Problems with 2002 Volkswagen Jetta POWER TRAIN

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.

The shifter first locked up in heavy traffic, then later came completely loose in traffic. the vw parts departments said this problem has happened so much that no one within 200 miles had the parts in stock as they were sold out. vw refused to cooperate with the better business bureau in resolution. the bbb told me to report to the nhtsa>

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

After sitting in traffic and driving at low speeds the car suddenly will slip out of gear. the engine races and i am stuck in first. i have to continue to drive at high rpms in 1st just to get home. it happened intermittently at first, but now it happens daily in traffic. i took it volkswagen and they say nothing is wrong. took it to a transmission shop and they say the transmission must be rebuilt for $6000. if i turn the car off and it cools down, i can sometimes get it to stay in gear. it happened several times while accelerating onto a freeway nearly causing an accident because i had to quickly pull off the roadway. unreal that volkswagen is "unaware" of this issue and can't seem to repair it. please recall! *tr

After starting the car and letting it warm up. i drove out of my driveway to the stop sign. made a right turn and then a quick left. after turning the car could not go into gear,the rpms kept racing up. but the gear would not engage. pulled into a store parking lot and drove around in circles at this low speed. until finally the car jumped into gear and i took off. car was diagnosed as having a bad mother board to the cars computer. it drove fine for a few days then at a stop light it jumped off again. (car was warm because i had driven a distance). today i had the transmission flushed and changed. no improvement again. usually the car will drive straight after it's real warm. but if i make a sharp turn the car jerks and revs up the rpms just as if it was cold. the vw folks kept misdiagnosing and giving me the wrong parts (these must be the same people that made the transmission. they've been a nightmare for assistance very unknowledgeable. i have been buying volkswagens since 1974. i have never had such a crappy piece of a car(also my first time owning a car with a automatic transmission and my last). it drives beautifully (when it's working) but has all plastic crap for parts.(while still under warranty i had most of that replaced). but to find that the transmission is faulty i demand a recall on this 2002 vw jetta 1.8t. i promise i'll never buy another vw or will i let any one i know or contact through social media purchase a vw. i can actually say we have been ripped off by vw with their low standards for a car. these cars used to last forever what a way to rip off the public form for money! just like toyota had a recall volkswagen you need to recall this unrepairable car no and save your advertisement fees, because bad news travel faster.. *tr

The car began to slip out of gear. even though the gas pedal was pressed, the car would not accelerate. the mechanic says the transmission fluid is burnt out which indicates an internal transmission problem. repair estimates between 3500 and 4000. *tr

My 2002 vw jetta glx (automatic) has severe transmission problems. when accelerating, it hesitates and then pops into gear jerking the car. this is very alarming and dangerous, especially when i am on the road with other vehicles around me. i almost had several accidents due to trying to pull out in traffic but the transmission is so unreliable and slips thereby causing me to stall in oncoming traffic. then, today the car would not go into reverse or neutral at all. i've seen so many transmission complaints about this year's model and it is so unfair for the consumer to be responsible for this expensive repair. *tr

I have a 2002 jetta & in november 2011, i began experiencing issues with the automatic transmission. it only occurs when the car is cold & after warming up, the issues go away. upon starting the vehicle, the car shifts hard between the 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears. it revs up between each gear then jumps to the next gear. i took it into one vw dealer service shop who told me that there were several issues, that the transmission was slipping, i had a vacuum leak & the cb boot is split. the transmission would need to be completely replaced costing me $5811.56 (parts and labor). the car has 103,508 miles. i took the car to another vw dealer shop to get a second opinion and they ran test and said that there was nothing wrong. frustrated with the vw service shops, i decided to take it to a transmission repair - they stated that since this was a sealed transmission i would need to have it rebuilt which would cost $2,500-$3,500. who knows if this will actually correct the issue since nobody can pinpoint what is wrong or diagnose the issue! i researched it online, and countless '02 jetta owners are experiencing the exact issues. there are several forums and complaint boards regarding vw and their handling of this transmission problem = http://getsatisfaction.com/volkswagen/topics/jetta_2002_major_transmission_issues_anyone_else and also many on nhtsa. what is it going to take to get vw to admit that they have a faulty transmission in their 2002 jettas. this needs to be recalled. i loved my car up until now, but the service and their attention to the customers issues is making me second guess ever owning a volkswagen. it frustrates me that nobody from this huge corporation will admit that they've somehow dropped the ball with the transmission. this deserves to be recalled since it is not an isolated incident and is in not fault of the owner. thank you for your attention to this! *tr

At a cold start, car is sluggish going into 2nd gear. sounds like the engine is revving up at acceleration, but it will go no faster than 10 mph!! also i cannot reverse! the car must be warm (190 temp) in order to reverse and shift properly! ive read of other vws with similar problems. *tt

The transmission started slipping and shifting hard between 2nd and 3rd. this occurrence is due to a faulty transmission control unit and transmission solenoid. if not properly taken care of this might cause a transmission failure and ultimately a transmission crash. this means a new transmission and the cost can range from 3000-7000 dollars. this has happened to many vw owners. especially volkswagens between 2001-2003. *kb

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. while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate and jerk forward. the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated that there could have been a computer or transmission failure. the technician then advised that the transmission would have to be taken apart to locate the source of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Automatic transmission when cold will hesitate or not catch at all when putting into drive. putting the car into 1st, then moving it to drive will usually work. shudders when coming to stop after heating up at times. mechanic says it needs a transmission rebuild at $3000. failure of transmission control module and cascading to the master control module caused the transmission not to leave the park position, that tow and repair was $300 about 30 days ago. there are hundreds of complaints on the internet about this transmission failing repeatedly, a faulty design. we need a recall from volkswagen to fix this design failure. *tr

While driving the car at 35mph the tachometer will increase and decease at 2000rpm's and car will slightly increase and then decrease in speed. there is a jerking between 3rd and 4th gear. also there is a slight delay of movement from park to reverse. both are safety hazards while on streets with traffic. *tr

Vehicle lost power at highway speed. further application of the throttle caused the transmission to second from fourth, causing the vehicle to rapidly decelerate from 70 to 40 mph, at which point the engine resumed normal operation. this happened several times in the span of an hour, and is entirely intermittent. three vw dealers are at a complete loss for an explanation. the ecu does not return a fault code. this problem occurs completely at random, regardless of fuel level, incline, or throttle position. the only consistency is that it has never happened at a speed over 50 mph. *tr

Transmission failure resulting in inability to shift above third gear without allowing the car to warm up for 20+ minutes. sometimes the transmission will slip out of gear and the car will lose all power from the engine. (rpms drop to 0, car will coast). *tr

First issue, the engine is burning oil. i've noticed that my car engine started burning oil when it had about 50,000 miles on it. it took me almost two years to prove to the vw dealership mechanics that the engine is burning oil. at 73,000 miles the vw dealership mechanics rebuilt the engine. my oil consumption normalized. now, at around 115,000 miles, i've noticed that the engine started burning oil again. 1,800 miles after an oil change, jiffy lube mechanic had to add 2.5qt of oil. shouldn't the engine last at least 100,000 miles after rebuild? it seems that this engine only lasts 45,000 miles. this feels like a major defect and vw has to recall the engine. second issue, my car is only 8 years old but it's on its third transmission. i had to replace transmission at 32,000 miles and again at 73,000 miles. i'm at 115,000 and i'm getting very worried because i'm starting to feel little jerks. this looks to be a 40,000 miles transmission. how can vw do this to consumers? it would seem reasonable to me if this transmission gets recalled. i'm not even mentioning many other malfunctions. one of which includes getting flooded during rainy season. i can't believe my car, 2002 vw jetta 2.0l gls was allowed to be on the market. *tr

According to carfax report, maintenance has been regular. i maintained car appropriately. all of sudden major sporadic shifting issues began occurring around 140,000k with 3rd gear causing the car to jerk and lose power each time it attempts 3rd gear. this has occurred with me at numerous stop lights in city causing traffic behind me to slam on brakes to avoid a collision. *tr

On cool days (approximately 40 degrees fahrenheit and below), the automatic transmission starts out in emergency running mode in third gear. if car warms up sufficiently, the ignition can be turned off and restarted to get the transmission to work correctly. i have read many boards where problems very similar to this seem widespread and many have been forced to do costly repairs. a recall may be necessary for this issue. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the vehicle would experience problems shifting from first to second gear. the vehicle would not move forward as well. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were approximately 105,000. updated 1/25/11 *cn updated 02/07/11

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. then he noticed that the gear shifts would change without warning. the dealer was notified who informed the contact that the transmission solenoid valve needed to be replaced. the contact did not inform the manufacturer. the transmission solenoid valve was replaced by a private mechanic. the current mileage was approximately 80,722. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000. the vin was unavailable.

The automatic transmission-when shifted into d-lags for a few seconds and then the car lunges forward-transmission shifts in an odd manner-car only has 43000 miles on it-original miles-. *tr

We have a 2002 volkswagen jetta with the 1.8t engine and the transmission is failing. at times it has gotten stuck in first gear while on the highway. it also slips between second and third gear causing the car to lose all power. in general, it has been a danger to drive on the highway and you cannot get out of the righthand lane because you need to be able to pull quickly to the side in case of a rapid downshift or loss of power while it can't find the gear. vw repair shop says it is a known problem with this transmission (09a) and that volkswagen has refused to deal with it. the repair cost for a new transmission is $5k! *tr

I bought this car with 108000 miles on it, i began having problems with the car shifting from 2nd to 3rd; however now it has been getting worst. i have done tons of research and the issues seems to be a issue that is more of a recall issue than just one care issue. i also do not like how vw of america is just fluffing it off like it is all the owners faults. i also have read that many people have paid for the transmissions to be replaced and or fixed for over 5k and the issue comes up again, it would be nice if someone would take and look into this issue because many of us bought the car because they liked vw and will soon be getting rid of them as well as no longer buying from vw due to vw ignoring our complaints. *tr

The clutch pedal on my 2002 volkswagen jetta froze in the depressed position rendering the car unable to start/shift properly. this event occurred while driving on suburban roads and thankfully ended without injury. myself and the previous owner of the car are experienced drivers of standard transmissions and even at 80000 miles the clutch should still have had many more miles to go. the total cost of repair will be between 1500 and 2000 dollars. i have researched this problem and i have found that i am not the only person who has experienced this problem on 00-04 vw jetta models. it is a very serious and costly problem that needs to be investigated. *tr

Loss of power on freeway, without warning. vehicle lost power, then, while attempting to restore power by 'pumping' the accelerator, shifted into second gear, resulting in a very rapid deceleration from 70 mph to 45 mph. this occurred twice in one hour, at both times requiring following motorists to swerve severely to avoid. *tr

I have always followed the recommended service schedule for my car. the owner manual doesn't mention replacing the transmission fluid for the life of the car. the car has 69500 miles. three days ago while driving uphill i accelerated but the car did not pick up speed while the rpm went considerably higher (6000 rpm). i went to see my mechanic (a certified vw mechanic) who said that the transmission was slipping and not downgrading as it should and i should consider changing the transmission fluid as a possible remedy. he explained that a transmission fluid level could be the cause. he also said that since the transmission is "sealed" it was all he could do to try to remedy the problem. how can a "sealed" transmission that requires no maintenance be low in fluid ? he did change the transmission fluid and told me that the fluid was almost as dark as coffee, an indication that there was an issue inside the transmission. after changing the fluid the problem did not go away and gradually got worse. three days later my transmission is extremely noisy and i can only run the car in "manual"mode in order to change the gears. i can no longer accelerate in 4th or 5th gear and just use them while cruising (at a maximum speed of 45 mph. vw has a 60000 miles warranty on the power train but a quick search on google revealed that a lot of 2002 jetta owners had their transmission go bad around 70000 to 85000 miles. vw used to have 100000 miles warranty and reduced it to 60000, just below the mileage at which the transmission seem to break down. i suspect that they know their transmissions are defective and cut down the warranty in order not to have to bear the financial burden of a defective design. considering the number of 2002 jetta owner that have had to replace their "sealed" transmission around 70000 it seems to indicate a trend or at least a known problem with the part. i am now left with changing the transmission at a cost of around $5000. please investigate. *tr

The waste gate air flow system to the tdi malfunctions causing decrease in engine compression. this problem is persistent and occurs when shifting from 4th gear to 5th at an rpm of 3000 to 3500. this could lead to a dangerous situation when passing a vehicle, the vehicle could lose 50% of its power and should an on coming vehicle be present it could lead to a serious accident. this is a persistent problem and the only way to reset the waste gate is to turn off the ignition and restart the engine where the problem goes away until the next occurrence. vw was informed of the problem and they acknowledge awareness of the problem but since the vehicle is out of warranty they cannot replace the waste gate. cost of repair - $850.00 for the waste gate only. *tr

Our volkswagen jetta developed transmission issues just after the warranty period ran out. the transmission jerks at low speeds, when you hit the accelerator. mechanics have said there is no saying when this will conk out. the water pump also conked out recently. replacing the tranny is about $6000. replacing the water pump cost us around $900. i hear dealerships charge a lot more for this service. the volkswagen jetta is too expensive a car, for it to have such poor quality. hope someone can help make them pay for ripping customers off in this way. this outrageous. *tr

I bought my 2002 vw jettatdi in 2004, during routine maintenance i described a hesitation in the transmission. they checked the transmission fluid and said it was "burned" and replaced it. i asked how it got that way and was told something got hot in there. that was it. several years later and one more changing of the transmission fluid because it was burned, the car wouldn't automatically shift into 4th gear and would hesitate and surge forward. the mechanic replaced a sensor that tells the car to shift into 4th. it was fine for two weeks then, while driving 55 mph on the highway, the car jolted like i had hit something (which i did not because i looked)and decelerated quickly. i immediately pulled over and from that point on the car would go up to 20 - 30 mph then buck and decelerate to 5 mph. it kept repeating this as i tried to accelerate. 1st gear and reverse didn't work at all. when the car was being loaded to be towed the front wheels would not roll backwards with the car in neutral and the e brake off. the transmission company said the transmission had melted down inside. and it will cost $4000.00 to rebuild the transmission. the way this happened was very dangerous; fortunately i was not passing another car or that there were no cars directly behind me or pulling out to cross traffic. *tr

2000 to 2002 volkswagen tiptronic owners not provided correct information regarding the transmission servicing scheduling. volkswagen states that the transmission is a "sealed" unit and therefore service is not need unless leaks are visible. knowing this, i did not try to do transmission service on my car when it reached about 86,000 miles. - gears slip from 1st to 2nd at cold starts and jerks at 3rd gear. i have to warm the vehicle in 10 minutes to go back to normal operating mode. - today i was taking my wife and my 1-year old daughter to lake george ny from queens ny for a holiday weekend. the car suddenly slipped from 5th to 4th gear while we are driving 65 mph. however, i did not find the problem until i noticed that our speed almost feels the same eventhough i depress the pedal a little lower. i placed it on manual mode and the car shifted fine. we pulled over at the rest area and found out that there is a transmission fluid leak. we could have had an accident if the gear would have slipped to 2nd; almost like slamming the breaks while doing 65 mph. - tomorrow, i will have vw repair shop diagnose the problem. most likely is the transmission control unit or the transmission solenoids. - similar issues in dsg transmission was reported at "good morning america" on august 28 2009. - please see similar tiptronic owner's complaints on this forum: vwvortex.com. this is a public web forum and no personal information is provided. *tr

I have spent over 9000.00 since 2004 on repairs on my vw jetta. i complained to the authorized repair shop that my car had to warm up when it was 90 degrees outside for it run without slowing down and almost stopping. i took my car in had bushings replaced and they said my temperature sensor needed replacing. when i got the car back i was having the same problem. i took the car back now they are saying that i need a valve body replaced to the tune of $1600.00. even then there is no guarantee the problem will be fixed. the other option is to get a new transmission replaced for $3500.00. i honestly think all of these cars are lemons and i would never buy another volkswagen product in my life. *tr

I purchased a 2002 volkswagen jetta 1.8t with a 5-speed manual transmission from a private seller on 07/18/2009 at 12:00pm. 12 hours later, at 12:00am on 07/19/2009 i am on my way home when i realized my jetta was not delivering power to the wheels. the engine was producing power, but something was wrong with the transmission. i smelled something burning (transmission fluid, most likely) and parked it immediately. when i got home, i searched online for what it could be and it turns out i am not the only one this has happened to. there are countess others who have posted this same problem on various message boards and forums all over the internet. i am assuming that the repair shop is going to tell me that the transmission is shot and that i will need to replace it. how can my previous car, a junker hyundai accent with 101,000 miles at time of purchase last 36,000 more miles with a 5-speed manual, and a jetta can't even last one day? i am infuriated because i just bought this car and have to make payments on it as well as repair the thing. this should be covered by vw as a recall. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta gls tdi. the contact shifted into reverse and as he began to proceed, the transmission slipped out of gear. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the mechanic advised that the reverse gear barring had failed. there were shards of metal from the barring found in the transmission screen, causing the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 108,000 and the current mileage was 114,000.

2002 volkswagen jetta 1.8t transmission shifts irregular transmission problems. *tr

I bought my 2002 jetta 1.8t with an automatic transmission in august of 2006. the day i picked it up, the transmission blew while i was driving. after about 2 months, i finally got it back but the car was still shifting hard and had to bring it back. the car dies randomly, i have had to replace the entire a/c unit as well as numerous other repairs. this morning the car started shaking violently when stopped and when accelerating up to 60 mph. i have noticed there are over 35 other complaints regarding the transmissions on jetta and from what i have learned informally online, i am not the only one experiencing these problems. apparently the 2002's were built in mexico and have had a large amount of problems. i am only a college student and would appreciate help resolving the issue of owning a faulty car. i cannot afford to keep up a car that was not made properly in the first place. thank you! *tr

4th clutch repair. dealer blames bad driving habits when clearly a defective design. many others with same problem. *tr

I purchased a 2002 vw in 2005. i had a car accident in dec '08. shortly after the collision place repaired my car. the vehichle started misfiring and essentially wasn't drivable. the control arm bushing were replaced $800 (at the vw place) and the service dept said that they would check fluids in particular the transmission fluid. i was told that the transmission didn't have the updated tranmission control module (tcm) and had to replaced ( $700 part and 300 labor) the service technican did state that this was the first step in diagnosing and correcting the problem and that that this was a known issue but not a recall. well $1000 spent on this still did not fix the problem and now they say the next step is to replace the transmission on a car that has 87k miles another 4k. well, i can honestly say that vw is unreliable and does not stand behind their name, product or reputation. this is shameful. i am very dissafied and learned that there are numerous customer complaints on the web related to transmissiion, tcm on the vw 2002 - 2006 model. vw should be held liable and compensate for this a defective/inferior product. *tr

I have a 2002 volkswagen automatic tdi jetta and the car will not engage when i shift it in reverse. it either rolls forward or just revs without engaging. i called the dealership and they said the transmission needs to be replaced and it is a common problem with 2002 jetta's. it is not under any warranty and will be costly to fix. *tr

I bought this car a little over 1 month ago on sept 18, 2008 and 1 week after buying it, i started experiencing issues w/ it not wanting to shift out of park and shifting hard while driving, it was taken to a transmission shop and they rebuilt the transmission for me. i have had no further issues w/ the transmission since then, however today, i was driving home from work and when i was slowing down for a red light, it downshifted extremely hard and now is stuck in first gear. *tr

Premature automatic transmission failure on a 2002 vw jetta tdi diesel. first time it failed and locked the front wheels on jan 2003 at 15,500 miles. the vw dealer failed to diagnose or acknowledge a problem when the car was beginning to exhibit difficulty shifting into reverse - 30 days before the transmission locked up while i was passing another vehicle, resulting in a near miss head-on collision. transmission replaced under warranty. on sept 29, 2008, 89,400 miles, the transmission began exhibiting the same problems as previously described. a local transmission shop, duckett's automotive, reported that premature automatic transmission failure at 50,000 miles or less is common with tdi jettas. they report that there is no service bulletin or after-market fix to what they describe as a defectively designed auto transmission. the specific site of failure are the bearings in the planetary gear. the result, $3200.00 repair and rebuild. two transmissions in less than 100,000 miles, and the expectation of premature failure of this repair as well. *tr

Our 2002 jetta suddenly developed transmission problems even before completing 57,000 miles. the car jerks while changing gears during acceleration in the speed range of 15 ' 30 miles. from the information found on the internet, and from opinions obtained informally from independent garages, we believe that the 2002 jetta has a history of similar transmission problems in the 55k ' 65k mile range. the repair entails replacing the automatic transmission for a cost of around 6000 dollars. though the car has not even run 57,000 miles, vw has refused to take responsibility of fixing it for free because the 6-year warranty period has expired. vw refused to provide us with any information of the number of reports they had about this issue. vw offered us 1000 dollars toward the purchase of another vw vehicle but refused to pay us if we repaired our car for a lower price at an independent garage. we interpreted their offer as a marketing strategy to make us give them more business. the car problems have disrupted our lives because we did not anticipate having to invest more money after making a large investment of 25,000 dollars just a few years ago. 31 complaints have been already filed with the nhtsa on transmission issues for the 2002 jetta, prior to this one. what will it take for the nhtsa to start an investigation into the problem? is there any way to make vw release data regarding customer complaints about the transmission, knowing that the repairs are so expensive? it is unfair that vw denies responsibility for what could be a known problem with their cars. we owned three other japanese cars previously that were far cheaper than the jetta, and gave us far superior service. buying a jetta was obviously a mistake. *tr

I own a 2002 volkswagen jetta 1.8t at 56000 miles the transmission went out of it and at 56000 this shouldn't happen i have it at a transmission shop and they found metal shavings in the pan has their been a recall on this problem and if not can i get some assistance getting this problem fixed because at 56000 miles this should have never happened sense i've owned this car it has been nothing but trouble very unhappy with the way the volkswagen dealer byers in columbus ohio and the volkswagen of amercia is handling this problem the code we get is po730 i would truly appreciate some help with getting this fixed thank you tom. *tr

2002 jetta vr6. transmission control module (tcm) became faulty after mil light turned on for a emission related issue covered by a recall. technicians failed to identify the faulty tcm after four trip to the shop. last trip i showed them a tsb related to the tcm and now they agree that the modual is faulty. worst part is it destroyed the transmission. the car has been hard to control in stop and go traffic as shifting is not smooth between 2nd and 3rd gears. car has initial no acceleration/power followed by fast jerking shift into the 3rd gear with high acceleration. car maybe out of warranty but identifying this issue is not easy for the automotive technicians and this part when it fails leave the car in a state that is hard to control or manage. dealer only offered to credit this last diagnostic fee towards the $4700 repair which now include not just the tmc module but also the whole transmission. this is after having spent close to $1,000 trying to identify and fix this issue. not sure if it was related to the mil light issue covered by the recall but since then the tmc had not worked correctly. *tr

I purchased the 2002 volkswagen jetta in august of 2006. the first set of repairs was on 3/2007 at 64,332 mi check engine light mulitple misfires: p0300, p0301, p0302, p0303, p0304 replaced ignition coils cost: $200.11 second repair took place in april of 2007 took car in for recall - replacement of brake light switch check engline light was back on - replaced temp. sensor cost: $199.33 car was jerking into gear, downshifting hard and sluggish. brought car into dealserhsip in april 2008 worn strut brushings needs rear pads needs rotors check engline light on again needs new coils again spark plugs temp sensor again new t-stat fans not working hoses under intake broken needs new transmission diagnosis cost: $149.21 estimated cost of repair: $6,500.00. *tr

At about 65,000 miles my car would sometimes get stuck in park. it felt like i was trying to drive with the parking brake on. then it stopped going in reverse. the shops in my area don't work on vw's due to their complicated trans. the dealer told me they don't repair any transmissions, that they can only replace it at a cost of $4500. i took a loan from my 401k, paid it thinking it would last, and sure enough this one is going too! it only had a warranty of 12000 miles... seems fishy since it's new. never will i buy a vw again. *tr

Related to htsa 10024548. 2002 jetta stalls and has transmission issues between 2nd and 3rd gears which makes controlling the car difficult when trying to accelerate from a stopped position. took this issue to dealer but they recommended other service which is not needed. the sudden loss of power and then the fast gear shift from 2nd to 3rd can be a real issue in stop and go traffic as it is hard to control the car. lucky no accidents but a few close calls including merging into highway traffic. have to use very low speeds to avoid this hard shifting issue. *tr

2002 volkswagen jetta 1.8turbo automatic transmission. transmission shifts hard from 3rd to 4th gear. needs new transmission. $4500. *tr

Automatic transmission failure. reported 15 faults on computer which went on detected two months prior. no warning signal came on to notify driver of engine problem. *tr

2002 vw jetta vr6 2.8 ever since we purchased the car in sept. 07 we have a recurring problem with the car completely dying in intersection or idling with a/c on or just when running. when this occurs the dash resets and car shuts off and locks up. you have to turn to car off and put in park to restart. very dangerous for my children and i to travel anywhere when i drive a hour to work each day. i also know a previous owner of the same year car the had the same exact problems and had to sell because after thousands of $ it was never able to be repaired. also the car feels like to transmission is going out. this car was promised to be safe dependable and had been nothing but problems. we luckily have not had a accident yet but several very close calls. the vw deal cant seem to find the problem they insist they don't know what is causing it. they replace things and nothing works. incident still occurring. *tr