2001 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Complaints

SMOLDERING FIRE PUT OUT WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHER. MAY BE RELATED TO ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM RECALL. WILL CONTACT DEALER AND MANUFACTURER.*AK

DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WINDOW FALL OUT OF TRACK AND DOWN INSIDE DOOR. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO BOTH FRONT WINDOWS. VOLKSWAGEN REFUSES TO REPAIR ALL FOUR WINDOWS.*AK

CONSUMER STATES DURING A REAR END COLLISON, NONE OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED ON IMPACT.CAUSING MAJOR INJURIES.*JB

FOR THE 2ND TIME, THE WINDOW REGULATOR ON MY VOLKSWAGEN JETTA HAS BROKEN. THE FIRST TIME (DRIVER'S SIDE), I BOUGHT AND REPLACED THE REGULATOR MYSELF. THE 2ND TIME (PASSENGER SIDE), THE DEALERSHIP (DIRITO BROS IN WALNUT CREEK, CA) FIXED IT UNDER "GOOD WILL". WHEN I FIXED IT MYSELF, I NOTICED NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE REPLACEMENT PART AND THE ORIGINAL. THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THEY PERFORM SEVERAL WINDOW REGULATOR REPLACEMENTS DAILY. AS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER, I CAN CONFIDENTLY STATE THAT THE PLASTIC ROTOR (WHICH HAS BEEN THE CAUSE OF ALL MY WINDOW FAILURES) IS SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERDESIGNED FOR THE FUNCTION IT MUST PERFORM. *AK

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 55 MPH ON HIGHWAY AND ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T COME OUT.*AK JLG

SUNROOF IS UNABLE TO OPEN DUE TO INTERIOR OBSTRUCTION, PLASTIC PIECES FROM ASSEMBLY CRACKED AND CRUMBLED OUT OF SUNROOF.*AK

I HAD A CLIENT, WHO IS AN 11 YEAR OLD BOY WITH AUTISM, IN THE LEFT REAR SEAT OF MY CAR. WE WERE SEVERAL FEET FROM A STOP SIGN WHILE TRAVELING ON A BUMPY ROAD. IN THE PROCESS OF SLOWING DOWN TO COME TO THE STOP SIGN, I HEARD A VERY LOUD POPPING SOUND TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS ALMOST STOPPED BECAUSE OF THE STOP SIGN. THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF AND THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WHEN I LOOKED TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR, THE AIR BAGS ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR WERE DEFLATING. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO SEE IF SOMETHING FELL ON THE CAR TO CAUSE THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CLIENT SITTING ON THAT SIDE WAS OKAY. THERE WAS NOTHING THAT HIT THE CAR. THE CLIENT WAS SCARED BUT PHYSICALLY OKAY. THE CAR STARTED RIGHT BACK UP SO I TUCKED THE AIRBAGS IN AND DROVE TO THE CLIENT'S HOME. MY CONTACT WITH VOLKSWAGEN HAS BEEN VERY UNSUCCESSFUL. THEY ARE CLAIMING PROPER DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS DUE TO LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE CAR. THEY ARE SHOWING WEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF FRONT RIGHT AND REAR LEFT TIRES AS EVIDENCE OF PROPER DEPLOYMENT DUE TO LATERAL SKID. MY CONTENTION IS THAT THERE WAS NO LATERAL SKID ,AND THAT THE TRIGGERS MISFIRED OR ARE DANGEROUSLY TOO SENSITIVE.*AK

PASSENGER WINDOW FALLS DOWN INTO DOOR WHILE ROLLING DOWN THE WINDOW. THIS FIRST OCCURRED IN MAY 2001, AND WAS FIXED. PROBLEM REPEATED IN JULY 2002. VOLKSWAGEN HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, BUT A FIX OF THIS DESIGN FLAW IS NOT YET AVAILABLE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE LOSES POWER WITH OUT WARNING. NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATE BEFORE OR AFTER VEHICLE STALLS. DEALER IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER FOR REPAIRS. WHEN CONSUMER RECEIVED THE VEHICLE BACK, THE MILEAGE WAS RUN UP TO AN INAPPROPRIATE AMOUNT. VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN 4 TIMES PRIOR FOR VEHICLE NOT STARTING. DEALER EXPLAINDED NOTHING COULD BE FOUND WRONG AND THAT THEY HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE APPROX. 120 MILES. THERE IS AN UNANSWERED 82 MILES TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE ECM POWER RELAY AND A PIN AT THE ECU CONNECTOR.

A FRIEND HAS A 1999 OR 2000 JETTA & HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM FOUR TIMES. THE DEALER SAYS THIS HAS OCCURRED FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS IN JETTA MODELS & VW HAS YET TO RECTIFY IT. THE DEALER HAS HAD A STEADY STREAM OF JETTA'S TO FIX, DAILY. EVEN NOW, MY REPLACEMENT PART IS ON ESTIMATED TWO WEEK BACKORDER. I ASKED AN UNKNOWN TO ME, JETTA DRIVER @A STOPSIGN IF HE HAD THIS PROBELM & SAID ONE TIME. HE REPORTED HIS GIRLFRIEND'S JETTA HAD IT HAPPEN TWELVE(!) TIMES, & A LAWSUIT WAS PENDING. APPARENTLY THE PLASTIC PIECE HOLDING THE WINDOW FAILS IN AZ'S +100F HEAT. PLEASE ADVISE WHAT RECOURSE IS BEST TO PURSUE.*AK