1999 Volkswagen Jetta GLS from North America - Comments

1) Replaced CD player four times.

2) Front and Rear pads and rotors after 20,000 miles.

3) I too, have the yellow wax-like

substance leaking from all the doors.

4) Door broke off cup holder within the first year. Then entire cup holder proceeded to break off entirely.

5) Rear seat ashtray door does not close.

6) Arm rest hinge broken.

7) Needed new struts and strut mounts at 65,000 miles.

8) Catalytic converter needed replacing at 70,000 miles.

9) Large springs continually pop out from under the seats.

10) Wheel locks are so cheaply made. When I needed to use them, after one twist they were completely stripped. I had to have my car towed and the wheel lock drilled out. When I contacted VW customer service, I was told that it is a very common problem. Their suggestion was that I should replace the wheel locks with regular lug nuts, which I did. I had to bring the car to VW service to do this because my wheel lock was destroyed. VW decided to pay 1/2 of my $8.00 parts bill and I was stuck paying the $75.00 labor charge.

11) I drove around for a year with the check engine light on. I would have the diagnostic test done and they would tell me nothing was wrong and reset the light. The next day the light would go on again. This happened several times. Service made me pay for each test. Later, I discovered from another dealer that the Mass Air Flow sensor needed to be replaced and it would cost some insane amount of money. I then got a recall notice for something on the car and took it in. I explained the engine light problem to my "new" dealer. He then informed me that there had been a "recall" bulletin issued to all VW service departments almost a year earlier regarding the Mass Air Flow sensor. I tried to recoup the cost of the unnecessary diagnostic test for both the dealer who had performed them and VW service with no luck. VW service told me the dealer should have informed me of the bulletin. Of course, they did not.

12) The seats look as if they are 30 years old. They are so bad.

I bought the Jetta thinking I was going to have the car forever. After owning it for about a year I ran into so many problems. I figured these problems were because it was a new body style in 1999 and VW had yet to iron out the kinks. I now know that that is not the case. The car is supposed to be German. The steering is the only German thing about it. The engine may last forever, but the rest of the care will not.

This sucks so bad (about the car), I have had my 1999 Jetta for less than a year and have the same problems and more. I feel like I was taken to the bank. I now see the value of these 1999 to 2003 are crap because dealers want nothing to do with these troubled cars. I have never seen anything like this. I used to sell Volkswagen and Audi autos and lived by these cars. Now I feel ripped off and am in the possession of a car that is now worth Four thousand dollars less than my loan and with more problems every day I have a huge money pit that I do not see the bottom of. I feel like I bought an American car, not a quality German one.