Faults:

The front passenger seat was broken when purchased. $400 repair.

Front brakes went out less than a month after purchase. Cost $400 to repair because the brake sensor went off and when that happens you must pay $150 per brake pad for special pads with the sensor (which aren't under warranty).

Airbag light came on and stayed on because the clock spring in the steering column broke. Did not replace because the cost was $400.

Battery went bad had to replace. Only the dealer can replace the battery because otherwise the stereo won't work. Had to replace the serpentine belt at the same time. Cost $400.

Glove box door broke. Did not fix.

EPC, ASR and check engine light came on causing poor performance. Was due to the brake light switch recall--no problems since repair (but that was only a week ago).

Same day I picked up the car for the recall the door sensor broke. Caused the car to think the doors were open. Would not lock the doors. Cost $400 to fix. The dealer replaced the window clips for free and mysteriously the airbag light is no longer on.

For two weeks the car had trouble starting. It wouldn't turn over or make a peep until, oh, the fifth try or so. Mysteriously, we have not had that problem since.

Minor problem with the soft plastic coating over all the hard plastic in the interior peeling away. Makes the nice interior look shabby.

General Comments:

It's funny how everything that has gone wrong has cost right around $400 to fix.

I really love the Jetta. It's fun to drive, looks great and handles well. The problem is it costs so darn much to fix. VW really needs to work out these quality control issues and they need to make their dealers respect the customer. We found a good dealer, but it's the ONLY dealer in my area that isn't rude and doesn't treat you like a five year old with a learning disability.

Bottom line is if you get the Jetta you'll enjoy it, but be prepared to spend more money for repairs than you would other cars.

Faults:

Faulty rear speaker in the Monsoon system had to be replaced after 1 day.

Squeaks and rattles in dash and rear deck.

Replaced leaking lens cover.

Cup holder broken three times, and was replaced once by the dealer.

Oil pan was punctured by a tiny rock and had to be replaced.

Engine has had a ticking noise between 2700 and 3200 RPMs that started at 4k miles. The dealer finally (at 60k miles) admitted to the problem and wants to tear the engine apart.

The transmission grinds when shifting between 1st and 2nd gear.

The windshield was defective and fractured in the cold.

The rear brakes wore out at 25k and had to be replaced.

The coil pack went bad and needed to be replaced (this was not covered as part of their recall)

The mass airflow sensor also went bad and had to be replaced at 25k.

The catalytic converter had to be replaced at 58k.

The front-end's tirods, bushings, etc. had to also be replaced at 58k.

All of the interior surfaces have had their plastic / rubber coatings peel off.

The latch on the center arm rest snapped off.

The driver's side power window flakes out intermittently.

The headlights dim excessively for a moment when the cooling fan turns on which is most noticable during night driving.

The keyless entry system went haywire and had to be reprogrammed.

The trim on the shifter knob peeled off leaving a sharp edge behind.

The brakes generate excessive brake dust that takes hours to clean off.

The car has been through 3 sets of 30k mile tires in only 60k miles of driving.

The seats collect lint, hair, etc. and are nearly impossible to keep clean.

General Comments:

This car has been a maintenance nightmare. Had I not bought the extended warranty when I bought the car, it would have cost me over $6k in repairs. The check engine light is constantly on. Every repair, no matter how small, is a monumental expense. The dealerships often have to order the parts and it's an exhausting effort to even get them to "see" most of the complaints that are described to them. Everyday I drive the car, I can't help, but think what will go wrong.

I like the styling and performance of this car, and it is fun to drive. Unfortunately, though, the build quality on the car is lousy. Everything breaks on the car 10 years before it should. This car has had more problems in 4 years than most have in a lifetime! It's really lousy when you pay as much as VW charges for their cars and then have to dump thousands of dollars into yearly maintenance.

This car has cost Volkswagen my business, I will never again buy another one, nor will I ever recommend one to anybody. In fact, I will always make sure to tell everybody I know NOT TO BUY a Volkswagen. Thankfully this car is being traded in next month for a new car... I can only pray nothing else major goes wrong with it until my new car arrives from the factory.