2000 Volkswagen Jetta from North America - Comments

I bought a 2000 Jetta TDI new and have had most/all of the problems already discussed. Couple of "new" ones though - since the car was new water has got in somewhere and drenched the rear passenger floor well. It went into the dealers numerous times, but they never did fix it, unfortunately you never knew it was still a problem for months when it next poured with rain. I now have paint flaking off both front wheel arches (fenders). Took it it to the dealers this morning and in fairness before I told them where the problem was the guy asked if the paint was coming off the front arches, at the 12 o-clock position of the arch (make sense?) He took pictures of them both and said that this was a paint adhesion problem that he'd sen before and thought VW would do "something about it". I guess we'll wait and see. I'm nit looking like a repeat customer for what are expensive cars in the first place.

Wow! I can't believe, there are so many of you out there with the same complaints that I have. I own a 2000 JETTA VR6 and the problems I have for this car never stops. I just came back from the dealership about 1/2 hr ago to fix and repair the Driver's side regulator. Earlier while I was driving the car, I went to roll down the window (on driver's side) and there was a loud sound and the window wouldn't roll back up. I drove to 4 VW dealerships and no one would look at my car, said the problem was common and that I would have to leave the car there for a week before it could get fixed!! Well I finally found a dealership that would fix the problem and said it would be of no charge (mentioned something about there not be a recall for it, but they were doing some "good will" service for me" this was a dealership in Toronto. But I do also have all the above problems that you all have mentioned. My cup holders in the car are jammed shut. The plastic clip on the right side of my glove compartment is broken, check engine light is constantly on and the list goes on and on. Each time I take in my car I have to get a diagnostic done for $78 (Can) which is so outrageous! Definitely telling all my friends and family not to invest in VW cars. I don't' care how well the engine is built, the cost of maintaining and caring for the cheap plastic parts in the interior has be convinced that I won't' be buying (ever again) or recommending this car to anyone!!

I also have a 2000 JETTA with all the above problems. One problem that I haven't seen anyone mention is the window wipers not working properly. On rainy days the visibility was 0 due to the fact that my wipers weren't working fast enough, so I would have to pull over and just wait until the rain subsided. I had to replace the motor for the wipers and the cost of parts and labour was over $350. Just wondering if anyone else had this problem.

WOW!!! I'm so glad to here I'm not alone on my issues with VW. I have a 2000 Jetta, I've had to get my drivers side window fixed twice, passenger side window fixed 3 times, my clutch (which was out of pocket), my hazard lights, I get the yellow stuff leaking out my doors also, my latch to the arm rest is broke, and I've had to take it in numerous other times to get sensors fixed. Every time I've had trouble with the dealership (there is only 1 in OKC, so they know they can be rude.) They told me on the phone my problem would take 10min to fix, when I get there its going to take 4 hours. Luckily the only thing I've had to pay for was the clutch, which was enough, but I just hate to deal with the service department. I will definitely never by VW again!!! I tell everyone I can that too!!!

I have a 2000 vw jetta that I bought used last year. Six months later I had trouble taking my car out of parking. When I called VW they told me that my car had not been recalled for that problem, so I took my car to my mechanic and it turned out to be a problem with the brake light switch. Six months later I get a recall letter from VW that my hazard swith light had to be replaced, it was then that I found out that there had been a recall for the brake light switch and that my car had been taken in to VW by the previous owner for that proplem six month prior to me buying it. Obviously the problem was not fixed then, and now I am having problems getting reimbursed for the brake light switch service since I did not take it to a VW service center. When I took my car in for the hazard light, there was a line of VW's waiting to be serviced for other recall problems. I also had a bad experience with one of the service people.

I've owned a 2000 Jetta GLX since it was brand new. I've taken care of the car and not had many problems. The MAS sensor went bad, but that was replaced by the dealer free of charge. The window regulators were replaced by the dealer under recall. The hazard relay replaced by the dealer under recall. I just had it in for it's 40,000 mile service and they replaced the belt for age cracks.

I hear complaints about things in the interior breaking and while most of them may be valid complaints, a lot of them I suspect are from rough use. I have not had the cup holders break, the glove box break or anything else for that matter.

By the way, the "Grease" from under the doors is actually wax that is sprayed on the inside of the body panels to prevent rust.

I think if you take care of the car and don't bang about like the samsonite gorilla, your car will last you as long as any other car.

Glad I found this forum. I just purchased a 2000 Jetta GLS with, ahem, 140,000 miles on it. I bought it at a dealership in NJ that specializes only in preowned VW and Audi. I wanted only a VW because I trust them and think they are better quality cars then American cars. When I saw this one I though it looked great and even with the mileage I took it for a test drive. WOW! I couldn't believe how great it ran considering it had more miles than Magellan. The engine purrs and the body was solid. So after having it checked out, getting a Carfax done on it, I took it. I plan to keep it for a max of 18 months anyway. The dash cupholder was broken so the dealer replaced it (now I see I wasn't the only one with this problem). Other than that it's been great. Handles well and comes with all the goodies including the sunroof and heated seats. Awesome sound system too. But I'm glad I'm reading all of these comments because it explains why the right hinge on the glovebox is broken (thought nothing of it other than someone broke it) and the check engine light popping on and off mysteriously. Now, given it's mileage compounded with all these other problems I'm reading, I'm very nervous. I can only hope that the two previous owners have taken care of the recall issues and other troublesome maladies. Keeping my fingers crossed and getting AAA tomorrow.

DGL1199@yahoo.com.

I have a 2000 Jetta Tdi bought new in 1999. In the 6+ years I've owned the car I've had only a few problems.

-The cup holder above the radio broke.

-I've had an intermittent coolant temp. sensor.

Dealership wanted $250 to replace, did it myself with a

little Internet help for $15.

-I had a 109 relay go bad leaving me stranded. A known

issue with the car. Replaced myself for $20, again with

Internet help.

-Front brake calipers had to be rebuilt at 25,000 miles.

Not a problem, but,

-TDI timing belt change is expensive.

My biggest complaint isn't with the quality of the car, it's with VW service, their techs just don't know how to fix the cars. They just guess at fixes until they get it right.

Luckily my issues have been fairly inexpensive to fix myself. But if I'd let the dealer fix the above, it would have cost me hundreds more. There is a lot of help on the Internet for these cars. My advise is to stay away from the service dept.

Overall I'm very happy the the car and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I purchased a used 2000 turbo Jetta a few months ago with 68,000 miles. The car is in excellent shape. I am having constant problems with the battery shutting down. The dealer told me that the care had to be constantly locked so the security system does not drain the battery. If I don't drive the car every day, the car does not start. Anyone have any suggestions?

I bought a 2000 Jetta GLS a year ago and I have the same problems as everyone else. I've had the following:

-check engine light came on right before 80,000 miles, it turned out to be the catalytic converter, thank goodness that I read the warranty, but I still had to fight with the dealership

-latch on glove box broken

-pieces of plastic came out of the moonroof and now it won't work

-back ashtray won't stay closed

-my car keeps getting stuck in park, sometimes it takes 10 to 20 minutes to get it into drive

-the windshield wipers just stopped working one day, the arms were jammed, I had to drive an hour to get the right part

-check engine light came on the 5 minutes after I left the dealership after getting the catalytic converter replaced, it turned out to be 3 sensors

-the passenger side window fell down inside the door

-brakes constantly need replaced

The list goes on, I am so disappointed with Volkswagen. I had wanted a Jetta for years, and when I could finally afford one with the features that I wanted it turned out to be an awful mistake. I had a Dodge Neon for 7 years and didn't spend as much money on it as I have for my Jetta in one year. I will NEVER buy a Volkswagen again.

Boy I'm glad I found this forum too. I purchased a 2000 Jetta GLX VR6 automatic 4 years ago with about 34,000 miles. It now has over 90k. While its really fun to drive and very responsive, I have had numerous problems that cost lots of $$$. My cup-holder broke as well--it's a cheap piece of crap. I had to replace the radiator and the water pump. The cover of the center console broke right off the other day. I had to super glue the hinge together. The dealer wanted $125 for a lousy center console cover!!! Are you kidding me?!!! One of the windshield wiper jets doesn't work and the indicator light comes on every single time I start the car with that annoying beep. The display tells me to top off the wiper fluid which I know is not the case. The digital display on the dashboard in between the tach and speedometer has faded to the point where you can't even read it. The dealership charged me $80 just to tell me that the entire dashboard will have to be replaced because eventually all of the indicators (speedometer, fuel gauge, tach etc.) will stop working. To replace that will cost upwards of $900. Have you ever heard of such nonsense?!! Today the MIL indicator light came on. I'm actually try to sell the thing in the next few days to get a BMW, Acura or a Lexus and I don't want to sink another penny in the piece of junk.

But none of this compares to the incompetence and rudeness of the service department at the dealership. What they charge is outrageous. I have since discovered that VWs are as expensive to maintain as BMWs and Mercedes without any of the cache'. Better off to spend a few more dollars and get a car that will last longer and retain its value better. Heres a bit of advice, NEVER BUY A VOLKWAGEN!!!

Another, glove box broken; lower right hinge. I can't afford this right now.

Well I bought a 1999 Jetta, new Model, when they first came out. Everything is going haywire now. My check engine light goes on and off constantly. The glove box hinge has been broken for years. Recently my drivers side window fell in the door. I called the dealership, they informed me that I missed the 7 year extended warranty on that part by 1 week. I don't even go to the VW dealership anymore for service, way too expensive to have them fix it. Just go to my neighborhood mechanic, he just rigged it up so it holds without falling in, just can't use the window.

I will never buy another Volkswagen again. This car really is a piece of junk.

This board is crazy ridiculous! I feel like you're all living my life! I got my 2000 VW Jetta GLS 4.0 with 30K on it. Up until 60K, it was a very reliable car for me. But now as I'm approaching 80K, I have so many problems with it. The right glovebox clip is broken. The AC just went out. The Check Engine light comes on every other mile. The greatest problem is that the damn car won't start after only two days of rest. That's nuts! It's not the battery, but I'm trying to sell this car and I can't in good faith sell a car to somebody when I KNOW it won't start when they get it home! HELP ME if you know what's wrong! I live in Chicago, so cold weather is common, but WTF?!

If anybody reads this and can help, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE email me at bradley1@gmail.com. Thanks, happy driving and happy holidays.

I'm amazed. At least my Jetta has made it to almost 150,000 miles, but my experience is duplicating most everyone elses'. And I think the very first poster from 2002 and I are driving the exact same car.

The problems, in order of remembrance:

-O2 sensor replaced at purchase (32k miles)

-Engine (2.0L 4 cyl) uses about one quart of oil every 1200-1500 miles. Who needs an oil change at that rate? Has been like this ever since I got it at 32k miles.

-Driver side spring on the floor (~40k miles?)

-Passenger side spring, also ~50k miles.

-AC went out ~75k.

-glove box hinge broke.

-Cup holder has continuously dropped parts, and no longer has the springy clip, nor the spring to pop it out. If it goes in, I have to pry it out with a knife or other flat object.

-Driver door lock screws up, remote won't unlock it, sensor screws up, doesn't recognize door being opened at times, starting around 80k miles, intermittent problem, currently working OK.

-Passenger door sensor doesn't detect when the door is open. This started around 100k miles, door unlocks and locks OK, but alarm will go off if the car is unlocked, door is opened, and just wait until the car relocks itself again.

-Rear driver side door lock now (140k miles) won't unlock without repeated unlocking/locking until the door lock finally fully clicks open. This is a major safety issue as it was keeping the door from opening at all.

The only door lock that hasn't had any problems yet is the rear passenger side door... But I'm sure that won't be far behind.

I also have a long thin plastic piece that fell from the sky. It appears to be a latch of some sort, however nothing seems to actually be affected...?