2002 Volkswagen Jetta review from North America

Jan 08 - Fuel pump went out.

June 08 - Secondary fan broke and cut the hose to the secondary water pump.

Aug 08 - Latch on center console broke off.

Nov 08 - All 4 coils had to be replaced.

Dec 08 - Glove box latch fell off one day.

Jan 09 - Both wiring harnesses had to be replaced, throttle body went out and had to be replaced, ECM went out and had to be replaced, O2 sensor wiring went bad and had to be replaced, TCM is going out and has to be replaced soon.

After a 5 car rollover accident in my beloved 4runner, which we walked away from with only a scratch, I had to replace it with something economical for gas mileage. I had always heard that Volkswagens were very safe and dependable vehicles. I found this beautiful one for sale and quickly did the deal.

I love the perkiness and sportiness of this car, and got great gas mileage (I drive 32 miles one way to work)

I have heard from several owners about the crayon smell, and yes my Jetta has it as well. As I have 2 kiddos it really doesn't bother me.

What does bother me is the level of customer service from Volkswagen. I have never in my life had such horrible customer service ranging from the mfg down to the service writers. The technicians who are master mechanic's keep forgetting to do things to the car that are standard. WOW... And here is my journey so far:

My first problem was after owning the car for a couple of months, the fuel pump went out. I chocked it up to buying a used car with 80,000 miles on it and continued on down the road. Cost for this $785.00 including tow.

A couple of months later, the secondary fan blade broke and it cut the hose to my secondary water pump. Came to find out, this is a common problem due to the secondary fan not being protected from road debris and the hose and water pump being clamped right above the fan blades. This issue cost $1500.00 for all three things to be replaced.

The very next month, the latch on the center console broke off, irritating but have not replaced yet because I am looking for one used.

Now is when the fun starts. In Dec. 08 all 4 coils went out one by one to the tune of $585.00 including tow. However, come to find out the reason they all 4 failed is the wiring harnesses (yes there are 2) were faulty and caused an electrical surge that blew them out. So those have to be replaced $ 2240.00. When the wiring harness went out it also caused a surge to the throttle body and fried it ($898.00), ECM got fried as well, but at this point I am stressing on the service writer extremely hard so he found a salvaged one to use for me ($499.00). He then tells me that also during the surge that the TCM got damaged but is still operational, so I have a little bit of time to save up the ($1,000) it will cost to have it replaced. I take my now not so loved car home.

I wake up the next morning and get in my car to go to work, and it doesn't start. Came to find out they were supposed to reprogram all the keys to the new ECM and only programed the valet key. Once you use the wrong key it shuts the entire electrical system down. So back to the dealership my car goes on a tow truck. They graciously reset both keys for me for no charge.

The death knoll on the love affair I have had with this car is ringing. As soon as I find another 4Runner for me to love, my Jetta will become a not so very fond memory, but a lesson learned. I will never buy another VW of any kind for any reason.