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.
The contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact started the ignition and the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The warning indicator remained lit until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic ten times and they stated that the failure was related to the air filter sensor. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 42,000.
The contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly began accelerating on its own. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. The engine failed, which prevented a crash from occurring. The vehicle is currently being diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 109,000. Updated 11/25/08. When the engine accelerated on its own, the force pushed the driver back into the seat. The speed was so great, that the engine redline and blewout the motor. Updated 11/25/08.
During the past month I have had my car in 2 times for the same problem, check engine light, with engine sputtering and stalling periodically. The first time the coils and spark plugs were replaced (dealership claimed they were lose and black), second time they thought it was the battery, which was due to be replaced anyway. Now I am one week since the last service and the light has come back on with the same problem. If I depress the clutch for too long the vehicle may sputter and possibly stall, it stalled twice at traffic lights on my way to work, and when I take off I have to heavily accelerate or it just will not go at all. I am going to check the maf (mass air flow) myself to see if I can see anything, else it will be back at the dealership on Friday.
My wife owns a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta VR6 glx. Currently it has about 40,000 miles on it. In September we noticed that the vehicle was not accelerating properly. When the engine is cold, the car hesitates and feels as if it is about to stall. When it warms up the car works perfectly. We took it to the VW dealer last month to correct the problem and perform the needed service. They replaced the battery (which was needed) and performed the service, but did not fix or address the stalling issue. Their thought was that the stalling was related to the battery. When the stalling continued my wife took the car to a mieneke repair shop. They ran diagnostics but were not able to identify the problem. They did not charge us and suggested we take the car back to the dealer. On October 3, 2005 my wife called the dealer (dick hannah at the vancouver automall) to make an appointment. They asked what the problem was, and when she mentioned the stalling they immediately knew the problem. Before my wife could explain what the problem was, they mentioned that they continuously get calls at the dealership about this problem, it only occurs when the vehicle is cold, and it is occurring with several of the VW models. They went on to say that their management is aware of the problem and there currently is no solution. What they recommend is that my wife buy a fuel additive and see if that helps. They have noticed that after adding it to a few tanks of gas the cars seems to perform better, but that the problem does not go away. VW thinks it is a problem with the valves, and that is a problem specific to the fuel used in the northwest. This is not an acceptable solution. When my wife is entering a roadway I do not want her car to stall or slow and put her in a situation where her safety is at risk. Please do something before there are injuries. Joe bessman.
2001 Volkswagen Jetta (complaint numbers 30291114,30343786 and 03092183) our 2001 Jetta started clicking and blowing white smoke. We called the dealership and they said it was the turbo and would be covered under warranty. We towed the car to them on May 19, 2003 and they did replace the turbo. However, they advised us the vehicle needed a new engine because it was still clicking. They said it looked like we had not been changing the oil which is why the engine was clogged. The service department then gave us the run around for a few months. They wanted oil change receipts, which we provided. The mechanic told us the turbo replacement was denied by VW and they ate the cost. He told us they would not do any more work on the car. On July 09, 2003 we had the car towed from the dealership.I went to VW and spoke with the new service manager, donnie fielder. The new service manager told me they had just replaced a guys engine that had the same problem as ours. He said they messed up and replaced it under warranty no questions asked and later decided he had not changed the oil. He said they could not afford to pay for another engine and would not touch our vehicle. I took the car to alternative imports on charlotte avenue. Sam (a.I.) said the engine was full of sludge. He found several similar cases on a mechanics web site. He also found that VW did not properly complete the turbo replacement. The engine is the same one (1.8L turbo) that VW has acknowledged, at least in the passat, has a sludge problem. However, they do not acknowledge that the same problem exists in the Jetta even though it is the same engine. They extended the warranty on the passats to 8 years unlimited mileage.
- Hendersonville, TN, USA
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My 2001 VW Jetta timing belt broke, left me stranded on the interstate and cost over $3300 to repair the blown engine, not once was I told upon purchase or trips for service at any VW dealer that the timing belt was supposed to be changed at 60 or 70,000 miles., my car had 97,000 at the time. The car from day one has had nothing but problems which resulted in costly repairs for a vehicle I thought to be very reliable, love the look of the car and it has great pickup but cannot afford to buy another one because of the repairs for items that should last the life of the car.
2001 Jetta original owner the oil pan needs to be replaced because it is made out of aluminum and the plug is made out of steel.since the plug is made out of a harder material it stripped the pan. The car is out of warranty so know I will have to pay 600 dollars.
While driving engine exploded. Consumer had the vehicle towed to a dealership, and had the vehicle inspected, and was told that the engine had a build up of sludge. The consumer took the vehicle in for service to get the lock on the truck fixed because you could not open it from the outside. The engine began making noise and smoking while the consumer drove on the highway leaving the consumer stranded on the highway. The consumer did not keep reciepts of work done to the vehicle therefore can not be reimbursed. The consumer sent a formal demand for settlement in the amoount of repair bills and rental car expenses through her legal councel for negligent inspection of her vehicle.
Safety issue with 2001 VW Jetta. The drivers side seat became unusually hot than normal and the interior leather covering developed a metallic appearance. A VW representative looked at the seat and stated it looked like external damaged, but the seat had to be fully inspected first. The consumer was told the she would be responsible for the labor if was determined it was not the heating element, but if it was the heating element VW would cover all costs. After the inspection, the consumer was told a beverage was spilled on the seat which caused the heating seat to malfunction. The consumer also stated the vehicle consumed an excessive amount of oil, in which the oil light illuminated.
I have had nothing but problems after purchasing my brand new 2001 V.w Jetta. I had vehicle only 6 months and it left me stranded due to malfunction of emission control sensor. 5 months after that, ignition lock cylinder was inoperable, needing them to repair. 2 months later, owned for 1 yr 1 month, car was burning a lot of oil so consumption test was done and determined to be true, that the car was in fact consuming abnormal amount of oil. As "a courtesy to me, the customer" Volkswagen replaced piston rings, rod bearings and deglazed cylynder walls. They had my car 6 days to rebuild engine. 6 months later car was shaking really bad when driving on the freeway, took it in and service technition discovered that rear brakes were warped and rear brake pads had "premature wear." Those were replaced. Throughout this course of time the passenger brake light had been replace 2 times, air condition vent was not working and had to be remove and install new center air outlet, armrest broke and had to be replaced, glove compartment latch broke, and the brake lights have gone out and been repaired numerous times but are still faulty, not working at this time. Volkswagen has treated me as though I was the one inconviencing them!! I regret purchasing this vehicle and will continue discouraging anyone from ever buying a Volkswagen! I don't feel safe in this car!! after doing some research I see now that I am not alone. Knowing there are many other VW's on the road with the same mechanical problems my car, I'm concerned with the safety of others as well as myself!
The vehicle burns oil excessively. I have to constantly add oil. Everytime I've spoken with the dealer he just gave me the run-around. They conducted 2 oil consumption tests but never did anything to fix the problem. The vehilce was purchased in NJ from douglas motors. At every scheduled service I complained of the same problem but nothing was done to fix it.
Since I have had my Jetta I have had to keep oil in the trunk because the car burns oil, I was told by the dealer that it is normal for a car to use that much oil, I have had to have the brake switch replaced, the arm rest latch replaced, cd player replaced twice, my passenger rear brake lights burn out regularly (only passenger side), my key in the ignition alarm and lights left on alarm turned and stayed on everytime I drove my car. The dealer's solution to all these problems was to downgrade my car and buy a VW beetle. I purchased a 2002 used beetle - dealer allowed me take car and promised to fix anything on the following Monday. There was a light on the dash that was lit up called epc - I asked the dealer what the light was for and they said that the alignment needed to be adjusted no big deal they would fix it when I returned on Monday. I drove the car off the lot got about 20 miles for the dealership and the car died on the freeway!!!!! while waiting for the tow truck I read in the car manual that epc stood for electric power control - it said if this light goes on do not attempt to drive - tow to dealership immediately - after that I marched right back to the dealer and got my Jetta back - however I still have all of the above problems and few to add to the list defective electric window, noisy brakes when in reverse even after brakes were replaced. I can't wait to turn the piece of @#$%# in to the dealer when my lease is up and walk away - I just feel sorry for the fool they turn around and sell it to!
My 2001 VW Jetta burns a quart of oil every 600 miles. This problem occured from the first moments I owed the vehicle. I immediatedly reported this to the dealer who informed me that it was "a condition with new Jettas and would right itself after I drove the car a while." This position was repeated during the "free" oil changes up to the point where the warranty expired. Now that the warranty has expired, VW mechanics insisit that they have to do a $90 diagnosis test before they will address it (I had a previous one during the warranty period that found nothing). Now the car is getting older, the oil buring is getting worse. I searched the internet and found numerous Jetta owners with the same problems, and even worse as a result - including blown engines. One Jetta owner stated that there is a manufacturing defect with the rings of the car. He had the car's rings repaired (at a cost of nearly $1,000) and nothing is now wrong with the car. He also stated that he found out that the defect impacts a significant portion of the cars sold in two years, manafesting in blown catalitic converters and engines. He also states that VW instructed its dealers to tell owners that it is normal with the car during the break-in period - thereby pushing the problem past the 28,000 mile warranty obligation. Which makes sense since this problem would cost VW millions.
I bought a previously owned VW Jetta gls with 25,000 mi on September 22, 2003. Two weeks later, the oil light came on briefly as I was parking at home. I checked the dipstick and it was dry. I called the dealer and it was towed and checked and a fluorescent probe was put in and I was told there were two quarts of oil remaining. Where did the oil go" my car is scheduled to go in for a check on this problem this week. There was no oil on the ground and the service tech said they had a problem like this once before. Has this problem ever been addressed by other consumers" thank you.
To whom it may concern, when "flooring" my 2001 VW Jetta gls 1.8T as to merge on the highway, approx. 50% of the time I experience loss of power. The engine and turbo seem to stall out until I let off the gas and reapply. Due to the sporadic nature of this, the dealer can not recreate. I believe this to be very dangerous, when merging on a freeway I expect my car to provide continuous acceleration, not to stall out. Given the nature of honolulu's freeway, it is most important to have full power due to the shortness of the on ramps. I have always used premium gas as required by VW, and had the fuel injectors cleaned by a nationally recognized auto service chain, to make sure I did not have any "bad gas" deposits. This still has not fixed the problem. I would appreciate any advice or assistance you can offer in this matter. Respectfully, jordan D. O'hearn cto1 usn.
My car which was purchased brand new in July 2001 has been to the repair shop 13 times. I purchased a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta. The ongoing problem is that the car is losing power while accelerating. Volkswagen doesn't want to acknowledge the defect of their own product. I was told two things which doesn't make sense to me. First, I was told my engine is not apart of the recall for those other VW cars that are losing power. Second, a VW representative told me it was my extra car mats that is probably causing the problem. I think Volkswagen is just ignoring this serious problem. If my car slows down on me whenever it wants and I die as a result of their defect product that they don't want to recognize, it is truly going to be a serious problem. The car had problems with the engine, airbags, malfunctioned sensor, clock spring, harness, and now it is losing power. Although this car has had numerous problems, this is the most serious problem that I would like O be rectified. Volkswagen service department changed the computer and told me this will definitely solve the problem. Obviously it did not solve the problem. Since the computer was changed in Sept. 2002 the car lost power 3 times since then.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Sacramento, CA, USA