2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI from North America - Comments

The rear brakes wore out prematurely right after the 24,000 mile warranty was up. A defective caliper resulted in $900 worth of brake damage at my expense.

The cup holder broke for no reason. I barely ever pushed it in.

The passenger side driver's window fell down into the door while I was driving.

The check engine line has been flashing off and on for over a month. The dealer says nothing is wrong.

The car stalled and had to be towed to the dealer. The check engine light was flashing and the dealer said that it was just in need of a new fuel filter. Cost of tow and filter---$300!!

The check engine light continues to flash, and the car sometimes won't accelerate. I almost had an accident when pulling out onto a highway and the car wouldn't go over 20 mph. Sometimes it hesitates and won't go 40 mph with the gas pedal floored.

Another mechanic has told me the entire intake manifold and intake system is plugged with carbon. He said the damage could be as much as $2,000 and the problem is a result of the way the diesel fuel is burned. He said that VW made a huge mistake with this diesel engine and that it should be recalled. VW says it's not under warranty. I have a two year old car I can't even drive! And I owe too much on it to trade in the lemon!! I've written complaints to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General, and my congressman. Jetta TDI owners unite and make some noise!

This is car is a nightmare. I owe $15,000 on a car I can't drive and can't afford to fix.

My 1989 Pontiac Sunbird made it to 200,000 miles with the only repair being a $125 water pump. Why didn't I listen to my Dad and get another Pontiac???

I think I know what some of your problems may be.

The first is that you have an ABS braking problem, That's why your brakes went so fast. It locks off and on so some times its fine then it seems that you have no power. You have no power because the front brakes are locking off and on. The only thing that seems to trigger this is stop and go traffic. It's an electical problem with the brakes not a problem with the pads, rotors or brake line. So what happens is you take the car in to be fixed and they replace the parts, but donnot fix the problem. Next time you drive your car and you lose power pull over and feel the front passenger tire. It will be hot and it will smell like burning plastic. I also own a TDI and I had to find this out the hard way. They had a recall for the ABS so you should have brought it in. I did, but I am still having these problems. The TDI engine itself is a fine engine so you should not be having the carbon problem. It should no joke, be good for 150000 miles to 300000. The reason for the carbon problem might be indirectly related to losing power because of the ABS locking on you, this forces you to press the gas harder than you should. With a TDI to press hard on the gas is death wish you'll burn out the engine really fast. Remember this is not gas car so go easy on her. I wish I knew this a long time ago we both would have saved thousands. This is the second TDI that I bought, the first one was the best car I ever had, this 2001 one has been an nightmare with the electical system. I hope this helps aleast one person.