2001 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8 turbo from North America
Summary:
This car is not supported by VW and is a nightmare
Faults:
My rear brakes wore out prematurely (around 20000km), but were replaced by dealer who did scheduled maintenance.
My antenna housing broke completely off in "touch less" carwash and required the entire interior ceiling to be removed to replace it. If antenna doesn't break it tends to get bent out of shape in car wash, so it must be removed every time. The ease of removal makes it easy to steal off your car. Someone stole mine to replace their bent of shape one, costing me $75 to replace just the antenna.
My Clutch completely burned out at 58000 km. I brought car into VW and told them that the clutch was slipping. They told me that there was nothing wrong with the clutch. Exactly one week later the clutch completely failed, leaving me with a bill for $1750.
My transmission blew up at 61000 km. I was driving on the highway when all of a sudden it felt like something snapped, crackled, popped. I had the car towed to VW. Mechanic at VW told me it "blew up" and left a 14 inch hole in it. The transmission was replaced with a "factory reconditioned" transmission. I was told that there was only a one year warranty on it.
Power steering pump is broken at 62000 km. Exactly two weeks after the transmission was replaced the power steering pump is mysteriously broken and won't hold any power steering fluid. Estimate is $700 to repair.
General Comments:
I called VW to ask them how to cancel lease and return car as I won't pay anymore for this 2001 VW Jetta.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 5th May, 2003
29th Sep 2004, 06:05
Having read two accounts of problems with VW Jetta's, it would seem that the problem is 1) Brakes-excessive/heavy braking, probably from being driven too fast and a need to slam brakes on to prevent collision. 2) Transmission-if a hole is blown through a transmission housing, that would indicate excessive high rpm within transmission at time of malfunction, basically vehicle being driven too hard (it is a sedan after all, not a Porsche) 3) Mass Airflow Sensor-these sensors do tend to "wear out". It is not a problem specific to VW, it is a fact of auto maintenance.
Many people claim a vehicle is a lemon, but they do not realize you cannot drive all cars as though it were a High Performance sports car. Heavy acceleration, over revving, excessive braking all take their toll on a car. Treat your car with respect (and regular maintenance) and nearly all will give you years of happy motoring...Cheers! -Sunset Ryder, Oshawa.
23rd Apr 2004, 08:03
I have had the same disappointing performance from my 2001 Jetta TDI (automatic). The mass airflow sensor had to be replaced after only 24 months of purchasing this brand new car, brake work had to be done after 6 months, the motor for wiper blades has to be replaced as well as the transmission, there are rust spots on the front hood and bottoms of doors, after only 34 months. The car has 142,000 km and has had regular maintenance and no accidents except for the front fender getting caught on a raised curb and being torn (when backed out). I feel that the quality of the VW Jetta has gone way down in the last five to eight years. I have had no support from the dealership or from Volkswagon. They send a lot of surveys, but I don't know if they read them!
Thank you for your review Steven.