Problems with 2001 Volkswagen Jetta EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Consumer noticed that the brake lights were inoperative. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the brake light switch needed to be replaced. *ak

Car get stuck in park. this is about the fifth time this has happened to my car. normally you press on the brake and the safe switch will release so you can move your car from park. today this happened twice, and i was about an hour late to work, because i had to wait for my car to decide when i could drive it. last year i took the car in because the spoiler light did not work, they then told me that my brake light altogether did not work, so they decided to charge me $75. to fix that. now the brake lights do not work again and $75 is not going to be paid this time. i had that part a little over a year.i've researched in other vw forums and many are having this problem. when the car was on warranty they claimed nothing was wrong, but now even though my car has a little over 35,000 miles on it, and it is a 2001 model it is having all of these problems.*ak

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

My blinkers on my jetta blinked slowly for a second or two then stopped working, consequences could have been severe as i couldn't signal my turns. i took it to a vw dealership who replaced the emergency hazard switch.

Inside of headlamp lens covers becoming cloudy/contaminated due to misture buildup from drl (daytime running lights) use. the continual degradtion to the lens covers from inside the lens results in a continuous loss of projected light during night driving conditions.

The turn signals of my 2001 jetta gave out and i've seen on forums where it says that the emergency light switch is at fault. it seems to be a common problem and i am not a fan of paying money for something that is obviously not my fault.*mr

While driving brake lights malfunctioned. consumer was informed of this by a passing motorist. there was a brake light switch recall 04v090000 issued, but this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak

i have now replaced by brake switch and brake light switch. i'm not sure if they are the same thing but i have replaced them both. the first one was the brake light switch. this was replaced because my lights would randomly turn on. even when parked the lights would remain on. i got it to turn off by wedging something behind the brake so it would not go on. however, i paid $59 for it to get fixed. the other switch, the brake switch was replaced today. the charge was $137. this repair was due to the shifter being stuck in park. i have spent days with this problem and i feel my car should be under the recall. the service representative said that my car did not come up as a recall vehicle. if so many jettas_x0019_ need repairs for this problem why is not my car included in this recall. i experience the same problems as others and i am not being treated fairly. if vw is to keep its good reputation they should reimburse everyone who has similar or exact problems. in both instances the brake switch and brake light switch were replaced. if these are the same item then people should be notified about these problems and they should not be liable to pay for service on their vehicles! *ak

In january of 2003 while stopped at a red light my car was rear-ended. there was minor damage done to my bumper and that was replaced. in april 2004 my car was again rear-ended while stopped at a red light. in this incident the lady behind me was also stopped at the red light and she said her foot slipped off the brake and she hit me. we thought that perhaps she saw the turn lane light turn green and she went. because the damage to my car this time was 4000 dollars. after the accident i found out that none of my brake lights worked, even though only one tail light had been busted. the repair shop replaced the tail light assembly and all worked properly. i believe that my brake lights failed to operate properly causing the accidents. i hadn_x0019_t thought of this possibility until i received the recall notice in may 2004. i have lost time at work, minor injuries & my car will never be as it was prior to this. as of this time nothing has been done to the brake light switch as i am trying to find out how to determine if this is related to my 2 accidents. *ak

I noticed on the incident date that the brake lights were on when the car was turned off and parked. i tried to get the brake lights to go off by gently tapping on the brake pedal, but they would not. i was told by the dealership that it was probably the brake light switch. and that many of their jetta customers were complaining about their brakes lights being on. i was also told that this item was not covered under waranty. this is not a wear and tear item. if this is a common occurence then volkswagen should pick up the cost to repair this malfunction. there should be some kind of recall issued for this occurrence. *ak

My passenger rear brake light has burnt out aproximately five time since i purchased the vehicle - i asked the dealer to inspect to see if there was a short causing the lights to burn out and was told that it is normal wear and tear. funny thing is that my driver's side brake light has never burnt out in three years and i have two friends with the exact same problem same side and everything. *la

Consumer complained about a transmission problem. transmission will not go into reverse. also, consumer was told that there was a problem with the brake light.*ak water intrusion from the driver's side of the vehicle leaving 1/2" of water on floorboard. consumer reporting this condition results in slippery pedals and windows fogging up. *mjj

In nov 2003, our 2001 jetta tdi would not shift out of park, causing myself and my sons numerous times to be stranded. the problem was intermittent. al sanchez vw in gilroy, ca, diagnosed a shifter problem and replaced it. the problem persisted. i continued to discuss it with al sanchez vw, even leaving it with them for one week to drive. i was told the problem was intermittent and they could not duplicate the problem, there was nothing they could do. several weeks ago, the problem again occurred. i phoned a tow company who noted the vehicle stuck in park and mentioned the brake involvement. after turning off the car and fussing with the brake/shifter, it engaged. the next morning, i phoned al sanchez and was told that it shifted fine. later that day, i was told that it got a little sticky.they diagnosed the brake light switch. i have spoke to service advisors and the service manager. they maintain the position that the shifter needed replacing in nov 2003, and now the brake light switch needs replacing. i am of the opinion that the problem was not corrected. since the problem continued to persist, this does not seem to be an unreasonable assessment. on 2/21/04, i downloaded info from your sight. there were two recalls for my car. today, 3/31/04, there are three, including an exterior lighting;brake lights;switch. i decided to check this site today only because during during one of my more recent conversations to nhtsa, i was informed that there were three results. i have not confirmed if my vehicle in one included in this recall. if my vin is not on the recall list, this is too much of a coincidence to overlook. also, the lack of cooperation of al sanchez vw and volkswagon advocates cannot be overlooked as well. ideally, i would like the repair cost of the shifter refunded to me and the recall to cover my shifting problem. *ak

My 2001 vw jetta's brake lights stay on and do not turn off. i had it repaired at the dealer who said the light switch was bad. i just found out that the 2001 vw beetle is being recalled for the same problem but not the jetta. the parts are the same as per the parts department at haltermans vw in pa. *nlm

I purchase a 2001 jetta new and in about 3 yrs i have had to replace the brake light switch twice for an average life expectance of 19 months. talking with the dealer, i was invormed that the brake light switch base no available several months ago and is now starting to become available again. currently my mechanic has found only 1 brake light switch on the east coast. he has call the local dealers in a 100 mile radius and they do not have any, contacted vw regional and they do not have any. interested to know if others are having the same problem. to me 19 months between switches is a little excessive to replace. *ak

I own a 2001 vw jetta gls and the gear shift locked up. i could not move the car out of park into drive or reverse. since the warranty is 24,000 miles, i currently have 30200 and this problem occurred. vw should be responsible for this mishap due to the faulty part. the level of service at the dealership was unacceptable in getting the problem fix. *ak

The turn signals have an intermittent failure. they have turned off, turned of,f and then resumed a few seconds later, or failed to turn on at all.*ak the vehicle is a 2001 jetta gls with 40k miles.

My brake lights went on when the car was parked and stayed on - i had to have it taken to the dealer to fix the switch and was out a car for three days. *la

The cruise/brake light switch malfunctioned which caused the check engine light to illuminate. *nlm

Back brake lights have worn out, and the light to acknowledge that brakes need service has not come on yet. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

I have had trouble with this jetta from the first day i took ownership of the vehicle. the brake assembly has been replaced. the brake light switch has been replaced. now i have just received a new transmission in my ten month old car. the car's transmission was reset three times before volkswagen replaced the valve body. this procedure did not work and in turn endangered my life. i was trying to get on the highway when the car would not shift and was shuddering. i was almost hit by an oncoming 18 wheeled truck. i am scared every time i have to get back in this car. the transmission has been fixed, but not my trust. *ak

Upon starting the vehicle and putting foot on the brake to move into another gear the brake light illuminated. the brake appeared to lock the gear shift, and you could not get it to go into another gear. the shift will not come out of park. consumer took the vehicle to dealer to be repaired. *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

Numerous problems with 2001 vw jetta, purchased new in june, 2001.including : windows sporadically malfunctioning (when i called vw corporate as well as my local dealer, i was told that after the dealer evaluated problem i could be responsible for the labor charge depending on the outcome of their diagnosis!!); trunk latch has been replaced once (out of warranty) and now latch does not respond to remotes nor to the inside release on driver door; driver door lock does not respond to remotes nor to control on driver door (the other three door locks are presently functioning); interior coating on plastic door handles and center console began to peel within six months of delivery; center console latch broke long ago; check engine light comes on/off sporadically (brought car to certified mechanic but problem undiagnosed); a wax substance was constantly running into doorwells; vw dealer replaced coil, cables and buffer in response to rough engine idle complaint and i incurred all costs and inconvenience of car in shop , this at 72,000 miles,hazard lights malfunctioned; turn signals malfunctioned; now i hear of a brake light recall and an emergency light switch problem. i am just realizing recently that i am not alone with my jetta problems, that numerous jjetta owners are having the same problems ( i researched on internet) . vw customer service not helpful at all in resolving these problems. *tr

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

Nothing but problems!!! the day i was to pick my car up, driver window needed replacement. since then it has fallen into door 3 times. air conitioner leaked into interior, soaking carpets and smells bad. brake lights stuck on when car is off, arm rest and glove box broke. received zero help from dealership or volks.of america. what is next???