2002 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T 1.8T from North America

Summary:

Very unreliable car. Not safe.

Faults:

Seat heater burned through the seat and through my clothes.

Window clip melted.

Ignition coils went bad (3 times).

Engine light comes on repeatedly for misc. maintenance problems.

General Comments:

I will never own another Volkswagen.

Very unreliable.

My Geo had 100,000 miles on it with only 2 problems. My Jetta has 39,000 miles on it and it has been in the shop 10+ times.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th May, 2005

14th May 2005, 11:43

Did it ever occur to you to turn off the seat heater somewhere between the time it burned through the seat and before it burned through your clothes?

Didn't the smell of burning leather or the smoke give you a clue that there was a problem?

2002 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T from North America

Summary:

Volkswagen USA should be ashamed of itself

Faults:

Back to dealer three times to replace the coil packs.

Dealer replaced radio fuse. Fuse has blown again.

Seat caught on fire burning a hole in my pants. This was caused by short in seat heater. Warranty had expired, but dealer replaced at no cost.

Two oxygen sensors replaced at my cost.

Engine temperature sensor replaced at my cost.

Rear brake caliper frozen replaced at my cost.

ABS module caught on fire. In the shop now.

Engine warning light is a joke! On-off-on-off-on-off-on.

General Comments:

Performance wise great. Reliability poor.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th April, 2005

10th Apr 2009, 15:50

Yup! Same as my Jetta. More time in the shop than on the road. Freakin joke!

2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 1.8T from North America

Summary:

This car is a poorly made vehicle which should be avoided at all costs

Faults:

Within a matter of days the Monsoon sound system failed and was replaced for a total of 4 times. Something in the transmission failed and I could not shift the car out of park.

Finish on door handles and transmission console has worn off within the first few months.

Ashtray cover dropped down into the console and is irretrieivable.

Center armrest does not lock into place.

Drivers seat heater started to smolder and burnt through fabric.

Front seat springs have fallen off on both sides.

CEL(check engine light) light is on more than off since day one.

Window clips failed and glass dropped into the door frame on both sides.

Engine coils replaced for failure.

General Comments:

Great looking car and that is all it has going for it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th March, 2005

2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI from North America

Summary:

I wish I could find a more reliable diesel wagon with higher ground clearance than the VW Jetta TDI

Faults:

The power windows slipped their tracks and wouldn't raise and lower.

There was a problem with a wire connection in the ignition resulting in unreliable start-ups.

There has been a persistent electrical problem that 5 trips to the dealership still cannot fix. The car beeps at me and dash lights flash as the dash dims and clock resets.

Horn and alarm go off randomly.

Occasionally does not start.

The engine sometimes surges.

The belly pan has fallen off twice.

Power locks intermittent.

General Comments:

This car has been a maintenance nightmare.

I love the gas mileage and bio-diesel option.

Ground clearance is too low. Sometimes I can't even make it over speed bumps without scraping bottom.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th January, 2005

11th Jan 2005, 12:51

I really hate to see people get away from Volkswagens, because I really enjoy the way they di you do have a few options.

If you MUST have a diesel, take a look at the Jeep Liberty CRD, believe it or not the Liberty is a well rounded vehicle and is also extremely reliable. (I own a gas engined '04 Limited, and it is absolutely one of the best vehicles I've ever owned- and I've owned over 20 vehicles).

If you can give up the diesel and want reliability, ground clearence and decent mileage, take a look at the wagons offered by Subaru.

I wouldn't recommend the Ford Escape Hybrid, as the Escape and its twin Mazda Tribute, as they have a spotty reliability record and their build quality is not as good as any vehicle I mentioned above, and in my opinion is far below anything built by Volkswagen.

In fact you might even take a look at a Passat Wagon with 4motion, but if ground clearance is a big issue a Subaru or Liberty would serve you better.

Good luck in finding something that best fits your needs.

I too owned a Jetta Wagon it was a GLX with the VR6, it was a fantastic vehicle, but didn't fare well in snowy conditions. The Liberty handles the snow much better. Just make sure you get one equipped with ABS, if this is the route you take.