30th Sep 2005, 11:10

I have to say I'm really surprised at the overwhelming amount of negative feedback about the newer VWs. I sure hope they get their act together. It seems their older models were simpler and far better put together. One of the advertising campaigns for the original Beetle was to have 1000 inspectors look over the car before it left the factory! Fat chance they do that now. I think VW needs to go back to their roots- ie making simple, well-built cars.

3rd Oct 2005, 21:22

I am extremly happy with my 2002 GLS 1.8T 5 speed manual! I purchased the car new and am still enjoying it. The engine is outstanding, and if driven correctly it will reward you. You have to know how to drive it to really appreciate what this car is capable of. As critics have stated, these cars are very well built. The materials used for the interior is nothing short of top draw. A friend of mine who has painted cars for years flips over the quality of the paint on my jetta and all VW's that come into his body shop. The only problem I had was a replacement of the coil packs that was a recall and VW replaced under warranty. My car has been trouble free. I am very satisfied with this car. PS, The new model just does not compare!

10th Oct 2005, 23:31

I have a 2003 Jetta GLI. It has performed admirably, but... has anyone NOT had their center console 2¢ latch bust, spilling contents everywhere. What were they thinking when they installed it!? Oh, yeah, any chance of replacing that latch without having to buy the whole console? Would the warranty cover it?

2nd Nov 2005, 23:31

I also have a 2002 1.8T Jetta. I bought it based on the great comments and scores from the 2001 Jetta. I bought this car brand new (only 75 miles on it) The first week I had it, the car started shaking violently because the coils were faulty. They only would replace one instead of all of them... later on they finally recalled all the coils and they were all replaced. I've also had problems with the windows - they used to get stuck, or wouldn't automatically go down or up by pressing once on the window. The car also shakes when it is in reverse. The doors have problems shutting all the way. First it happened to the drivers side door - I DON"T SLAM the door, so I don't believe this is due to roughness by me... now the passenger side door is not shutting all the way. I will NEVER EVER EVER buy a VW again. If this car had been as wonderful as I expected it to be, I would buy VWs over and over again, however, now every time I meet someone, I tell them NEVER buy a VW, (I actually go out of my way to tell them this - can you tell how upset I am with VW) and have already talked many people out of it, based on my experience, and another friend's experience with hers. These are poorly manufactured cars, and I will never ever buy from VW again. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT A HONDA!!!

6th Jan 2006, 15:14

I am very surprised by all of the negative comments on this page. I bought my 2002 GLS 1.8 turbo 5 speed manual brand new and have never had major issues (roughly 40,000miles now). I have followed the maintenance schedule without missing a single one. I hope this does not jinx me, but I love the car and would recommend it to others. Strange how one car can be great and another terrible from the same make and model. Perhaps this is a dealership issue where they ignore recall issues until they cause problems. With my dealership recall issues are fixed during regular maintenance (such as the window & coil problems).

18th Jan 2006, 09:52

I’ve had MANY of the same problems with my 2002 Jetta as those stated in the previous comments. I’m sorry to hear that so many people have had problems, but I also feel a bit vindicated because I’ve been complaining about this car to my family and friends, and I think they all think that I am the only one with bad luck. After all, it is a Volkswagen.

Here is a run down of my problems:

Radio died within one week of purchasing the car, and it had to be ordered and replaced. Drove around for about 3 weeks with no tunes.

Shortly after the radio was replaced, the battery died. Keep in mind that this car was less than 6 months old.

The Anti-Lock Shift (ASL) switch has been replaced 4 times. This is the device that won’t allow you to take your car out of park unless you have your foot on the brake. When the ASL switch decides not to work, your car won’t go into drive and you are stranded.

The automatic transmission has been weird since the first day of owning the car. It often shifts out of first gear REALLY hard. It is like a THUNK and it is almost like the car stalls for a second, then it lurches forward. I had this checked numerous times while under warranty, and the dealership kept telling me that it was “adjusting to my driving style….”

The car shut down one day while driving around 60 mph on a highway. Luckily it was early in the a.m. and I was able to coast to the side of the road. No cause was ever determined.

The drivers side seat broke. Would not lock into place and the entire seat had to be replaced.

The airbag light came on and an airbag had to be replaced.

It burns oil much more quickly than it should.

The center console broke and had to be replaced.

The windows are loose and rattle in spite of being tweaked multiple times by the dealership.

Within 6 months of owning the car, the interior was cracking and peeling.

The hub caps have fallen off numerous times.

31st Jan 2006, 03:21

I just bought a 2002 VW Jetta 1.8 Turbo and I have only had the car for 4 months now and already I am having problems with it. The Check Engine light has come on and the radio has stopped working.

The side panel rattles when the music was on and the lock windows control has never worked. This has got to be the worst car I have ever owned. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this car a 0. All around poor performance. The car may look good on the outside, but what good does that do me when I can't even drive it. I will never buy a VW again.

31st Jan 2006, 22:00

I have a 2004 Jetta 1.8T. I have less than 8000 miles on the car. Here are my problems:

The car has been in the dealership twice. The first time was to fix 2 recalls. It was also to fix a defective hydraulic with the trunk & to fix the driver side chrome door panel that was starting to peel.

A few months later, during the heavy rainy season in CA, my car was flooded with an inch of water. Initially, the dealer said that the most popular problem is a clogged moon-roof drain. If this is the case, it is not covered under warranty. As it turns out, the problem was a loose harness under the hood that allowed water to leak into the car. It took two weeks to dry and fix the problem.