2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS wagon from North America - Comments

I have a 2003 VR. that floods on the passenger side. My car floods during heavy rains when I park my car facing up hill. I have taken my car to the dealer to resolve this issue, but after $300, the car still leaks. They initially thought my sun roof drains were clogged. I did some checking and found a great web site that will shed some light on how you can check you drain tubes. Check the drains yourself before you take your car to the dealer. Go to http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1909676

I just checked my drains and they are not clogged. I suspect that water is getting into the passenger side via the pollen filter housing or filter it self. Or it may be getting into the car via the hood release mechanism that is located on the back left corner of hood (in the hinge area). I ran water along the front windshield area and let the water drain towards the passenger side. I noticed that a lot of water can get into the pollen filter area and in the area where the hood release mechanism is located. I will look at sealing these areas and will let everyone know if this fixes my passenger side flooding.

When I first purchased my 2002 Jetta GLX Wagon new, I would get a flood of water on the passenger floor whenever it rained. I took it to the dealership and they solved the problem in one visit. I believe they said that that a sheet of insulation in the front passenger door was blocking the drain and the water was backing up into the passenger floor.

Once they fixed it, I never had another problem of any kind with water leaking into the car.

I just had this problem of the clogged sunroofs fixed by the dealership. It cost 450 dollars. However, the smell from my car is horrible. Also there is so much water in my car that has been sitting for weeks. The dealership didn't even remove my mats to allow them to dry and the car not to mold. I have mold on my shoes that were sitting in the back, thus I must have mold under the carpet. Mold is a serious health issue. Prolonged exposure to mold can cause serious problems. Unless you rip out the carpet and redo it mold is going to grow. Has anyone complained, or sent a complaint to NHTSA? Has anyone got money or a solution from the lemon law or the governmet. I can't even drive my car because the smell is so bad it makes me sick. This is a health hazard to all the people who have water in the car. Please let me know- I am not driving this unsafe car around anymore!

Thanks.

I have the same problem with my 2005 Golf GLS TDI. There is a class action suit in the works against VW for the leak problem.

Go here to view the details.

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1290670

I suffer from the wet floor syndrome in my 2005 Jetta TDI wagon.

It affects the driver side of the car after a moderate rain.

So far, I have heard it described as:

Leak around the pollen filter

Leak around the hood release mechanism

Leaky door seals

Clogged firewall drains

Clogged sunroof drains

Blocked or clogged door drains

So, I'll get out the coat hanger and ream out the drains, maybe pull the door panels and check the door drains.

Oh yeah, and join the class action lawsuit.

I have been involved with the VW leaking problems since I own a newer Jetta. A friend's older Jetta is leaking on the passenger side into the front seat and rear seat area. I blew out the front drains with an air hose, and in the process blew the plastic hoses off of the bottom end of the drain. The bottom rubber piece can be removed from the front door post (it's between the hinges) and with some difficulty be threaded back onto the plastic hose and then be popped back in the door post. Many recommend cutting off the flapper end of the rubber end, and that seems to be a good idea to prevent further plugging. With the front drains cleared, the sun roof will still leak into the back seat if the rear drains remain plugged, and the car is parked pointing uphill. On the older Jettas the rear drains look like the front ones and exit the body behind the rear wheels. The best fix for these is to locate them and snip off the flapper and then clear the blockage with a piece of wire or a small drill bit, being careful to not push the plastic tube off of the rubber piece.

This web site shows the location of all four drains.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?cmd=print&id=1909676

I too have a flooding problem on my 99.5 Jetta, and I have a suggestion to help prevent mildew smells and molding. (I've done this a couple of times) First after using a shop vac (usually found at self car washes), I use an old towel to get the carpet as dry as I can. Then give it a HEAVY coat of Lysol and use another towel to blot it through out the affected area of the carpet. Repeat this every couple of days until the carpet is dry. Doing this I've manages to stab off any mold or mildew problems a lot of people seem to be reporting.

Hope this helps!

I too have a 2002 VW Golf (no sunroof) with a flooded driver side footwell and driver side backseat footwell. The first time it happened 2 years ago, I thought it must have been something I did. When it happened last week (I could have gone swimming in my car), I decided it was the car. I took it the dealer and my problem is a clogged pollen filter that backed up and leaked into my car during a rainstorm (the car was parked on a grade with the front higher than the rear during both floods). Even though my car is under warranty, their recommendation is to have new carpet put in (about $2600) to prevent mold and mildew for which I submitted a claim to my insurance. However, I refuse to leave the dealership when I pick my car up with out having had a service person show me EXACTLY where this clogged filter is and DEFINITIVE directions on how to prevent this from happening again. I can't believe this has happened to so many people. I was a committed VW driver, but now I'm beginning to second guess my commitment.

I have a 2002 Jetta GLS with the same problem. That must be why I got it at such a great price. At first I thought it was because the window was left open, so I thought it was an easy fix. Turns out that the gasket to the cabin filter was worn out and water was getting in through there.

So after replacing that, water was still getting in. Then I took off the windshield wiper motor and put clear RTV around the black box there with a new gasket around it. That did a good job, and now only little puddles collect in the car.

Then I checked and the moon roof seems to be either clogged or disconnected. So that's what's next on the list.

Then I had to clean out the tire wells, which were filled to the top with dirt. And then there is a tiny U shaped hollow thing along the bottom of the car, and water can collect there and get backed up, so I would recommend cleaning that out also.

After all this, water still gets in, but only in tiny puddles. And the worst part was taking out the carpet to clean it, disinfect it, dry it, and pour baking soda on it to get rid of the scent.

If you're up for the challenge, try this this and see if you can find any more places that I missed.

I am going to have my windshield glue stuff redone to make sure it's properly done.

I'm glad I found this site. I was just about to bid on a 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon 2500 miles away from me. So after reading this entire post, I think I will try to find one these cars cheap from a disgusted owner locally in N. Calf. Most all of the leaks found, people have found a way around them.

I have a couple ideas, such as running new lines out through custom made ports, and totally sealing up all air intake and A/C parts with massive amounts of silicon and thin flexible sheets of plastic.

As far as the smell goes from wet carpets and having dried them out. A good air ionizer should destroy all mold and mildew, and the smell. Professional house restorers of flood and fire damage use these machines. For the small space of a car, they don't cost much.

Also I have found a very strong yet safe soap to use that can kill anthrax and other molds called "Miracle 2". It is so safe one can drink it, which I have done for internal cleansing in small doses. I have showered with it for 10 years and I never have to clean my shower because it is self cleaning with this stuff. So if the carpets are still wet, one might want to scrub them with this soap and blot out the water and the following rinse with a shop vac and then heat and dry and ionize. Maybe even let the soapy water soak in for a day.

Hope that can help someone, and I hope I can find the VW I want for a song.

I have a 2002 Jetta GLS with the same problem. But instead of going to the VW dealer, I decided to do it myself. It was a fairly simple process. All you have to do is replace the gasket to the cabin filer. Put RTV around the black box underneath the windshield wiper motor. And on the driver and passenger door, they have a little nipple that lets water drain from the moon roof. Stick a unbent coat hanger in there and clean out all the dirt.

As for the wet interior, you can either take it out and wash it and spray disinfecting spray to keep mold from growing, or just stick a dehumidifier in there and then spray the disinfecting spray.

I too have a 2003 Jetta Wagon.

I too have cleaned out all 4 drain holes (and regularly check and clean them).

I too have a water leak. Absolutely every time it rains.

The water is getting into the cabin, driver's side dripping from behind the pedals. I can see the drips and path left on the carpet.

I have parked it on flat surfaces, facing uphill and facing downhill. The water gets in regardless of how the vehicle is parked.

Recently, I have been experiencing electrical issues - the indicator light, or hazard light clicks at warp speed (sound only) randomly. The indicator lights and hazard work when I need them, and sound off when I don't.

Does anyone else experience this leak pattern coupled with random clicking (electrical issue)?

Are/can Canadian cars/owners be included on/in an American class action suit?

I have a 99 Passat, boy how all these problems sound the same as mine. I'm hoping that class action suit is still gong on so I might have a chance to get my car fixed so I could sell it and buy a reliable quality car. My carpets are toast, my CCM and connecting wiring are toast, the car is the worst I have ever owned. Problem after problem since a week after I bought it. And why does a website called "CAR survey" tell me I spelled "Passat" wrong.

I just picked up a 2002 Jetta for my son, and about a week ago I found three inches of water in the passenger front floorboard after heavy rain the next day. I checked the sunroof drains and they were clean, so I went to the pollen filter box/wiper area. I found a large amount of debris in the bottom of the pan. I vacuumed it out and I am keeping my fingers crossed until after it rains again. The interior has a bit of a smell so it seems like this had been occurring prior to me getting the car. I'm trying to dry the carpet before I replace it.

I purchased my 2002 Jetta NEW directly from the dealership while living in Phoenix,. AZ, where it rarely rains, and I had a garage so if it did rain my car was shielded from it.

Now I am back in NY where the rain is consistent, but I do not have a garage to store my car in. The leaks are unbelievable. Depending on how the car is parked, when it rains I have at least 2 inches of water on the passenger or drivers floor. I have contacted the dealer and they say they haven’t heard any complaints at all about this, and that I have to clean my sunroof drain.

I am so mad. I am a student and purchased this car brand new so that I would have many years with a car that I will not have problems with. I can barely stand the smell!!!

If anyone has any thoughts or class action suits going, please let me in on it. daniellem3176@aol.com