2000 Volkswagen Jetta from North America - Comments

I just recently purchased a 2000 Jetta with 70,000 miles from the original owner.

As expected, the glove box hinge is broken and the rear ashtray didn't work.

The owner kept all the service record for this car, and as I was reading the postings here, I would go back through the service receipts and find that the same issues others had had, my Jetta also had. The only one missing is the issue with the windows. My windows are manual, so maybe this is why. However, I am know worried about this happening.

After going through the records, I found it odd the the original owner had replaced the rear brakes so frequently. Int this case around every 31k miles. I know realize that this issue, as well as many others, will continue. I didn't buy this car to start dropping money into it. So, if I can't fix it, it may not get fixed.

After reading the postings, I was wishing that I had never found this site, but I think that I would rather know that the others share/shared the same problems and that it simply isn't my bad luck. Had I found this site sooner, I would have never bought the car. I wonder if I will be able to get the windows fixed for free if they do break.

Here are the problems that this car has had:

- Sunvisor

- Glove box

- Rear ashtray

- MAF Sensor

- Rear Brakes

- Low oil issues

- Check engine light

- Seat springs (this one is crazy)

- Serpentine belt

It seems that the previous owners had a good warranty that paid for most of the problems.

My only question is do the manual windows have the faulty window regulator, or is this common only to power windows?

2000 VW Jetta 2.0 4 cyl gas.

In reference to the problem with difficulty starting when the engine was hot, I solved the problem by changing the Engine Coolant Sensor. Eventually the Engine light came on, a friend diagnosed it, I replaced the Sensor, about $50 and fifteen minutes. Car has started fine ever since. My friend explained that the sensor tells the computer how long to inject fuel. If cold, inject more fuel, if hot, inject less fuel. Works just like a choke in a carburetor. With a bad sensor the injectors may be sending too little fuel when cold, making it too lean, or too much when hot, causing a "flooding" condition. In your case, the sensor was probably stuck on a voltage that indicated cold, so cold starts were OK, all other not so good. Hope this helps. Marcel.

I have had this Jetta since 2000 & everything was OK until about 2005 when both engine fans ceased on the NJ Parkway. When the engine light came on I naturally reached for the user's manual in the glove box. As soon as I unhooked the latch the glove box door fell to the floor mat.

I found 2 large springs on the passenger side floor that I assume fell off the underside of the seat.

There are countless pieces of plastic from the interior that fell off that I just throw in the trunk.

Right now at 104K miles I am currently replacing the coolant flange & catalytic converter.

There is a strange rattle coming from under the car. When the car points down hill at idle, the car bucks and vibrates.

Good luck all you 2k Jetta owners!

I have a 2000 VR6.

The in-dash cup holders were broken when I bought it, as was the glove box.

I've had to replace almost every piece of the cooling system; flange, radiator, hoses, water pump, auxiliary pump... I'm sure there are other pieces I'm forgetting.

Driver side window fell in. The passenger side door lock works... sometimes.

Now we are experiencing intermittent function of the gas door release. Often sitting at the pump for 10 minutes trying to get the door to release.

The car is nice when it's working, but I would never recommend one to anybody. It's a giant money pit.

I just replaced the cup holder, very easy. I won't even change a tire, that's AAA's job, but this cup holder thing was a snap. $115 seemed VERY STEEP for a cup holder but it is the new style so it should be more reliable.

My wife and I have a 2000 VW Jetta TDI GLS. It's the diesel, manual version. She bought the car new and has always kept great care of it through the years. Looking through the service records, this vehicle does seem to be a huge money pit. It's a joy to drive when working right!

Anyway, our trouble started 5 months ago when the cast aluminum engine block fractured at the mount location. Note, the engine mount did not fail, the actual engine block fractured!!! And we were at a stop light at the time. Vehicle has never been in an accident. It dropped about 6 inches in the front. Took out the bottom panel, one of the fans, and also the connection to the PS pump.

Vehicle was under the 10 year, 100K mile warranty, so VW replaced the engine! Only problem was that the CA dealer did a horrible job of replacement! PS pipe had hit the fan housing, however they didn't replace under warranty, so one month later it leaked. Vacuum pump leaked (probably used original seal). And the real biggy was that they forgot to install the injectors with the required injector spacers as well as probably using the original seal.

Four months later and the injectors finally rattled completely loose and of course stopped working. It took a lot of work on my part (and no help from the CA dealer), however through a local AZ dealer, VW covered replacement of PS pump as well as other leaks and of course the injectors. Of course this is not due to any help from "customer care". Real help came from the AZ regional warranty rep looking at the vehicle.

In any case, I'm thankful that VW decided to do the right thing on this vehicle, and I'm a little tired of dealing with dealers. Also I think we will definitely be avoiding VW in the future.

I own a 1999.5 Jetta (base model). I leased it new and then bought it. Just rolled 100K. I have a love/hate relationship with this car.

Car runs fabulously. Always has. Any issues I've had have had to do with normal wear and tear. I would definitely buy another VW for this reason alone. I expect to drive this car until I need something different. I did have the O2 sensor replaced during the recall--everyone I know who owned a VW from '99 to early 2000's has had this issue. Also recalled was an issue with the front seatbelts, and the heat shield for rattling. You bet I took advantage of the recalls with all the little issues this car has.

Stumbled upon this site Googling what to do about the middle seatbelt in the back (finally just sliced it so the seat would go back up). Many of the issues here are the same ones I've had. Whenever someone asks me if I like my Jetta, I say I love it, the engine is fantastic, but it's all the little plastic pieces that have been the bain of it's existence. They cost a FORTUNE to replace, and I've never been able to afford to replace them. I think I had an estimate done once and it would be between $1000 and $2000 to fix all these things.

Besides all the plastic things, the underneath of the car has been an issue. This includes the bumper, which dislodges easily. You have to be really careful parking where there's a curb or parking block. The smallest scrape can cause it to unhinge, and don't even get me started on the buildup of snow in the wheel wells having an issue with it as well. As a result of snow, the belly pan had to literally be torn off the car when it was discovered it was dragging on the ground. This is after I backed out of my driveway and the snow took the bottom lip of the bumper right off, along with the two little grills.

Had the oil pan replaced when a rock hit the bottom and caused the oil to leak out. Replaced it again when a mechanic stripped the plug during an oil change. I've actually been turned away from oil change places because of issues with the oil pan--they refuse to work on them.

I'm probably forgetting things that have gone wrong (like the horn stopped working a couple years ago), but for a 10 year old car, I've had surprisingly no major repair issues. Someone mentioned they figured the car for a lemon. I do NOT consider this car a lemon even with all the little issues. Obviously the engineering on the body and parts is less than favorable, but don't affect the performance of the vehicle--"German engineering" is still at play in this car's performance and longevity.

I own a 2001 VW Jetta 4 cylinder automatic engine... I just changed my gasket due to a very bad over heating that caused the plastic covering inside the top cylinder to melt with the engine oil. Which also spoilt the oil pump. Now all these things are now fixed, but the car will start and after 15-20 minutes drive it will stop and won't start until after 40-60 minutes later when the engine cools off... we have tried changing the coil; same problem, any help... please, I have spent over $1,000 to get to this stage...

Have a 2000 Jetta 1.8T that I bought new. Love the snappy acceleration, even at high altitudes, and love the Monsoon sound system. Just replaced the timing belt at 104,000. Since I just dropped $1,080 under the hood I thought I would get a few of the broken parts inside fixed. Had no idea they are so common. Add to the broken arm rest, cup holder, etc... the 3-way sliding light switch has broken. Rather than fix it for $$$ I took the module out and wrapped a piece of wire around the post where there used to be a spring and put it back in the "open door-light on" position. There is also the problem with the remote keyless entry fobs getting old and staying depressed-running the battery down. Poor design (and I am German). Finally found replacements from a site in Arizona for $79. The dealer wanted $$$'s. Since I invested so much in this car recently I will have to keep it for a while. Still looking for an inexpensive black arm rest for the center console.