2001 Volkswagen Jetta VR6 from North America - Comments

I also have the "crayon" smell. I love the smell of crayons, but after reading so many reviews about it being a bad thing it makes me wonder now.

WOW! I thought it was just my car. I have the same smell of crayons in my car. To add to it, in the last year or so, every time the vents are turned on, there is a funky smell that spews out of the vents. Something like mildew/urine smell. Its gotten worse and worse. Its awful. Not sure how to get rid of it.

I just bought a 2001 VW Beetle TDI. I noticed the smell and my wife knew right away that it smelled like crayons because she used to melt them on the radiator as a kid. She loves the smell, but I can't stand it. Looks like I'll just have to cope. At least it isn't diesel exhaust leaking in through the vents.

I myself just bought a used 2001 VW Jetta V6 a couple weeks ago. And to stick with the crowd it too smells of crayons. I was thinking I was going to have to look it up under wax or melting plastic or something. Luckily I found this thread.

Apparently before I bought this car it had had the passenger window fixed for going off track and also the switches in the dash had to be replaced.

I have also noticed the odd creaking noises when turning or backing up sometimes.

Yesterday a check engine light came on. I fear for what the next problem is going to be.

Also it seems interesting to me that most of the complaints here are for the 2001 Jettas. Was this a bad year?

I'll join the crowd here on the '01 Jetta. We just bought a used one, a lease return car. The crayon smell is annoying to say the least. We were told by the broker that the smell was due to Volkswagen detailing the car after getting it back from the lease, and that the detailers just 'slop' the soap on the carpet and never remove it entirely.

So, out comes the steam cleaner. Using only hot water to try to pull the soap out. Indeed, there appeared to be a lot of soap residue in the carpets. 4 hours using the cleaner, and it still smells of 'crayons'. Now, I'm looking to replace the entire carpet and the sound proofing material beneath. If I put my nose down to the carpet, it definitely appears to be coming from it, not the dash. Luckily, I found Stockinteriors.com, and they have replacement carpet kits galore. That's what I'm trying next. Stand by for the results.

Yep I have had the crayon problem. It is the insulation under the carpet. On the 2002 they used a different insulation that is much better and of course doesn't smell.

I had an '02 Jetta, and I didn't notice any "crayon" smell.

So maybe they did make changes. However virtually all of my VW's have had a distinct odor to their interiors. It's not an unpleasant smell, but rather a smell of the materials used in the vehicle. It certainly doesn't bother me.

I love my VW.

(By the way, the company is called Volkswagen not

Volks Wagon)

I too just purchased a used 2001 Jetta TDI with the unusual crayon smell in the interior. Does anyone know for sure that it is the insulation under the carpet? If so why is the smell so strong out of the a/c vents?

How many more times do you need to be told?

Yes, it's the carpet/underlay.

The air outlets move the air around and fool your senses into thinking it's from the vents.

With recirculation, some of it probably is.

I have a 2000 vr6 jetta- it has been a horrible car since the day I bought it. The passenger window fell like everyone elses. The passenger seat is broken- will not move at all. The nasty yellow stuff that comes out of the doors drives me crazy- I just love having black grease stains on my clothes. The car is 5 years old and that yellow grease still comes out of it, even though VW said it was normal. I would NEVER buy another Jetta ever again. The car looks good and drives good, but that's about it.

You know, I used to want a VW so bad. I really liked my friend's Jetta and thought that was what I wanted until I got online and did the research. After reading about windows falling into the doors, oozing door wax, A/C mildew, and now the many scents of Crayola, I think I am better off with the BMW that I bought. The BMW is older and has more miles on it, but I haven't experienced weird noises or odors or crappy workmanship anywhere. I have had it for over a year now and not had any problems. I don't know. I do see a LOT of VWs on campus everyday, so I know that there must be good ones out there, but I think my odds were better to go with something else.

A few months ago, my daughter received a 2001 VW Jetta as a graduation gift. The car smells like crayons. The smell is horrendous. I called the dealer this morning. The service manager admitted that he had seen a few cars with this problem and he thinks it's the insulation under the carpet. He said there's nothing that can be done about it. He gave me the 800 phone number for VW in Michigan and suggested I call them. I called them this morning and filed a complaint. The lady was very nice. She said she's going to check with the dealer and see what they can do about my problem. If everyone would call the main office in Michigan that might help get this problem solved for all of us.

Hi there! I bought my 2001 Jetta VR6 new. My friends all told me it smelled of crayons. I didn't really notice it until today when I got it back from a body shop. The smell almost choked me. I had to open a window. I'm taking my car to the dealer tomorrow to see if I can talk them into owning up on it and fixing it.

My first summer I had the car I had the door sliding into the window problem. They said the clips that hold the window to the automatic window system disintegrate in heat. Apparently the car was built to widthstand a German environment and not a Texas summer. After about 3 replacements of various window clips of various models I haven't run into the problem again.

My other heat related gripe is the switch that detects when you have brake depressed doesn't work in the summer all the time. This means you can't do things like shift out of park. If that happens you need to stomp the hell out of your brake pedal to get the switch to move.

Overall I love my car, and these are just some mild annoyances. VW has fixed everything I've brought to them. YMMV.

My car smells like crayons too. I'm so used to it now, but everytime someone gets in they complain about it.

I am so happy I found this website. We purchased a used 2001 Jetta 1.8T last November '04 for a great price, however, the honeymoon is now over!

My car stinks of crayon smell. I have long hair and my hair and clothes stink every time I drive my car. I keep the sunroof cracked open when I park and it helps to alleviate the odor.

Yesterday, I parked wrong and pulled off the bumper (again). My husband is livid.

I have also had problems with the plastic popping off the sun roof, I've heard the inexplicable clicking noises, and the automatic window roll down operation does not work consistently.

I love the look and feel of my Jetta, but because of the problems, inconvenience, and out-of-pocket expense, I will never purchase another VW.