2014 Volkswagen Jetta Highline TDI from North America
Summary:
Terrible build quality
Faults:
I would never buy another one of VW's products in any of its lines (even in sibling companies owned by them) after this vehicle. What a piece of junk.
Something is always going wrong with it -
1) The back up camera works when it feels like it (dealer replicated issue) - the dealer said they think they may have fixed it, but I'll have to wait and see.
2) The car almost stalled out in an intersection, nearly causing a collision where I would have been deemed at fault (I was turning left). This issue was not replicated and has been experienced by many other TDI owners of this generation, DSG and manual.
3) The doors have recently started unlocking-locking-unlocking-locking over and over while I drive for no apparent reason. Clicking the button manually has no effect on this and the car continues to do it. A ridiculous issue, and I hope one that the dealer can replicate. I can't find many other owners that have had this one, but it's annoying.
4) The button for the air recirculation next to the A/C has stopped functioning, even though I have barely ever pressed it in the life of the vehicle.
In short - this car is junk. I bought the Highline and it is fraught with poor quality cabin issues as well as electrical problems.
General Comments:
WHEN the vehicle runs properly it's awesome. The car returns better than advertised fuel economy, and actually has really good pick up. Two things that you never get together in other brands, and what attracted me to VW in the first instance. The vehicle in my opinion also looks really good, inside and out.
Having said that - I don't have that many kilometers and the electronic issues this car is suffering (most replicated by the dealer) are absurd! Even when the dealer replicates an issue, they can't always seem to find a fix either, which is very frustrating. Oh, and according to a service tech - VW does what they can to turn down warranty repairs. Luckily my car is not modified in any way or I would have been declined I was told. Good stuff to know if you're considering the brand.
This is a really nice car when it operates well. But for a $30+k vehicle it has WAY too many issues and is not reliable (see above).
I would never again purchase another.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 23rd May, 2015
11th Feb 2021, 21:55
And you can predict the future, apparently.
28th Jan 2023, 21:22
Absolutely you can predict the future from the past. A very large company doesn't change. At least, one should not assume such a situation. Company culture is a very long standing thing.
29th Jan 2023, 18:48
The TDI have troubled high pressure fuel pumps and injectors leading to costly repairs. It seems the low sulfur diesel cannot lubricate adequately these pumps, leading to failure.
30th Jan 2023, 03:42
I disagree. Look at Ford for example. In the 80’s and 90’s, their quality was abysmal. They realized around 2005 or so they needed to step it up on the quality side, or they’d go out of business. They’ve done exactly that. Nissan on the other hand went the other direction if you compare pre/post 2000.
14th Sep 2020, 08:52
The one constant with car companies is, if it was bad for the past 20 years, it will be bad for the next 20 years. You can be sure of that, no matter what new models they make. Also be aware of brand fans, people who come here saying 150,000 miles and no problem. These are usually young people who don't have a mortgage so have money to spend and don't mind about repairs. And I'm not even mentioning those who have a neighbour, a brother and three friends, all of them with cars with hundreds of miles and never a single problem. You get the picture.