16th Oct 2008, 17:50
My parents have a 2000 Jetta with 47,000 miles on it. They bought it new and have, overall, been very happy with the car.
However my father used to tell us that sometimes when he was stopped at a light, the car would buck -- as if it wanted to go -- and he would have to make an effort to keep it stopped. In the past year and a half it got away from him three times: it lurched forward while he was applying the brakes. It happened once when he was parking, once at a stop sign, and once at a red light. Thank God it didn't cause an accident.
The car has had some problems with the brake lights as well, which have been fixed, but when mechanics run diagnostics on it, nothing seems to be wrong. Since the lurching problem is intermittent, it's impossible to get anything done about. The car is too dangerous to drive. And my parents don't feel it would be ethical to sell it to anyone else. So it's been sitting in their garage for the past six months, and we simply don't know what to do with it.
22nd Jan 2009, 22:02
My girlfriend has a 2001 Jetta GLS. She bought it with 83k miles on it.
A couple months ago the check engine light and battery light came on. Shortly after the car started shaking and stalled at times. The car would not start at times as well, and took a couple of tries to start, or even up to half and hour to start.
I had the battery checked at GoodYear and Autozone; the battery tested good, some mechanics said the ignition coils were bad and some said the alternator was bad. From what I have read on forums, this was going to be costly. I took the car to a mechanic where my family has gone for a while. It turned out to be the Engine Speed Sensor.
I have not had any problems since, it has been about 4 months since I had the work done and we took the car on a good little road trip. Hope this could help anyone, I've read that a lot of people seem to have the same problem. It cost roughly $150.
28th Jan 2009, 09:30
I also have a 2001 1.8T Jetta. I am so disappointed in this car that I just want to cry! I was so excited when I first purchased this car in 2002 and since then it has been in and out of the shop for mainly one problem: Cold Start shaking, stalling and not starting. They have NEVER been able to tell me what is wrong. Furthermore, even though these problems started when the car was under warranty and they never fixed it, they still won't admit it or do anything about it. When I go into reverse after a cold start, the car will not move. I have an automatic. This is strange. The engine light is always on. I have replaced the oxygen sensors, fuel pump, timing belt, engine harness and like someone else said so many things that I can't keep track. I wish someone knew how to fix this problem. I am selling my car or trying to but no one is buying because the engine light is on.
3rd Mar 2009, 09:44
2001 VW Jetta GLS 2.0 wagon purchased new. Typical electrical problems (engine light comes on after rain showers and high humidity), window problems, and turn signal clicking sound after blinker turned off that three mechanics were unable to solve!
Anyone considering a VW product should slap themselves (or have someone slap them hard), wake up, and then go to a Honda/Nissan/Toyota/Mazda dealer and purchase a better product that will not have nearly as many annoying problems.
21st May 2009, 17:22
OK...so I guess the consensus is that 2000-2002 Jettas are the worst that VW produced. Where to begin? 1st off, I married into a '01 Jetta GLS... ohhhh had I only known... heehee.. nothing but problems before me, and since it's been around me.
Glove box latch - broken.
Glove box hinge - broken.
Armrest hinges - broken.
Driver's door control panel/handle - broken.
Check engine light - on more often than not.
Stalling in traffic.
Just had 30.. Yes 30 engine codes cleared out of the system. Seems that when the previous battery was going bad, the low voltage sets off codes in the engine computer and then the computer starts messing with the car, making it run like crap, trying to correct the problems etc... funny how a bad battery not only costs you $65-$90 for the BATTERY, but it also costs you $105 for "diagnostics" at the dealership to clear the codes it set off.
Overall, I found this car a blast to drive in the times that it was running correctly, but the interior is just a bunch of cheap plastic bits and pieces that break/ or are ready to break at the slightest bump or tug. Example: the glovebox latch that breaks off due to the fact that the hinges have too much resistance, THEN the hinge itself tends to break. Oy vey.. I can't go on... trying to sell this POS, but alas it's hard to do with a glove box that not only does not close, but also hangs loosely by 1 hinge.
22nd Mar 2010, 18:04
I have a 2001 1.8T. The first problem I had was the interior lights were turning on/off randomly. The issue was the right front door latch.
After that problem was solved, I too had check engine lights and a non-op engine temp gauge. This had to do with several sensors that needed to be replaced.
Now I have the dreaded stalls when coming to a stop. I took the advice earlier mentioned and examined the wire harness assembly above the battery. everything appeared to be OK, but I cleaned the negative wire from the harness that connects to the negative post to the battery and... so far... no additional problems.
Oh yeah, forgot about the tail lights... not a big issue in my case. The bulb base just needed a little buffing with a wire brush.
I hope this helps others. Bring your car to a good foreign vehicle mechanic and skip the dealer!
18th Mar 2008, 19:18
I bought a 2001 Jetta 1.8T 5-speed brand new. I got the extended warranty (50K) and took it in for all scheduled maintenance -- other than a few recall items the car was a relative dream.
I now have only 60k on the car, but almost to the day/mile the 50k rolled over on my odometer the trouble started. Hazard lights flash mechanism clicked intermittently and had to be replaced.
The Check Engine light was/is like some kind of cruel joke. I've been to the VW dealer (where I bought it) no fewer than 10 times in the past year for engine light related problems.
After "fool me once, shame on you, fool me 10 times I'm outta here" and a couple grand later I now take my car to a private mechanic unless it's something extremely VW specific.
As I write this the car is sitting in the driveway unable to start because of some undetermined electrical problem (me thinks it's the starter).
Also my sister's '99 Passat did a complete mechanical meltdown at 90K. She was devastated financially and emotionally by the beast... but that's another story. My next car will probably be a Toyota or Honda... And soon!