2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8T from North America
Summary:
You are supposed to eat lemons... not drive them
Faults:
The Malfunction Indicator Light came on at 972 miles. The car would also shake and struggle at start up at this time. Most likely this is when the ignition coils started to fail, but they would not be replaced for another year because the MIL light turned off and the dealer ignored the problem.
The armrest latch and glove box latch broke off completely at 10,500 miles.
At 23,200 miles, the driver's side window regulator broke and the glass fell down inside the door.
Also at 23,200 miles, the front end of the car is making a very loud creaking noise. In response to this, the dealer replaced the steer gear, tie rod and boots. This, however, did not fix the problem because the car has been in the service shop for about a week now as they try to figure out what is making the sound.
At 24,000 miles the ignition coils were finally replaced.
Since the date of purchase the car creaks and squeaks inside (IE; the dashboard, the doors and center console).
Ignition coils replaced again at 25,500 miles.
General Comments:
I spend most of my time taking this car to and from the dealer for repairs. This is an 80 mile round trip for me and I have to take off from work to do this every time.
I have been driving a rental car for 7 days now and it's not even a Volkswagen. It is a Mazda Protege. At least the dealer is paying for it and it does not even creak and squeak like my Jetta. How sad is that?
I am very interested to hear from anyone else who has attempted to have their Jetta declared a lemon. That is going to be my next step if and when I get my car back from the dealer.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 15th July, 2003
8th Mar 2004, 11:23
I just recently got an MIL indicator come on as well.
Apparently, the dealership assured me, "As long as the light is not blinking", I shouldn't worry about it. Their reasoning was that the gas tank wasn't closed properly, and some air might gotten in.
Besides that, I haven't had nearly the troubles that I've been reading in this forum.
Should I be concerned with my VW purchase???