1990 Volkswagen Jetta GL Wolfsburg review from North America

Transmission failed five times.

Air conditioning failed repeatedly.

Stereo failed repeatedly.

Seats came loose on their mountings numerous times.

Starter and alternator both failed (separately).

Fuel injection computer went wrong once.

Battery cables corroded.

Numerous miscellaneous electrical faults (short circuits, faulty wires, corroded connections even though we don't live in a corrosive environment).

Horn would beep of its own accord.

Random failure to start.

Transmission interlock failed, would not permit key to be turned to the "Start" position.

Exhaust system hangers failed regularly.

Constant rough idle; no real fix.

NEVER AGAIN. Consumer Reports heaped glowing praise upon the 1990 Jetta, saying it "exuded quality" lacking in other cars in its class. NOT. This car was an unreliable piece of rubbish right from the start. See above for specific problems; I'm sure I've left many out due to memory blockout of such a bitter experience.

Dealer service was consistent... consistently *rotten*, that is. A "We don't care" attitude and "We'll get around to it when we get around to it" timeline, coupled with a tendency to create new problems in the process of trying (and often failing) to fix old ones got old VERY quickly.

The door-mounted shoulder belts (US-spec) are horrendously dangerous... shame on VW for installing this joke of a "safety" system.

VW supporters, when hearing this tale of woe, have launched into jeremiads about "Oh, you must've got a Mexican-built car; you don't want one of those, the Mexicans can't build cars, you want to have a German-built one...", etc. Wrong on both counts! Not only was our Jetta German-built, but we replaced it (HALLELUJAH!) in 1995 with a Mexican-built 1992 Chrysler LeBaron that had 70,000 miles at the time of purchase and is still giving sterling daily service, now with 140,000 miles.