Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-54
8 July, 2003.
Let me add my comments to this list:
2 years ago the passenger front door regulator went south on our 1999 Jetta Wolfsberg. The dealer mistakenly replaced the DRIVERS door regulator, then had to go back and do the passenger side. approx $300USD.
Thanksgiving Day 2002 - The Driver-side rear window failed -it dropped and I had to wedge it closed - another regulator. approx $250 USD.
March 2003 - The rear passenger window stopped responding. Diagnosis - broken wire. Diagnosis and repair = $170 USD.
May 2003 - the rear passenger window stopped responding again and the window will inch down on its own. I've wedged 2 baseball cards in the frame to hold it up. I'm getting it reparied this Friday (7/8/03) and have been instructed by Customer Care to have the dealer diagnose it, but not to fix it until they contact the dealer.
So far I am at about $750, not counting the upcoming repair. I sent all my documentation to VWCC and we shall see. The car now has 83K miles. The catch is the rear windows are always closed. When my kids happen to be in the back seat, we have the window switch disabled for safety.
Bizarre. The dealer told me that they don't get too many regulator repairs. We shall see.
I own a 1996 vw jetta, my 3rd vw and definitely the last one I will ever own. I bought the car from a dealer, it was off a lease and I know it was well taken care of. However, I have had NOTHING, but problems with this car. Mind you it runs fine, but I have spent 3000.00 in 3 years, fixing an array of problems that have nothing to do with "regular" car maintenance. I've replaced 3 (!) window motors, the trunk lock mechanism, the passenger lock mechanism, the sunroof motor, and 1000.oo requiring 4 separate visits to fix the alarm. The car was arming itself against me! (clearly a sign of a relationship gone sour). This has been the greatest annoyance of all. The dealer seemed to solve the problem temporarily, as I found myself there about every 6 months. Nothing like pulling your key out from the ignition and having the car arm itself so that the moment you or one of your passengers opens the door the alarm goes off! Literally being trapped in the car, and then other times the car wouldn't disarm and I was unable to get into the #@&% thing! I hate this car and feel bad to even try to sell it to some poor sap. But I've got a lovely new honda in my driveway and a for sale sign in the jetta. I will never encourage anyone to buy a vw!
My daughter just bought a 1995 Jetta and the power moon roof wouldn't open. I found out that a fuse was missing, so I put in a fuse and viola, the moon roof worked and the rear passenger window too! I thought I was the hero of the day until the rear window would not go back up (didn't find that out until on the road for Thanksgiving!). Now I know why the fuse was missing! I sure am seeing lots of regulator and window motor problemsposted on the internet. I think I will just jam the window closed and pull the wiring (and tell my daughter not to use the other windows!). It is too bad to hear that there is an obvious problem with windows and that VW has not made corrections. I guess my daughter will have to arm herself with duct tape and cardboard in the event another window goes haywire.
I am the first owner of a 1999 Jetta and will never ever purchase a VW again. It has been nothing, but trouble. I have under 50K miles on the care and I have spent well over $2,000 on items that were not covered under their warranty.
During the first year it start---
--the trunk would not close
--the trunk would not open
--at 20K miles all 4 tires were beyond bald--after complaining to the main office they admitted there was an issue with the brand of tire on the 99 Jetta's
--the sun roof would not close
--the window fell off it's tracking
--the trim along the inside of the window fell off
Last year...
--some fan component needed to be replaced
Last year...
--some air component had a hole in it---$1,000+ to fix. Surprise the warranty did not cover "that piece".
This month...
--the radiator and surrounded components need to be replaced at another couple of $100 dollars.
All of this and it isn't past 50K miles??? I hardly drive the car...I'm really afraid of what is going to happen next.
My next action is to write VW, but what would they do? give me a new one? not likely---the car is awful. I've been distraught about it---it was a lot of money. What can be done?
Jan 28, 2004
I just returned from my mechanic and a bill of $215.00. Oh some may say, "Hey you got off easy." This is the third $200 dollar bill in the last four dam months thanks to my cute and speedy '98 Golf. I have had the front passenger side window regulator fixed, then two months later the rear passenger window regulator fixed, then three months later the ignition switch (which kept my head lights, windshield wipers, and heater from working.) These are only the car problems for 2003 And now guess what? The right passenger window regulator has stopped working. I now have a door stopper wedged between my window and door to keep it up. I had really become ok with such a look until my mechanic told me that VW regulators have been recalled. I can hardly stand the excitement... several hundred dollars later. UGH!!! Should have never strayed from HONDA's.
For what it's worth, I had my first window failure today. My car is a 2001 wolfsburg, and has under 20k miles on it. I went to put the window down and it made it about 1/2 way then a clunk and the window slid the rest of the down! I couldn't get it wedged back up, so I had to drive 150 miles on the interstate in the cold to make it home for Easter. I like my Jetta, but hope this isn't an indication of things to come.
I too feel the need to comment on my 2001 VW GTI. Today marks the THIRD time that my window has fallen into the door. We've had thunderstorms for 2 days now, and the rain continues. In addition, I live in a city and can't expect to park my car in my driveway---HA.
I'm going to VW today and I'm not going to pay for the repairs, and sadly I'll never buy another VW.
I have to laugh reading the window regulator comments. My rear right passenger window decided to go down, on the highway, in the rain, with my 2 year old daughter getting a face full of road spray.
Now I have overheating issues on a 1999.5 Jetta GLX with 53k miles! I'm in for the 3rd time in the past 1.5 weeks. Otherwise, I have been completely happy with the car, and have had no problems!
I have a '99 Jetta and came here looking for how to reset the engine light... now I feel really lucky not to have had these many problems!! But I MUST tell you that about a year ago there was a *recall* on the automatic window mechanism, and the dealer replaced both of my front ones for free even though I'm waaaay out of warranty.
There have been a few other recall items over the years, but none that caused me a problem first.
The only problems I've had are with the window trim falling off on the inside, and one of the glove compartment hinges is broken. Other than that, it's been a very good car.
I too must laugh at the barrage of troubling times we have been caused by our Jettas. I have a 2000 GLS.
I love my Jetta. I say that all the time. But has anyone had a problem where the rear door won't even open? I have a 3-door car! Not many can say that. $400 dollars just to diagnose this. I hate to say that I am looking for a new car. But I will have to give it up soon. My savings are getting depleted. Good luck to you all!
Recently acquired a 99.5 Jetta GLS. Had the usual window off the tracks. The car locks itself every once in awhile??? Now the wipers have quit. Get one swipe occasionally, and then stuck in the up position. Anyone have a solution to this one?
The passenger side window on my 2002 Jetta has fallen into the door twice and the driver's side once. I received a letter from VW that there was a problem with the plastic clips that hold up the window and they were extending the warranty on them. But apparently they are replacing them with the same defective plastic clips because 2 of the times happened after having them replaced once. The dealership acts almost like it's something that I have done and are never in a hurry to get me in which is a problem because I don't have a garage. So far, besides new brakes, I haven't really had the problems that I've read about here and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to be so lucky. I have 50k miles on it so I'm not too optimistic. My next car will be a Toyota, not as much fun, but much more reliable.
My Wife owns a 1998 Jetta with similar problem. Driver's side rear window has been held up with a wedge I made for over a year ago, windshield wiper motor has been replaced, We are now having some sort of problem with the security system not letting us start the car.
I’m going to sell my 98 Jetta Wolsburg tomorrow. I’m tired of waist my money repairing it. The last, the damn window regulator and motor in the passenger side (front and rear) just died and my mechanic said that I must replace them for only $845.00!!!. I won't spend a penny more in this car. I’ll selling my car tomorrow. I loved VW’s, but I start to hate it.
I have a '99 Jetta GLS and wow, is there an echo in here? I traded cars with my sister because the Jetta was too small for a car seat and boy did I get the rotten end of that deal. Here's my list of woes:
- O2 sensor
- Mass airflow sensor
- Broken seat belt that wouldn't come back out after it got
sucked in
- Key fell apart
- Broken glove compartment
- Part of the cup holder in the front fell off
- Window fell into the door and would not come back out
- And NOW, the grand finale, after $750 the problem is still
not fixed, so if anyone has any idea what the problem
could be, I'm all ears: the car just randomly stops going,
it sounds like it down-shifts and you can't accelerate.
Sometimes it dies when this happens, other times it
doesn't, and sometimes you can get it started again, other
times not. They said it was the spark plugs, then plug
wires, then the fuel filter, then a new fuel pump and
still the problem is not fixed. The diagnostics have shown
random misfires on every cylinder at one time or another.
I am at a loss and running out of funds... I don't know who
to blame, the car or the dealers that are supposed to be
able to fix them!!