2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8T

Summary:

A lemon after eight great VW's

Faults:

Frame needs to be replaced.

Transmission has frozen in gear twice.

General Comments:

This is my 9th VW - a dealer's demo that is now being bought back as a "lemon". Strange squeaky sounds after two weeks turned out to be a faulty frame.

I also found the 5-speed tiptronic to be a very poor performer, not responsive to gear changes when power is needed. On two occasions, the car froze in 4th gear and had to be shut off and restarted in order to continue driving.

I am going back to a GLS 2.0 Manual, which I hope will go the 160,000 miles that my 1996 Jetta went without any significant problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th June, 2002

2002 Volkswagen Jetta GL 2.0

Summary:

A low performance grapefruit

Faults:

Not enough space to list them.

General Comments:

VW Dealers of America are just

Lazy uninterested and Rude.

The car is nice, but does have a lot of problems,quality with this car is an optional feature!!!

Just Unreliable transportation.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th May, 2002

10th Jul 2002, 09:01

I couldn't agree more with your comments on Volkswagen customer service. They are lackadaisical, uninterested and genuinely uncaring. It is as if they have forgotten that customer concerns come from customers -people who paid good money for their product and who can let their friends and family know first hand about their experience. I will never recommend my dealership or Volkswagen to anyone -at least not if they want to be treated well.

2002 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 litre

Summary:

Jetta is betta

Faults:

A rear tail light went out on a long trip I took.. Only $1.78 fix.

General Comments:

I love this car! For a 2.0 litre 115 hp engine it sure can zip around town!

It's peppy, and quick. I love it! It is very comfortable to drive and has superb handling.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th December, 2001

2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLX 2.8 V6

Summary:

Performance and appearance in a single package

Faults:

I've only had this vehicle new for two weeks but cannot find anything wrong, not even a loose handle.

The only design fault is the brake release handle is awkwardly positioned below the arm rest. After that, the arm rest is well-positioned for comfort and longer than average (which is why the front hangs over the brake handle).

General Comments:

We focused on a Jetta with the sports package and suspension (has 17" Michelin wheels). Finding a 1.8L Turbo proved difficult so we took the V6 GLX model with sports suspension as the only option. This model is solid and rides like a champ. The leather seats are taut and well-constructed. The rear seating is better than reviews suggest (my son wants to drive). The manual transmission is very smooth but it will take some practice to make the shifting feel smooth as this engine has lots of torque but is very quiet at low rpm's. At night there must be 100 little knobs lit in red, an awesome sight. I still have two Jetta's (1997 and 2000 GT and GL) and the level of sophistication of the fully powered up GLX model is truly first class.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd September, 2001

17th Jun 2002, 09:27

Wonderful, I would have to agree.

1st Oct 2002, 09:54

I myself just purchased a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS about a week ago, and I will have to agree with you. I haven't had any problems with it. Great Review!

13th Nov 2002, 07:53

It's very nice to read that you folks are enjoying your Jettas. Just give it about 20K miles and you will see. I sincerely hope that none of the problems mentioned on this website, and the same ones I have experienced, occur with your Jettas. But after reading so many comments and going through with my own problems, I feel like we are ALL driving a bunch of lemons.

I too have a 2001 Jetta GLX-VR6 with the 5 Speed and the sport suspension and wheel pkg. AWESOME look and ride. It's a luxury feel and ride for not-so-luxury price. And as someone else said on this website, "I hate to hate it".

Here goes:

Arm rest latch broke at 26K (right after warranty expired). Replaced it myself-$25.

Driver side window fell in the door - normally $400+ to fix. Dealer replaced the plastic clip the window sits on with metal clips. It was covered under "extended warranty" from VW for this particular problem. SORT of like a recall.

Faulty brake switch caused "EPC" light to come on. Most dealers wanted $85-$105 just to hook it up to a diagnostic machine. $135 was the cheapest fix at Karen Radley VW in Woodbridge, VA. Service adviser knew what the problem was and fixed it. NO RUN AROUND.

Currently whenever I'm at 2900RPM and close to 78-79MPH, there is a loss of power for a second. Like the tranny is skipping. Over 3000 RPM I don't have the same power I did 3 months ago.

Although I really really really don't want to, I'm getting rid of it ASAP. Now I know why the Accord and Camry are best selling mid-size sedans in this great country of ours. I also have a '97 Accord LX with 155K on it. Nothing like this. And the new '03s look might nice.

Good Luck!

View 48 more comments