2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS wagon from North America - Comments

I have a 2000 Jetta. I have water in the passenger side. I called a windshield repair place and they said it's the sunroof drain plug that is causing the problem?

I just wanted to give everyone an update about my 2002 Jetta with the water problems on the drivers side front and back floor. I've taken my Jetta to a family friend who I know I can trust and he seems to think the issue is a clog. Apparently there are drains beneath the hood of the car that get clogged and cause water to back up into the heat box, which then filters into the car. He checked the seals on my windows, doors, and windshield, and they all seemed fine.

I really hope that this will fix the problem, but I'll let everyone know once he repairs it and we get enough rain to test it.

All of these problems are right on with my 2002 Jetta Wagon. About 4 months ago, my passenger side floor gets completely saturated during every rain-storm (drizzle or pour). I have already caulked and sealed the windshield, antenna casing, sunroof and door frame, and still WET...

Looks like we all got a bad batch! We'll probably need new doors to fix the problem, and hopefully someone can make progress on getting a successful recall passed so that VW foots the bill. Please let me know if this happens, Thanks.

Daveyseeg@yahoo.com.

After my posting of 10th Nov 2006, 17:39, I did some research on the water leak in my jetta... internet research as well as calling the dealership. Sorry if this is abit long, but I figure at least someone will understand what I'm going through and hopefully it'll help those with the same problem.

I started with the dealership first. I called them and they told me the first place to start looking for a leak was the sunroof drains because they may be clogged. The website below offers a great explanation and pictures on where the four sunroof drains are located.

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

My first step was to figure out which of the four drains was clogged. I took a watering can and poured water in the sunroof drain which I thought was leaking. (In my case, it was the front passengers side drain.) While I was pouring the water, I had someone look at the nipple (end of the drain) in the door. We saw that the nipple wasn't allowing for 'free flow' drainage. I continued to pour water in the drain, then I noticed that water was entering the car from between the glove box and side of the car, which confirmed that this particular drain was the problem. My next step (according to the dealer) was to take a pair of scissors and cut off the end of the nipple (rubber piece that sticks out of the car door). They said that the nipple was probably filled with dirt and debris, causing the drain to back up and flood my car. I cut off the end of the nipple, some debris came out. Thinking I had solved the problem, I once again poured water in the sunroof drain. This time the water was free flowing from the nipple, but as I poured more and more water in the sunroof drain, I noticed that the inside of my car was still getting wet.

At this point, I was fairly convinced that debris was not the problem, but rather that there was a hole somewhere in the drainage tube, which was allowing the water to leak into my car. I called the dealer again and said that my drain was now free flowing and no debris was blocking it, then asked what they recommended. They told me they have would need to take a look at it, but i'd probably have to get the sunroof drain and tubing replaced. When asked the cost, I was told that the drain tube (part only) would be $10, but the labor cost would be substantial. When then dealer said the cost would be substantial, that worried me.

So, I went back to the internet and found that replacing a sunroof drain does indeed require a lot of labor intensive work. From what I can gather, panels on the exterior and interior of the car need to be removed to access the drain tube which runs from the sunroof to the door. I am now debating what to do...my new thought is that because so much body work and labor are involved, my next stop is the auto body repair shop. I figure if anyone can take a part a car and put it back together, then an autobody shop should be the place.

So the saga continues... in the meantime I have a garbage bag taped to my roof to prevent water from getting in. It has worked, it just looks a little more than ridiculous on a 2002 jetta.

I had damage done to my carpets and undercarriage by a defective sunroof drain. I question if there is a problem with the design.

I own a 2002 Passat sedan with a sunroof. I take care of my car, have completed every recommended service and yet I wake up one morning to a swimming pool in my car.

Volkswagen states that outside influence (debris) clogged the drain. I say the design is bad as evidenced by the number of leakage incidents.

Secondly, if there is a problem then why isn't it among the recommended services performed during service intervals.

I feel oddly reassured that there are others who have this same experience.

I have a 2003 Jetta Wagon that leaks from the bottom of the dashboard on the driver's side. It only seems to happen when the car is being washed, but there is enough condensation in the vehicle to suggest more water is getting inside. The frequency is ever-increasing. From everything I can find on line, this only effects up to 2003, as there are no complaints on newer models. This suggests that VW either corrected the problem in newer models, which also suggests that they are fully aware of the design defect, or it takes a couple of years for the problems to begin in most models (ie for sufficient debris in sunroof and door drains to build up). Mine showed no evidence of leaking or water damage until about three months ago. If anyone has successfully remedied this problem, please advise.

Rest assured that the sunroof drainage problems were NOT corrected in newer VW models. I'm waiting for my dealership to find the part that was shorted out when my driver's side floor turned into a pond. This is on a 2005 Passat that is parked outside, but there are no trees around to drop either leaves or needles on it, so I don't know what the cause of the blockage was. I agree with the comment that if this is so important then this is something that should be part of regular maintenance at the dealership. Barring that, during orientation when you purchase a new vehicle at the dealership, those of us with sunroofs should be warned of the potential problem. And since nobody warns us that this is a problem I think the warranty should cover the work. While I don't mind assuming responsibility for my negligence, if it is something I wasn't even made aware of, that seems rather unfair.

I'm relieved to find other people having the same problem as I am. I have a 1999 Jetta and my passenger side carpets are soaked after it rains. If it helps anyone out; I don't have a sunroof. When I called VW and told them what was happening they told me that I probably had a leak in my sunroof. Which was great considering I don't have one. Anyways I just wanted to let people know that this happens to cars without sunroofs and if the VW dealership tells you it's your sunroof you have reason not to believe them.

Wow, I am shocked. I own a 2000, and for the past month the passenger's side of my car has been accumulating 3 inches of water ever time it rains. Unsure of the issue, I called VW customer service to see if there was a recall (I have had several SERIOUS recalls on the 2000 Jetta). No recall, and the only thing they could recommend was to take it to a dealer to have it looked at. I am going to try to clean out the drainage hose as per the directions from the above post. At this point, I don't know whether to get rid of the car due to all its random problems, or to try to work through it.

Just wanted to give everyone an update, I had a family friend work on my 2002 Jetta in which he thought that water was backing up into the heat box, which then would filter into the car- well that's NOT it b/c we've had rain and again my car is a VW swimming pool. I am at my wits end with this car, it makes me so angry b/c this stupid water problem is the only thing that is wrong with this car. The condensation that builds on the inside of my windows and dashboard has become insane, it is not just condensation, but HUGE water droplets that look as though someone took a hose to the inside of the windshield - I actually have the greenhouse effect going on INSIDE MY CAR, it's always humid when I get inside and what's worse is when the temperature outside drops, then I wake up to find frost and ICE on the INSIDE OF MY WINDOWS AND WINDSHIELD- that renders the car undriveable until I can manage to scrape the ice off and blare the defrosters, which really doesn't work too well at all, the rear defroster automatically turns off after a predetermined length of time, however, I have to continuously hit the button to turn it back on b/c it hasn't done its job at all. I feel unsafe driving the car in these conditions b/c I cannot see properly out of my windows or windshield, as they continue to fog up while I'm driving. I'm forced to ride with the sunroof open and all windows down to battle the constant fog and I must do this in all kinds of weather, I figure that it really doesn't matter to do this in the rain by now b/c even with my windows and sunroof closed the water pours in. I'm so disgusted that it is truly beyond explanation and I'm looking into buying a new car this week. I will NEVER buy or recommend another VW again.

I'm having the same exact problem with my 2002 Passat. Of course this began the week that I paid it off!! My back passenger floor was wet, then I began to notice an odor, so I figured it wasn't a 'new' spill or just a matter of leaving the window slightly open in the rain. I was away for a week, only to return to a few inches of water on the front passenger floor. I did some research and noticed it could be one of 2 problems. 1- clogged sunroof drains, or 2-a clogged pollen filter (I believe that's the correct name, it's located under the battery). I called 2 dealers, both claimed the damage is not covered by any warranty. I asked that they just check the pollen filter to see if that was the cause. They claimed they'd have to do a full water test, take the car apart, check under the rugs, the whole nine. they'd need to keep my car at least a day. Not at $90/hour they're not!!! Anyway, I'm looking into the possible problems with a local mechanic, one that I trust. From what I've read and hear, it's no use going to corporate VW. Maybe we should all try the Better Business Bureau??? Something is not right... too many of us have this problem.

I have a 2000 VS Passat and I am suddenly having condensation problems with my car. I have tried the air conditioner and it worked up until this morning. I live in Northern California, near the ocean and I am wondering if that is effecting this. It happens when it rains, but, I notice that often at the end of the day, it tends to happen.

So, is it the air vent that needs to be cleaned?

How exactly do you clean the air vent. Is is a procedure that only the dealer can do?

I agree with everyone that the water leak problem should be a recall. I have a 2002 Jetta wagon and experienced the water problem a few months ago. The entire floor on the passenger's side (front and back) was saturated with water after an overnight rainfall. We discovered that the water was coming from underneath the visor on the passenger side, and pouring in around the edges of the light under the visor. My local dealer fixed the problem stating that there was debris along the windshield and roof edging of the car. They cleaned it out and the problem has been resolved so far. But, they did tell me that the "rain cowl" on the passenger side is cracked and needs to be replaced soon or water could potentially get in under the dash and cause electrical problems. The rain cowl is located under the windshield wiper on the outside of the car.

There has always been a problem with the door seals on the car from the time we purchased it. In severe cold, the doors will become frozen shut because water gets in all around the door seals and along the base of the door. There have been many mornings spent pouring warm water along the edges of the door to thaw them out just so we can get into the car.

The car has less than 40,000 miles on it and I have also run into a problem with the automatic stickshift. The thumb button on the stickshift becomes stuck and it is impossible to shift the car out of park. The dealer hasn't been able to fix the problem so far. Last week, the car became stuck in park while idling and the "foot brake" light indicator was permanently on whether my foot was on the brake or not. The car had to be towed to the dealer.

As per the comment listed before this one, I just wanted to let you know that VW is doing a recall on the brake light switch due to the fact that the brake lights in some models are not working properly and do not come on or, as in your case, remain lit even when you are not braking. The recall includes 2002 Jettas, as I just received my "Important Safety Recall" in the mail this week. It also covers and expenses you've incurred due to this problem, such as the towing you had to pay for. There are instructions with the recall information as to how to get your refund.

Now I just wish VW would do the recall that they should to fix all of the water issues we all seem to have- the major leaking and condensation issues that continue to plague me : (

I too have a 2000 Jetta that now gets about 3 inches of water on the passenger side after it rains.

We took it to our body shop and they took it apart - but could not find anything wrong... Any solutions here?