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.
Driver's rear door lock stopped responding to the buttons on it, and on the main control, and on the remote. It intermittently worked for a month or so and is now dead. The car cannot be locked and that is a safety issue.
Driver's rear door lock stopped responding to the buttons on it, and on the main control, and on the remote. It intermittently worked until March and is now dead. The car cannot be locked and that is a safety issue.
Purchased the 2006 Volkswagen Jetta in August 2014 with 116,000 miles. One month later the horn was not working. Upon doing an internet search, discovered an inordinate number of complaints that these horns become inoperable even with fewer miles. The problem comes when pressing the horn pad on the steering wheel, it does not make contact to sound the horn. The airbag assembly is located here as well so I don't feel it's safe to try to replace it myself. The quote to have this repaired was $900. Volkswagen should issue a recall on this part immediately!
Our 2006 Jetta tdi had an airbag fault. We took the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealership and they tested the air code and found out that the passenger occupant detector module went bad due to a electrical malfunction in the circuit. The dealership was not able to say if the airbags were going to work on not in the case of a crash. Volkswagen is refusing to take any ownership of keeping their vehicle safe and covering the cost of the part. I contact Volkswagen usa and they gave the reason they will not cover the part because I did not have an extended warranty. I feel that Volkswagen is being neglectful to their claim on providing a safe vehicle. Now that the airbag sensor is going out, we are having more electrical problems with headlights, parking lights, taillights, brake lights, day time running lights, and turn signals.
After using the fob to lock the doors we noticed the rear doors would not lock. If the car is just sitting the rear locks will not lock leaving the door open to children or would be thieves. We also noticed the rear doors would show they were locked once we were moving, but were actually unlocked allowing the rear passenger to be able to open the doors at highway speeds. Extreme safety issue! Volkswagen needs to address this issue asap.
- Raleigh, NC, USA
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Been to multiple dealerships claiming in fox valley il rockford il glenview il that either my mechunit is bad/faulty or dual mass flywheel is bad/faulty. Was driving where either my car would shift very rough as if someone who is very inexperienced would let go of the clutch late and shift hard/rough into 1-2-3 with clicking noises. Car just recently shifted from 2 to neutral and scared the crapout of me. The car has extreme vibration and uncontrolled shift patterns. Was turning onto my street and car went from 3-2 to neutral while my car was still in drive and went into a snow bank on side of road. Would just like to have Volkswagen contact me to either replace or fix this problem. This is very dangerous owners of a 2006 VW tdi or any automatic with dsg mechunit beware and please be careful.
While driving home with my wife, she stated that she thought she had noticed a burning smell. The heated seats were on as it was a cold morning. The next day I noticed that the back rest of the seat had a smoldering mark as well as some sort of smoke damage as if there was a fire on the inside of the seat. We later looked on her jacket and noticed that there was transfer of the "leather" to her jacket.
I am the owner of a 2006 VW Jetta tdi sedan. I purchased the vehicle used in a private sale in 2009. By 2011 I was having numerous problems with the vehicle. The dual mass flywheel failed just after I had my car at the dealership for the timing belt service (approximate mileage 106,000). I had to have it towed (at my expense) to the dealership since it wasn't safe to drive the 130 miles. Dealership said it was a known problem but Volkswagen of America has not offered any assistance. Apparently someone has to die to get their attention. Approximate cost of repairs: $1,800. 2nd big problem is electrical. Wiring harness in the driver door failed soon after I purchased it. It started with the driver window switch not working. Then the lock/unlock button quit working. Then the interior/exterior safety lights. I have heard that it will progress to the trunk lid, the other windows, the fuel door, ect. Once again an extremely common problem due to a poor design. Once again Volkswagen of America has refused to offer assistance - the dealership quoted me just under $500 in parts and labor. Why would a harness cost $205!!! third problem is cosmetic issues. The paint is flaking off especially near the seams and at the wheel wheels. Rust formed where the paint bubbled up at two of the four wheel wheels. There is a service bulletin for paint problems in the generation before this vehicle and a 10-12 year corrosion warranty that VW refuses to honor. Additionally, problems with poor manufacturing practices and materials abound in this vehicle. The headliner pulls away from the pillars at the seams in the rear due to defective materials. It will separate from the roof and become a hanging visibility hazard. The plastic dash pieces don't fit together - shrinking and pulling away at the seams. Stereo buttons (as well as door switches) bubble and flake off.
I have run into numerous issues on my car that have caused me to troubleshoot and solve these problems. Multiple times I have pulled back the abrasion protection on the wiring and found that the insulation common to the wires is crack or worn off exposing the center conductor of the wires. Many times there are numerous wires within a harness that are worn through. So far I haven't found any that are shorted out but many are very close and at high risk of causing an electrical short/fire. I am an aircraft electrician/inspector and have found the abrasion protection to be horrible inadequate. There are 2 harnesses that go to the turbo that have a hard plastic abrasion cover but nothing shielding the wire from this cover. On both of these harnesses I found that the plastic had worn a series of ridges down the entire length of wire they covered and exposed the conductor in multiple places. My right hand mirror turn signal was not working so I pulled it out and tested the bulb and found that it was good. When I pulled the rubber boot that covers the wires in the door jam I found a power wire in there that the insulation had cracked and pulled apart exposing.150" of center conductor in multiple places. It seems that the majority of the wiring is either poor quality or just not protected causing the insulation to fail and become a major safety hazard for potential electrical shorts or fires. I have heard these cars are prone to electrical caused fires and strongly believe that something needs to be done in order to avoid more very serious problems with these cars that could cost someone their life. I have only owned this car since may of 2013 and have already repaired 4 wiring harnesses throughout the car. This is something that should never happen on a car that is only 7 years old.
All electronic components in drivers door ceased to function. Auto door lock, driver's window, gas latch. Could not open driver's window. Apparently the original design of wire harness was defective in that it was 80 mm too short. VW has issue a technical service bulletin on April 20, 2011 (V97-11-04) identifying this inherent defect. Dealer replaced driver's door wiring harness after diagnosing multiple broken wires. VW will not reimburse car owners for repair/replacement.
I was accelerating from a stop sign and I heard a notification "beep" on my car's dashboard. I looked down to see what was wrong and suddenly my steering locked up on me. Having no control of my car, I drifted into a car parked on the right side of the street, causing my car to flip over.
The vehicle stalls whenever driving in wet conditions on the hwy while snowing or raining. I have lost control of the vehicle and have broken down on the side of the road with no shoulder and facing an uphill incline. On each occasion I have had my children in the vehicle with me and facing heavy traffic in both directions. I was fortunate to have a highway patrol officer assist me in pushing the car to off the highway the last 3 times. Each time, they informed me that I should contact Volkswagen and let them know because it should definitely be a factory recall based on the dangerous circumstances. The problem has been identified on tdi forums forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?T=239987&page=6 as a wire chafing condition caused by the vibration of the diesel engine. I took my vehicle to the repair shop 3 different times and they were unable to identify the problem because each time I was able to get the vehicle to the shop they were unable to match the driving conditions that I was driving in and each time I was able to start the vehicle after allowing the vehicle to sit for a period of time in order to allow the engine compartment to dry.
This is second time the wire harness supplying electrical components in the driver side door have broken. This breakage causes the crash sensor to become inactivating along with other critical electrical functions in the door, ie window, lock, fuel door. This also has a potential for starting a fire. When I had my car in for a ignition lock problem about a year ago, the there was a comment typed on the service report indicating that the harness appear in good repair. This entry reveals that Volkswagen is very aware that they have a problem, however, they are doing nothing to resolve it.
I have a 2006 VW Jetta sd w/ 93,000 miles. I use this vehicle for work. The air bag fault light has been on for almost two years. I initially took the car to the david maus VW in South orlando. I was told by the repair rep kevin it would cost $400 to repair the connector located under the driver seat that relate to the air bag system. Since my car was out of the warranty period, I was told I would have to bear this cost. I asked [xxx] how the connectors would become faulty since there is nothing ever stored under my driver seat and no one goes under the driver seat. [xxx] said that "?it just happens.?" I told him I was disappointed VW had made such a faulty car because of the many prior problems I had that fortunately were covered under warranty, e.g., esp light continually on; ignition coils recalled/replaced; asr light continually lit; trunk latch replaced, air conditioning vents broke, driver side door would not lock/unlock; and driver side button stopped working. After the warranty ended, the air bag light came on. I paid to replace the button for the side view mirrors because it broke off. [xxx] told me the button was cheap and they always break. A recall for the side air bag harness on seats were repaired on both sides on 3/30/11. In October, 2011 I told [xxx] I did not believe I should be responsible to pay for the repair of the air bag light as I believed it was a defect on VW part. I could not have caused the light to come on by driving the vehicle. I was informed by [xxx] that without this repair the airbag system was considered to be inoperable and unsafe. After review of the NHTSA complaints and an internet search, this airbag issue with this vehicle has been a known one for some time. VW has not issued a recall because they do not believe it is a large concern. I believe a recall should be issued due to the obvious safety concerns. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
First, vehicle's electronic locks stop responding to depresses from both remotes. Replace the batteries to the remote and still the car will not respond. The only way to open the door is by manually inserting the key into the drivers side, which is the only manual keyhole, and turning left twice. Once turn unlocks the driver's side door, another turn unlocks the passenger doors. After some time passenger doors stop responding to second turn. Passenger doors do no lock when manually turning key the right from the driver side door, which is the only manual keyhole. The passenger doors that do not lock cause the alarm to go off when opened. Depressing the silence alarm button on key fob does not silence alarm. The only way to silence alarm is by closing passenger door, closing driver side door and turning key right once to lock and left to unlock. Doing so only control driver side door. After some time dashboard shows "door open" symbol even when all doors are securely closed and indicator light on door is off. Dome light stays on while driving as if the doors are indeed open even though they are securely closed. At this stage the alarm system no longer works either by key fob depress nor by manually turning the lock in the drivers side door as described earlier. Doors must be locked by opening each one manually and pressing the lock door button located on each passenger door. Pressing the drivers side door lock does not lock passenger doors. All fuses are intact and no electrical issues reported.
2006 VW Jetta, driving down street 11/09/12 door ajar light comes on, I stop to close doors and light goes off. I pull into work parking lot and get out of car as I click the key to lock the car, nothing. I then proceed to check the car.. nothing is working. Cannot access gas cap to put gas in car, some lights may not be functioning properly, airbag light not on, door will not lock, window will not respond, no car alarm. Drivers side of car has no power at all. I have no idea what is and is not working correctly. Although I did look online and found hundreds of complaints with regard to a "brown wire or wires too short inside the boot to the body connector". most people report that even after a VW fix, problem not resolved. Car not acting properly and with electrical and having been in a VW car fire do not wish to repeat this scenario. I contacted VW customer care who politely told me this is not their problem and refused to escalate to a manager. Since this just happened today I have not had an opportunity for VW to look at it, but will tomorrow as I have to find a way to put gas in car and see if they feel auto is safe to drive. I don't..
The driver's side window in my vehicle stopped working completely. When I took the vehicle to the dealer they told me the cause was a faulty driver's side door harness. There were several wires that were broken or about to break, and they suggested I replace it immediately. I was quoted over $400 for parts and labor. This issue was recalled on the earlier models, and then fixed on the 2008 and later models during production. However the 2006 and 2007 models are still affected by the problem. Volkswagen has not issued a recall for this crucial part and continues to let its customers pay for the dangerous design flaw in these vehicles. Warning to potential buyers: Before purchasing a 2005.5 (newer body style), 2006, or 2007 Jetta check to make sure this problem has been fixed. Otherwise, you could wind up with your power windows, locks, mirrors, gas door, and trunk release no longer working when you need them to. Also, I was told the vehicle would not pass inspection with this problem. It is a risk and a safety concern that should be recalled immediately.
At 130,623 miles our Jetta had to have the camshaft and lifters replaced. The lobes on the camshaft had completely worn off and the lifters had pitted. I feel like our diesel motor has aged prematurely and there is an underlying problem that VW is ignoring. This is a common problem for this model and year. We are having both replaced, but until the root of the problem is found there will be an issue again. VW must know of this problem. They stopped production of the tdi Jetta in 2006. The 2006 was the last year before stopping production. Why would they stop making a car that was in such high demand with the rising cost of diesel and gas. They knew of an issue in the car that they couldn't figure out. Now they ignore the problem and continue to blame the customer for poor maintenance. The car is defective and VW needs to address the problem.
I was sitting in traffic in minneapolis mn. The light turned green, traffic moved and when I pressed on the accelerator, the engine sped up as if it was in neutral. The shift selector was in D for drive. The prndl indicator on the dash flashed red with all five letters illuminated. I tried turning off the ignition and turning it back on with the same results. No movement with engine accelerating. After being pushed into a parking lot by passersby, I tried again and the transmission worked as it was supposed to. After researching the problem on the internet, I find that it is a common VW problem and the NHTSA action number is PE09035 opened July 17, 2009 covering 2008 and 2009 models. My tdi is a 2006 model purchased in May 2007 because VW kept selling 2006 tdis in 2007. There were no 2007 VW Jetta tdis.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Newton, NC, USA