Faults:

Oil pan cracked for an unknown reason and leaked all of the oil out. Oil light did not come on until all of the oil was drained out while I was driving.

I had the oil pan replaced and service done. I got the oil pan that is made out of steel instead of aluminum which is stupid for them to make it aluminum.

I live an hour away from the nearest dealer and as I was halfway home my oil light came on and off about every 5-10 seconds. I called and they said it must have been a sensor. I went home and planned on taking it in the next weekend and it turns out my car needed new main bearings and a new oil pump.

Transmission shifts rough sometimes.

I recently had to get a new brake light switch.

Velour seats collect lint and hair.

Floor mat clips broke and mats go everywhere.

Automatic window roll down works when it wants to.

Door goop pours out in the heat.

The first day I got my car my mom parked it and the front bumper got caught on the curb when we were backing out and ripped off the bumper a little bit.

Interior finish peels.

General Comments:

Other than that the car is reliable on most part.

It drives pretty smooth and handles good.

The dealership I go to is great, they are nice.

Faults:

Mass Air Flow Sensor failed - repaired under warranty even though car was over 2 years old. Later VW extended warranty to cover for longer term.

Passenger side window support broke. Repaired under warranty even though car was over 2 years - VW later extended warranty to cover for longer term.

Rustproofing goo comes out of doors - think mine got a double dipping. Cleans easy with bug and tar remover, only happens in the summer.

As others have said, grinding happens going from 1st to 2nd. But I've had that happen in other cars. The syncros aren't just right sometimes. I'd rather live with it rather than have someone crack open the tranny. I've found it happens worst when you're high revin' in 1st and slam into 2nd. Give pause for a second and it won't happen.

The driver's seat is breaking down, but I think that's more to do with my size. I'm a pretty big guy.

Trunk latch broke. Replaced myself.

Doors won't stay aligned. Next time I have it in the shop to fix a schlew of recalls I'm going to ask them to teach me how to align them so I can do it from now on.

Passenger lock has messed up for the 2nd time since I've owned the car. Makes for the door not opening from the out side.

Keyfob broke in half when turning on car. VW replaced free under warranty.

General Comments:

I love this car. It is the first new car I ever bought (my very first was a VW Rabbit Diesel!). It is fast, corners well, and just generally pleasant to drive.

I seem to have had fewer problems that others on here. None of the problems would ever make me not want another VW. However, I've seen the current Jettas and I think they look too much like Hondas. I respect Honda and all. But they're a bit too much "plain Jane" for my tastes.

I do every bit of routine maintenance on the car that I have the tools to do. Oil changes are a snap (I wish all cars were this easy). The filter element is kind of expensive though. The front rotors have become warped over the years, and at 5 years old, its time to change them. I think it has more to do with me over tightening the bolts (one broke off one time - got lucky and was able to back it out before it broke in half).