2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS review from North America

These problems are all common:

(Immediately upon purchase.)

-- The transmission tends to downshift sharply at odd times, almost always when turning a corner. It is not a frequent problem, and I would not mention it if there were not other problems with the car. According to other submissions on this site, this is a software glitch.

(At around 10,000 miles.)

-- Driver-side window dropped like a rock into the door. Fixed both front doors under warranty, however the child protection feature no longer functions. I asked the dealership if this was a recall problem, and they said no. Then, I asked the man in charge of loaning out vehicles, and he admitted that VW knows the problem exists, but won't recall because it's too expensive. They handle it case by case.

-- Arm rest assembly broke. It now hangs down against the console. I was driving down the highway, resting my arm, and it suddenly dropped like a rock.

-- The clock has a strange glitch. It displays strange characters at random times during the day.

(At around 19,000 miles.)

-- Yellow wax began leaking out of my doors almost constantly, ruining the seals on all four doors. I called the dealership. The service representative told me that this is paraffin wax that is supposed to be in the door for corrosion resistance, and that it will normally leak. While it is true that the paraffin wax should be IN the door, it should STAY IN the door, and certainly not ruin the seals. Any statement to the contrary is an outright lie. His response when I pointed this out, and that the car was still under warranty, was that I could bring it in, and he would have to inspect to see if there was a problem.

-- The plastic handles on the driver-side door has begun to bubble and peel. It is a slight problem now, but I expect this will look terrible in the near future.

Every single item I have listed above has been echoed by every other Jetta owner on this and other sites.

I have never been notified of the recall on my model, which is the ABS Control Module. The module tends to start fires. I would think that this would be a good thing to let me know about.

I intend to sell this car after fighting to get the warranty work completed. I did not buy a new car for the fun of making a payment, and I am concerned about the resale value as these problems continue to degrade the car.