2005 Volkswagen Jetta review from North America

This is the fourth Volkswagen we have had in our family. On THREE of them the windshield has broken, one of them when the dealer put a new rear view mirror on it.

I have also had several problems with the tires going flat. We have several cars in our family, but the VW's seem to have the most problems with these particular issues.

I also had problems with the windows falling of the inside track and dropping inside the door. This requires a replacement part and a loss of the car for a day or more while the dealership makes the repair. VERY FRUSTRATING especially when you're on vacation in the middle of the desert!

One thing that happens, but has not caused a problem with the function of the car itself is that parts seem to fall off for no apparent reason. Anything that has a cover seems to be a problem. Even the little plastic guards that cover the gearshift have fallen off.

I don't know why this is, but it seems like every VW it is difficult to open the trunk, I have had to take all of them in to have them adjusted.

On the positive side, one of the main reasons I put up with all of this is that the cars are very safe. I have been in two different VW's in accidents and have been lucky to walk out with almost no injuries. I was hit head-on by a drunk driver and the car took the impact. I consider myself to be lucky. The other driver broke his neck and two other drivers were killed when he hit them. So all in all I will put up with a few pieces of broken plastic for the safety I feel when I drive this car!