2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

2006 VW JETTA HAS BRAKE PROBLEM - OFF ROAD AT DEALER>30 DAYS. DEALER TOLD US TO PICK UP THE CAR & THAT THEY WERE "DONE" WITH THE CAR. VW BROUGHT TO TWO OTHER ASE MECHANICS WHO CHECKED THE BRAKES AND FOUND THEM DEFECTIVE. *JB

1) VEHICLE IS A 2006 VW JETTA, PACKAGE 1 MANUAL TRANSMISSION; DRIVING VEHICLE NORMALLY; NO ABNORMAL BRAKING INCIDENTS OR ACCIDENTS WHATSOEVER. 2) REAR BRAKE PADS ON DRIVER'S SIDE WORN DOWN TO RIVETS AT AROUND 11K MILES; THIS RESULTED IN SCORED REAR DRIVER'S SIDE ROTOR; PASSENGER SIDE REAR PADS ALSO WORN DOWN BUT NO DAMAGE TO ROTOR YET; FRONT BRAKE PADS STILL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION FOR BOTH SIDES. APPARENTLY FOR THE 2006 VW JETTA, THE REAR PADS WEAR OUT BEFORE THE FRONT PADS. I CONSIDER THIS A MAJOR DESIGN DEFECT ESPECIALLY SINCE THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE THE PRIMARY BRAKE LOAD CARRIER, AT LEAST BASED ON THE SIZE AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROTORS: A) FRONT ROTORS ARE 25MM VENTILATED B) REAR ROTORS ARE 12MM UNVENTILATED THE REAR BRAKES WEARING OUT BEFORE THE FRONTS FOR THE VW JETTA IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. SEARCH THE VW FORUMS AND YOU WILL FIND MANY CASES OF THIS. 3) VW WILL BE REPLACING BOTH REAR ROTORS AND PADS UNDER WARRANTY; NOT SURE ABOUT KEEPING THE OLD PARTS SINCE THE WORK WILL BE DONE UNDER VW WARRANTY. THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PARTS IS GOOD BUT I'M NOT SURE IF THIS SOLVES THE ULTIMATE ISSUE OF THE REAR BRAKE BIASING WHICH IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. EITHER THE ENTIRE VW JETTA BRAKE SYSTEM AND/OR THE BRAKE PROPORTIONING VALVE NEEDS FURTHER INVESTIGATION. *NM

I NOTICED HIGH BEAMS WERE VERY HIGH RIGHT AFTER I TOOK DELIVERY IN NOV. 2005. BECAUSE, AT THE TIME, I DID VERY LITTLE NIGHT DRIVING, IT DIDN'T BOTHER ME. IT WASN'T UNTIL ABOUT OCTOBER,2006, WHEN I HAD SOME NIGHT LOCAL DRIVING TO DO, THAT I NOTICED HOW THE HIGH-BEAMS SO NICELY LIT UP MY NEIGHBORS SECOND STORY WINDOWS. I QUICKLY LEARNED TO USE 'LOW-BEAMS ONLY" IN OUR DEVELOPMENT!!! I CALLED TON BUSH MOTORS IN JACKSONVILLE TO ASK IF THEY HAD FOUND A CURE FOR THIS PROBLEM. THEY SAID THE SERVICE MGR SAID HE THOUGHT HE COULD TAKE CARE OF IT. AS I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THESE COMPLAINTS FOR A WHILE ON THE 'NET, MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS "OH, SURE." ON 12/20/06, I LEFT THE CAR WITH THE SERVICE PEOPLE. WITHIN 30 MINUTES THEY PAGED ME, SAYING THAT IT'S ALL SET. THAT NIGHT, I DROVE THE CAR ALL THRU' THE DEVELOPMENT....... NOT A SINGLE CASE OF SECOND STORY LIGHTING !!! AND THE LOW-BEAMS GIVE ADEQUATE COVERAGE. I DROVE ONTO FLORIDA A1A THE NEXT NIGHT SOUTH TO ST AUGUSTINE, AND HAD GREAT VISIBILITY THE WHOLE WAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT "TECH 336" DID, BUT MY LIGHTS ARE NOW FINE. *JB

THE SPEEDOMETER ON THE 2006 JETTA, TDI READS 5 MILES PER HOUR LOWER THEN INDICATED SPEED BY GPS AND HIGHWAY RADAR. THE DEALER AND VOLKSWAGEN CUSTOMER SERVICE SITES THE SAE GUIDELINES ALLOWING AN ERROR OF UP TO 6 MILE PER HOUR. WHEN ASKED FOR A COPY OF THE DOCUMENT VOLKSWAGEN WOULD NOT PROVIDE IT. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT PURCHASE THAT THE SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER WERE IN ERROR ON ALL JETTA CARS. THE ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER ERROR WAS NOT DISCLOSED ALTHOUGH THE EXPECTED MILES PER GALLON WERE DISCLOSED BASED ON FAULTY INSTRUMENTATION. *NM

MY 2006 TDI SEEMS TO HAVE HAD A CLUTCH FAILURE AT 8950 MILES. I WAS SITTING IN TRAFFIC AND THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING AND GIVING OFF A LARGE AMOUNT OF NOXIOUS FUMES AND WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. I WAITED FOR TOWING OUTSIDE ON THE FREEWAY IN SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURE. IT WAS A SATURDAY SO WAITED UNTIL MONDAY FOR IT TO GO TO THE SHOP. THE DEALER SAYS THEY WERE UNABLE TO RE-CREATE THE PROBLEM AND SENT ME OFF WITH THE FAIL-PRONE CAR. I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH VOLKSWAGEN, IF THIS IS THEIR IDEA OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. *JB

1. 2006 VW JETTA TDI 5-SPEED: CLUTCH FILED TO OPERATE AT 18,000 MILES, SLIPPING & BURNING 2. 2006 VW JETTA TDI 5-SPEED: CLUTCH AND DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL FAILED AT 18,000 MILES 3. DEALER REPLACE AT COST OF $2,500. DEALER STATED NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, FILED COMPLAINT WITH VW OF AMERICA. DAMAGED PARTS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *JB

THE HIGH AND LOW HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT CAPABLE OF BEING ADJUSTED INDEPENDENTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE PER MANUFACTURER SPEC, THE LOW BEAMS ARE APPROPRIATELY AIMED, BUT THE HIGH BEAMS ILLUMINATE ONLY TREES. IF THE HEADLIGHTS ARE ADJUSTED SO THAT THE HIGH BEAMS ARE APPROPRIATELY AIMED, THE LOW BEAMS ONLY ILLUMINATE A USELESS DISTANCE IN FRONT OF THE CAR. *NM

2006 VW JETTA TDI AUTOMATIC. STOPPED AT STOP LIGHT. WHEN LIGHT TURNED GREEN THE CAR WOULD GO BUT WOULD NOT SHIFT. PULLED OFF ROAD AND TRIED TO RESTART. AFTER RESTART CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. CAR HAS BEEN IN SHOP FOR 20 CALENDAR DAYS AT THIS POINT. *JB

THE HIGH BEAM HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES ON MY 2006 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI CANNOT BE ADJUSTED PROPERLY AND I FEEL THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE DESIGN OF THESE HEADLAMPS IS SUCH THAT THE HIGH BEAMS CANNOT BE ADJUSTED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE LOW BEAMS. WHEN THE LOW BEAMS ARE AIMED CORRECTLY, THE HIGH BEAMS ARE AIMED FAR TOO HIGH TO BE EFFECTIVE. THE DEALER CLAIMS THE HEADLIGHTS ARE ADJUSTED PROPERLY HOWEVER THE FOCUS OF THE HIGH BEAMS IT LITERALLY POINTED UP IN THE TREES. THIS HEADLAMP DESIGN COULD MOST DEFINITELY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS THE HIGH BEAMS WERE OBSERVED TO BE TOO HIGH ALTHOUGH THE ROAD WAS NOT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED THE ADJUSTMENT COULD ONLY BE MADE TO EITHER FOR THE LOW BEAMS OR THE HIGH BEAM. HOWEVER, IF THE HIGH BEAM WAS ADJUSTED TO THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL, THE LOW BEAM WOULD BECOME TOO LOW WITH THE CONSEQUENCE OF NO ROAD ILLUMINATION. A SECOND DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED WHO ALSO WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AND PROMISED TO CALL BACK HOWEVER THE CALL WAS NEVER RECEIVED.