Comments: 1-15, 16-23
When I first got this car, I was extremely excited because it is such a cute car. A week after I buy the car, the CD changer just stops working for no reason. I took it back to the dealer and they put in a new one. A few days later the same problem happened "Error" or "No CD", so I took it back in and they fixed it. It still only works when it wants to. I usually have to put the CD changer in with the CDs all inside and then take it out one more time and put it back in just so it will play all 6 CDs. Otherwise it will pick and choose which ones it wants to play. Very annoying!
I also noticed a horrible smell coming out of my air vents when I used the A/C or heater. It smells like crayons, and when I get out of my car I smell like it as well! Its terrible! No one seems to know what is causing this either. Its not like I leave crayons inside my car all day so that they can melt. I have heard many people have this same issue. If any one knows what is causing this problem let us know!
Another problem that has occurred is that the car will accelerate all by itself when I'm driving and not even pushing on the gas. It is scary, because all of a sudden your going 5 times as fast as you were and I have to hurry and push the brakes or I will bash into the car ahead of me if there is one. No one seems to know the reason for this either.
My ABS and Brake lights come sometimes when I start the car and drive off. It will beep and beep until I turn the car off and start it again and sometimes when I restart the car it is still doing it. I took it in because of this and they said I would have to replace the computer inside because my Check Engine Soon light keeps coming on as well and there is no need for it too. "Supposedly"
I have had way too many recalls on my car. Now, I feel like I cannot trust it because I don't know what other recall they will find. Besides that they do not even mail me the recalls that they do find. When I go to the dealer for other things, they just fix it then and I didn't even know there was a recall...UHHH.
My front bumper comes out if I go over a curb to far when I park. That is seriously the worst. I was shopping the other day and did this and two old ladies saw it the bumper come out and they just started talking about it and pointing right in front of me... how embarrassing! So now I have to be extremely careful when I park.
Placing the cup holders above the radio was the worst idea ever! I had to have my radio replaced because my Dr. Pepper had sweat through the cup and dripped down into the buttons, which caused them to stick! It also dripped down into the ash tray that is below it. I put my change and my cell phone in this and when I went to get the change out, they were all stuck to the container!!! So now I can't leave my cups in the cup holder when I get out of the car, I have to dump what I have out regardless if I have finished it or not! Oh yes, and now my cup holders do not pop down, I have to pull them down myself since the coke had sweat through. The back seat cup holder does not pop out either and I do not know why.
My car runs fine, but there are little things like what I have just mentioned that make this car annoying. It is an extremely cute car and has awesome features on the inside, but I would not recommend buying a VW unless you are will to invest a lot of money fixing it up every time something goes wrong.
I have a 2000 Jetta and I have the same problems the worst is the bumper!!! It sucks I had to zip tie the thing on to keep it from coming off... also my cup holder broke and you have to take out the dash to to put a new one in!! think before you buy a Jetta.
I understand the Crayon odor to be caused by wax sprayed onto the underside of the body panels to control rust. When it gets hot, the wax melts.
I have a 99 new beetle and will not get another VW. I love the way the car drives and handles, and it is heavy and safe, but the maint. has been clearly excessive.
I'm on my 3rd AC in three years- the 2nd failing just four months out of warranty and VW would not budge, the power door locks have been acting funny for about three years- progressively getting worse- the MAF had to be replaced at considerable expense, the voltage regulator had to be replaced at considerable expense, the codes for the ck. engine light cannot be read by independents, the VW logo decals are falling off the hubcaps, the window regulator in the driver door failed, the cat. converter failed internally, the fuel door actuator failed twice in six months, the fuel gauge failed, the rearview mirror switch popped off twice, the heater/ac control unit failed and had to be replaced under the "it's all one unit costing three times as much" policy, the AM reception is poor and VW never informed me of the recall, the vanity light in the driver sun visor shorted out when the car was six weeks old- killing the battery, the rear brake pads the car came with wore out in 30k miles. (and it's not my driving, the rear and front replacement pads are now so old I don't even remember when I changed them last), the headlights are a difficult to svc. yourself, and a steady diet of fuel injector cleaner is required to maintain preformance AND the dealer DID NOT KNOW that the timing belt had to be changed at 60k until I told them so.
Dealer svc. has been abysmal overall- never on time, too expensive, and condescending to the customer (see timing belt example above), except when they forgot to screw the oil drain back in after servicing it and it fell out 20 min later on a major city street, spraying hot oil all over the pavement in rush hour. They did apologize for that, though I regret not requesting a replacement vehicle- which I could have b/c of potential engine damage due to their negligence (this is my first new car of my own, oh what experience teaches!).
Oh, did I mention that the transmission failed at 10k miles. and was replaced under warranty? Of course, the dealer blamed me for putting it into gear while backing up rapidly. Since I once rear-ended a post in another vehicle I have a phobia of backing up too fast, live in an apartment complex with tight parking, and pull into spots at work that don't require the effort to back up, that excuse is just laughable. I believe that it developed a fluid leak, started acting funny (I was going to mention it when I was to have the car serviced at 10k miles not, but a week or two away), and subsequently failed.
In comparison, my father has a very boring Chevrolet that never went into the shop once in six years.
I will keep it and enjoy driving it as much as possible, but I will certainly not get another VW of any kind.
AG.
AG.
I have had most of the same problems - the cup holder, the doors, the bumper coming off. The most annoying one of all was with the CD. I actually just got off the phone with VW because I wrote them a letter explaining the 15 or so things that have broken off my 2000 Jetta. They responded with, "no one else has complained about that" to almost every one - which is so not true just by reading this website.
Anyone out there know how to fix the 6-disk changer? Mine is at the point where it plays for 90 seconds max and then shuts off and says error. And then if you wait about 15 minutes you can hear the other half of the song.
I have a 2001 jetta, 4-valve automatic. I bought it new and have had it ever since. I also have the crayon smell in my car, although 9/10 people say it has a new car smell (I have leather seats), and only until I mention crayons are do they say, "oh yeah! reminds me of my childhood!" I've never had a problem with my cd player. My bumper has never fallen off and I've hit some bad curbs and bumps. I've never experienced acceleration problems either. Once this past winter my ABS light went on. I took it in and all it was was that there was snow covering the sensors (this year had record amounts of snow in the northeast too).
I highly recommend VW's. Since I bought the car new I've never had any major problems. I am very good at keeping my car in good shape though. I do every scheduled maintenance and routinely change the oil, etc. As for recalls, I've only had 2, and they were very minor. In fact both were recalls for replacement light bulbs for the brake lights and turn signal. Not a hassle at all!
Here is the cause of the crayon smell. The link is below. But it seems to be coming from the insulation behind the dashboard. VW will only replace it if you are the original owner. They turned me down alrady, but Its worth a shot if you are the original owner.
http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_80873.html.
Quick lesson in your Dr. Pepper "sweating" through, getting your radio and coins and phone sticky; its called condensation, and you're lying. Condensation is just water. If it really is sticky, you must have spilled Dr. Pepper. I agree that the cup holders are in a terrible spot and that its pretty bad engineering, but I don't beleive that your sweaty Dr. Pepper ruined your radio.
My 2001 Jetta has all the same problems. There is a class action lawsuit about the front bumper pulling off. Mine is so bad now, I can't even drive it for fear of it falling off completely. It is very embarrassing when the bumper catches and scrapes and starts to come off!! This is simply a poorly made vehicle which is sad because they used to be such good cars.
And to the person who wrote the comment about the Dr. Pepper-Cups at fast food restaurants are very cheap and poorly manufactured and I have had actual soda drip from the bottom of the cup into my radio and electric outlet. It is CLEARLY a bad idea to put the cup holder in that place.
I have also had many problems with my vehicle. Unfortunately I bought it used and don't know the prior problems. I have only had it for a year and already have had these problems:
- thermostat and gasket needed to be replaced
-water pump prepellor broke off into the radiator, causing it to clog.
-radiator tubes had holes in them or something
-front bumper breaking off constantly
-when I get to 40mph my car hesitates and it's hard to accelerate, making it very dangerous on the freeway
-check engine light keeps coming on.
I just had about 700 dollars worth of repares done last month. I explained the check engine light, the hesitation, and my breaks were also squeaking. They said my brakes and roter pads were corroded and needed replaced, the replaced the engine light, and said my v-belt was cracked so replaced that. One more fun problem as well, the last place where I had my radiator replaced for the water pump propellor breaking off, they put the wrong fluid in my car. So I had to have my car flushed about 10 times until they thought it was clean. Of course there is no way to prove that the stupid last place put the wrong fluid in so it must be me that did it right. GRRR.
Well, a month later my brakes are still making noise, when I make wide turns my car makes a weird clicking grinding noise, it still hesitates when I get close to 40 barley letting me accelerate. It pretty much has more problems then when I took it in.
Now just today after work my BRAKE light came on. When I started to drive there was this loud beeping noise. It would only stop when I stopped the car. I had to take it home though I had no other way. I was scared to drive so I called the dealership that took care of my car. He couldin't tell me anything, but bring it in. But, it was almost 7 which is when they close and tomorrow is Saturday and they are booked. What the hell am I supposed to do!? I had to listen to that damn beeping noise the whole hour drive home, of course I have to work in Hollywood.
This is just a huge inconvenience... and it SUCKS.
From the author of the posting.
To the above comment:
I had the exact same problem with my car when it would not accelerate after 40. Although when my car was doing this, it would also jerk whenever I tried to come to a complete stop. Was very odd. A lil while later, my transmission blew from leakage from the engine. Which was causing these problems. This was not cheap I will say the least. A $4000 job with only 55,000 miles on the car. Was very disappointing since I have had all of the other problems with the car.
I have also had to have my Mass Air Flow replaced several times. Every few months it will go out again. Very annoying. It makes the car speed up for no reason when the ac is on. And will also make a wierd noise when I turn off my car.
This car is such a PAIN!
I am trying to find the solution of a heater problem in a 2000
jetta heat does come through the vents, but motor will not blow. I have replaced blower motor checked fuses, I am wondering if it is the control switch.
I have a 2001 jetta gl. I have had a few problems with mine as well. The worst one was my water pump. The propeller inside the water pump is made of plastic and shattered on Thanksgiving on my way home from a relatives house who lives aproximately an hour away from me. As if that wasn't bad enough, it caused a sensor to burn out which was an additional cost. After it was all said and done, I paid over $800 to have it fixed.
My brakes also squeak badly. I had the calipers and pads replaced and they still squeak.
Recently after a rain storm my EPC light came on. I had no idea what that was until I looked in the manual and it said "electronic power control". Apparently it has something to do with the efficiency of the engine and a variety of sensor which all cost $200 or more. The light comes and goes, but when it's on, the car burns more fuel than it should. By the way, does anyone notice that these cars burn oil quickly? I constantly run out of oil before my next oil change (and I don;t have a leak).
Then today, my engine light came on. I just put the ac on for the first time this year and it came on. I'm am not looking forward to seeing what it is that caused it.
I want to get rid of this car!!!
Wow those are a lot of problems, but I have not had any of them besides the crayon smell in my 2001 jetta. so far I have bought two jettas both stick and from private sellers and I have had no mayor problems, plus both of the jettas that I have bought were above one hundred thousand miles. I think the problem here is buying from dealerships they suck, that's why I never go to dealer ships for used cars.
I have 2000 VW Jetta 2.0 engine. I bought it used, however after reading these comments, I'm convinced that it's not only me who is having problems with the car.
Ever since I bought the car, it had no arm rest. I found it strange, but then I thought it must be a design. I was wrong; when I looked up on the Internet, my car was clearly missing a arm rest. Unfortunately the person who I bought the car from doesn't know anything.
I commute a lot; I drive 120 miles everyday for school, so I need some caffeine to keep me up, but no, the car cup holder doesn't pop out, neither the back or the front; it's broken.
The car has no cruise control.
The CD changer - in fact as soon as I load the CDs, it will state CD error or Ck CD, but then afterwards it works fine.
Recently I had a issue with the front bumpers. I parked my car at grocery store; when I came back I was reversing, and I heard a cranking noise. I didn't even hit anything. By the time I came home and looked at my car, the bumper was starting to come off.
Another issue now is the windshield wiper has stopped working. I took it to the local shop as it needs a new motor. So I have a appointment with the dealer on Tuesday, because they know how to install the motor.
I love the way it drives, but maintenance is very costly. I now miss my old Grand Am.
I have a 2001 Jetta 1.8t Wolfsburg, and I have all those problems.
Now my engine light stays on and my throttle response is horrible!
I will never get another VW!
I have a 1999.5 Jetta 2.0 who has had all of these problems. At 100k I had to replace my transmission; first time ever I have to do that in a car. Now I get the hesitation when I hit the gas. I will never buy another VW again; these cars just plain suck!!