23rd Sep 2002, 11:53

Initially I too loved my little Jetta. I put excessive amounts of mileage on it for work and didn't run into any trouble until 22,000 miles or so when the rear brakes went out. Unfortunately, because my car was the first year of the redesign and I had put all of these miles on in just over a year I couldn't find brakes for it anywhere. Not only did the rear brakes go out first (which should never happen with a 60/40 differential - but someone explained that the manufacturer likely is cutting costs by putting less brake pad on the rear because they do last longer typically) but I couldn't find replacements anywhere. Fortunately I knew someone at a dealership about a 100 miles away that took brakes of a car on the lot for me. Then it was the interior panel recall, the oxygen sensor recall, my car wouldn't start, I replaced a fuel pump that I didn't really need in the first place, the check engine light on every other day and the diagnosis is always something different, the window regulator, the cup holder springs are broken, the arm rest clasp is broken, the vents in the front bumper fall out, the exhaust needs replaced, yada yada yada and this morning just when I thought it I have had it all fixed THE AIR CONDITIONER WENT OUT!.

So after reading that this is nothing new to my car all I can think is SELL, SELL, SELL, THIS CAR IS A LEMON LEMON LEMON.

1st Feb 2003, 10:41

The broken glove box hinge seems to be reported by a lot of people (including me). is there a recall on this obviously defective part?

Geektor@hotmail.com.

21st Mar 2003, 17:29

I've had the glove compartment hinge break on my 2000 GLS as well, in addition to the rubberized handles peeling (which VW admitted was their responsibility, even though the parts have never been available) and the front passenger door not opening after unlocking the car. You have to wait a couple seconds to try again, then you can open the door.

23rd May 2003, 22:17

I love my 2000 Jetta VR6, and have had the same problems as most others, windows falling down (repaid for free), and now the glove box hinge breaking off. VW wanted $170 to replace the glove box door, which I declined. Does anyone know if this is close to becoming a recall item yet?

1st Jun 2003, 19:10

My 2000 Jetta GLS VR6 is the third Jetta that I've owned. I love the car, but I regret that there are certain quality issues with it. Off the bat, I had to have a faulty rear speaker replaced, as well as a leaking light lens. I also had a few squeeks and creaks is the rear deck and front dash. The front cup holders had to be replaced, and soon afer the replacements broke too (but I figured out how to take them apart and fix it myself). I had to replace the rear breaks at about 40k miles (the original front ones are still going strong at 45k miles). I had to have a cracked coil-pack replaced because the car never would run in the rain. Thankfully I had the extended warranty because they also found that the mass airflow sensor was faulty, these two repairs would have cost me $750. The manual transmission is fairly crummy as far as I'm concerned: it has a slight grinding noise when shifting from 1st to second gear. The engine is pretty solid and doesn't burn any oil, but I've noticed a slight "lifter" type ticking noise that starts at about 26k RPMs and stops at about 32k RPMs. I've always liked VWs, and I love the styling of my car, the way it handles, the features, etc. My problem is that there are way too many quality issues for a car that is only 3 years old; it always seems like you have to fight with VW service to get anything resolved. I think the "Oh, we couldn't duplicate that problem" is part of their standard training.

8th Jul 2003, 13:30

I had a 1987 Jetta (built in Germany) that I sold to a friend after 10 years. He still has it, and it now has over 200,000 miles on it with few problems. I bought a 2002 Jetta GLS last year that is my fourth and last VW -- oil consumption for no apparent reason, passenger's side window down, radio failed. Yes, the window and radio were fixed free, but sorry, VW, it just doesn't make sense for a new car to burn oil like this one does. I don't care if it is "within specs," as my dealer keeps telling me. Burning so much oil means something's wrong, and even if it didn't, it gets expensive to be putting a quart or so in every thousand miles. I constantly worry that I'm going to run out, too, so I have to stock the trunk with several quarts of oil, as if I had an old Dodge or something. I love the car's handling and interior, but I want quality. My 1996 Madza Miata is an example of quality -- no problems at all for that car in five years of ownership. I'll be getting rid of my Jetta before the warranty expires. It's Mazda or Toyota for me from now on.

2nd Oct 2004, 14:04

Bought my 2000 VW Jetta GLS last year for my son's first car. It was used, with 37,000 miles. Bought it because of the safety rating. I have done nothing, but sink money into this car hand over fist. Front headlight system failed. $650. Front grills keep falling out. Glove box broken. Hinges on center box broke. Cup holder broken, replaced, broken again. Starter went out at 40,000 miles. Grinding noise shifting from 1st to 2nd. Cuff tear in CV boot of right front axle. Gas tank release/lock broken. In less than one year I feel like I own a hunk of junk!! Only American cars for me from now on!

25th Jun 2005, 08:19

I also have a 2000 Jetta (bora in the UK) it too uses so much oil it is frightening. The drivers window has dropped out twice and also the passenger window once, the exhaust has been changed and two lambda (oxygen) sensors have been changed. It has done only 60000 miles, I am now getting rather tired of it.

28th Apr 2006, 15:38

I own a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta and loved it at first as well. I knew something was wrong with it, so I took it in for the service department to look at. The checked engine light was not on, so they said, they could not duplicate the problem. I took it back in when the light did come on and then they said, I needed to put a higher grade of gas and synthetic oil in the car. I did this new process for a few months till my car finally overheated. The service department said that the problem was the water pump impeller had broken which impacted the thermostat The problem was not covered under warranty.