Problems with 2002 Volkswagen Jetta ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While the vehicle is in motion, it "jerks" or makes a shaking movement. while the vehicle is in motion, the "door ajar" light stays on although all doors have been opened and closed. while stationary, the vehicle brake light is not working. while stationary and in motion, the vehicle's check engine light stays on. the rear middle passenger seatbelt is not useable. the driver's door remains unlocked after pressing the "lock doors" button.

Known melting fuse box on top of battery. from schematics, appears s180 fuse (coolant fan) as predominant point of failure. issue has been reported (via web) across numerous models and years. called vw for fix; as techs appear void of a general consensus to problem/fix. unfortunately, vw refuses to acknowledge and/or provide solution to customer(s). refers me to dealer, which is over an hour away. just need info to order repair kit and restore vehicle integrity/safety. concerned as this may be a potential fire hazard; due to the volume of heat generated by wiring within internal compartment. in turn, i understand the age of the vehicle is outside the normal warranty period. as stated, just want an answer to repair; however, vw customer care rep commented i should reporting this issue in hopes to draw additional attention of other owners and, eventually, the nhtsa to get vw to respond to customers questions.

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 volkswagen jetta. while entering the vehicle, the contact noticed that the brake warning light was illuminated and the windows were steaming. in addition, the dashboard was on fire. the fire department extinguished the fire. a fire report and a police report were filed. the contact sustained a burned hand injury, but did not need medical attention. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 172,000.

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 volkswagen jetta. while driving at approximately 35 mph, there was smoke and fire underneath the glove compartment box. the contact exited the vehicle with the child before the vehicle became engulfed in flames. the fire department filed a fire report and extinguished the fire. there were no injuries. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 137,000.

Faulty fuse panel in engine compartment (the one situated on top of the battery, not the panel in the cabin). *tr

First intermittent and then inoperative turn signal and hazard flasher function.. *tr

This is a followup on my nhtsa complaint with odi 10660489. i would like to bring to your attention the nhtsa campaign id number 04v584000 which precisely describes the same problem i have encountered with my jetta. please note that my jetta is also a 2002 model as noted in the above campaign. *tr

While driving on the freeway at approximately 70mph with a quarter tank of gas, my 2002 jetta glx displayed the battery light and then stalled at full speed. the car slowed, the steering and gas pedal were stiff and i had to pull to the shoulder and call for a tow truck. i had the crank position sensor replaced, new spark plugs put in and the throttle body cleaned. i test drove the car and once again, the engine started to stall at around 70mph on the freeway. this time i was able to floor the accelerator and the car did not completely stall. this defect seems is incredibly dangerous and seems to be unacceptably prevalent on vw jettas. my next part to replace is the fuel pump but it appears that does not always remedy the problem. this should be a recall. *tr

While reaching home, i saw smoke coming out of engine, smell of heated plastic, and the alternator warning lite on. switched off the car and opened the hood. noted that the smoke and smell was coming from the plastic fuse box that is on the top of the battery and that the fuse box cover had burnt hole. the wire from the alternator to one of the fuses in the fuse box had melted the plastic. i replaced the fuse box, cleaned the wire and attached it back. on 6/23/15, i was unable to start the car. the battery was weak and noted that one of the fuses in the box had melted the plastic.

The car takes 15 minutes to heat up to 190, otherwise the car won't drive forward in proper gear without jerking. it drives like it is a stick shift instead of an automatic changing gear on it's own. the car stops without me pressing the brakes and sometimes just turns off unexpectedly. it smells like gasoline in the car. the cd player, clock and vehicle electrical malfunctions on and off. the engine light stays on. autonation performed a multi point inspection and says the car needs a timing belt, coolant flange and after run pump, and rollers. *tr

Engine abruptly lost all power and turned off while driving down the street. no warning lights came on, and the car restarted and ran normally for 6 months. the same thing happened about 6 months later. 10 minutes after the second episode, mechanic wasn't able to find a fault code and drove it without the stall recurring. *tr

Faulty fuse panel in engine compartment (the one situated on top of the battery, not the panel in the cabin). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the battery warning light. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 128,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure recurred intermittently. additionally, the contact noticed that the front and rear passenger's side doors would not unlock when the master door lock switch on the front driver's side door was engaged. the contact also stated that the brake warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

When backing out of my driveway my drivers side airbag deployed for no reason. i didn't hit anything. now the engine starts then stalls. all dash lights are now out. *js

Driver side lock switch, unable to lock my 02 jetta with remote key. interior light on the driver door constantly stays on. *kb

While driving home at night, my son and i smelled smoke. we exited the vehicle, checked under the hood, but found nothing. we continued home and parked in the garage. still smelling smoke, we re-inspected the vehicle, but were unable to determine an origin or any visible evidence. both seat heaters were on during the drive home, but the seats showed no visual signs of damage after parking. next morning we opened the vehicle to discover the cabin was filled with smoke with an approximate 1?hole burned up thru the passenger seat on the lower right bolster. apparently the seat heater initiated a thermal event which erupted in a seat fire after we turned off the ignition and parked the car in the garage. fortunately, the fire did not engulf the vehicle or it could have caught our home on fire, resulting in possible injury or death to my family. i believe we dodged a bullet because the seat fire did not sustain itself and engulf the vehicle. vw has agreed to repair the burned seat at their expense and make a mitigation repair. however, vw has declined my request to cover any similar mitigation repair to the other seat. in october 2004, the nhtsa odi concluded that ?driver-side seat heater may fail or malfunction due to normal vehicle use? but ?such failures do not pose a significant risk of injury or fire.? the odi stated the investigation did not conclude that a safety-related defect does not exist and the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. (ea04010) evidence and reports indicate that seat heater caused thermal events in both driver and passenger seats in the vw jetta have been an issue for nearly 10 years now. near misses continue to occur. i believe that a seat fire is a significant safety concern. i would encourage the nhtsa to re-examine the circumstances to determine if further action is warranted. *tr

2002 volkswagen jetta. consumer writes to express discontent regarding repairs at local dealer *tgw the consumer stated three days after retrieving the vehicle from the dealer, for maintenance work, the vehicle broke down on the highway. the problem was determined to be the alternator. *jb the consumer stated he was involved in a hit-and run accident in which the rear end impact caused damage to the transmission. the consumer stated even though the vehicle was repaired, he continued to experience problems with the transmission. updated 12/08/11

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that when trying to use the turn signal they would not turn on; nor does the hazard warning lights function properly. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who advised her that there was an electrical failure because no fuses had blown out. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current miles were approximately 150,000.

My 2002 vw jetta tdi has many electrical problems. the one that might be a safety factor is the micro switches in the door latches. the doors with faulty switches don't know if there open or closed. when open the safety light on the door does not come on to alert oncoming vehicles that a door is open. if the switch stays on when the door is closed, the dome lights stay on until the battery is dead. the car dies in the freeway when running, it might be affecting the computer now. this has to be recall its a safety issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. while driving 55 mph the vehicle lost power and decreased speed to 10 mph. he was able to avoid a crash and drive onto the emergency lane. he was also able to drive the vehicle to his residence. the dealer stated that the ignition coil caused the vehicle to lose power. the manufacturer stated there were no related recalls. the failure and the current mileages were 52,000. updated 03/01/10 *bf the consumers daughter hit the front seat and sustained a bloddy nose. updated 09/16/10

Vehicle shut down while driving twice, could result in car being disabled while driving at any speed any where becoming a very dangerous situation for the driver and an obstacle on the road for other drivers to try to avoid. volkswagen dealership isolated this to a faulty harness connecting the alternator tothe fuse located on top of the battery. the harness and the fuse box had to be replaced. the dealership said this problem is only common to vw beatles and vw jetta, because they said the car was 2002 it was out of warranty not covered. i was more concerned of the safety of life and property this problem would cause. i filed a complaint with the attorney general john krogers office in oregon, they sent me a letter stating they had forwarded this complaint to the national highway traffic safety admin in washington dc . i tried to contact them by phone, they asked if i had a confirmation # . i haven't as of yet received a letter or phone call. *tr

1. 2002 vw jetta wagon electrical system failure on expressway caused vehicle to stop & unable to start 9/6/09. vehicle towed to dealer. 2. vw dealer failure description, wire harness corrosion caused restriction in power flow in line which caused alternator to overwork and overheat wire harness and fuse panel. this extensive enough to cause melting of both wire harness and fuse panel over top of battery. 3. vw dealer repair and replace wire harness and fuse body. 4. vw customer care took information on my complaint about defect and potential safety issue but would do nothing referring me back to the dealer. my question was why did vw have such a defect where there was no fusible link that would fail first preventing the extensive damage that occurred. *tr

I purchased a certified used vehicle in 2006 from a volkswagen dealer in virginia (volkswagen of dulles). two months after the vehicle purchase, we noticed the car electrical system shut down while approaching a stop sign in reston, va. the local dealer attributed it to a fuel system problem and charged us for a throttle body cleaning.? over the course of two years, we had multiple electrical shutdowns, some at high speed on the highway at night when the vehicle's headlights would go out and the engine would die. at one point the dealer reported a ??loose ignition switch?? and replaced that switch. after several more scary events, i emailed vw america with a description of the problem and our fears about the vehicle being unsafe to drive. in march 2009 i called vw customer service and talked to a regional case manager. on that day, the car had shut down in the middle of an intersection narrowly avoiding a collision. vw replaced the alternator and battery. three months later, driving on memorial parkway (rt. 66) at night when the vehicles lights failed, the electrical system shut down and the engine died. i once again called vw customer service and was returned a call from a representative who said they would not address the problem further, that the warranty on the vehicle was over and that i had no recourse with volkswagen for further investigation of the problem. i recently asked vw america customer service for copies of their records relating the case. they refused to give them to me, saying they were proprietary.? *tr

The bottom seat heater on my 2002 vw jetta either doesn't work at all or if it turns on, it overheats the extreme right side of the seat. a small hole is burned in the upholstery, and the foam underneath is melted, deforming the appearance of fabric above. this could result in a burn to the skin on the right side of the leg if it goes undetected. i see this as a huge safety issue. *tr

Ignition coil!!! was entering interstate and accelerated and engine lost a lot of power and started running roughly. was lucky enough to be only a few miles away from a vw dealership (not my own, we were out of town). they said #1 coil failed, be careful because the rest will probably follow shortly, but recommended i wait for another one to fail and then replace the rest. $230 and 16 days later, another failed. was not accelerating hard, just normal hwy driving. started doing some research, found out this is a major problem and has been known for 5 yrs!!! will complain to high heaven to get these replaced free of charge. i understand normal wear and tear and a random part here and there failing, but a 5yr old problem is a little bit harder to understand. dealership and vw need to practice better business practices and i don't know why this hasn't been an official recall yet. losing power at 65mph on an interstate is very dangerous, no matter what vw or nhtsa says. what is it going to take? deaths? i hope i can get this resolved to my satisfaction by the dealers and vw. *tr

While driving the vehicle, smoke and a burning smell started to emerge from the cabin instrument cluster. i pulled to the side of the road and now noticed that the fuel level display and the coolant temperature display are not working even though engine was a normal operating temp and the fuel tank was just filled up. *tr

Battery continues to drain over night. changing batteries did not solve the problem. online forum points to radio draining the battery. pulling fuse and resetting radio tends to stop the process, but then it returns after a couple of days. *tr

Manufacturer refuses to reimburse me for work done for a manufacturer recall not performed at a dealership,even though car could not be driven there due to recall defect and mechanic came to my house to repair the defect with an authorized manufacturers part

Car will suddenly stop working. vw corporate will not address as the car has hand many issues and is no longer in warranty. spent $2k with vw dealer to diagnose. appears to be electrical in nature. while driving the car suddenly stop running and all electrical stops bring car to a halt. issue began 9/07 and dealer has had car in shop about 2 months in total. *tr

No events lead to this problem. the original battery in the vehicle was changed out due its age. over the past 4 months i have changed out the battery twice. on more than at least 20 different times, i would go to my vehicle in the morning to start it up and the battery would be completely dead. no lights, radio or any other devices were left on in the vehicle, to drain the entire battery to nothing within the span of 10-12 hours. i have taken it the auto shop on several occasions to have a voltage test done on the battery, alternator and starter with negative results every time for a parasitic drain of the battery. the alternator is in perfect working order and does not need replacing. so far the has been nothing that can be done other than jump start the vehicle. during the 10 or so hours i am work and leave for the day, i have had absolutely no issues. if the vehicle is not driven over the weekend, come monday morning it is dead. i have just recently changed out the battery and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it but yet its dead if left for more than 12 hours. *tr

I have 2002 jetta having the same electrical problem. the door / latch switch has a malfunction and won't come on when the door is open. the dome light does not come on and the light on the door does not come on. which can cause an accident if the vehicle coming from the rear of the vehicle and can't see the door is open at night. the dealership won't replace it even though it was still under warranty at the time. there are plenty of people having the same problems and pays the dealership a lot of money to have it fixed. obviously it is a problem with all jetta that year. the dealership should have a recall the defective switch be replace. could potentially cause a fire. *tr

(1) many electrical anomalies. loss of air condition. dealership advises it is coolant migration causing electrical/power problems. coolant migrating from coolant bottle into the electrical harness and into all electrical systems. (2)coolant migration has caused severe electrical problems and the vehicle must be re-wired. cost to me $310.-to be determined(probably 6-10,000$) (3)dealership refused to assist with getting vw of america to correct the problem at their cost. vw of america refused to correct the problem at my request. vw has known since 2001 (see technical bulletin 97-01-01) that the coolant bottle is defective and has not recalled it, or provided technical bulletins as to how to prevent it. dealer advises the car is not safe to drive in its present condition. *jb

Engine harness wiring problems - check engine, glow plug and air bag indicators turn on power intermittent - wipers stopped functioning. *jb

Failure of ignition coil pack as described in nhtsa action number dp05004. coil pack failure was diagnosed by dealership service department (where we had the car towed after it died on an interstate highway). the dealership intends to bill me about $700 to replace the coil pack. when i mentioned the customer satisfaction campaign cited in the action summary on your website, both the dealership and the vw customer care center said they had no information about it and would not honor it. *nm

On 30 october 2006, i had to have my 2002 volkswagen that was purchased brand new towed into the dealership. my car wouldn't start. thought it was the battery, replaced the battery and it still wouldn't start. i had to have the power wire to the starter replaced. i'm being told by the dealership that it is very uncommon for this wire to be replaced. i just would like to know from volkswagen have they received in other complaints. i think this is something of a manufacture defect. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65 mph, the vehicle was pulled over by police and informed the tail lights were not illuminated. the 3 brake lights failed to illuminate in rapid succession and required that the bulbs needed to be replaced in august. the cruise control failed intermittently, as well as, the lighting in the instrument panel by the heat switch. the manufacturer was notified, but informed the contact the vehicle was not included in recall # 06v183000 for the exterior lighting: brake lights: switch due to the vin, although the problems were similar.

I have had several problems with my mil light since my 5 yr/50,000 mile warranty expired-in fact, i have lost count as to how many times i've had to take my car in (the number of failures listed below is just an estimate). the first time this light came on, the car had 52 or 54 miles on it. it was only a few days old. apparently something had cracked. in march of this year, three of the cables broke, then not two weeks later the other three broke. the problems just kept adding up. i have tried to be patient with this dealership, but simply cannot understand why on average, i end up back at the dealership, getting my car serviced on average, two weeks after the car's initial appointment. the last time i went in, i spoke with the manager. first, he disparagingly asked me if i was making sure to fill the gas tank with premium gas, as is written on the gas flap. he then proceeded to ask if i was tightening the gas cap. he reassured me that i should not have further problems with this specific part, because all the parts pertaining to this specific light have been replaced. lo and behold, two days ago, my mil light went on. on average, each time i visit this particular dealership service department, i end up paying $350-600 dollars. somehow, that does not seem right. i have been following the service department's instructions, and to my dismay, this long-standing, extremely expensive problem has not been resolved. *jb

Way to many to list here. i have had problems from the start. more than $7000 worth of repair (plus more that was covered by warr) the final item that caused me to say i would never consider another vw product was the engine damage caused by a timing belt failure. all services were performed at the dealership. the users manual states inspection of the belt at services (that i paid for) and replacement at 120,000 miles. i only had 92,000 miles. it will cost $5,000 to repair the engine. it is not cost effective to repair this car. it was a great car to drive but quality control is poor at best. *nm

The epc light came on while i was driving my vehicle. i turned off my car when i arrived at my destination. i read the manual, and it was not helpful. it just stated that i should take the car to a dealer or qualified specialist as soon as possible (note: this is what the booklet says for the majority of items in the owners' manual). upon returning to my vehicle, i started my car once more. my engine turned over, but the car was unable to shift from park into any other gear. the vehicle had to be towed to an auto shop. upon further inspection, the auto shop informed me that my car had a "feature" that disabled the car from shifting gears due to a tail-light fuse that blew out. it is believed that disabling the vehicle serves the purpose of maintaining safety on the streets- a vehicle in motion without taillights is apparently more dangerous than a driver stranded on the road because their car has stranded them. luckily, i was fortunate enough not to be in a bad situation. so finally, the car was fixed, of course after i paid yet another hefty bill for my car. *jb

While driving in the afternoon, my vehicle suddenly lost power and acceleration capability with the "check engine" light coming on and blinking. i took it to the dealer immediately. i am informed my 2002 vw jetta 1.8t has "3 faulty coils." the failure was sudden and without warning. i maintain my car according to vw specs. in 02/2003 vw acknowledged a problem with this in over 530,000 2001 to early 2003 vehicles. i feel the failure was premature (as to what could be typically expected of an engine/vehicle for reliability), and a danger. obviously the fact that it has remanifested in such a short period of time shows that it was not properly addressed with the original fix only 2 years ago. my vehicle was unable to adequately maintain itself within the flow of traffic. i was lucky to get to the 'slow lane' without incident. vw disclaims any responsibility for defect or otherwise and says that because the vehicle is out of its warranty period i am responsible ($454.00). i will pay this, but how can i drive knowing that these coils could stop all or any one cylinder from correctly firing? this could kill me and the manufacturer does not care.. as they quite bluntly stated. *nm

7th time this has happened. car is immobilized by a faulty brake light switch - has happened every six months since we purchased the car. *jb

Turn signal stalk is defective and causing a full electrical loop causing a fast clicks as if the turn signal flasher was on, but it's not. at times it has caused the flasher lights to come on when i had not even touched the turn signal stalk. *jb

The car would not start, made a clicking sound with each attempt, and the radio and automatic windows would not turn on/respond to control. the car had to be towed and the starter was found to be the problem on a relatively new car (3yrs. old), 40000k. have subsequently read anecdotal complaints that vw's have starter problems. *jb

Purchased used 2002 vw jetta 1.8 turbo (5 speed) with 34,000 miles still under warranty. taken to dealership for blown fuses (cigarette lighter), trunk latch, center console, and transmission repairs. fuse problem was ongoing. within a few months, a local mechanic installed a small boost gauge on the dash, which was wired into a 10 amp fuse. within five days, the car was being backed out of the driveway when smoke began pouring from all the dash vents. the wire harness, fuse block, and controller components located behind the dash were destroyed by fire. vw of america prepared to send investigators to nm, but when they discovered gauge wiring may have contributed, they did not investigate. have read of other electrical fires behind instrument panel, dash, since this time. our son was driving the car at the time of the fire, but was able to get out. *tr

My 2002 vw jetta tdi has many electrical problems. the one that might be a safety factor is the micro switches in the door latches. the doors with faulty switches don't know if there open or closed. when open the safety light on the door does not come on to alert oncoming vehicles that a door is open. if the switch stays on when the door is closed, the dome lights stay on until the battery is dead. the vw dealer just "jerked" me around until the warranty had expired. (fredericton vw). since the part(s) for this repair are expensive, i feel that vw should recall all vehicles to replace the switches and door latches. mel moir *tr

Please refer to my previous complaint submitted 9/17/2005 regarding my '02 vw jetta. the crash was a result of sudden acceleration and extended braking distance. the reason i am writing again is to address the fact that my local news (denver channel 7 news) did an undercover feature in regards to the volvo's sudden acceleration and deceleration. the mechanic used in the piece determined the problem was the electronic throttle. thus, volvo is announcing a major recall on all 1999-2002 volvo's. this issue is rampant among the auto industry including vwoa. please extend your investigation to include vw and hopefully vwoa will do a major recall on all cars equipped with electronic throttles. please note that i was required to attend dmv court since i was issued a ticket. the judge ruling over my case ended up dismissing my case because of the evidence i had brought to court. more over, the judge was a former mechanic for 8 years and he has worked extensively on vw's. he was very familiar with my situation. i don't have my vin # handy, but it was listed in my complaint odi id #: 10136890. please refer to my case number for further details. *jb

Consumer vehicle stalled on two different occasions causing consumer to replace coil. *ts the vehicle had erratic acceleration light pressure on the gas pedal. the engine did not respond in an even pattern, instead it would suddenly speed up dangerously. *jb

In regards to investigation dp05004, i also experienced this same problem about 2 1/2 years ago. my 2002 volkswagen jetta engine lost power, and stalled. when the dealer checked my car they said it was my ignition coil and didn't inform me that there was an investigation. i was told i had to pay for the coils, which i did. i have a copy of my paperwork for the repairs. is there anything i can do? *tr

I bought a used 2002 jetta and as soon as i drove it off the lot it began with the bucking. it took 3 visits to the service department, 2 different service sites, and 3 weeks without a vehicle to find the problem. the service department is replacing the coil, however stated they were going to charge me. i am currently disputing the charge. i feel unsafe and unhappy with my purchase.