The "clock spring" for the air bag system failed three times. This failure caused the "air bag" dash light to illuminate. The dealer repaired the faulty spring each time it failed, under warranty.
The arm rest latch broke shortly after I took delivery of the vehicle. It was replaced by the dealer at a cost of over $200.00 to VW of America.
The floor mat anchors are of a very poor design. Both of the front mats, and one of the rear mats, have ripped from their anchors. I frequently have to pull the driver's mat out from behind the pedals. I'll eventually have to buy some after-market mats for the front.
The cruise control failed at about 30,000 miles. The dealer refused to repair it under warranty because I had over 24,000 miles on the vehicle. I called VW of America and they agreed to pay the dealer to fix the cruise, much to my surprise.
At about 56,000 miles the front-right window regulator failed and the window dropped into the door. Again, the dealer refused to repair the vehicle under warranty (keep in mind that I had bought the car less than two years prior). So, again, I called VW of America, and they agreed to pay for the repairs to the window regulator. This saved me about $350.00.
At about 66,000 miles the same window regulator failed and the window dropped into the door, again. This time the dealer had to pay for the repairs as its warranty on parts and labor is 12,000 miles. However, the part is on some sort of "national backorder" and is not readily available. I'm still waiting for the part to come in. The dealer raised the window and installed a window prop to keep it up.
I had the timing belt replaced at 40,000 miles (recommended) at a cost of $630.00.
One of the glove box hinges is broken. One has to push up and to the side to shut the glove box properly.
An oil change costs $53.00 at the dealer, and I have this service performed every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. VW recommends oil changes at 10,000 miles, but that seems a little excessive to me.
This vehicle is very quick and gets incredible fuel mileage. I get about 44 MPG on the highway. This is great considering that I have a 77 mile commute to work, five days a week. I bought the car because of the legendary reliability and fuel economy of a VW diesel engine.
I like being able to lower the windows (the three that work) using the key hole on the driver's door, like the television commercial shows. The south Texas summers are brutal and lowering the windows about an inch really helps to vent heat from a parked vehicle. It's a very convenient feature.
The trunk is really large. The back seat is not very roomy, but you sure can put a lot of junk in the trunk.
When it's clean, I get a lot of compliments about the car. It's a sharp looking vehicle.
My 2000 VW Jetta GLS has had the Fuel Sensor replaced.
The Oil Pan Gasket replaced.
The Center Arm Rest Deck replaced.
The Driver Side Power Window Regulator Replaced.
The Front Cowling and Air Duct Replaced.
Here's the big one: The Passenger Power Window Regulator..6 times... currently taped up by the dealer.
The tweaters of the Monsoon system rattle.
The Passenger door woofer magnet was attached to the inside door panel, instead of the speaker.
17,500 miles... I am not hard on the car.
Could I not be any happier... my lease is up in 2003!
It sure seems that most of the notes here are having the same problems. I am fortunate that I have not had most of them. The arm rest latch was broken when I bought it as was the dial for the power windows, both where replaced under warranty and have not been a problem since. Other than that no problem. Perhaps my mileage of about 38 or 39 miles per gallon is less than it should be as I travel mostly highway, but it has not varied over the last 15 K miles. So I guess I am the exception here as I think that so far it is the most fun car I have ever owned. The power is great and other than a short wait to start the car it is the same as gas except a little louder and a lot more powerful. My car is automatic so maybe that accounts for the mileage difference as I did not notice your transmission type. I was told by the dealer to only change the oil every 10K as I use synthetic and of course their filters.
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