2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

MY 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 2.5L STARTED MAKING STRANGE NOISES FROM MY REAR BRAKES AT 23,000 TOTAL VEHICLE MILES. WHEN I REMOVED THE REAR BRAKE PADS, THEY WERE ALREADY WORN TO THE STUDS AND ETCHING THE REAR BRAKE DISCS. BRAKING EFFORT AND STOPPING DISTANCES WERE INCREASING. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CAR WITH BRAKES THAT WORE OUT IN 20,000 MILES, AND IF I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, I WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THE BRAKES ENTIRELY AND/OR HAD A FAILURE. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THESE CARS BECAUSE THE HAND BRAKE IS NOT FULLY RELEASED. *TR

AFTER 3 MONTHS OF DRIVING MY NEW JETTA, THE AIRBAG LIGHT TURN ON AND STAYED ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY FIXED IT. OVER THE NEXT YEAR THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON 6 TIMES. ONCE IT TURNED ON BEFORE I EVEN LEFT THE DEALERSHIPS PARKING LOT. AND YES THE LEMON LAW APPLIES IN THIS CASE. I LOVE MY JETTA BUT VWOA SERVICE RECORD SUCKS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE VEHICLE HAS CONTINENTAL CONTI PRO CONTACT, SIZE 205/55R16 (NA) TIRES. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE. THE FAILURE RECURRED WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THE TIRE CHORD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE DEALER. THE OTHER TWO TIRES WERE ABOUT TO FAIL AS WELL, SO SHE NOTIFIED THE CONTINENTAL MANUFACTURER REGARDING REPLACEMENT TIRES. CONTINENTAL REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TIRES AND ADVISED HER TO CALL NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 20,000.

MY RADIO/NAVIGATION SYSTEM ON MY 06 VW JETTA HAS STOPPED WORKING AND RESORTED TO "SAFE MODE" AFTER FOUR ATTEMPTS OF THE DEALERSHIP ATTEMPTING REPAIR, THEY HAVE STATED THAT THEY WILL SUPPLY AND INSTALL A NEW RADIO. THIS IS STILL YET TO HAPPEN. ALSO, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLOCK DOES NOT KEEP CORRECT TIME, RESETS BACK TO 12:00 EACH TIME I GET IN THE CAR. THE WEATHER INDICATOR ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DINGS WITH A SNOWFLAKE, WHEN THERE IS NO PRECIPITATION. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI. INITIALLY I WAS SLOWING DOWN ON THE INTERSTATE, AS SOON AS I WAS GETTING READY TO STOP DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, WHEN THE SHIFTER HIT FIRST, THE CAR BUCKED, DIED AND I LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. I ALSO NOTICED THAT NONE OF THE GEARS IN THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SYNC AND ALLOW ME INTO THEM. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHEN I REALESED MY FOOT FROM THE CLUTCH, THE PEDAL DID NOT COME BACK UP. I SHUT DOWN THE CAR, CRAWLED OUT THE PASSENGER SIDE, I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR FOR LEAKS AND ANYTHING THAT MAY INDICATE A MAJOR FAILURE. WHEN I PULLED THE CLUTCH BACK UP MANUALLY, THE PEDAL WOULD NOT GO BACK DOWN BUT HALF WAY. I PUSHED HARD ENOUGH TO GET THE CLUTCH INTERLOCK SWITCH TO DISENGAGE, AND TRIED TO START THE CAR. WHEN THE STARTER ENGAGED, THE ENGINE DRAGGED WITH SOMETHING ELSE. I ABANDONED THE CAR TO GET TO A PHONE. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALER, THEY GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME TO TOW THE CAR TO THE NEAREST VW CERTFIED REPAIR SHOP. EVENTUALLY I CONVINCED THEM TO TOW THE CAR, AND WHEN I MET HIM AT THE CAR, I NOTICED A LEAK OF EITHER HYDRAULIC, GEAR, OR DIESEL FLUID. WHEN I GOT ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM DUE TO A POOR DESING IN THE FLYWHEEL. VW TENDS TO REFUSE TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH CLAIMING THAT IT WAS PREMATURE WEAR DUE TO POOR DRIVING HABITS. THE FLYWHEEL TENDS TO CRACK OR EVEN SHATTER CAUSING NOT ONLY CLUTCH ISSUES BUT ALSO TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE ISSUES. THIS ISSUE CAN LEAD TO WRECKS FIRES AND ALSO EVEN STRANDED PEOPLE THAT MAY HAVE NO WAY OF GETTING HELP. VOLKSWAGEN HAS RECALLED THE FLYWHEEL IN EUROPE BUT REFUSES TO DO SO IN AMERICA. INFORMATION ON THE ISSUE CAN BE FOUND HERE HTTP://FORUMS.TDICLUB.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=137014&PAGE=1 THIS IS A 60 PAGE FORUM THAT EQUALS ABOUT 500 PAGES PRINTED OUT THIS IS SPECIFICALLY TO THIS ISSUE. THE RECALL INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE HTTP://UK-MKIVS.NET/FORUMS/2/562166/SHOWTHREAD.ASPX

I PURCHASED A 2006 JETTA TDI AND MY MILES ARE OFF....IT SEEMS AS THOUGH EVERYONE I TALK TO WITH THIS CAR HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM GOING 3-5 MILES SLOWER THEN WHAT IT IS SHOWING. I WAS THINKING OVER TIME WHEN I HAVE DRIVEN 55,000 MILES THAT I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN 50,000. I THINK THIS IS WRONG FOR A COMPANY TO DO AND VW WILL NOT DO A THING ABOUT IT. *TR

JUST HAD THE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH REPLACED @ 40,000 MILES WHICH IS CRAZY. CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING AND AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE TRANSMISSIONS DESTROYED WHEN THE DMF COMES APART, I SPENT $1,400.00 CDN TO REPLACE IT. IVE DRIVEN CLUTCHES ALL MY LIFE (33 YEARS) AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A CLUTCH BEFORE 200,000 MILES. *TR

2006 JETTA TDI MADE IN MEXICO IN 01/06. PURCHASED 04/06. CAR WAS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO DRIVE FROM A STANDING START. CLUTCH SEEMED TO LOCK UP PREMATURELY. MANY TIMES THIS CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STALL. AT ~25,000 MILES THE CLUTCH STARTED SLIPPING ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE IS OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE AMONG OTHER VW JETTA TDI OWNERS THAT THIS IS A SIGN OF PREMATURE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL FAILURE. THERE ARE TWO SCENARIOS THAT MAKE THIS FAILURE A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK TO THE DRIVER AND ANY PASSENGERS: 1. SLIPPAGE OF THE CLUTCH AT HIGH SPEEDS CAUSES LOSS OF SPEED CONTROL WHILE MERGING OR PASSING. 2. LOCKING OF THE CLUTCH FROM A STANDING START CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL POSSIBLY LEAVING THE CAR IN THE WAY OF OTHER TRAFFIC. I AM IN CONTACT WITH THE DEALER TO GET THIS FAILED DMF REPLACED BEFORE THERE ARE ANY SERIOUS INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. *TR

THIS HAS NOT RESULTED IN A CRASH ON MY BEHALF. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 75 MPH THE CAR WILL OCCASIONALLY (AVERAGES ONCE PER EVERY 1500 MILES) HESITATE THEN RESUME NORMAL OPERATIONS. THE DURATION OF THIS EVENT IS APPROXIMATELY 1 - 2 SECONDS. THE EFFECT OF THIS BEING THAT THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTS TO DECELERATE THEN SUDDENLY RESUME NORMAL BEHAVIOUR. THERE ARE NO INIDICATOR LIGHTS OR EVENTS LOGGED IN THE ONBOARD COMPUTER. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES WHERE THEY ARE UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. I HAVE OFFERED TO DRIVE AROUND WITH A COMPUTER RUNNING VAGCOM (A VW DIAGNOSTICS APP) IF THEY WOULD PROVIDE IT IN ORDER TO CATCH THE ISSUE, YET VW AND THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP REFUSE TO DO SO. THIS INCIDENT HAS OCCURED AT LEAST 5 TIMES IN THE PREVIOUS 4 MONTHS, ONCE WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING. THAT PARTICULAR INCIDENT NEARLY RESULTED IN HER RUNNING INTO THE HIGHWAY DIVIDER. THE DATE NOTED BELOW IS THE FIRST INCIDENT.

EXPERIENCED CLUTCH FAILURE IN MY 2006 VW JETTA TDI AT 23K MILES (AT LEAST 10K HIGHWAY MILES). CAR HAD A LIFETIME HISTORY OF LESS THAN SMOOTH TAKE-OFF (FROM STAND STILL TO 1ST GEAR). FIRST SIGN OF MAJOR PROBLEM WAS TOTAL CLUTCH FAILURE (PEDAL STUCK TO FLOOR, UNABLE TO SHIFT) AFTER ABOUT 30 MIN. IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION ZONE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE: THIS FAILURE CAUSES DRIVER TO LOSE THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE AND HAS POTENTIAL TO CAUSE HIGH SPEED CRASH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC MERGING CONDITIONS. THIS IS ALSO A KNOWN ISSUE: ONLINE READING QUICKLY REVEALS THAT THE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL & CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC FOR SOME TIME, AND THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE IS FOUND IN THE 2005.5 & 2006 JETTA TDI. THREE EXAMPLES OF EVIDENCE FOR THIS ARE: #1. TO DATE, 46 MEMBERS OF THE ONLINE FORUM TDICLUB.COM HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS LOW MILEAGE CLUTCH AND/OR FLYWHEEL FAILURE. #2. VW HAS HAD RECALLS IN BOTH FINLAND AND AUSTRALIA FOR SAME/SIMILAR ISSUES. #3. THE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION OF SINGLE MASS FLYWHEEL & CLUTCH ADVERTISED AT DIESELGEEK.COM STATES: GETS RID OF THE FAILURE PRONE STOCK SACHS DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL. I REPEAT, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, IT SEEMS THAT VW KNOWS THAT ORIGINAL PARTS ARE DEFECTIVE OR NOT UP TO THE JOB AS THEY HAVE UPGRADED THE REPLACEMENT PARTS. BUT VW REFUSES TO PAY FOR REPAIRS, CITING OWNER ERROR AND/OR WEAR-AND-TEAR. MY REPAIR COST $1700 AND VW SHOULD REIMBURSE ME. THE REPAIRED CLUTCH IS SMOOTHER THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN, INDICATION THAT IT WAS DEFECTIVE FROM DAY ONE. FAR MORE IMPORTANT: VW SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE IS HURT OR KILLED. I AM FURIOUS AT VW! THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WHEN I DROVE MY NEW CAR OFF THE LOT IN JUNE 06. AT THE VERY LEAST, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE ISSUE AND TO BE MINDFUL OF CLUTCH OPERATION. HOW CAN VW BE SO CARELESS? WHO AT VW MADE THE DECISION TO IGNORE THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL PROBLEM? ILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD THE WORD UNTIL VW TAKES RESPONSIBILITY AND ISSUES A RECALL.