Problems with 2001 Volkswagen Jetta ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Takata recall -the vehicle

My abs light has been on and i don't know how to get it to turn off. my traction control light has been on and don't know how to get it off. i have bought a new coil pack and spark plugs and spark plug wires and now my check engine has came back on.please help me with this car.thanks.god bless u.

The abs light came on and the brakes soft as a marshmallow not warning notice got stopped and there was a hissing noise but no brake fluid on any of the brakes...... i've also been having issues with after replacing the water pump it keeping fluid in it also using the geico discount equipment to see how my driving is the engine light and the one above that the looks like a triangle.... did the diagnostic came up with a 1000 code and one other the deal didn't find the 1000 code but reset with no luck turning them off after service. *tr

Raining not hard . wipers slow down . complete stop of wiper action. no prior notice of bad operation first thought was fuse. was not the fuse. *tr

I bought this car used in 2003 and had problems with it since. esc light comes on all the time. replaced ignition coils, mass air flow sensor, oxygen sensor, and spark plugs multiples times to try and fix the check engine light that keeps coming back on. it keeps spitting out random cylinder misfire codes. passenger side window broke. the arm rest hinge broke. the glove compartment hinge broke. brake lights need replacing constantly. water pump broke while driving in the middle of freeway and the temperature gauge shot through the roof. a random tube/hose in the engine broke. transmission problem, could not shift from park to drive. interior cabin smells like crayon. very rough idle, need to warm up the car for at least 5 mins every morning or else the car will stall. i noticed if you do not warm the car long enough, you have to press the brake pedal very hard to get it to stop. i can cope with all the above issues but i cannot tolerate the car randomly stalling/engine dying while driving around the city. lately the car is making weird noises like it ran over a pothole. i gave away the car and will never again own any cars made from volkswagen. *tr

My jetta will not start after no signs of an issue. i've had it towed twice because of this issue to pep boys (per warranty company) and was able to drive it home but that is it. they told me that it seemed as if something was draining the battery. i've taken the battery to place of purchase and results were good and the battery is fine. pep boys recommends i take car to vw dealer. this is tough on my family and i because this is our only car and no one can tell us the reason why our car doesn't work. car was purchased 7/24/2010. *tr

Lock unit for central locking drivers side front vw part f220 switches indicating a "door open" status fail on a regular basis on units manufactured between 1999 and 2001. vw redesigned the part in 2002, but offered no corrective action for vehicles with the flawed design. when the switch is inoperable, the lamp on the door does not illuminate when the door is opened, making it invisible to oncoming traffic. in addition, the dome light does not illuminate when the door is opened. finally, since the car does not sense that the door is opened, it will re-lock itself after 30 seconds, potentially stranding a driver outside the vehicle.

While driving at a steady speed the accelerator pedal will depress by itself making the vehicle accelerate. the problem goes away when the brake pedal is depressed (so far). this started happening about a couple of months ago. it's done it maybe 4 or 5 times. *tr

Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) : the malfunction indicator light never go off after started the engine. *tr

Slight smell of smoke in 2001 vw jetta while driving. parked car at home and returned to car aprox. 30 minutes later to find cabin full of smoke/smoldering from area behind right rear seat. disconnected battery positive terminal and put water on smoldering area to extinguish fire. 8-10 inch hole burned completely through right side of rear deck. upon my initial inspection it appears to have initiated from the center brake light wiring. *tr

There were no events leading up to the failure. the epc light comes on sporadically, thus making you lose power in the middle of traffic. it is very scary when you have no power in rush hour traffic and you have to pull the car over and restart hoping the light will go off until you can get to your destination. the check engine light stays on all the time for apparently no reason. we have had it diagnosed but with no results. help!! *tr

2001 vw jetta epc light comes on alot. this should be recalled by the manufacturer. car slows down to 20 mph or less. have seen complaints that the car completely shuts down. this is unsafe or myself and my 2 small children. *tr

I own a 2001 vw jetta gls vr6. since i have owned this car i have had problems with it. i am a young woman in the military and am in full time school, so i don't have the money to run around and fix it as much as i have been forced to do. first my gas gauge went out three months after buying it $600(under warranty) then a month later o2 sensor $300(non warranty). then it was the catalytic converter$1500(non warranty) wiring system$1000(of course non warranty) windows wont roll up without rolling down again and sometimes get stuck$700(non warranty) cruise control went out$845 (non warranty), windshield wiper motor... stationed in alaska and couldn't go without that $750(non warranty) now my secondary air pump is out and i was quoted $1294 from private mechanic and $1400 from vw. also the cruise is still out and the windows are doing the same again. i have talked to many people in the same boat i have been in with so many repairs. is there anything that can be done to stop vw from making faulty parts and charging an arm and a leg? i feel though that if it is brought up to you that my voice will be heard, because when i call the volkwagen customer service and complaints i get nowhere. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen jetta. the contact started the ignition and the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the warning indicator remained lit until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic ten times and they stated that the failure was related to the air filter sensor. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 42,000.

Engine idles erratically up to 5000 rpm then loses power while driving. close collisions (rear end) for 2 years. the check engine and epc lights come on and engine malfunctions. in and out of repair shops, including dealership, cost approximately $2,000 in repairs. *tr

Upon starting the car, it idled loudly and roughly. after driving for 2 minutes the car began to buck (as if there were multiple mini stalls while driving). when this bucking/bumping began the check engine light began to flash. the car was then driven to a car dealership service repair shop where it was determined that the ignition coil had failed. the owner, despite taking very good care of the car, will have to pay to get this part replaced. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen jetta. the contact noticed smoke rising from the dashboard. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in november of 2007, where it presently remains. the clock spring was replaced. the most recent diagnostic indicated that the primary failure was the wiring harness and would cost $2,300 to replace. the manufacturer was unable to assist. the current and failure mileages were 97,000. the consumer stated took the vehicle to a private mechanic german auto repair and the vehicle was repaired at the tune of $1896 + $300 deductible. updated 03/07/08 *tr

2001 volkswagen jetta vr6 1. coil pack. models before this had individual coil packs that were recalled due to cracking. this coil pack is enduring the same problems in many jetta's and has yet to qualify as a recall. why?? 2. wiper blades stopped working. i have encountered many people who have endured the same problem where the motor stops working. *jb

I have recently had the ignition coil on my 2001 volkswagon jetta gls vr6 go bad again for the third time. this causes sudden power loss while on the road and could be extremely dangerous on highways or other high traffic areas.

While leaving to run errands with my 1 year old child in the carmy 2001 jetta glx vr6 started losing power as if it would stall. the check engine light and emissions warning lights came on. when the vehicle was taken to mckenna vw they said i had a bad ignition coil, wires, and spark plugs. while researching the problem i found that this is an epidemic level issue with 2001 jettas. a vw press release contained information that they were issuing a recall, however vw refused to include my car in the recall for reasons they will not disclose. they are selectively choosing which cars to fix, although this problem is very wide spread among all their vehicles. please investigate this issue as consumers are getting faced with $1100 bills for each ignition coil defect - i believe mine has 6. this is only the first one, however i've read other complaints that multiple coils are failing causing near-accidents.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the engine intermittently stalled without warning and the brake lights were inoperative. the contact inspected the vehicle, and determined the spark ignition coil and brake light switch had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. there was a nhtsa recall, # 04v096000, regarding the brake light switch. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. the manufacturer was alerted. *ak updated 10/30/2006 - *nm

We purchased our 2001 jetta 1.8l turbo wolfsburg edition in jan of 2003 from a certified used vw dealer. when we drove off the lot, not 5 minutes later, the turbo seemed to fail and we began to lose power, epc light came on, check engine light came on. we immediately took car back to dealer and they fixed problem. everything ran fine until sept 2003 our check engine light came on, shortly after we received notice that there had been a recall regarding ignition coils. we took our vehicle to a local dealership where they replaced the coils free of charge. this solved the light issue for a couple of months, then it came back on again, this time when idling fluctuating between 700 rpm and about 1500 rpm and stalling on occasion. we took the car to a local garage and they ran a diagnostics, cleared the failures to see if that solved the problem, which it did temporarily...ever since we have been running diagnostics trying to determine why our check engine light keeps coming on, each time the problem is temporarily solved. at first the mechanic thought it was the airflow sensor, but once they looked closer determined it was a different problem. we have had corrosion removed, connections cleaned, and our lambda sensor replaced. now our car continues to run and idle poorly and sporadically, the car stalls when you slow, the turbo works on occasion, losses power when accelerating, when car first starts it barely moves with accelerator floored, brakes are very sluggish, sometimes really having to push to get car to stop. no one seems to know what the problem is. everytime we take it in multiple errors pop up, last time there was 17 fault codes, mechanic keeps going down the list of what to check hoping to find the problem. the bill just keeps getting bigger and nothing has been solved. recently think that the original issue and current issues are one in the same as symptoms are becoming more similar. help! *nm

I have a 2001 volkswagan jetta. at least 2 or 3 times, i had my epc light switch came on on the dashboard. each time, i had to pay out of my pockets to get it fix. when the epc light comes on, i cannot get the gear out of park. i have to constantly pump on my brakes to get it out of park. this can take anywhere from 3 minutes to an hour. i seriously believe that there is a defect with this product. i ask other volkswagan owners and they also said that their epc light comes on occasionally. *nm

I've experienced several problems with my 2001 volkswagen jetta glx. i still wonder why it's not a lemon. had problems with the brake switch which was a recall. i also had problems with the check engine light. technicians made diagnostic check and said i needed the heat sensor changed so i did. after a week, check engine light lit up again so i brought it back to the dealership and had another diagnostic check which i paid for again 78 bucks. this time the tech's said i needed the sparks and wires changed because it was shooting blanks. pre-paid for the parts and when the parts arrived, i brought my car back to get it fixed so i did. later, i got call from the service reps and said my ignition coil broke so they had to order that again. after everything was said and done. i just wanted to let my financer to just voluntarily repo the piece of trash. one more break down and i'm hiring a lemon attorney. this is too much. *jb

Cel light would turn on and off. car started to idle bad, sometimes it would not move when cold even with gas fully depressed. then the car began to stall while driving. i took it to the dealer and they replaced the maf but the symptoms are still here and the car is returning to the shop today. i have read many, many accounts of the same issue. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle coolant leaked into the electrical wiring harness. an independent repair shop performed a diagnostic test, but no failure codes displayed. upon further inspection, the mechanic determined there was a coolant migration problem. the electrical wiring harness was corroded due to the coolant leak. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer to await repair.

2001 volkswagen jetta glx vr6. in october of 2004 noticed the engine surging every once in awhile when accelerating. eventually, the mil went on and there was a drastic loss of power. after bringing it into the dealer, it was deemed to be a $700 ignition coil pack. research on the internet found that vw released a recall in february of 2003 stating a recall on all 2001 coil packs. i mentioned this to the dealer, and was told that my vin was not included. i logged a complaint with vw customer care and they did nothing. in march of 2006, the exact same thing happened and once the mil light went on, i brought it into the dealer. this time it was the ignition coil pack, wires and spark plugs and they charged $1200. when i explained i had the same issue 14k miles and 17 months earlier, i was told that they couldn't do anything, as the coil pack was past its 12k mile warranty. the dealer stated they could do nothing for me and again referred me to vw customer care, who could care less as my vin # was not included in the recall. this is completely unacceptable and unsafe, especially due to loss of power and surging. i am in process of writing a demand letter to vw, which will most likely not do much and will force me to take vw to small claims court to repay me for all of the repairs made. *jb

I purchased a 01 volkswagen jetta in july of 04 and in les than a month it began to stall as i was driving, so i pulled over and it could not start again. i got it towed was told it was my battery and got that replaced, then it happened again a few months later and i was told it was my alternator and got that changed. a few month ago the car would not start again, i was told it was my sensors and got that changed, within 2 months it has happened about 6 times and i've had 3 diagnostic tests that reveal nothing is wrong with the car. i don't know what else to do, al least if i know what the problem is i can fix it. but my car keeps refusing to start( for hours at a time) and everyone tells me the car is ok.*jb

I am the second owner of a 2001 vw jetta glx vr6 with approximately 45k miles. i purchased the car in a private sale with 25k miles. initially, when i bought the car it was diagnosed with a bad coil pack, which did not become problematic until approximately 2 months ago. last week, i took the car to the dealer and had a new coil pack installed for $836, which includes a $99 diagnostic fee and $560 for the part. during the past week, i have had a case open with vw customer advocacy regarding the coil problem and yesterday i received their response. they have stated that my vin is not part of the wg coil replacement campaign contrary to the wording of their original press release. please reference tsb 10005665. as a result of this coil problem, i have had my catalytic converter replaced at 25k miles and have had experienced an engine back fire on the highway twice. at this point, i have paid the $836 to retrieve the car from the dealer and i have possession of the faulty ignition coil that was removed from the car. i have also asked vw customer advocacy to send me a written response to my claim. i am sure i am not the only 2001 jetta vr6 owner who has had this problem, only to find that vw is unwilling to stand behind their promise to replace faulty coil packs in 2001-2003 vr6 engine cars. the original customer service action was intended to preempt the issuing of a formal recall and vw is not honoring what they originally promised in having issued only 15 tsb's with a much narrower scope than originally intended. *nm

The evening of january 12, 2006 i was on my way home when a light on the dashboard of my vehicle started flashing and the vehicle began to falter when idle. after arriving home i checked the owners manual and found out that the light indicated a malfunction with the emissions of the vehicle. i scheduled an appointment to have my car serviced on tuesday, january 17, 2006. i received a call tuesday afternoon from vic at victory volkswagen, who informed me that the ignition coil in my car was bad and would need replaced at a cost of over $500.00. vic told me that they had the parts in stock as "this happens all the time". i had no choice but to have my car repaired and the total cost was $761.40. upon searching the web i found a press release from volkswagen/audi in which they acknowledged the problem with several makes and models. within the press release it was stated that vw/audi will begin replacing all ignition coils in cars potentially affected. i also found a defect investigation on the nhtsa website (#dp05004) which stated that vw issued a csc to instruct their dealerships to replace the coil packs in the vehicles at no cost, regardless of their performance. as i did not receive this information from vw i sent a letter to vw asking them to honor the csc and cover the costs for the repairs to my vehicle. i spoke with craig peters and don moritz, both with vw and they refused to honor the csc. they informed me that even though the press release states that "all vw's equipped with the 2.8 liter vr6" were affected, it was in fact, an error and only certain vehicles were affected. *jb

I have a 2001 vw jetta. in the past two years i have had to replace both my brake lights 8 times. including my headlights 3 times. my interior lights work and then they don't. i know i have an electrical problem. i had the car looked at once by the dealer and they said i must have bought a bad bulb! yesterday was the 8th time my brake light went out. *jb

2001 volkswagen jetta vr6. ignition coil failure. my wife was driving at 65 mph in the fast lane of the freeway - near complete power failure. just enough power to struggle over to the hard shoulder. very dangerous situation. from reading the website 'vw vortex' a forum site dedicated to vw owners, this is a very common problem with various vw and audi models and one which could cause (if it hasn't already) a very serious accident. the car cost $1,200 to repair. my wife's nerves will take a lot longer to fix!!!! *jb

The ignition coils on my 2001 v6 volkswagen jetta failed. while volkswagen had announced a recall on all v6 2001 jettas, my car's vin was for some reason not included in the recall. i spent $845 fixing the problem and subsequently had to change the ignition wire set - something that was brought on by the failure of the coils. the car was very unstable and i was very scared to even drive it until my appointment with the auto mechanic. *jb

My complaint involves two separate incidents where i experienced jerking and sputtering from my 2001 vw jetta glx vr6. in both incidents, following the reduced level of engine power i smelled a burning and was forced to stop the car. both times, my car was brought in for inspection and repair to two different vw dealerships. each time, i was advised that the vw ignition coil pack had malfunctioned and had to be replaced. apparently, the malfunction of this part caused other sensors to malfunction as well. also, these parts appear to damage environmental protection equipment. in one incident described above, my catalytic converter had to eventually be replaced. note that the first incident, which is documented, occurred at 34,560 miles. the second incident, which was very similar to the first, occurred at 46,391 miles and is also fully documented. the matter was reported to vwoa and i was informed that any portion of the nearly $2,000 i incurred out-of-pocket would not be reimbursed and there seemed to be no concern by vwoa representatives regarding any damage to emissions devices and/or potential fire hazards, i believe exist due to the malfunctioning of the ignition coil pack. vwoa, in my opinion, is well aware of the many (possibly thousands) of similar incidents across the us and still seek to marginalize it. *jb

My 2001 vw jetta has been in the vw shop 7 times for failed coils they fix it and about 4 months later the check engine light comes on and the engine runs rough. they always say if the part fails they will replace for free, seems everytime we take it in they claim something else caused it. *jb

82,5310.00 just replaced the catalytic converter. we have always had some type of an electrical problem from the beginning. cd player and stereo. cd lcd panel would say no cd in which you would have a cd in the jacket if you kept pushing the button sometimes it would work. at times you can only read half the call letters for stations. rolling down back of the windows you would hear a very loud pressure thumping noise. so loud you could not roll down the window in the back. when you would take the car in. mechanic's always said, it was basically our imagination. *jb

2001 vw jetta 1.8t all ignition coils have failed and there are none available in usa today to replace. apparently this is such a problem for 2001 jetta's. vw can not keep them in stock. repeat there are none as of 09/19/2005 in usa to replace this very common problem. *nm

Yesterday my 2001 volkswagen jetta vr6 started shaking slightly when i started it and at first i thought nothing of it, but as soon as i got out of the parking spot i was in the mil light (malfunction indicator light) came on and emission workshop started blinking on the little screen on my dash. there was a major loss of power when driving the car, i had to nurse it home! i have been reading up on these issues and apparently for vws and audi's (certain models) of the years 2001-2003 have been having the same problem with the ignition coil. the sad thing is, when you actually call the vw service number they ask for your vin and if your vehicle isn't in the span for that recall they do nothing to help you. yet they are supposed to be working on fixing the ignition coil problem with all 2001-2003 models. *jb

2001 volkswagen jetta ignition coils had to be replaced due to a short.*mr the consumer stated there were several incidents with the check engine light illuminating intermittently and the vehicle running rough. *jb

Earlier this year, there was a recall for the brake light switch on my 2001 vw jetta. the dealership replaced this. however, within the last month, the automatic shift lock (asl) has not allowed me to shift out of park on numerous occasions. usually, i am able to wait a minute and the asl light will go off, or i turn off the car or fiddle with the steering wheel. however, three times this past week i have gotten stuck and have had to abandon the car temporarily. the last time, i was finally able to get it out of park and drive it to my local mechanic (i had an appointment with my dealership, but i couldn't get in for a week). he noticed that my brake lights were out again, and believes that the brake light malfunction may be related to the asl malfunction. this may explain why the electronic power control (epc) light turns on whenever the asl light turns on, as it indicates a problem in the electronics. the local mechanic is currently examining the problem. *jb

Dt: the consumer stated 2001 volkswagen jetta had problems with the lights staying on. also had a loss power issue. consumer took vehicle to the dealership to have this problem fixed. after the car left the dealership it ran fine for a couple of hours. then the problem recurred. . the lights were coming back on, and the car was still losing power. the car has been to the dealership twice. the was kept in the shop for three weeks. the car was under warranty both times when the problem occurred. the consumer thought that the dealership was not fixing the car correctly. the first time the car would not go over 5 mph. then second time it would not go over 60 mph, then it took more time than usual to get up to 60 mph. this problem happened for about 3 weeks. the manufacturer has not been contacted at this point. the dealership told the consumer that the problem was electrical . *ak

2001 vw jetta gls 2.0 w/automatic transmission. the car gets stuck in park and will not change into drive or reverse. i was told by the dealer that the brake sensor or the epc (electronic power control) needed to be replaced.

When i started my car to go to work, it started to misfire and run very badly. my husband took it to the dealer to have it checked out. it turned out to be a bad coil pack, #2 cylinder not firing. the technician told my husband that this is a very commen problem for vw. i did an internet search to find out how commen this was. to my suprise, this is extreamly common to vw. there was a recall on the 1.8 turbo motors but none on the 2.8 v6 motor. my concern is why no recall on 2.8 motor if this is so common on this model. please reply. thanks katja herrmann

2001 volkswagen jetta glx vr6. vw released a recall online stating recall on all 2001 coil packs. my coil pack arc'ed as dealer calls it. arc burned up ignition wires, spark plugs and engine stopped running. dealer wanted $900 to replace faulty coil pack and ignition wires and plugs. coil pack not only went out but took out multiple parts. dealership didn't care about the problem nor did vwoa. there is a serious problem here i have read 1,000 of similar claims from jetta owners online. recall should be made and drivers should be repaid for repairs made. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen jetta. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle decelerated to 15 mph and the check engine light illuminated. the contact attempted to accelerate, but the vehicle speed failed to increase. after three minutes, the vehicle speed increased to 35 mph without warning. the dealer stated that the fuel pump needed to be replaced and performed the repair. approximately six months later, the failure recurred. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the check engine light illuminated immediately after leaving the dealer. the mechanic stated that the ignition coil needed to be replaced and performed the repair. the contact stated that there was a recall for the ignition coil, but the recall number was unavailable. the dealer stated that her vehicle was excluded from the recall. the current mileage is 150,000 and failure mileage was 45,000.

My brake lights are constantly going out. i will replace the left and then a month or so later i have to replace the right, or the center brake light or the license plate light. i am replacing about 4-5 lights per year on the rear of the vehicle. *tr also numerous electrical problems. 1/2 of the interior lights are no longer working, and when i unlock the car it will automatically lock on me within 15 seconds unless i start the engine.

2001 volkswagen jetta has a faulty ignition coil wiring harness.*mr the consumer complained engine idle fluctuation and a miss in the engine when accelerating from a stop. *jb

(1) at start up (generally cooler, oregon nights) is when problem occurs, and randomly; (2) car stalls without warning. have been in dangerous situations when turning left or trying to clear intersection when car stalls for no reason. *ak (3) have taken car to dealer many times - they can't figure out the problem. car remains dangerous.

Continuing problem-random occurrences: all doors will lock unexpectedly and alarm system arms itself. this has happened on numerous unexpected occasions without any activation by remote locking key fob. doors will lock with driver or passenger(s) inside or outside the vehicle. attempting to start the engine or open doors will trigger the alarm after the doors have automatically locked and armed. starter is disabled when alarm is triggered. safety concern from being locked out of car unexpectedly. car has locked with keys in the car and driver outside of car, such as at gas station filling tank. panic is induced when driver inadvertently triggers the alarm when trying to start the engine while unaware that the car has automatically locked itself and armed the alarm. fear of small child being trapped inside car when auto locking/auto arming occurs. *jb

This summer my left rear door became inoperable. in late october the turn signals began operating intermittently. on a cold and rainy day this november my 2001 jetta with 37000 miles stalled while making a left turn. i restarted and completed my turn, thinking i had just let out the clutch too fast. the car was a bit sluggish and a 1/2 mile down the road the check engine light came on. i took the car to the dealer on november 30 and was shocked not only at the problems but that they were not coverered by any warranty. the total repair bill was over $1000 dollars. the ignition coil pack needs replaced for $740. the hazard light switch needs replaced for $77. just to find out what is wrong with the door requires a charge of $188 dollars. these problems have been mentioned several times on your website. i guess i just hit the trifecta.*ak