Bought the car at 18000 km. One month later and all highway driving, the pedal clutch got stuck to the floor and by the time I could figure out what was going on, find a safe spot to pull over, it really burnt the clutch. VW did not cover the clutch as the warranty for a clutch is only 10000 km although this is clearly a defective problem and NOT ABUSE. My son has been driving a VW manual 2008 prior without a problem.

One month later, went to put in gear, does not work, tried all the gear, it's xmas, out of town, it can't happen again....well yes, now it's the transmission. Of course they said, outside abuse so the warranty doesn't cover the transmission. They mentioned the tire wear as an argument for abuse. They have never seen this before in 30 years! They also said that same phrase when my brother showed up with his bent jack that broke when he was just out from under his car! Well, I guess when you try to figure out what is wrong, that you have that feeling that it can't happen to you, you try to make the car work! So 3,021 dollars later plus the $2000 for the clutch, it 's starting to be expensive to buy a new and safer car that is a 2008 Golf.

Never again VW, they make you feel like crap, they blame you, makes you wonder if because they have that big collective recourse for their TDI, they are trying to get away from honoring as much warranty as possible with the excuse of outside abuse because they are in big financial problems. Anyway, we are going to Petites Créances as this is not abuse on the car, I can guaranty that.

I am extremely disappointed in Volkswagen! My expectation was that I would be able to drive this vehicle for a couple hundred thousand miles; however, if I have to replace the clutch every 30,000 miles, I can’t afford that. I am disappointed that VW does not stand behind their product, especially a critical and costly component like a clutch. So much for German engineering. Because I have a long daily commute; I need a vehicle that is reliable, and affordable, which now I have learned the Volkswagen Jetta is not. I am so disappointed, and angry. I will not buy (or lease) another VW. I will however, encourage everyone I can to avoid VW, because they don’t stand behind their reputation. I think with the resent recalls and my experience with the failed clutch they have proven that they can no longer make a reliable vehicle.

I called VW Customer Care to see if the parts were still under warranty. They told me that the warranty was for 12 months or 12,000 miles.

Picked up my brand new Jetta on November 02, 2015. It had 95 km on delivery (extensive PDI, I guess). Within 10 km, smoke was coming out from under the hood and the distinct smell of clutch burn was seeping into the cabin. At this point, the clutch pedal was almost to the floor, and the gears started failing to engage. I managed to pull over the vehicle on a bike path. The vehicle was no longer driveable, and the smell of burnt clutch was noticeable for an entire city block. I brought the car back to the dealer with roadside assistance and they were gracious enough to drive me back home. I get a call the next day from the dealer and I was immediately quoted $1900 + tax for the repairs. No possibility of warranty coverage. I was accused of doing this myself and was told that they can show me how a clutch can be burned in 45 seconds. I previously owned a Honda Civic with a manual transmission, which I drove for 135,000 km, with no sign of clutch wear. The dealer sold me a story about Civic having cable clutches, which are apparently less sensitive than hydraulic clutches, and that a heavier more torquey vehicle like a Jetta requires more delicate handling. I checked. The 1999 Civic 1.6L has a hydraulic clutch. VW Canada was useless. They opened a file but left the burden of the eligibility of warranty repair to the dealer. Long story short, I advised them that I was taking my vehicle away to have it evaluated elsewhere, and, all of a sudden, the dealer told me that VW was receiving sporadic complaints of other clutch failures due to a weak and defective pressure plate and that VW wanted to send a technician to evaluate my clutch, for a possible warranty repair. I reluctantly authorized this evaluation, with hopes of VW honouring its warranty.

After their alleged "inspection" and the parts travelling to Toronto and back, I was told that my vehicle was not part of this "problem", and I was given a revised estimate, with labour at corner garage rates and parts at cost. With my transmission scattered on different benches in their workshop, I authorized the repairs.

My car was at the dealer for an entire month, pending resolution of this file. When I called VW Canada, they had no record of any visit, only to tell me that the repairs are not covered, because it was assessed that "external factors" caused the damage.

The first month, I felt like I was driving a time bomb. I even took a manual driving lesson, just to validate my technique. The instructor's words were: "there is nothing that you are doing that could've possibly burned that clutch. VW f* you!" I am at 9000 km now and I am less worried about a second clutch failure, although the stories I read here are making me second guess the fate of my new clutch.

Let's wish it a long life!

After having driven manual Volks for around 20 years in Europe without any significant problems, I decided to lease a manual Jetta from Volks Dublin. BIG MISTAKE. First off, the front mirror was already cracked! Then, while on a busy highway on my way to work, the car stopped working as the vehicle didn't change into gear WITHOUT ANY NOTICE OR AN LIGHT WARNING on the dashboard. Thank God I was on a downward slope, which allowed me to navigate to shoulder.

After the Dublin dealership inspected car they said clutch was completely worn off and asked if anyone, eg my Wife, had used my car. I replied only me. They then said I caused the problem by improperly driving it!!!!

I don't believe them at all as they are apparently blame-shifting, and this still doesn't explain why I didn't get any warning, or I NEVER would have gone on the highway for a 1 hour drive which could have been very dangerous. Rather, I believe this is a manufacturer defect, as this car was NOT assembled in Europe, and am very curious if its been recalled?

Update from Oct 12, 2016: Again, my car broke down (at still less than 10 000 miles) on a busy road as the gear SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING? NOTHING?NO WARNING. A cop had to push me on the shoulder. I remember even when I bought this car , which is supposed to have been brand new, there were problems with the mirrors. Are they using recycled parts or what? At this point, Im looking for a lawyer.

Update from Oct 13, 2016: The same problem happened again, on a busy highway. A cop had to push me to a safety area. So far, DUBLIN dealership not taking any responsibility and initially, didn't even want to give me a loaner, yet expect me to pay for their criminal negligence.

Added as historical reference - Bought brand new in Jul 2015, car wouldn't move on morning of 8/5 and had to be towed to VW Dealership. Was told after examination by the service adviser that the clutch needed to be replaced and it was due to my spouse's "abuse" of the clutch and literally driving the car to "death". The car had only 2,500 miles on it and had only been driven a month. VW Corporate sided with the dealer and I was forced to put in a new clutch. At the time, let it slide because I didn't want to fight it but should have known better.

Bought brand new in Jul 2015, took in for service complaint on 2/1/16 with gear shift sticking between 1st and 2nd gear. Was told after examination by the service adviser that the clutch needed to be replaced. This will be the second time in less than 6 months that the clutch has to be replaced and the service adviser said again that it was due to my spouse's "abuse" of the clutch. The car only has 17,300 miles on it.

The service adviser recommended I sell the car and get one with an automatic transmission. They refused to admit that their may have been a design problem with the car or that they had an issue with the first repair. In fact, they did not look at the clutch at all. This car will soon qualify as a lemon under the current lemon laws. VW needs to address this issue properly instead of just siding with the service adviser because he knows vehicles.

New Volkswagen Zetta car clutch fails in just 3000 km running ! I am driving various brand cars since last 30 years and never faced such issue. Volkswagen tells me it is wrong driving ! Not owning up to the problem of poor design or manufacturing defects. I regret going for this brand. Looks like this company only cheats their consumer. But they don't know that they are loosing trust of their consumers and will loose business tremendously through bad word of mouth.

I recommend, no one should go for this car, not worth it to spend so much and get this kind of quality.