2.5
hardly worth mentioning- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 60,375 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
My 2000 Jetta is locking and arming automatically. Recently, I opened my passenger door (driver's side) and put my 3 month old baby in her car seat. When I shut the door and reached to open the driver's door the doors locked and armed. Thankfully I had my keys in my hand and was able to quickly unlock and get into my car, but I shudder to think what could have happened to my child if it had been a hot summer day and I couldn't get into my car quickly enough. This has happened several times (intermittently) within the last two months. When I contacted my local dealerships service department I was told that the problem is a faulty door latch and that this is a common problem with VW cars. This was upsetting not only because my child could have been hurt, but because I had just replaced another door latch just prior to the birth of my child. I?M not sure why the service department didn't check the other door latches at that time, but I think that should be standard practice as these can become dangerous if unfixed. Until I can afford the $400 to fix the door latch (or buy a new car at this point) I no longer lock my doors or use my remote in order to prevent this from happening again. However, even if service department replaces my door latch I am not confident that this will not happen again. In talking to people who have serviced VW cars I have learned that this is a recurring problem. I understand that car parts stop working at some point; however what they should not do is turn the car into potential death trap. It is frightening to think that my child could become trapped in my car because of this problem. I also don?T feel that simply replacing the door latch with another possible faulty door latch will fix this problem or restore my confidence as a VW driver. As a parent I want to feel secure that the car I drive will be safe for my family. I feel that this issue requires further attention from VW and the us department of transportation.
- Meridian, ID, USA
1) vehicle comfort module spontaneously failed. This happened while driving the car! 2) a majority of the functions controlled by this module failed, including alarm going off while driving, fuel cap release not working, door locks, trunk release, etc. All failed. In the middle of the freeway, the alarm went off and there was nothing I could do to turn it off. Called emergency roadside service and they showed me how to disable the alarm (turn the key in the door lock on and off several dozen times). However none of the other functions worked, most serious was that the fuel cap could not be opened. I had to get this fixed before I ran out of fuel! 3) took the vehicle to the dealer. They replaced the comform module and most of the system operational again. 4) however over time, one by one various systems starting malfunctioning again. Within weeks, one of the rear door locks wouldn't close automatically. Later the trunk release didn't work with the remote. Then the interior lights wouldn't go off automatically. Other door locks stopped functioning, etc. 5) since the car was out of warranty and these were not crucial functions, I lived with these failures. But now I'm uncomfortable driving the car, not knowing where again in the middle of nowhere, everything stops working again. 6) I called Volkswagen and described this. They said I would have to go to a dealer to have the problem diagnosed and fixed at my own cost. They said that since the vehicle was out of warranty, they could not help fix this. I argued that this was a core component that failed - not due to wear and tear or misuse, but they still said sorry!
- Short Hills, NJ, USA
A wax melted out of the doors of the car, then a few days later the right passenger window made a screaching noise then dropped down into the door while electrically rolling it up. All other windows are making the same noise so I can't use them in fear I they too will fall down into the door. Sun roof cover came off the track while shutting it. The lever that you push to open the arm rest popped off while opening it. The drink holder first kept sticking inside the consul, then it slowly broke apart. The dealership is going to charge me hundreds of dollars to fix these things that shouldn't have broke in the first place. My warranty expired after only 24000 miles. My coolant (water) pump just broke last week, but they fixed it because it was covered under the powertrain warranty. That shouldn't have needed repair either. I'm in need of help and I don't like the way this dealership is treating me. This car is an expensive piece of junk. I'm waiting for the next problem to happen. Thanks for your help!
- Huntington Beach, CA, USA
- Kissimmee, FL, USA