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.
Bought used VW from a dealer. Dealer was doing brakes/inspection, and on picking up the vehicle stunk of burnt electric smell. Vehicle would not start. This was around 50,000 miles. Check engine light remains on although numerous codes continue to come up nothing is found. Dealer sent car to authorized VW dealer to fix - light still remains on. Around 87,000 miles car began to drain battery and would not start even after new battery. Took to authorized VW car shop. Seems something with fuses/electrical system. Again many codes but nothing seems wrong, accept for the whole not starting. Ignition switch was replaced - light still on. Lighter socket no longer works. Now around 89,000 miles and it is now early 2008.
At about 50,000 miles as I was driving uphill the engine felt as if it was failing and losing power. It regained power, but the check engine light came on. I took it to an independent mechanic who ran a diagnostic, and found many codes on it, but nothing wrong. He cleared out the computer and sent me on my way. I now have 87,000 miles and have been having the same problem continuously. Now, I have to take my car regularly by my mechanic to have the computer cleared out. The check engine light came on 2 days after he cleared it last time. I called Volkswagen and they said there is no recall on the electrical system, but that they have had this complaint before.
The consumer states the check engine light is on. The consumer took the vehicle to a service dealer and they told him the ignition coil was bad. They wanted to replace the ignition coil at a cost of over $700; parts only. The consumer has visited a website and found a recall on a later model; 2001 VW Jetta. His car is doing the same thing as listed on this recall. He has talked to VW and they said they could not help him. He noticed problems about 3 weeks ago. The dealer told him it had a 100,000 10 year warranty, but they will not fix it under the warranty. 8jb
2000 VW Jetta, VR6 engine, 49,3331 mile. Whenever my car was idle for more than 6-8 hours and was exposed to rainy\wet weather, the engine would experience performance issues. Immediately after starting the car under these circumstances, the engine would sputter and sound like it was on the verge of stalling. If I attempted to drive the car without letting it fully warm-up, the engine would experience a severe performance degradation, characterized by poor, rough acceleration. The check engine light would also illuminate, and I would receive the emissions workshop warning message. This problem has occured several times over the past 1-2 years. At first the problem was mild, but over time it worsened. I took the car into the dealer for service and was informed that the ignition coil and ignition leads needed replacement to resolve the problem. These parts have been replaced, and thus far the issue with my engine has not reappeared. VW issued an ignition coil recall for various other 2001, 2002 and 2003 models. It appears the ignition coil recall should be expanded to include other model years as this is not the kind of part that should need regular replacement. It's quite obvious there's a defect with this part.
While driving, my 2000 Jetta gls, vehicle hesitates and stalls (engine light also would come on at times). On six occasions to service, VW claimed that nothing could be found. The seventh time, conveniently after warranty expiration, they found a bad ignition coil...which obviously, I had to pay for. Speaking to four acquantainces that had same vehicle, all reported similar issues with the hesitation and stalling. The kicker came from my friend who received a recall on this issue (ignition coil recall) for his 1.8T Jetta. A call to VW (1800-822-8987) to inquire about reimbursement for my expenses revealed that my Jetta VIN did not match the recalled VIN's!!! how can a part that has been recalled not be covered for my vehicle that has the same part? this is absolutely preposterous. Obviously, there are significant owners out there that are being talked into unnecessary repairs and sidetracked from the real issue and are not aware of the recalls or simply do not file complaints. A little bit of info...to test for the problem, run your vehicle with less than 1/4 tank of gas (one or two gallons will reveal the problem), and watch what happens!!! since the ignition coil was replaced, no problems...hmmmmmm! I urge all to call VW and file complaints with aaa and NHTSA if you have been duped. Eventually, the truth will win.
- S. Huntington, NY, USA
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While driving, the check engine light flashed and then stayed on, followed by the vehicle sputtering. Then it stopped accelerating. The dealership performed a diagnostic test, in which the failure wa a failed ignition coil. The ignition coil has been replaced twice, but the failure has recurred. This failure occurs every 20,000 miles. The dealership cannot indicate what was causing the failure.
2000 Volkswagen Jetta gls VR6 has recall for faulty cruise control brake light switch. The engine light illuminated and after a diagnostic was performed it was determined a new catalytic converter was needed. It was finally determined that the converter failed due to a faulty coil pack.
My Jetta has been back at the dealer 5 times in the past two months to repair the same problem. The car hesitates upon acceleration as if it will stall. The check engine light comes on. Sometimes it stays on until they reset it and sometimes it goes off. The dealer has replaced the mass air sensor and cleaned parts of the engine. Then the intake manifold had to be replaced. Now they told me the problem is the ignition coil and wires for an additional $700. This car is just three years old and I have spent close to $2000 in repairs in two months. I didn't even made it out of the dealer's parking lot before the check engine light came on again. VW needs to address this issue but their customer service representatives won't help.
The coil had started going faulty about 1 year prior. Due to moisture in the coil, the car was barely running -- it back fired, and was nearly impossible to get it rolling up a hill, almost causing me to roll into a car behind me at a stop sign. I was able to get it replaced under the extended warranty, but it should have been covered by the recall on all the other coils -- there are numerous reports of 2000 models with the VR6 engine having the same coil failure.
Problems with emission related parts. Every time the vehicle has to take a emission test the vehicle fails and that the manufacture is aware of the problem but at the same time they are not doing anything to fix it.
I would like to register a complaint about the coil pack failure on my 2000 VW Jetta - this is a serious safety issue that VW of America refuses to address. This coil pack fails and causes immediate loss of power in the engine - I was driving and lost power in 2 of the 4 cylinders. VW did not cover my replacement. This is happening on numerous vws. There should be a recall - it is a defect.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Beaver Meadows, PA, USA