29th Jan 2007, 13:46

I had this same problem THREE times with my 2002 VW Jetta 1.8T, and it is extremely dangerous, and shocking how little regard the dealerships take for the situation. I too will never buy another one again. Jill Ishkanian.

11th Feb 2007, 07:36

I also have a coil problem I've had my 2001 wolfs-burg since may 05 and as soon as the factory warranty was up my coils started to fail. I've had my car in 4 times and they couldn't even figure out what was wrong at first. now because of all the screwing around my wire-harness has to be replaced also. I love the classic VW, s, but I'm finding anything after 89 sucks.

11th Jun 2007, 19:42

I'm in utter shock to read about these other comments... But it's clear that I'm not the only one having problems with my 02 VW 1.8T Jetta. I just hit 105K miles and could have bought another car with these repairs. Let's see, under warranty I got the window regulators repaired, the coils replaced twice, and the Coolant sensor. Then I passed my warranty and after approaching 100K miles I then did the routinely timing/serpentine/tesioners/pulleys/water pump replacement hoping for longevity; THEN the brake light switch, secondary air injection hoses, the air pump, a vacuum hose that is meant to melt because of it's location, the MAF sensor/meter (thinking this is why I have SO much hesitation), have done a diagnostic at dealer and still have hesitation with no ideas what it could be and $$$ later... I just hope I make it back and forth to work on my 45 minute commute. It's paid off and I'm down-right too broke to fork out another down payment for a piece of crap car that will most likely last longer.

I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that if you repair your belts you most likely will have a problem with your thermostat. Expect to get that done while you get the belts replaced! It may save you!!!

Anyone else want to comment about coil packs popping up?! Dealership didn't say anything about having bad spark plugs nor have they ever heard of such a thing. Since they can't help I'll take comments at bszbecky@yahoo.com.

Thanks guys!

27th Jun 2007, 12:17

Own a 2004 1.8t Jetta, which has been sitting in the service department at VW for almost two weeks now. This is my second Jetta, as a loyal customer. Engine oil sludge problem caused its failure, and the VW's powertrain warranty won't cover it unless I produce oil change receipts for the entire time I've owned it - 2 years. Once I produce receipts, VW still has to approve payment of repairs (not guaranteed!). Even though VW admitted to the problem with the 1.8t engine, customers have to prove the engine problem is not our fault. Repairs are estimated at $7000. If/when I get it fixed, I'm trading it in for something non-VW!

29th Jun 2007, 02:04

Wow, I am now a bit iffy about purchasing a 2002 1.8T Jetta from my well known friend. I don't think a window has ever fallen in his car, but the coil packs have been replaced. In the future I hope that this car doesn't crap on me, but it has been trusty to him... so as a VW fanatic I have high hopes she will do me no harm...We'll see tho, and if I have issues I will be sure to talk about them. Plus it helps that I have a friend that is very knowledgeable with Volkswagens, so it should be alright.

8th Aug 2007, 15:02

I purchased a 2002 VW (VOW, WV) Jetta (Jetty, Jet) 1.8 Turbo in September 01', yeah just before 9/11 I should have known this wasn't going to be good. This is my second Jetta (Jetty, Jet), I have been a Jetta (Jetty, Jet) driver for over 17 years. My first had no problems just me treating it like a timex (Timex, times) watch, it took a beating and kept on ticking.

Now as all of you have mentioned, my battery keeps dying every other day, when this happens the remote only opens the drivers door, the other doors don't respond. The dealer changed something in the door to stop it, but it didn't. I had to buy a charger to keep in my car. I've had the battery replaced 4 times in 9 months. The dealer has disconnected the radio, it still dies, they disconnected the side mirrors, and all other things I can live without. But it still dies. We have tried everything, something is staying on in the car and they can't figure it out. Now all of the dealers in my area have gone out of business and turned into Honda or Mazda dealerships.

I wanted to give this car to my son, but I am really scared, it might die somewhere scary. I don't trust this car anymore. I plan on getting a Nissan. Anything is better than a VW (VOW, WV). But in the meantime could someone please tell me where I should look to stop the battery from dying.

28th Sep 2007, 14:57

I have a 2003 jetta 1.8 turbo. I replaced the transmission at 55,000 miles and had to replace 1 engine coil. Other than that, it has been a great car. Let's hope it stays that way after reading these postings.

7th Oct 2007, 22:43

I purchased a 2003 Jetta 1.8T, with 55,000 miles, from a reputable dealership in MN 2months ago. My engine light went on so, I took the car into have it checked out. The thermostat, struts, bearings and transmission all needed to be replaced. Thankfully, I bought the 3year extended warranty on the car so, the repairs are covered... I was warned about these problems by friends/family/coworkers, but refused to listen because I fell in love with the Jetta. Be warned if you are looking at buying a jetta. Be prepared to pay for numerous repairs!

8th Oct 2007, 17:35

I bought my 02 1.8T Jetta in July of 2006 with 72000 miles on it. I didn't even have it for 3 weeks before the the transmission started having problems. Whenever it would try to shift from 2nd to 3rd. It would jerk violently as if it was trying to go into reverse. I took it back to the dealership because they had a 30 day warranty on it. At first they told me it was the tiptronic shifting so they replaced that. Nope! Then they kept saying it was a piddly this or that. They took it to another dealership--a VW dealership and they said it needed a whole new trani! By this time my car was already in the shop for longer than I had got to drive it. So I pitched a fit and demanded that they take it back. They reluctantly agreed on the condition that I got the replacement from them. While I was looking for something comparable in power and style, the 4th mechanic finally figured out it was the computer's transmission module that went out. They fixed it. It was in the shop for 6 weeks. Ran great after that. Now, a little over a year later, the blinkers on shorting out. YEESH. The price you pay for a sexy car. Never again. I think I'll go back to Toyotas. : (