2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0L from North America

Summary:

A very good car overall

Faults:

Nothing besides the recall for the break switch which was replaced under warranty with the previous owner.

General Comments:

I love this car. It handles well, is comfortable to drive, has never stranded me, gets great fuel mileage. My only complaints are the position of the armrest makes it difficult to use the parking break. Also I don't like the knob that reclines the seat, it is annoying and takes a long time. But I am convinced that because I maintain the car, that is the reason it has given me no trouble. Never had any of the problems listed on this site. Besides if it was as bad as people say, you wouldn't see them on the road everywhere.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th November, 2006

2002 Volkswagen Jetta the cheap one 1.8 turbo from North America

Summary:

Love the car, wish I could love how it was put together

Faults:

I have had a bevvy of problems and I am SHOCKED to hear how many other people are having the same thing happen:

Passenger door HANDLE fell off.

Passenger side window fell into door.

Side-view mirror adjuster know broke off during use.

Latch in center console broke off.

Mystery part came out from behind ashtray.

Three computer glitches that could have caused a serious accident.

Had to replace tires at 35,000 miles.

And NOW:

Car door sensor is broken. it thinks that the driver's side door is open, but it ISN'T. wouldn't let me turn headlights on without that horrible beeping tone and the red indicator light at the bottom of the door is on right now, as I'm typing, and will be throughout the night until I can get it to a dealership tomorrow morning, so I may have to call AAA to get a jump tomorrow too.

Plus all the ^*%&*%&$ recalls! every year I get a letter saying "take your car to the dealership and see if it needs this this and this recalled." it usually doesn't, but I have to drop everything and take it in.

General Comments:

I like the car, it's great to drive, but it's made of lego's. things keep falling off and it costs a lot of money. I'm not very happy with the product and, if I wasn't so attached to it, I would not recommend it to anyone.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th November, 2006

30th Mar 2008, 22:31

I am having the same problem with the door sensor malfunctioning in my 02 jetta. It keeps on recognizing the door as being open even when it is securely closed. Did the dealership explain the issue to you? BTW, I had the same problem with the passenger window taking a dive into the door frame as well.

2002 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T from North America

Summary:

This car SUCKS

Faults:

OMG ---- what HASN'T gone wrong with this car!!!

I bought this car brand new from the dealership 4 years ago - and well, I have had problems with it from the start - everything you all posted prior to me has happened: the windows not going down, or falling down, the radio shorting out, the rattling noise, the shaking in reverse, the shaking while driving. I've had numerous repairs, and in the past 10 months, I have spent $7,000 on repairs.

We all know about the faulty coils and how they have been recalled, and mine were replaced.

Well my LATEST adventure was two days ago; I was driving down the street, my car started shaking and I saw smoke coming from the hood! I pulled over, my boyfriend and I opened the hood, and we saw FLAMES!!! We were swatting at it and blowing on it trying to get it out, and it finally went out. What was left was a hole where the fire was, about the size of my fist thru the engine cover. Through it I could see a bunch of wires.

I decided NOT to have it towed to the dealership (even though I have always used them), I have NOT been happy with their service at all and refuse to ever go there again. Now, I need to have a new harness put in, as well as a coil replacement --- uhm... I had those replaced and I didn't think that they should be faulty anymore. I'm wondering if the coils shorted out and that caused a spark which caused the fire in my car?

I will not EVER purchase a VW ever again and I urge you not to purchase a VW either. I'm buying a Toyota for my next car. I'm sure this Jetta won't last too much longer. I take it in for problems every 2-3 months, and the next time this car falls apart on me, I'm gonna try to sell the thing. Of course, who in their right mind would ever buy this piece of crap?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st October, 2006

10th May 2010, 15:51

I agree with you... I hated my 1.8T. I mean, the car looked really good, especially with the 17" rims. But mechanically, it was always having problems. It wasn't reliable at all, I was in the loop of Jettas with faulty transmissions, and the car would shift when it decided to. I was always stranded somewhere waiting for it to shift. And I was almost in many accidents involving me "redlining" at 20 miles an hour.

It was zippy, and fun. But it cost so much to fix, and only the dealer could work on it. I decided just a few months ago to get rid of it, and get myself a dependable car. I decided to go with a Nissan Altima. I love it; just as fast, and almost better on gas.

11th May 2010, 16:10

To the above commentor:

Watch out for serious transmission issues in the Altima. That is if you bought an older one used, can't say anything about the new Altima's.