16th May 2008, 11:08

2000 Jetta GLS 5-spd... I bought it used in '03 as it was a lease return. Loved this car for about 6 months and then the SAME problems as other posters happened...

1. The center console latch broke

2. Power mirrors switch snapped off, with no hope of fixing cheaply

3. Drink holder completely fell apart

4. Sunroof liner fell down (shouldn't do that after only 4 years)

5. Brakes & rotors were bad and I had to pay for that at the dealership

6. Brakelight switch & latch restraints were replaced under recall at the same time.

7. After 1 year, the glovebox switch on the right snapped off.

And of course that sticky, gunky stuff is everywhere on anything plastic...

And in the past year I've had my driver's door panel snap completely off, meaning every time I open my door it falls down toward the pavement hanging only by the cords that work the light, and the gas flap/trunk switches. All clips are broken, and there is no amount of adhesive that will hold it together - I have to reassemble it all to close my door when I get in now.

I bought this thinking it would be a great car, safe enough for my son to ride in. While the frame IS safe structurally, everything attached to the frame somehow can be questioned.

It's worth now what I owe on the loan, which isn't that much. And I'm thinking the next car is gonna be a Subaru instead.

26th May 2008, 00:20

I just recently purchased a 2000 Jetta with 70,000 miles from the original owner.

As expected, the glove box hinge is broken and the rear ashtray didn't work.

The owner kept all the service record for this car, and as I was reading the postings here, I would go back through the service receipts and find that the same issues others had had, my Jetta also had. The only one missing is the issue with the windows. My windows are manual, so maybe this is why. However, I am know worried about this happening.

After going through the records, I found it odd the the original owner had replaced the rear brakes so frequently. Int this case around every 31k miles. I know realize that this issue, as well as many others, will continue. I didn't buy this car to start dropping money into it. So, if I can't fix it, it may not get fixed.

After reading the postings, I was wishing that I had never found this site, but I think that I would rather know that the others share/shared the same problems and that it simply isn't my bad luck. Had I found this site sooner, I would have never bought the car. I wonder if I will be able to get the windows fixed for free if they do break.

Here are the problems that this car has had:

- Sunvisor

- Glove box

- Rear ashtray

- MAF Sensor

- Rear Brakes

- Low oil issues

- Check engine light

- Seat springs (this one is crazy)

- Serpentine belt

It seems that the previous owners had a good warranty that paid for most of the problems.

My only question is do the manual windows have the faulty window regulator, or is this common only to power windows?

3rd Jun 2008, 19:59

2000 VW Jetta 2.0 4 cyl gas.

In reference to the problem with difficulty starting when the engine was hot, I solved the problem by changing the Engine Coolant Sensor. Eventually the Engine light came on, a friend diagnosed it, I replaced the Sensor, about $50 and fifteen minutes. Car has started fine ever since. My friend explained that the sensor tells the computer how long to inject fuel. If cold, inject more fuel, if hot, inject less fuel. Works just like a choke in a carburetor. With a bad sensor the injectors may be sending too little fuel when cold, making it too lean, or too much when hot, causing a "flooding" condition. In your case, the sensor was probably stuck on a voltage that indicated cold, so cold starts were OK, all other not so good. Hope this helps. Marcel.

28th Aug 2008, 20:35

I have had this Jetta since 2000 & everything was OK until about 2005 when both engine fans ceased on the NJ Parkway. When the engine light came on I naturally reached for the user's manual in the glove box. As soon as I unhooked the latch the glove box door fell to the floor mat.

I found 2 large springs on the passenger side floor that I assume fell off the underside of the seat.

There are countless pieces of plastic from the interior that fell off that I just throw in the trunk.

Right now at 104K miles I am currently replacing the coolant flange & catalytic converter.

There is a strange rattle coming from under the car. When the car points down hill at idle, the car bucks and vibrates.

Good luck all you 2k Jetta owners!

15th Dec 2008, 13:36

I have a 2000 VR6.

The in-dash cup holders were broken when I bought it, as was the glove box.

I've had to replace almost every piece of the cooling system; flange, radiator, hoses, water pump, auxiliary pump... I'm sure there are other pieces I'm forgetting.

Driver side window fell in. The passenger side door lock works... sometimes.

Now we are experiencing intermittent function of the gas door release. Often sitting at the pump for 10 minutes trying to get the door to release.

The car is nice when it's working, but I would never recommend one to anybody. It's a giant money pit.

13th Jan 2009, 12:50

I just replaced the cup holder, very easy. I won't even change a tire, that's AAA's job, but this cup holder thing was a snap. $115 seemed VERY STEEP for a cup holder but it is the new style so it should be more reliable.

26th Feb 2009, 21:01

My wife and I have a 2000 VW Jetta TDI GLS. It's the diesel, manual version. She bought the car new and has always kept great care of it through the years. Looking through the service records, this vehicle does seem to be a huge money pit. It's a joy to drive when working right!

Anyway, our trouble started 5 months ago when the cast aluminum engine block fractured at the mount location. Note, the engine mount did not fail, the actual engine block fractured!!! And we were at a stop light at the time. Vehicle has never been in an accident. It dropped about 6 inches in the front. Took out the bottom panel, one of the fans, and also the connection to the PS pump.

Vehicle was under the 10 year, 100K mile warranty, so VW replaced the engine! Only problem was that the CA dealer did a horrible job of replacement! PS pipe had hit the fan housing, however they didn't replace under warranty, so one month later it leaked. Vacuum pump leaked (probably used original seal). And the real biggy was that they forgot to install the injectors with the required injector spacers as well as probably using the original seal.

Four months later and the injectors finally rattled completely loose and of course stopped working. It took a lot of work on my part (and no help from the CA dealer), however through a local AZ dealer, VW covered replacement of PS pump as well as other leaks and of course the injectors. Of course this is not due to any help from "customer care". Real help came from the AZ regional warranty rep looking at the vehicle.

In any case, I'm thankful that VW decided to do the right thing on this vehicle, and I'm a little tired of dealing with dealers. Also I think we will definitely be avoiding VW in the future.