Problems with 2001 Volkswagen Jetta SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

I've come to my car several times and have found the brake lights on. after depressing the brake pedal several times, they come off, but managed to come on again after closing the door. more disturbing, however, is the fact that when the vehicle is on, your foot does not have to be applied to the brake pedal to shift out of park; it assumes your foot is on the brake. this is definitely not good; not to mention the drain on the battery. have there been similar problems reported?*ak

Abs light came on at startup, contacted dealer service and told them of the problem, asked if safe to drive. they replied yes without abs. drove 30mi home, stopped and shutoff car, 1minute later, large amounts of smoke from under hood and in cabin. fire dept responded. no visible flame, but burned wiring was evident. dealer has only confirmed so far that the abs controller, pump and wiring harness has shorted out.*ak

I have had nothing but problems after purchasing my brand new 2001 v.w jetta. i had vehicle only 6 months and it left me stranded due to malfunction of emission control sensor. 5 months after that, ignition lock cylinder was inoperable, needing them to repair. 2 months later, owned for 1 yr 1 month, car was burning a lot of oil so consumption test was done and determined to be true,that the car was in fact consuming abnormal amount of oil. as "a courtesy to me, the customer" volkswagen replaced piston rings, rod bearings and deglazed cylynder walls. they had my car 6 days to rebuild engine. 6 months later car was shaking really bad when driving on the freeway, took it in and service technition discovered that rear brakes were warped and rear brake pads had "premature wear." those were replaced. throughout this course of time the passenger brake light had been replace 2 times,air condition vent was not working and had to be remove and install new center air outlet,armrest broke and had to be replaced, glove compartment latch broke, and the brake lights have gone out and been repaired numerous times but are still faulty,not working at this time. volkswagen has treated me as though i was the one inconviencing them!! i regret purchasing this vehicle and will continue discouraging anyone from ever buying a volkswagen! i don't feel safe in this car!! after doing some research i see now that i am not alone. knowing there are many other vw's on the road with the same mechanical problems my car, i'm concerned with the safety of others as well as myself! *la

while driving windshield wipers quit. also, abs light illuminated. took vehicle to dealer, and they couldn't duplicate problem. please provide any further information.*ak

The vehicle experienced a total brake failure. the pedal offered little resistance, and sank to the floor. an accident was avoided by emergency procedures. the throttle was also inoperative. after bringing the vehicle to a eventual stop, the brakes slowly returned to normal, mushy at first, then to original feel. not an expert at diagnosis, but it would appear that the "brain" that controls throttle and the abs systems experienced a temporary failure. no indicator lights were dispalyed to indicate any form of failure. needless to say, this was an "exciting" experience for a couple of minutes!!!. *ak

While driving in rush hour traffic the master cylinder failed resulting in loss of braking ability. nlm

Brake do not engage properly, consumer was informed on the first visit that there was an air pocket in the brake system, new brake fluid was added and the brakes were rebleed, however consumer began experiencing the problem again and the dealer found that the master cylinder was leaking which was replaced, consumer is again experiencing the same problem.*jb

Since i have had my jetta i have had to keep oil in the trunk because the car burns oil, i was told by the dealer that it is normal for a car to use that much oil, i have had to have the brake switch replaced, the arm rest latch replaced, cd player replaced twice, my passenger rear brake lights burn out regularly (only passenger side), my key in the ignition alarm and lights left on alarm turned and stayed on everytime i drove my car. the dealer's solution to all these problems was to downgrade my car and buy a vw beetle. i purchased a 2002 used beetle - dealer allowed me take car and promised to fix anything on the following monday. there was a light on the dash that was lit up called epc - i asked the dealer what the light was for and they said that the alignment needed to be adjusted no big deal they would fix it when i returned on monday. i drove the car off the lot got about 20 miles for the dealership and the car died on the freeway!!!!! while waiting for the tow truck i read in the car manual that epc stood for electric power control - it said if this light goes on do not attempt to drive - tow to dealership immediately - after that i marched right back to the dealer and got my jetta back - however i still have all of the above problems and few to add to the list defective electric window, noisy brakes when in reverse even after brakes were replaced. i can't wait to turn the piece of @#$%# in to the dealer when my lease is up and walk away - i just feel sorry for the fool they turn around and sell it to! *la

Vw dealer refuses to provide a solution to this problem, nor do they recognize the brake failures. the vehicle's fuel injectors have not been repaired and was serviced on 11-28-01 by the dealer. they refuse to cooperate with me in working these matters out in a fair manner. *ak

Transmission replaced on february 8, and abs sensor replaced on february 21. brakes had failed. *ak

While driving down at steep incline vehicle would not stop. also, expierenced a problem while traveling at 50 mph, consumer tried to brake, and pedal went to the floor.*ak