24th Jul 2007, 09:56

2002 vw jetta 130,000 miles on it.

VW is JUNK stay away if you don't wish to get ripped off.

1. windows falling down

2. broken cheap plastic armrest

3. Cheap metallic paint on shift nob flaked off. (I cut my finger bad on it)

4. left and right wheel bearings repacked.

5. Water pump replaced.

I pray that my sealed transmission doesn't fail due to the incorrect manufacturing process (they use metallic paint which crumble off in the trans fluid and causes transmission failure)

AGAIN - I recommend "DO NOT BUY A VW" until they become honest and fix these problems with current owners vehicles. They clearly know that - -

Water pump - Windows falling and transmission problems,

Are results of poor manufacturing.

19th Oct 2007, 01:21

Well tonight my Jetta was acting very odd so my boy friend and I were trying to figure out what it was. Well as we were driving the car was making a very weird booming noise. So long story short it sounds terrible and we stop on the side of the road. We called a tow truck and he said it looked like an Axle was broken. He towed it home since it was 10:00pm and when we popped the hood the engine was leaning forward and a bolt in the transmission snapped! Go VW. This car is turning into a money pit. Hope this won't be transmission #2.

23rd Oct 2007, 22:57

I have an '02 Jetta 1.8L Turbo and I'm experiencing problems with the clutch. I've been reading that people have been having problems with theirs. Earlier in the year my then pregnant girlfriend was driving my car and could barely get it back to the house. It was fixed, but check this out... I live in Northern California and now my Jetta is stuck in L.A. at a repair shop. My girlfriend, my 4 month old daughter and I was stuck in the middle of the street!! It's going to cost somewhere from $1200 to $2800 to get it fixed. I'm beginning to hate my car!!! How come Jettas are having these problems?? Is there a lawsuit forthcoming?? If you have any info PLEASE email me at sgoob2001@aol.com. Thank you.

10th Mar 2008, 19:32

So I have a 2002 1.8T automatic as well. It is currently in the shop getting the transmissions replaced 2,400. My mechanic said that with these cars the turbo is very hard on the transmission, hence why they don't last very long. Mine went out at 60,000 miles. I am getting it fixed and getting rid of it!!! I will never buy another VW as long as I live. Besides the transmission this car has been nothing, but problems since the day I bought it! I wish I would have know then what I know now.

17th Mar 2008, 10:02

I bought my 2002 Jetta 1.8T back in July and I agree with all of you that this car has been nothing but a headache. I have had it in so many times and I know my transmission is going out, too. My friend who is obsessed with cars told me that 2002 VW's were made in Mexico and are having all sorts of problems. Hmmmm... I am going to get rid of it asap!

3rd Apr 2008, 15:27

Bought the 2002 Jetta 1.8 wagon new from the dealer for about $24k.

My wife bought a Subaru Impreza the year before for 18k and to date aside from the usual maintenance the most we've done is correct a squeaky break issue.

Within the first year I had to have the Jetta's ignition coils replaced on two separate occasions, the first left me limping down the highway on three cylinders 30 miles from home.

The following year the door seals had to be replaced as everytime it rained water would seep through the door frame. Since then the back seat pin has sheared off, folded it down maybe 15 times, and the radio now turns itself off radomly.

I did not fix those problems as I just need the car to get me to work and it used to be servicable in that respect.

But VW had other plans.

This morning I had it towed to the dealer because the car will not shift out of first gear. The good news? They claim I need a new transmission ($5700) and as a bonus $700 in new hoses. From the tech at the dealer about the transmission, "nothing you could have done differently, it's a sealed unit, some last 170k some last 60k".

The car only has 110k miles and now is essentially worthless. I cannot justify blowing $8k on this thing. My parents had VW's that lasted several hundred thousand miles. Unbelievable.

So either I spend $8k (!!!) to get it running again or hope to find somebody to take it off my hands.

I am not going to trade it in at the dealer hoping for some "good will" on a new VW. Awesome car, awesome customer service.

By the way, every problem I had from leaking seals to ignition coils to transmission was met with "oh yeah, happens a lot" from the techs at the dealer.

Count me in on any class action lawsuit. pedroabdu@hotmail.com.

8th Apr 2008, 18:46

My 2002 VW 1.8 Turbo Jetta has been acting jerky, and has been shifting rough, especially in the morning when warming up. The car seemed to drive better as the day goes on and the vehicle warms up. Then the check engine light came on.

An independent dealer replaced hoses to the tune of $450 and it still didn't solve the problem completely. So I took it to a VW dealer and was stunned to learn it needs a new transmission.

The kicker: The car only has 47,000 MILES--I bought it new in 2001. I'm heartbroken. Count me in on any lawsuit. I'll check in again soon.

17th Apr 2008, 12:22

Yea I am having the same problem everyone on here is having. I have a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta, I LOVE the car to death but it is pure crap!

First of all, I noticed after about a one month of driving it, the car would push itself forward a couple of feet when I came to a stop sign or a red light. I wanted to get it checked out, but did not have the time and money to do so. Soon after that, my battery died so I replaced that.

The brake light on the passenger side was out and I was scared of getting a ticket, so I replaced the bulb ASAP! And that was the problem, but about 2 months after that happened, I was driving down my street when suddenly the car couldn't go into gear. I thought I put it in the wrong gear, but apparently it was in Drive so I knew something was wrong. That is when I realized VWs are pure crap!

My older brother went thru 2 VW Golfs and both were unsuccessful, and I must say VOLKSWAGEN BETTER GET THEIR CRAP TOGETHER OR PEOPLE WON'T BUY THEIR CARS ANYMORE!

We checked the axle and the axle was fine, but we looked into of the axle and the gasket was completely busted. So we order a new CV boot and gasket for the car, and then we found a new problem; A HOLE IN THE TRANNY!! Got to love VWs... :-(

Once again, I will never buy another VW as long as I live. And I will buy a bicycle before I buy another VW, like someone said in the previous comment.