUCTED. IN ALL MY YEARS I HAVE NEVER HEARD OR EXPERIENCED A FLYWHEEL SELF DESTRUCTION ON A CAR 2 YEARS OLD WITH 30K MILES. *TR

2006 JETTA TDI. DMF AND CLUTCH FAILURE AFTER 54,000 MI OF NORMAL DRIVING. CAR STUCK IN GEAR WHILE DRIVING, UNABLE TO STOP AND GO. NOT COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. DESCRIBED AS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. CHEAP DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH COMPONENTS! *TR

BRAKES/STEERING/ESP-VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT AFTER MAKING LEFT HAND TURNS OR U-TURNS. SOMETIMES SO AGGRESSIVELY THAT IT HAS CAUSED INJURY TO THE DRIVERS AND DAMAGE TO THE CAR'S RIM AND TIRE. VEHICLE MOVES AFTER PUT IN PARK AND THE IGNITION HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. SOMETIMES, IT MOVES AFTER GETTING OUT AND WALKING AWAY. HAVE BEEN TOLD BY TWO DEALERSHIPS THAT THIS IS NORMAL. I DON'T FEEL THAT MOVING 6 INCHES OR MORE IS SAFE, ESPECIALLY AROUND CHILDREN AND SMALL PETS. SEAT MEMORY-SEAT STARTED MOVING ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS AS IN THE MIDDLE OF BRAKING, THE SEAT MOVED ALL THE WAY BACK WHERE I COULD NOT REACH THE PEDALS. MEMORY HAS NOT BEEN RIGHT EVEN AFTER REPLACING SWITCHES AND I AM STRESSED AND WONDER WHEN THE SEAT WILL START MOVING ON ITS OWN AGAIN. *TR

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2006 VW TDI USED, WITH 33K MILES. AFTER ONE DAY OF OWNERSHIP THE CLUTCH PEDAL WENT THE FLOOR. I PULLED THE PEDAL UP WITH MY TOE, AND GOT IT TO ENGAGE ONE MORE TIME, THEN BACK TO THE FLOOR. AFTER THAT, THE CAR WOULDN'T PULL ITSELF IN ANY GEAR. THE CAR NEVER SLIPPED, VIBRATED, ETC., NO SYMPTOMS OF A WORE CLUTCH, JUST INSTANT FAILURE. I CALLED VW ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, AND VW TOWED IT TO A DEALER 3HOURS AWAY. BEFORE THE DEALER TORE INTO IT THEY CALLED ME AND SAID THAT IF IT IS DUE TO CLUTCH WEAR/ABUSE THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED. AFTER SOME RESEARCH HERE ON TDICLUB, I FOUND THAT DMF, AND CLUTCH FAILURES WERE VERY COMMON AND GENERALLY WARRANTED. I TOLD THE DEALER TO GO AHEAD AND TEAR INTO THE CAR TO FIND OUT MORE. TODAY I GET A CALL AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE CLUTCH IS WORE OUT, AND THAT IT IS NOT COVERED. THE ADVISOR ON THE PHONE SAID THAT HALF THE CLUTCH ON ONE SIDE IS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE, AND THE OTHER SIDE IS COMPLETELY GONE. AND IF I COME PICK IT NOW, I WILL ONLY BE OUT $550, OR I CAN HAVE THEM DO THE REPAIR FOR $1800. I TOLD HIM TO NOT DO ANYTHING YET, AND THAT I WOULD CALL HIM BACK TOMORROW WITH AN ANSWER. THE SERVICE ADVISOR WAS VERY NICE, AND AS HELPFUL AS HE COULD BE, BUT COULD NOT WARRANTY THE CLUTCH OR REPAIR. *TR