This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
A 1997 Volkswagen Jetta GT, equipped with frontal airbags was in a collision due to the use of aftermarket parts, which included after market ball joints not supplied from the dealer, this part failed after 12.7km on the highway traveling at 110km/H 65mph, the car steering was very shaky when entering a slight turn on the highway, the front right ball joint had fractured in the hub knuckle and had caused the wheel to collapse, the steering was no longer working because the tires where not on the ground, the car was resting on the rad support and front axle of the car, braking also failed due to the majority of the braking force being on the front wheels that were not making contact with the ground. The car then struck a guard rail 3 times before coming to a complete rest, airbags did not deploy as there was no need due to the angle in which the car struck the rail. Safety belts worked and cars mechanical operation (besides front suspension, and body damage) was still fine. Wheel bearings, brake pads and rotors were all replaced a week previous to crash. Beware non-Volkswagen parts.
Past year: Auto door locks failed, could not open either front door; transmission failed, exhaust system rusted out, headlights out, signals out, wheel bearings need replaced, air bag light stays on, have not been able to drive car in nearly 1 year, required nearly $5000 worth of damage.
Air bag indicator light would not go off. Diganostic performed by dealer revealed that ignitor was bad. After some discussion, dealer agreed to pay for air bag if I paid for labor. Although I agreed, I was suprised to hear that airbags do not fall under the same warranty requirments as seat belts. Although I'm thankful that VW agreed to cover the $600 for the airbag, I do not believe I should have to cover the $100 in labor for a safety device on a vehicle that is less than 3 years old and less than 50,000 miles.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Canda, CA, USA