Problems with 2001 Volkswagen Jetta ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When i activate the turn signal, right or left, the signal will blink at an irregular interval and then die. this interval is not fixed...its random. sometimes the light will blink for a while, sometimes it will blink once and die. it's the emergency flasher switch. i have not corrected it yet. i've looked at the fuses, all are socketed properly and not blown. i've looked at all 6 lights closely, and they are working and appear to be shining with the same intensity. *jb

Regular usage of car resulted in having to repair and replace the spark plug cables on my car. *ak

While at 65 mph in left lane engine and all electricity failed, unable to signal other motorist while i moved the car to safety. there was no warning. the dealer said it was battery and charged me $250, after my mechanic couldn't find anything wrong. many problems with oakland dealer before this. *ak

Owner was driving the volkswagen and observed smoke coming out of the dash vents and from underneath the dash. vehicle caught fire and fd responded and extinguished fire. fire then erupted again and fd personnel cut the battery cables. fire originated at center of dash behind radio and climate control panel. *nm

Using cup holder above cliamate control and radio lead to short circuit of climate control and the functionality of my radio. the buttons on ghe radio does not work as it use to. i will replace the climate control as soon as i can save up over $600.00 not to include labor. *ak

Upon exiting the highway my car suddenly turned off. i had to coast and veer off to the side of the road, just narrowly avoiding being hit by two cars. i was able to start my car again, but was only able to keep the engine running by revving it so that it had a high rpm. the only way that i was able to keep the engine running whenever i reached traffic, a stop sign, or a stop light was to shift from drive to neutral and revving my engine. i had my car towed to volkswagen, and the problem was an ignition coil failure. this is the same part that the six cylinder jettas were recalled by volkswagen for, but was only given a 10,000 mile extension on the four cylinder jettas. this is particularly troubling because the part "goes" without any warning. i narrowly avoided an accident with my 18 month old son seated in the back of the car. vw charged me a little over $1,000 for parts and labor. i was, and remain, extremely dissatisfied, and have reported the incident to vw's 1-800 number. the representative agreed that the four cylinder jettas should be recalled as the six cylinders have, but that vw only offers the 10,000 mile ignition coil extension for the four cylinder jettas in the mean time.*ak

I have a volkswagen jetta 2001 vr6 with a bad coil. i found an article from feb 2003 released by vw saying all 2001 and some 2002 & 2003 models were being recalled for the coils. when i called vw they said in does not apply to my model. while searching the internet it seems this is common for those year and obviously the coil is faulty.

While starting up the vehicle engine check light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. this caused the vehicle to stall. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the ignition coil needed to be replaced. *ak

Vehicle misfiring like a chocking sound and jerking while emitting black smoke from exhaust. vehicle stalls and service engine light comes on. vehicle starts after several sttempts. vehicle stalls in middle of intersection while turning left.*ak

i have had numerous troubles with the control module having codes in it. right now, i have a p0411 code, secondary air flow. the ecm has been replaced already, leading me to believe that there's trouble for me down the road!*ak

Upon starting the vehicle a shear bolt associated with the ignition switch broke without vehicle being involved in a collision. if this occurred while driving vehicle would stop running. *ak

Owner was driving volkswagen and noticed sparks coming from the glovebox area. he pulled over, opened the glovebox, but saw only smoke. he then opened the hood and observed flames on the left side of the bulkhead/firewall. fire burned throughout the passenger compartment, the front undercarriage, and part of the engine compartment. cause undetermined. *nm

At no time do the hazard lights or the signal lights work. at first, the problem was intermittent, but soon became permanent. dealer wanted to charge the consumer to check to see what the cause of the problem was. *ak *nm

Replacement of coil pack on my 2001 jetta glx. *mr the consumer requested reimbursement. there were also electrical problems. *sc

Brake lights turn on while car is parked and remain on until battery drains. much as described in nhtsa action number ea03002 . this occurred in a 2001 vw jetta. dealer insisted that offending switch was only covered in vw beetle. curiously switch was replaced by 1jo945511d. *nlm

At 28,000 miles the electronic odometer has failed. it is not covered under waranty, the repair will cost $500+ and the car true millage unknown.

Jetta 1.8 t 2001 has been in the shop now at least six times to be fixed. even though coils were replaced, the car continues to shutter and stall at least three days a week. the dealer asked for one more chance to fix the vehicle -- they failed and now are saying i must bring the car in to "prove" the problem. the problem occurs about 70% of the time though so may not display such a problem when and if i do bring it in again. vw should be professional and deal with this huge national problem better -- they expect consumers to believe that they would spend weeks and loaner cars to fix a problem they never have really experienced. your consumer is not stupid vw! thousands of owners will not back down or ho away. i intend to file a lemon law complaint. *nlm

2001 vw jetta vr6 - car started shaking a lot upon start up and lost all power when i tried to pull away from an intersection. was told it was a coil pack that needed to be replaced and that it wasn't covered under the recent vw service bulletin because my coil pack was from a supplier that was experiencing less problems than the ones they are replacing (despite the fact that the part had been on back order for 2 weeks). their press releases and website say that they are notifying all 2001 and 2002 jetta owners which is not true. my car is a 2001 jetta and i was told that my failure was bad luck and that my car and others like mine would not have the part replaced by vw even though they are replacing the same part from a different supplier in the same year and style vehicle as mine. i believe they should expand their recall/service bulletin to cover a wider range of jettas as it appears to me to be a part problem not a supplier problem. i've also heard (via internet message boards and the service department that i went to) that this a common problem in 2000, 2001, and 2002. this could be very dangerous if it happened when i was pulling onto the merritt parkway or a busy intersection instead of out of my street. the car just bounces forward a little bit, shakes violently, loses almost all power, and dies.*ak

Myself and three other passengers were nearly hurt on the highway when my vw started acting up. the check engine light came on and then the power dwindle. it was very scary! took the vehicle to the dealer and it was found to have a defective ignition coil. i called vw and informed them of this and they said they would review it but couldn't guarantee that they would cover the cost. *nlm

My 2001 vw jetta just rolled 30000 on the odometer. i have heard that there are problems with the brake pads on the rear of the car. i had to pay $350 to get the pads replaced and get the rotors refinished. i don't drive the car unusually hard and did not expect the brakes to go so quickly. also, this past winter, all of the spark plugs were shot. this not surprisingly occurred right after the warranty expired. i have had numerous little problems with the car since i bought it. i am leaning toward never looking to purchase a volkswagen again. *jb

I have a 2001 volkswagen jetta gls vr6. in april of 2003 i experienced problems with my car where especially in wet conditions, the car would hesitate and misfire then the check engine light would blink on and off. it got to the point where it was difficult to drive because it was losing power. i took it to the dealership and they diagnosed it as the ignition coil pack was bad. they explained that this was an expensive part and that it would cost over $1300.00 to repair and was not covered under warranty. i did some research and found that many similar volkswagens were having the same problems and the manufacturer had a recall out on the coil pack. i contacted volkswagen and they claimed that my engine was not a part of the recall but that they would give me a courtesy and cover the cost of the repairs. in october of 2005 i began to have the problem with my car again. i brought it back to the dealership and again they diagnosed that my ignition coil pack was bad. i again did research and read several articles online that vw was recalling the coil pack for my particular model. i contacted vw and they would not do anything about it because in their system, my car didn't qualify. i explained that there has only been about 20,000 miles put on the car since the last occurance and to no avail would they help me out. they say that because of the age and mileage on my car they would not do another courtesy and because my vin number does not qualify for the coil pack recall, it will not be covered under the recall. i have had several other friends with vw jettas the same year as mine and they have had the same problem. why hasn't vw listed my car in the recall. having this issue twice in the short lifespan of the car signals that there is a default in the part and it should be taken care of by the manufacturer. *nm

The ac/heat temperature control panel no longer illuminates. *jb

Dear sirs: complaint against: volkswagen (vw) of america, rochester hills, mi burlington vw (bvw) and enterprise car rental (ecr), both in burlington, nj. "in order to minimize inconvenience to customers during repair, (vw) will offer alternative transportation at no cost." - from vw website, ignition coil problem. i own a 2001 vw jetta wolfsberg t1.8. purchased: 8/23/01. current mileage: 17,200. warranty: until 8/23/03. on 3/1/03, the 2nd engine malfunction occurred. one ignition coil malfunctioned & the car was towed to vw. when a new coil became available, car was repaired on 3/11/03. vw allowance for rental cars is $25/day. i couldn't find a rental at this price. bvw has arrangements w/ ecr (open m-f) next door on rt. 130 -- vw customers can get a car for $25/day. thought i had insurance through my credit card, so i turned down loss damage waiver ($13/day). ecr found damage on car. i am uncertain how or when damage occurred. i told them i would call my credit card company, and was told they wouldn't cover me -- i didn't pay for the rental. why wasn't this made clear at the time of rental by bvw or ecr? i contacted vw to ask them why they don't notify their customers of this pitfall, and they said they should not have to -- vw customer care # 30127362. i have $500 deductible on my insurance, cost of damages to rental $548.90, includes loss of use. i will pay ecr in good faith. only one coil (of 4) replaced 3/11/03. another one will likely malfunction, leaving me stranded at any time. because i had insufficient insurance, i paid $548.90 this time. what will i pay next time? what are my rights in dealing with volkswagen? if parts were readily available on my car, which is under warranty, i would not have had to wait ten days for car repairs. all four ignition coils should have been replaced at one time for my safety. right now i have a new car that is unreliable. *jb

My speedometer started bouncing up and down. one second it would register 25mph the next it would register 100mph. it would do that frequently. the fuel gauge acted funny as well. it would move left and right. finally the speedometer stopped working completely. the fuel gauge works ok now. i have read about what the problem is. the coolant migration system is faulty. the coolant bottle leaks fluid onto the electrical wiring harness which in turn acts as a vacuum and the coolant makes its way all the way to the ecm. after it reaches the ecm it makes all the electrical components act funny. this could be dangerous considering it may be the cause of air bag deployment which i have heard. my wiring harness on my coolant does have coolant on it. which has stopped my speedometer. thankfully my airbags haven't blown(yet). please consider this serious issue. thank you for your time. ~chad~*ak

Consumer states that while driving and with no warning vehicle will stall, and it will be hard for the consumer to control the vehicle. the ignition coil has failed. dealer notified.*ak

This is to lodge a complaint against vw...am forced to drive my 2001 jetta despite the fact that my ignition coils could fail at any time...although it appears vw doesn't want to admit it, this is clearly a safety issue..these cars should be recalled. ts

Coil pack failure - loss of engine power while driving on interstate.

Ignition coils on new volkswagen 1.8t motors are horrible. i know it's a nation wide problems, so why hasn't anything been done about it yet!!!!!!!??????? i'm tired of wondering when and where my car will break down... something needs to happen

Just had my coil pack fail on me and will be taking it to the dealer to get replaced.

Ignition coil failure, cylinder #3 june 4, 2001 at 6324 mi. spark plug failure, cylinder #3, january 10, 2002 at 16,245 mi. ignition coil failure, cylinder #4, april 22, 2002 at 17, 481 mi. ignition coil failure, cylinder #3, july 10, 2002 at 19,597 mi. ignition coil failure, cylinder #4, january 14, 2003 at 24,782 mi.

When i started the car after a couple of days it was running really rough. gradually it was losing power and the check engine light started flashing. when i got out of the car the exhaust smelt really bad. when i took it to the dealer the following day, he informed me that it was a ignition coil pack failure and that this problem was really common with the 1.8l turbo engines. he also informed me that there was a national backlog with the part as there had been many failures and that i would have to wait atleast 2-3 weeks before the part would be available. i would consider this failure to be a safety issue because if the car had lost power in a busy road or a freeway it would have created a dangerous situation.

Ignition coil failure - the ignition coil in 2001 volkswagon jettas is defective. vw knows of this problem and have done nothing remedy this problem. there are 4 coil in the car and only one has gone bad, that leave 3 more ready to die. i have lost faith in my car since i know it will fail me soon. vw shoudl be forced to recall this part and place it with a working part.

While traveling on the highway the vehicle started shaking and vibrating without prior warning. due to the ignition coil. please fill in additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts

Coil failed on 2001 vw jetta 1.8 t, at 18400 miles,manufacturor defect,vw is having the coil remanufactured. dealer says part could take up to 2 months because of back orders.this simply states they can't keep up with the supply and demand as so many have to be replaced. part should be recalled and dealer replace all 4 coils.

I own a 2001 jetta 1.8t wolfsburg. the car had a coil pack failure on november 28, 2002 and again on december 30, 2002.

On several occasions, while driving, the check engine soon light came on, the vehicle started to shake and the vehicle had no power. two of the four ignition coils had failed and were replaced. consumer felt it would have been more cost effective if all four ignition coils were replaced. however dealership claimed that was against company policy. *tt *nlm

Electrical ignition coil failed while traveling in a remote area. ts

While driving ignition coil failed causing vehicle to break down creating a safety hazard. manufacturer is aware that coils are defective but will not replace until component fails. ts

While traveling on the highway the check engine light appear on the dashboard. causing the coil pack to leak oil. please provide additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts

I had a coil pack burn out on my 2001 vw jetta - it has 21000 miles. it appears to be a known problem and many people are experiencing this failure. vw (and audi) will only replace coils when they individually burn out. vw/audi should recall and replace all coils either at the time of burn out or before it becomes an issue. the number of people who have had this problem suggest that the coils are either defective or the design of the vehicle is faulty. the manufacturer should be responsible for this even if the vehicles warranty has expired. ts

Ignition coil failures on my 2001 jetta gls 1.8t. 3 coils failed leading to a very dangerous driving situation where i could not accelerate out of a potentially dangerous situation. vw changed only 3 coils, saying they were having problems with ignition coils, but will not change a part unless it fails. the 4th coil failed yesterday, 12/17/02 and vw is out of coils nationwide. i spend quite a bit of time on many vw and audi car owner web-boards and the problem is running rampant. check www.vwvortex.com, www.audiforums.com to name a few, then do a web-search in archived items in the audi forum or specific chat rooms in the vw forum. this problem will costs lives if it is not addressed immediately.

Number (4) coilpack on my 2001 vw jetta wolfsburg went bad and the car was rendered undrivable until i used another form of transportation to get to a nearby dealer to buy a replacement

The vw jetta 1.8 turbo motor has coil-packs that continually fails. my car is 1.5 years old and has for thru 4 coilpacks. when a coilpack dies, it causes the car to not really run, on 2-3 cyclinders vs 4. . thus leaving you stranded. i used to work till mid-night and drive 50+ miles each way to work. due to coil-pack failures i have been left stranded twice after midnight. this is very fustrating. you never know if you car will make it home. nothing like buying a brand new car, and having more porblems than my used previous car.

Smoldering fire put out with fire extinguisher. may be related to antilock brake system recall. will contact dealer and manufacturer.*ak

The number of misfires and failed coilpack's on my '01 vw jetta 1.8t is ridiculous. i know of several people going through the same thing. when the car was under warranty is was in the shop at least 3 times for the same misfire problem and now that i'm out of warranty the problem is still very persistent. vw needs to officially recall these coil packs with something that works properly. this problem is going to affect my ability to pass my state emissions testing and seriously effects my driveability and reliability.. vin # [xxx]... information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

When driving at night headlight system would dim poorly when operating other electrical switches such as power windows, wipers etc. dealer was notified, and stated that was normal. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

No summary. dt

Consumer states that when starting the vehicle the alarm sounds and horn goes off and lights flash on and off for about 10 minutes. this also happens when opening doors to exit the vehicle. also the illuminated entry and the power door locks were not working. the dealer has replaced wiring and relay in the doors, the radio ignition switch, and door lock, however the problem still exists. the dealer now states that there is nothing further they can do. nlm front bumer pulled loose. bumper and lower facia reinstalled. *tt

Consumer lost power when starting the vehicle. also, when driving vehicle hesitated. the ignition coil was replaced at least twice on recalls. manufacturer told the consumer to change the gasoline. however, vehicle still operated in the same manner. *ak

Epc light came on, could not get car out of park, abs light came on, brake light came on, epc light came on again, mil light came on, window needed to be replaced-cable assembly failed & could not operate window, turn signals became inoperable, engine cover clamp loose, radio shorted out, epc light came on (again--3rd time!!) and again could not get car out of park, battery dies and drains car due to shortage in drivers door latch assembly, air-conditioning fails. could not drive car. had to have brake light switch replaced 3 times!! note, car was only 2 1/2 months old upon first incident. *nm