1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLS review from North America

The ABS and emergency brake light come on while I'm driving, and are accompanied by the "beeping" alert.

The doorlocks lock and unlock on their own, one time locking my keys in the car. Other times, I disarm the alarm and open the door lock using my remote control, then get in my car and before I can put the key in the ignition, all four door locks rearm and lock... while I'm sitting in the driver's seat!

The "all four windows up/down" feature and doorlock open/close feature, both operated from the outside using the ignition key in the outside driver's side door handle, do not work.

Oftentimes, I turn the ignition key, only to find that the car is "dead". After 5 or 5 attempts, the engine finally (miraculously) turns over.

The 02 (oxygen) sensor had to be replaced twice. (A few years later, VW recalled that part and reimbursed me, though).

The oil pan cap popped off and all the oil drained out while I was driving.

The trunk lock broke and had to be replaced at my expense.

Parts of the external body of the car pop off due to the cheap plastic screws Volkswagen uses to fasten them.

Thick, yellow, waxy substance has oozed from inside all four doors and covers the area below the doors.

The front drink holder broke. (Volkswagen wanted nearly $100 to replace this cheap piece of plastic!)

The rear ashtray won't stay shut.

The glove box hinge broke. Now the glove box door hangs crooked. Volkswagen wants over $300 (parts and labor) to replace this.

The underbelly pan -- which is really just a piece of plastic -- broke off an began scraping on the ground when I drove. Volkswagen wanted over $100 to replace this part.

Volkswagen's seem to have major electrical problems, as well as engine/fuel system malfunctions. It seems that the company waits until the last possible moment to issue a recall, and they don't even readily do that very often. Also, though the service dept. may be friendly, you end up spending exorbinant amounts of money on labor charges and parts...only to have another problem spring up within a few months.

The Jetta looked like a nice, affordable car when I bought it. I soon learned that it is very, very unreliable, particularly for interstate trips where you could easily get stranded due to breakdowns or the car doors locking by themselves when your keys are in the car.