2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS review from North America

I never really had any problems with this car that weren't covered by the warranty. Under the warranty (which was increased from 35,000 to 50,000 miles for 2002 & beyond cars), the springs underneath both seats were replaced, the engine coils were replaced per a recall, and the battery was replaced (after the car sat idle for two months). The only thing that ever went wrong that wasn't covered by the warranty was some creaking sound in the suspension, which they said all jetta's had - it's some deficiency with manufacturing, and they just go bad, but it's an annoyance rather than a safety issue.

This was a great car - with the 1.8 turbo and a five speed manual transmission, this car really moved. It got me in trouble a few times though - and I almost totaled it when it was just about a year old, and then I totaled it for good just recently. The airbags didn't go off either time - the first time was a major accident too - ran into a brick wall head on and the bags did not deploy at all. It was supposedly the safest car made in 2002, but after the car was oblitterated this year in another major front-end collision, with again, none of the eight airbags deploying, I have to wonder if there was something wrong with mine. The car was such a joy though - never really had any trouble with it. Very comfortable - heated seats were fantastic, but hard to adjust. Rear legroom was inadequate, and there was no arm rest in the back. Loved the car though - miss it dearly. Was the perfect car for my mid-20's.