30th Jan 2003, 18:39

Bought 2002 Jetta 1.8T in May of 2002. Only had 400 miles when MIL indicator went on. Some sort of check-valve was the culprit.

Went on again at 1200 miles, same problem. Dealer replaced under warranty both times.

MIL came on again at 1300 miles, went off before dealer could diagnose (No, the gas cap was NOT loose!).

Filler cap lanyard broke at 1400 miles.

MIL on again at 3000 miles - dealer reset with no diagnosis.

At 3500 miles, heater blower stopped working, dealer repaired under warranty. Driver and front passenger doors leak at top of door seal, no fix for this design defect.

MIL on again at 8200 miles accompanied by one dead cylinder - the dreaded coil problem has struck! Dealer had the car for four days (no loaner available).

MIL on again at 9700 miles, dealer replaced remaining three coils.

Haven't driven car since getting back from last problem - weather has been very cold in the Northeast, and I don't want my wife to get stuck with temperatures in the single digits. We're also afraid that the windows will drop into the doors as is common for this model. She is now driving our old Taurus with 110,000 miles on the clock. We feel more confident in the old car - more's the pity.

As a side note, the oil filter is located in a very poor position. It is impossible to remove it without spewing oil all over the starter, the air dam, and me!

Volkswagen has a reputation as an engineering based company. Sadly, our experience is quite the opposite!

24th Apr 2003, 14:38

I have a 1.8t brand new. I've had it not even a year and the thing is a piece of crap! when I first got it I loved it sooo much. it ran so well. now it stalls, the mass airflow sensory blew costing me $600 to fix! it doesn't run nearly as well as it did when I first got it. I'm getting rid of it this weekend. don't buy a vw.

9th May 2003, 08:29

I also have a 2002 Jetta - When I was looking for a new car there was no doubt in my mind that this was my dream car. It has turned out to be more of a nightmare. My driver side window fell into the door, on the way to the dealership I lowered the passenger side window to even the air flow and it also fell into the car door. I had to have the latch on my center console replaced 3 times. My bumper has completely detached itself from the car twice. And the newest of my problems is the gear shifter loves to get stuck in park, this nice feature allows me to be at least 10mins late everywhere I go. These were among the big problems, I didn't feel like getting into all the small things that have happened. I will be trading this car in A.S.A.P.

6th Jun 2003, 15:22

I have a 2003 VW Jetta 1.8T. It only had 13 miles on it when I bought it. I love the car so much that I have already put 23,000 miles on it. I have had no problem with it at all. Maybe you guys are just not driving right. You have to treat your VW like your baby, but still give it a little hell whenever a civic pulls up next to you.

13th Oct 2003, 21:35

I have 2002 Jetta GLS. It has 13000 miles on it now. I will never recommend the jetta to any one. Initially the airbag sign went on. Again MIL went on. Now it is under warranty. After that, only god knows. I guess toyota is the only good reliable car.

14th May 2004, 18:56

This car is a big scam- 8 trips for falling windows, 2 recalls, a hazard switch gone, rear brakes replaced at 20k, check engine light (2x), front bushings, a battery and a serpentine belt. Had the car 4 years- 22k miles at the moment- warranty gone, and the extended doesn't cover most of this crap. The turbo is starting to act up and cold starts like my 81 Oldsmobile used to with a frosty Ohio winter. (problem is, this is Arizona) Do yourself a favor- ditch it before you get to 20k.

24th Jun 2004, 20:34

I appreciate all the info everyone has given, it seems that the manuals are not the best (nor windows, coils, etc.) I've been considering get a Jetta GLX, even though there are some good comments, the bad is certainly out-weighing the good. Looks like I'm going back to car searching.

13th Jul 2004, 16:20

FOr the guy with the TDI and runs sluggish, why don't you change out your fuel vacuum pump. Your engine isint getting enough diesel fuel. You might want to sit down and research what you are driving.

5th Jul 2005, 11:25

I did a "Buyer's Option" a 2002 VW Jetta GLX 5-spd VR6, which I got brand new from a dealer in 10/01. Within the first year, I replaced the armrest closure switch twice, the starter, and the latches that hold up the front windows (because they fell into the doors). Since that time, I have had to replace the armrest closure switch a third time and had a massive leak from the sunroof, which caused a mildew smell that they could never really get rid of (it was raining in my car). I have also heard squeaking (for the last 3yrs), as if from a dry bushing, whenever I go over speed bumps, but when I mentioned it and asked them to repair, they claimed they couldn't hear it. As of last Saturday, my manual transmission went out and the car doesn't even have 32K miles on it. Since VW doesn't offer loan cars except in the most extreme circumstances, amongst my many trips to the dealership as I wait on the couches for my repairs to be finished, I have met many other disgruntled owners with similar problems with their cars. Even though all of these things were covered under the 4yr/50K mile warranty, I just don't recommend buying a VW. If I experienced all these problems in under 4yrs, can you imagine what could go wrong after that? All I know is that I'm turning this car in after my 4yr "Buyer's Option" contract is up.

10th Sep 2005, 02:24

Man I just got a 2003 Jetta GLX VR6 and the EPC light came on out of nowhere, I have no clue what causes this, but I know its the Electronic Power Control

My brake lights aren't working and also my cruise control will not lock on the set MPH.

I'm Freaking bum out.

29th Sep 2005, 19:06

I have a 2002 Jetta with 56,000 miles on it. The car never came with a center console arm rest or an owners manual. My EPC light comes on sometimes and its really hard to get the damn car out of park. I should have bought an Acura TL.

9th Jan 2006, 11:24

Please tell me how to get my jetta out of park.

9th Jan 2006, 13:05

Sounds like another round of the recalled brake light switches. Call VW Customer Care or your dealer. They might know a work-around to get the shifter out of Park.

23rd Jan 2006, 15:46

I have a '02 GLS 1.8T Jetta with 52,000 miles. Fortunately, I have had no real issues with the car until 2 weeks ago. I have taken the car 2x into the dealership because the MIL light has come on with the same code, but the mechanic says they can find nothing wrong with it. I drove it again 160 miles and it came on again Friday. Since they realize I don't have a clue about mechanics, I'm worried I'm getting the runaround. When I just spoke to the service department, they said to bring it in Thurs and leave it 2 days. What am I supposed to do for transportaion since I am single and this is my only car I own? Of course,warranty has expired.