Faults:

The windows fell into the door after two years or so. This was a known flaw and the dealer fixed it for free, however.

Had to replace the catalytic converter at around 87,000 miles.

After that, had to replace the vacuum belt because the technician at the dealer's screwed it up.

The radio has stopped working three times and I have had to pull out the fuse and replace it, which fixes the problem.

Had to replace the oil pan last year, but that was because the Mr. Tire I took it to stripped the bolt.

General Comments:

I've been really impressed with this car. I know that some 2002 Jettas tend to be lemons, but I've had incredible luck thus far.

I put about 20,000 miles a year on it, and it's withstood the wear and tear quite well.

Some of the material on the center armrest has started to peel.

I've had virtually no problems with this car, until last year when I had to replace the catalytic converter (and then had the vacuum belt replaced, but that was the technician's fault, not the car's). It's continued to be solid.

Faults:

Had the 2002 Jetta 1.8T new since Apr 2002 with 027 Miles on it, it currently has 55k miles on it.

RADIO DEAD: I have had this happen at least every year. One time I needed a new battery to make it work, the other times it either just started working again (when the fuses were good) or Fuse # 41 and/or 42 needed to be changed out (yes both of those can be a problem).

IGNITION COILS: all these have been replaced and at my expense;moved to Germany and its not under warranty here :/

WINDOWS FALLING DOWN: every window has fallen down and the clips replaced at least once (couple have been done 2-3 times, mostly in the winter, but not always)

SEAT WARMER: The driver side seat warmer in the driver seat one day just shorted out or something and burnt the leather and my Butt, it was a very hot and I'm lucky nothing caught fire. Since then I haven't used seat warmer or got it replaced because it would just cost more than its worth.

SUNROOF: when it got really sunny and hot the sunroof would open, but when it went to shut it would hit the close spot and just pop back open. So far I fixed it, I held it at the close spot and heard a loud snap, since then its been working normal :P (I'm not saying to try that like I did)

Even with all the little problems I still enjoy the car, it still runs smooth and the windows/radio are minor stuff to deal with. I drive it hard here in Germany, going on long road trips I drive it @ 140MPH 2-3 hours at a time before stopping to refuel and it drives like a dream at those speeds :P (just sucks up the fuel lol)

Faults:

I bought a 2002 Jetta 1.8T with all of the bells and whistles, except for leather seats and a spoiler. I really liked this car until the past 6 monthes of owning it.

1. RADIO ISSUES: Firstly, the stupid radio, whenever you reset a code or mess with the fuses, the radio decides to not come on. Luckily, there are some really nice Jetta Owners whom have had the same problem. The fuse directory is not self explanatory as it doesn't tell you which fuse is for the radio. However, it is fuse #41 and #42 that you want to pull out for about 30 seconds while the key is not in the ignition. Replace the fuse, and the radio should come back on when you hit the power button, of course once you put the key in the ignition.

2. MASS FLOW AIR SENSOR - Ridiculously expensive! If your car is running richer than usual and your fuel economy isn't the usual 28 mpg city and around 32 mpg highway, it's your Mass Flow Air Sensor that is bad. Now, VW Dealerships charge $120.00 for the part, however they claim it takes 2.5 hours to replace. That is baloney! I had my brother, who has common sense replace the part, after purchasing it from the dealership for $120.00, it took him 15 minutes to remove the bad part and replace with the new part! So take my advice, if this is your issue, buy the part direct and install it yourself, save money that the dealerships are charging people!

Other than that, the car has been good. Don't have any leaks, nothing with the transmission or engine issues. I was part of the brake light recall. Haven't heard anything about the window recall and nothing on the heated seats recall. So, other than paying a lot more money these days for premium gas, overall I am still somewhat satisfied with my car.

Now, if I will ever buy another VW... hmmm, I think it's safe to say that from an economical and money saving stand point, I have to give props to Honda, who take their time to engineer something the right way. Wish, we were like that with the American Cars!

I hope this helps someone out who might be experiencing the same issues I had with my Jetta.