Faults:

I have had so many problems with my 99 Jetta ever since the day I bought it.

1. The day after I bought it, I was driving at night across the Golden Gate Bridge when a fuse blew and all the lights went out in the car. I managed to make it to my destination, but the next day the dealer said they couldn't get me an appointment until later in the week. I called the VW headquarters and complained and they got me an appointment right away after that.

2. A couple of months later, the passenger side window fell into the door. They said it was a "typical VW thing" and fixed it. It happened again one more time until they recalled it to fix it for good.

3. The grease from the car doors leaks all over my car when it is hot outside.

4. The VW circles in the hubcaps keep coming off and I have to get replacements.

5. The floor mats clips broke or got lost and the rugs go all over the place.

6. About a year and a half later, the battery needed replacing.

7. Three years later, the pipes that drain water clogged and when it rained, I had about 5 inches of water in my car on the front and backseat floor. It cost me about $300 to get it unclogged.

8. The car burns down on oil faster than it is suppose to get oil changes. The oil light comes on after all the oil burns out, which is too late to save the engine from being ruined. I have to check it all the time.

9. The week after I made my final payment on the car, which is 5 years later, the car alarm goes off in the middle of the night and we can't get it to stop! I am currently waiting to hear back what is wrong with it (and $125 just to check it / assess it).

10. The fabric seat catches so much lint and cat hair that it is impossible to remove.

11. The drink holder broke after 3 years.

12. The back seat ash try won't stay closed. Never has.

Overall, I feel that same way as the other people: Don't buy a VW!!

Faults:

Front Cup Holder broken

Back ashtray holder sits open, can't close it back together in the right position

Front passenger chair metal broken off, but chair is still adjustable.

Side mirror adjuster broken off (costs of replacement $200+)

Carpet attachment is terrible

Nothing wrong with the glove compartment "yet" hah.

Faults:

The ABS and emergency brake light come on while I'm driving, and are accompanied by the "beeping" alert.

The doorlocks lock and unlock on their own, one time locking my keys in the car. Other times, I disarm the alarm and open the door lock using my remote control, then get in my car and before I can put the key in the ignition, all four door locks rearm and lock... while I'm sitting in the driver's seat!

The "all four windows up/down" feature and doorlock open/close feature, both operated from the outside using the ignition key in the outside driver's side door handle, do not work.

Oftentimes, I turn the ignition key, only to find that the car is "dead". After 5 or 5 attempts, the engine finally (miraculously) turns over.

The 02 (oxygen) sensor had to be replaced twice. (A few years later, VW recalled that part and reimbursed me, though).

The oil pan cap popped off and all the oil drained out while I was driving.

The trunk lock broke and had to be replaced at my expense.

Parts of the external body of the car pop off due to the cheap plastic screws Volkswagen uses to fasten them.

Thick, yellow, waxy substance has oozed from inside all four doors and covers the area below the doors.

The front drink holder broke. (Volkswagen wanted nearly $100 to replace this cheap piece of plastic!)

The rear ashtray won't stay shut.

The glove box hinge broke. Now the glove box door hangs crooked. Volkswagen wants over $300 (parts and labor) to replace this.

The underbelly pan -- which is really just a piece of plastic -- broke off an began scraping on the ground when I drove. Volkswagen wanted over $100 to replace this part.

General Comments:

Volkswagen's seem to have major electrical problems, as well as engine/fuel system malfunctions. It seems that the company waits until the last possible moment to issue a recall, and they don't even readily do that very often. Also, though the service dept. may be friendly, you end up spending exorbinant amounts of money on labor charges and parts...only to have another problem spring up within a few months.

The Jetta looked like a nice, affordable car when I bought it. I soon learned that it is very, very unreliable, particularly for interstate trips where you could easily get stranded due to breakdowns or the car doors locking by themselves when your keys are in the car.