Faults:

It would be easier for me to name what is right...

I thought I was the only one with all these problems til I ran across this site.

My car smells like crayons no matter what I do, my alternator just went bad and my hazard switch has been replaced 2x since the recall.

My lights have to be replaced every few months, and if I do need the hazards, my turn signals won't work for about an hour after I turn them off.

It will no longer hold the special pink coolant be cause there is a leak I have yet to find (no mechanic can either). I have had to replace the hoses and reservoir twice, and still no success. It will only run on water and I usually have to fill it every 3-4 days depending on how much I drive...

The service light is ALWAYS on, even after it was serviced... go figure.

My A/C blows heat when it is off and is set on heat. I had to order a regulator and I replaced it myself.

I have dumped over 3 grand in this piece since I got it... I thought it was a good choice after the first Jetta I drove that my mom had, it was a '99 I believe and I totaled it in a front end collision and it saved my life... I guess I had one good Jetta or maybe I got it before it got me... and I'm not even gonna start about mid grade gas prices here in Florida.

General Comments:

"where is the melted box of crayola crayons at?" asks my best friend.. as she laughs at my pain.

I told her that VW gave all Jetta owners a free box and I lost mine on the way home.

Faults:

My only problems have been with wear and tear items like suspension bushings and brakes. Those are made to wear out, so I can't really complain.

General Comments:

Great car to drive around town and on the highway...loads of power and torque, great turbo sound, and a good looker to boot.

Faults:

At 20,000 miles my transmission went out. Luckily under warranty.

At 24,800 miles (800 miles over warranty) and my alternator went out. Had it rebuilt due to money issues and still ended up buying a new one after that one went bad.

Replaced my battery 3 times.

The Monsoon Amp has a relay in it, that when it gets hot out, it sticks in the closed position and kills my battery.

My center counsel latch broke.

The arm rests and various other interior pieces are peeling.

The sunroof wouldn't open or close, and these plastics pieces kept popping out. Had the switch replaced.

My mass air flow sensor has been replaced 3 times.

A huge spring fell out of the bottom of each of the front seats.

The driver's side door whistles at higher speeds. Had it supposedly adjusted by the dealer, and still the same noise.

All summer long some wax type stuff leaks out.

The paint on the roof and the mirrors is fading.

Right now my timing belt just slipped at 71,000 miles.

General Comments:

When I first bought my 2001 Wolfsburg Jetta, I was in love with it! I really thought that I was making an awesome purchase in buying a Volkswagen. I really wish I would have seen all the comments on here before buying it!

While my car was under warranty, the dealer I bought it from were always happy to help me. I was upset though that when the transmission went out, they made me buy a new clutch in order to keep the warranty on the new transmission. I believe that should have been covered.

Then when my alternator went out at 800 miles after my warranty, I overheard the service manager say on the phone that I'd be kicking myself in the ass over cancelling my warranty. Upon hearing him say this I really lost my cool with him, especially since he was wanting to charge me $800+ to fix my problem. I ended up getting kicked out of the dealership. Luckily another dealer opened on the other side of town. When I took my car to the other dealership, after getting my alternator fixed to get the problem of my battery always dying troubleshot, they told me they would have replaced my alternator for under warranty cause it was so close!

Right now my car just passed over 71,000 miles, and my timing belt slipped. My dad and I tore apart the engine, and found that we had no compression in any or the cylinders, so are now in the process of tearing off the head, which by the way you'll need a special 6 point #9 torque socket to remove and replace the head. That is where I am stuck at right now!

Anyway as you can see from my list of problems above, which seems to get longer every year I have the car, that I wouldn't recommend anyone in their right mind purchase a VW new or used. Even if you have the extended warranty, you are still going to be spending a lot of time at the dealer getting work done!

To every VW Jetta owner out there with problems, I feel your pain in my heart and pocket book!! Isn't there anyway a lawsuit can be brought against VW for selling so many problem cars???