Problems with 2002 Volkswagen Jetta POWER TRAIN

I have a 2002 vw jetta gl 2.0. it only has 83,000 miles on it and the transmission is acting up on it already. when i took it to the dealership the only suggestion they could give me is to replace the transmission($3k - $6k) i have read that there have been multiple problems with the 2002 model years pertaining to the transmission. mine won't shift from park into reverse, i have to go from park to drive, let it shift, then from drive to reverse, and that sometimes takes three or four tries. while driving if i am at a stop light, when i begin to accelerate, there is a pause between when i press the accelerator and the giant lunge forward the car makes as it shifts into gear. it also shifts very hard between all gears while driving. *jb

I purchased my daughter a brand new 2002 vw jetta, and most recently she has had some major problems with her vehicle. this was her1st vehicle and i taught her the importance of regular maint of her vehicle. but as i stated above it appears that her efforts have been for not. in the past 3 months the vehicle has been taken to the vw dealership 3 xs, and it is currently at the dealer, all for the same problem, the vehcile hard jerking when attempting to accelerate, the vehcile turning off at a stop sign or light and when she is topped in a turning lane - which is of course the most dangerous concern of mine especially if it dies out with oncoming traffic. the 1st two visits the dealer stated they found no problem. this visit (the 3rd) to dealer my daughter drove the service mgr in the vehicle & he witnessed the problem. we recieved a call saying they needed to look at a diagnostic of the transmission which of course would be at a cost of $330 regardless of what was found! ( a vw rip off ) & as i suspected the diagonistic came back requiring the replacement of the transmission at a cost of $3800 (warranty exp oct 06), she has 60k+ miles . i am in shock i have owned over10 brand new autos in my lifetime, & have never had a transmission replaced all exceeding 85k miles. i began educating myself which led me to your web site to review either recalls or other compaints & to my surprise i found a large number of the same complaint . but it appears that if there has been no injuries yet or deaths the number does not make a diff. i am registering this complaint because my next action will be to an attorney, the idea that i would have to wait until my child is injured or possibly killed before the nhtsa will consider this as a problem is amazing to me. *tr

I own a 2002 jetta 1.8t and started having some intermittent problems with shifting from park into reverse or 1st and 2nd gears, pausing or jerking into gear. the problem started a couple months ago when the car had about 52,000 miles on it and was out of warranty by about 5 months. the problem became increasingly frequent and i took it to the dealer yesterday and was told that i need a whole new transmission. they said the transmission fluid bunt and ha debris in it". i have always done the scheduled maintenance on the vehicle , at the dealership, no less, and have never abused the transmission in any way. the car only has 54,000 miles on it! the service representative at the dealership called volkswagen and stated he really went to bat for me ,and that volkswsgen has agreed to cover 65% of the repair, which in the range of $5,000+. so i will still be paying at least $1750.00 to replace a fairly young transmission. i feel vw must know there is a defect in the transmission to even offer to pay for part of the repair, and judging by the other complaints this is a serious problem. i have been reading other complaints and it seemed that the transmission was painted with a metallic paint that disintegrated with high heat/temperatures and that it broke down, flakes off and damaged the transmission. this has to be a manufacturer's defect. *ak

I own a 2002 1.8t automatic jetta with 75000 miles. yesterday i was told it needed a new transmission. i use this car for basic transportation, and have maintained regular upkeep. i am appalled that i have to spend $5,000 to fix a faulty transmission. i have been doing research and it seems that a lot of jettas have this problem, especially the turbos. how can volkswagen get away with this? i would like to start a class action suit. something needs to be done to correct this matter!. *ak

I purchased a 2002 volkswagen jetta for my daughter. in august of 2006 the car was taken to a vw dealership for transmission service. in may of 2007 the transmission light came on and the car kept losing power when driving. when put in gear the car would shake and shut down. i had it towed to the vw dealership for repair. they replaced a seal, temp sender and sender for a total of 427.62. my daughter picked up the car and when driving home from the dealership after they repaired it the car shuttered, then slammed down into a lower gear almost causing her to lose control of the vehicle. i called the dealer and they approved having it towed back to their facility for repair. they then checked the car again and stated that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced for a cost of $3800.00. this car has 57,000 miles on it and when originally taken to the dealership for this issue it was 4 days out of warranty. note: when the car initially broke down it was still in warranty but i was out of town for work and could not set up having it towed in until i returned home. the dealership was called regarding this issue prior to the warranty expiration. i called the dealership and vw corporate headquarters. they stated there was nothing they could do to assist in this repair. the vw dealership stated that they did not see a problem with the transmission when they first completed repairs but she did not even get 10 miles from the dealership before the car slammed down into a low gear. *tr

Transmission problems. car sputters and jumps. dealer first worked on the gear shift. then they replaced spark plugs and the battery to try to fix the problem. recently said there was a leak and replaced the crankcase vent pipes. still have the same problem. *tr

I own a 2002 volkswagen jetta 1.8t, since i bought the vehicle 2 years ago i used to get a minimal knock in the transmission from 2nd to 3rd gear, i asked the dealer to check it out and try to find out if this was normal. after the 1st year i noticed the knock a little harder but paid no mind to it because dealer said it was normal and vw said it was normal, until the day i brought it back to the vw dealership and told them about the problem i was having, moments later instead of just checking the transmission to its fullest they replaced a recalled brake switch and said that this was causing the knock in the transmission with a bill of almost 2,000 dollars i figured finally i get my transmission to work better because i was getting sick and tired of getting whiplashed by the knock that's how bad it is till this day. in approximate two days i get the same knock in the transmission and im like oh man i thought they fixed this problem, i spoke with a service manager who said "well bring it in again and if we missed anything we will take care of it at no extra charge". i said "ok" well a few hours passed and the dealer calls me up and tells me well we found your problem but it is a hefty price on fixing it!, i am thinking prob 1,000 bucks more! wrong!, he tells me my transmission is no good we need to replace it with a rebuilt which will cost around $3,800 dollars i'm like jesus christ! if they would've stopped up-selling me bs fixes in my car i would've had the money to fix it! but since this day i haven't got any resolution for my car im stuck with it until the transmission blows on it! please follow link to read other peoples issues that are similar to mine at http://www.lemonlawclaims.com/volkswagen%20 touareg 20% transmission 20% problems.htm (that's the same problem im having with my car why isn't vw doing any recalls on this????) counting due to owning what i believe to be a lemon!, vw needs to recall faulty transmissions. *jb

Transmission slips, doesn't grab when you first put it into drive. shifts hard, between 1st and 2nd gears. have almost backed into cars when in drive. then i have to give it gas to move forward and almost hit car parked in front of me, with parallel parking. also jumps really bad when i give it a lil gas sometimes, like at stop lights. *tr

in april 2006 we purchased a 2002 vw jetta from a private party. the car had 65,000 miles. she was the original owner of the car and had taken meticulous care of the car. we have all the service records dating back to it's original purchase. it had been in for all scheduled tuneups. vw offers a 60,000 mile or 5 year warranty on the drive train. in november 2006 the radiator warning appeared on the dash. we took it in to the dealership and they claimed the radiator and transmission were mixing and caused significant damage to he transmission. estimated cost of replacing the transmission $5,890. the dealership mechanic never stated what caused the mixing fluids and would not speculate. we took the car to our local mechanic. he was able to isolated the problem within 20 minutes. the transmission cooler is leaking allowing the two fluids to co-mingle. as a result of the mixing fluids, the belts, hoses, radiator, and transmission are all severely damaged. according to the mechanic the transmission cooler is sealed within the transmission housing and is never meant to be changed. it's position is protected from any road debris and no quality of how the car was driven would effect the performance of this part. it's his opinion that the part had a manufactured defect. since the car was originally diagnosed in november it has not been driven. we are currently awaiting an appeal to the vw america.

I own a 2002 vw jetta gli, and it has merely 54,000 miles on it. it has come in standard transmission, and we bought it when it was issued as new. as i was on my way home heading towards new jersey, from new york. my clutch pedal began to loosen up. i tried switching from 3rd gear to 4th, and the clutch loosely went to the floor, and it would not pop back up. as my car rolled on the bridge, it stayed in neutral. hence, i was unable to move the vehicle. now i have been reading other forums and they have gotten the same issue. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while shifting gears, the shifter became stuck in park. the dealer replaced the lock shift twice in the last two years and the problem reoccurred.

2002 jetta gls automatic cars. the side button you push on the shift handle gets stuck in and doesn't pop out. this causes me to not be able to remove the key or can accidentally shift into another gear if it doesn't pop out. *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

Early clutch failure. we just replaced the clutch on 2002 jetta at 51,000 miles. she owned other manual transmission cars and did not replace the clutch this early with one exception, a volkswagen, fox. was this a pattern, maybe . *ak

The transmission broke on my 2002 jetta tdi (automatic) while i was driving home from the u.s. marine corps base, barstow, california. it only has 66,500 miles on it. i believe the desert vw dealership is responsible because they did not check the transmission thoroughly as i requested two months ago. vw america is not helping me at all with my request to have this reviewed by them. the dealers tell me to call vw america and vw america tells me to call the dealers. *nm

i have a 2002 volkswagen jetta 1.8l turbo. my first clutch started slipping at 17k miles, finally replaced at 20k. i fought with vw and they actually paid for it because i had brought it in on 3 different occasions and no one could find or admit to a problem. now again at 39k it has started slipping and is now at 41k. i am due to change it any time. i am once again calling vw trying to arrange them to take care of the cost. i am hoping they will pay for it as the have quoted me $2200 to fix. i have been searching on the internet & found hundreds of people with the same problem. and replacing the clutch isn't a permanent fix and most people have had to pay for it. they have been blaming the drivers for poor driving skills. meanwhile they are putting many people in danger because any kind of accident could occur when your clutch decides to pop/ fail. especially on the freeway. incredibly dangerous. anyways, most people say that oil in the flywheel is leaking out saturating the clutch disk causing it to slip & even break up. therefore very early breakdown and sometimes immediate/ unexpected clutch failure. *nm

I was driving to work when my 2002 voklswagen jetta hit a bump in the road/pothole and the passenger airbag went off. i got out to inspect if i hit anything since i wasn't sure because of the airbag going off. i got out of the car and there was nothing in the road besides a pothole that everyone else hit as well on the off ramp. there was not a scratch of damage or any impact at all. i just bought this car a little over 2 months ago and it was already back to the dealer for a broken power window and twice for the transmission. i am fed up with this car. there is only 25,000 miles on the car and an airbag should not go off for a pothole. i went to a different vw dealer and they said it's not a warranty issue and it would cost $800 - $1,000 to fix. this is ridiculous that i will have to pay for something like this for normal use of the car. *jb

The asl (automatic shift lock) on my 2002 volkswagen jetta malfunctions, keeping my car locked in park or neutral. this has happened before, i was told it was fixed, and it has happened again. i missed work and blocked traffic the first time, and i'll have to miss work again and i'm parked in a temporary parking zone this time. so far nothing has been done to correct the failure. *jb

Several times during the course of my ownership of a 2002 volkswagen jettagls sedan the check engine light comes an and i take it to the dealership and they tell me it is a sensor, and fix the problem and the light goes off. late may 2005 this occured again. i took the car to the dealership and was told it was fixed. i picked it up on 5/14/05. two days later the light came on again. i was told the earliest appointment was june 13, 2005. so i waited. approximately 1 week after 5/14/05 a very strange noise came from beneath the car, then reverse jerked, jumped and sputtered. in decelleration the car made a "jet-engine" noise. i stopped driving it and waited to take it to the dealership. after having my car for less than a day the service manager called me to say that my transmission was "falling apart" from the inside and it would cost me $3,500 to fix. now the jetta has 73,000 iles and has been driven only leisurely for work commuting purposes. we took it on one family trip from nj ro mass. i beleive there is a defect in the transmission. i do not beleive that a 3 year old transmission with 73000 miles should just "fall-apart from the inside". i called and 800 vw customer line adn 48 hours later was told pretty much too bad sorry about that the 60,000 mile warranty is up. there is a bigger issue here. there must be a defect in the transmission.

Reported vehicle jumps when acelerating or changing gears.manual transmission.took on several occasions found nothing wrong.now my cruise control will not stay at a steedy speed when turned on.noticed on 95 when driving 70-75mph.vehical accelerates by itself when using cruise control and then slows down.dealership says they can't drive the vehical that fast.there's nothing they can do.

I took my 2002 jetta wagon 1.8t auto/tiptronic (45,000 mi) to an independent vw service shop for an oil change and to check a "check engine" light. the mechanic told me he has seen a problem before involving paint contamination in the transmission fluid. basically, the inside of the transmission oil pan where the fluid sits is painted, and the heat of the fluid causes the paint to flake off and contaminate the fluid. this mechanic recommended to have the tranny replaced at a vw dealer. so, i took the car to an authorized vw dealer and they also confirmed the paint contamination problem. however, they replaced the tranny oil pan, a seloniod valve (n281) and flushed the tranny fluid as recommended by vw of america. i was able to confirm with the service manager that the new pan was also painted and he could not answer if the paint spec had changed to remedy the problem. i called vw of america to state my concern and to request a new transmission. they told me they could not replace the transmission. 9 months later (64,000 mi) my car down shifts to 4 gear while driving down the freeway at 65mi/hr. the gear is stuck in 4th gear even when i come to a stop. i managed to drive it to the dealer who have diagnosed the problem as a faulty valve body circuit (n92 valve body cover). the dealer now recommends to have the transmission replaced and since i'm 4,000 miles beyond my warranty i will have the cover the cost. the dealer suggests that i should call vw of america and reference the case from the last time i called in april. vwa stated they needed to research the issue and they would call back. after hearing nothing for two days, i called vwa back and they found out that the problem was exactly the same problem i had back in april and the best they could do was offer half the cost of the repair. i don't understand why i should pay half the cost when the problem was never remedied correctly the first time when the car was under warranty.*ak

Occasionally when the clutch pedal is depressed, it does not fully return to it normal position. this often occurs when sitting at a long red light. when the light turns green and i attempt to release the clutch it remains depressed, resulting in engine stall. this posses a danger because stalls when attempting to accelerate can lead to accidents, by preventing the driver from accelerating to avoid collision. i have taken the my auto in for diagnosis and repair on 4 occasions. the first time the clutch master cylinder was replaced, the second time the clutch master cylinder was re-bled, and the 3rd & 4th times i was told that the clutch was performing within vw specifications because they could not reproduce the problem. *nm

The torque arm sheared off. as a result, axle transmission was not bolted to the frame. *ak the consumer stated that the vehicle was parked. the vehicle was put in reverse and it started bucking and making a lot of noise. the vehicle would not shift from gear to gear without bucking. the steering wheel was not steering correctly. exhaust became loud. *tc

I own a volkswagen jetta 1.8 turbo, 2002. it is at 29,000 miles currently. since 14,000 miles it has had a shaking problem that occurs when the vehicle is started and put in gear. the brake must be pressed for the shaking to occur. the latest incident had the acr shaking so hard that it was impossible to drive. when the vehicle warms up, it stops. different problems have been blamed for the problem, such as the faulty ignition coils recalled by vw, the engine timing, and now the transmission. this car has a history of failing transmissions and is unsafe. i am seeking a full refund plus license and registration fees. volkswagen's customer care line is inefficient and does not follow up on problems, nor does it allow a customer to speak to one person regarding all of their issues. this major problem is accompanied by several other kinds of failures--radio, horn, several other fuses, and air intake. vw does not take notice of its customers, and further action with larger entities must occur for any kind of resolution to be reached. *jb

Whilst driving i experienced a problem changing gears - stiffness getting car into low gears. car was towed into local vw dealer. i was informed that the clutch was worn out. the car is 2 1/2 years old with 16,000 miles on the clock. vw (dealer and vw of america customer care) claim that this is due to "wear and tear" and the result of the driver not knowing how to drive stick shift ! i've driven manual transmissions for the last 17 years (every car i have owned was manual transmission) from the research i've done this seems to be a common issue with the 1.8t jetta. *jb

My car started to clunk and jerk when i was turning corners. it started just clunking once and got worse and worse within the same day. it would jerk going down the highway. i was on my way to the dealership when it just quit. i couldn't accelerate or put it into gear. i got it off the road and had to push it into a parking lot until i could have it towed. it was towed to the dealership who later said my clutch and flywheel needed to be replaced. my car has less than 50,000 miles. they quoted me $1640.00. that's ridiculous for that to go out so early. they told me it wouldn't be covered under the warranty because it was normal wear and tear. i have driven manuals for years and have never had a problem. they said i was either "riding the clutch" or "driving hard". i started looking around and all the mechanics i talked to were very surprised it was out already and that is wasn't covered under warranty. i looked up this problem and found a ton of others who have had the same problem and told the same thing. our clutches should not be going out this early. *nm

Automatic transmission on my vw jetta tdi (2002) failed at ~71,000 miles with no warning. i drive in non-city, open highway conditions with no stress to the transmission. the transmission is sealed, so there has never been a way to check the transmission fluid. dealer says since the unit is sealed, no repairs can be made...only replace the whole unit for ~ $4,300. i'm 40 years old and have never heard of a trasmission failing so soon and when then vehicle has never been driven in conditions stressful to the transmission. this was my first try at a vw product and my last. the manufacturer has pathetic customer service as i called to see if this was normal for vw transmissions and to see if they would pay for a part of the cost and was told "nothing vw can do, the warranty ended at 60,000 miles." this will be the last time i buy from a company that makes me pay thousands of dollars for a failed transmission that clearly was faulty. i don't know if the original transmission is still at the dealer as i have not yet picked up the vehicle. the car is still sitting there until i feel less angry over the fact of the cost and vw's poor customer service attitude. i would have thought vw would have rather paid for their defecticve transmission (e few thousand dollars is nothing to a large corporation) rather than all the negative publicity from me and my family to everyone we ever talk to about vw as a company and their product.*ak

Everyday for the last couple of months, the transmission has been giving me problems. when the car goes to shift from 1st to 2nd, the car jerks. this happens again going from 3rd to 4th. between gears it takes a long time for the next gear to catch and when it finally does, it jerks the whole car. the dealership told me this normal and that nothing could be done about it. i have done many searches and have found that lots of people have had the same problem.**ak

Vehicle was equipped with an asr light and when driving on a smooth road the asr light will come on ,and the vehicle will down shift. took vehicle to the dealer, and was told that after examining the vehicle there was nothing they could do. they were completely baffled, cleared out the codes, and replaced the brake light modules, but were unable to solve the transmission problem. also, heated seats overheated. consumer wa s furious. *ak

2002 vw jetta 1.8t - i sure you have heard of the clutch problems my clutch has gone out now at only 27,000 miles. visit myvwlemon.com and you will see hundreds of stories of the same problem, also on vwvortex.com even car and drive wrote about it. the clutch needs to be recalled i am willing to get even more names of people with the same problem and can have hundrends of complaints within days if needed.*ak

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the transmission would jerk as soon as the vehicle was started. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred four times and he had to replace the transmission once prior to the most recent failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced again. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offered any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 120,000.

While driving the engine began to make a loud noise. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer who found that the motor mounts were broken and caused the engine to fall to the ground. the dealer replaced the engine, engine block, timing belt and the lower shield. also at 59,000 the manual transmission had to be replaced because the consumer could not shift into reverse. *nm

1) transmission slips, and causes a thud. have taken vehicle to dealership 3 times and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 2) led display disappears. have informed dealership of this problem twice and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 3) brakes are mushy. have informed dealership once and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 4) vehicle is sluggish when accelerating. have informed dealership once. 5) engine light has come on, and there is peculiar smell. have informed dealership once. *nm

My vehicle was repurchased by vwoa (volkswagen of america) from the first owner for a recall problem. when i purchased this vehicle it came with an all inclusive 12 month/12,000 mile warranty and then the rest of the 4 year/50,000 mile warranty. at 11,700 miles the clutch starting sticking and wouldn't shift, the car also would go to high rpms when accelerating, even if only a little. the next day, i got out to get gas and i smelled burning. i looked under the hood and i could tell something was burnt. i called vw first thing monday morning and had it towed to them. they told me that the car "may be" under warranty. i have a document that clearly states that it is. they contacted their service rep, fred hingle, and was told that if it was not "wear and tear" that it would be covered. well vw tore the car apart, and affirmed that it must be wear and tear, do to the burnt clutch and flywheel. after this i did some research and found that many people at myvwlemon.com have had problems with the clutch going out at 9,000 to 26,000 miles, including car and driver guide, who test drove the jetta and had the clutch go out at 26,000 miles, and these are professional drivers! they told me the repairs would total 1551.00 dollars almost 10% of what i paid for the car. mr. hingle the corporate rep refuses to speak with me. i believe the clutch used in this model and year is indeed defective and vwoa refuses to disclose it.

The clutch completely blew out on my 2002 jetta vr6 at 27,000 miles on 8/25/2003. it is costing $966 dollars to replace the clutch (i will know the exact parts once i get it back from the service department). i was told by the vw dealership and vw of america that this is "normal wear and tear" and not covered by the warranty. i do not ride the clutch and drive all highway miles. the clutch was not ruined by "poor driving" or "city driving" despite what vw of america and the dealership is claiming. the clutch must be defective. i have done research on the internet and have found a number of people who have had this problem with vw jetta standard transmission cars made during/after 1999 (the year vw remodeled their cars). these people have also had their clutch go out with 10,000-35,000 miles on their cars, were experienced drivers, and were forced to pay for the repairs. also, when i did get my car back i asked for the parts that had been replaced (so i could have an independant mechanic look at them) and i was told that they had already been sent back to the factory. this leaves me with no way to determine what was wrong with the parts. since then i have written vw demanding it find & return the parts or refund the repair costs.

This car has had too many serious problems to be limited to this small space. it is clearly a lemon. these problems substantially impair the use and value of the vehicle. the car received a new transmission yesterday after we had reported 3 previous times that there it remained in reverse after shifting into drive. each time we were told it was unreproduceable and the complaint was never noted on the work orders. finally, the dealership did relent and replace the transmission. we encountered the same type of treatment with the engine burning oil, and it wasn't until the engine ran completely out of oil, that the dealer would address the problem. the first time we had complained about the oil was 2 months after we had bought the car!!!

3 engine coils have failed and have been replaced. now the transmission is gone and they are replacing the whole transmission the left front door latch has failed too.

Transmission failure while passing another vehicle at highway speed. the automatic transmission began upshifting and downshifting by itself, causing the engine to redline and nearly stranding our vehicle in the lane with oncoming traffic. the transmission then locked the wheels, rendering the car immobile. this occurred on 01/20/03. one month prior to this incident i reported to vw that i was having problems with my transmission not shifting into reverse from park-this occurred twice on the same day. on 12/19/03 vw inspected my transmission. a written report from vw service was given to me they found no problems. currently vw is replacing my transmission, theyre not admitting the possibility of engine damage. the service manager carel told me,1/21/03,that they have no way of knowing if the new replacement transmission might fail like the first. my concern is that i might not be as lucky next time. i could be rear ended or hit head-on if my wheels lock up again spontaneously.

Clutch. it was becoming increasingly dificult to shift into 1st and reverse so i took my car to a dealership who said they could not find a problem. a few days later it was nearly impossible to shift into 1st and i took it back to the dealership, they then told me they thought it was a problem with 1st gear. after taking the tranmission apart and fixing 1st gear they test drove it they said the problem was again not fixed and that my transmission was now in essence eating itself up. i then had my entire transmission replaced because each tooth in the gears and rods were bent or damaged in some way. in the end, they said my transmission must have been defective. to my knowledge there have been no changes in the transmissions and my replacment is the same as all the other jettas.

Epc warning light came on while driving. when this occurred, tail lights and brake lights were not functioning. when i arrived at my destination i parked my car as usual. when i returned to my car, it started, but i could not shift out of park. i called the roadside assistance number. they instructed me to hit the brake with my foot as hard as possible. this allowed me to shift out of park. they also suggested that i take my car to the dealer as soon as possible for service. *la

Consumer noticed failure in the trip tonic manual and automatic transmission. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

Dt: beginning three years ago the owner noticed that when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, the car would jerk and jolt. after 2nd gear the shifting was fine. when shifting into reverse there was also a jerk and jolt. the first time the owner noticed it was in town on a main road. the problem is intermittent but frequent. dealer evaluated the vehicle and they test drove it and found the condition normal. then last thursday july 7 2005 the vehicle made a loud mechanical noise like a grinding sound when shifting from 1st to 2nd, also when shifting into reverse. then the owner contacted a mechanic and they test drove it, and then they reported it is a seriuos problem with transmission. then the dealer instructed owner to bring it back to dealership. it is now 2000 miles past warranty. dealer advises that there is a broken part in the transmission that has become lodged. the transmission needs to be replaced according to dealer at a cost of $4,500. onwer contacted vw of america and they reported since it is past warranty, there is nothing they can do to help with the repair cost. owner sent a fax to dealer stating that he needs documentation of what is exactly wrong with the vehicle. the return fax stated that there is no way to determine what the exact problem unless the transmission is taken apart. so owner wonders what did dealership tell the volkswagen company . the vehicle is being taken to a mechanic. the dealer left a message that there is a tow truck there to pick up the vehicle but the dealership has dented the underside of the vehicle and it needs to be returned to dealership. the vehicle is now at the transmission shop.*ak

Consumer states when parked on an incline and the key in the ignition, and the vehicle idling, the vehicle will slip out of park and start to roll back. contacted dealer.*jb

Clutch kept slipping, dealer replaced clutch assembly.*ak

At 70000 miles, jetta gls sedan with automatic transmission stopped being able to shift into reverse and started revving hard between 1st and 2nd. dealership claims no knowledge of the problem, though these forums are full of reports of similar problems. after a series of expensive tests (400$ total) dealership recommends a new transmission to the tune of 5000$, which is approximately 70% of the car's blue book value. despite the numerous complaints vw refuses to acknowledge the issue or compensate those who have experienced it. *tr

I bought the car 3 days later the problem(s) started. and they have been going ever since. shifting hard, display lights, would not start, wondows would not roll down, or iff they did, they made a loud thud. *ak

I purchased this car for my daughter. the major problems are complaints of having trouble stopping. i was concerned so i drove it and immediately i heard a grinding noise and felt a vibration while applying the brakes. i took it to a local firestone tire and they felt the vibration and heard the grinding noise but the brake pads looked good so they advised me to take it to the dealer, as it was probably a warranty issue. i took it to the dealer and they charged me $37.00 to tell me that the rotors were warped and it's not covered by warranty. i was advised vw is aware of this problem. (why charge me $37.00 for a problem that (they know) they have?). how can this happen on a brand new car that doesn't even need it's first set of brake pads? i am still not sure what to make of the braking problem. the rotors were just discovered because i was complaining of a braking problem. *jb secondly,while driving, the car jerks back and forth and sometimes jolts. i am concerned as to what this could be. the dealer has no idea. *jb i paid $27,000 for this car to insure my child's safety. i am now wondering just how safe it is.*jb

I had both the passenger side window and the driver side window fall into the door frame within a matter of months. both times the windows were fixed, however, they were reluctant to fix the problem as if it had been my fault. i have a small child and i don't think he appreciates asphyxiation from so much wind in his face on the long drives to the dealer to be replaced. this is just one of the problems on this car, the clutch gets stuck (repaired twice), the sunroof trim broke off and needed to be replaced, the engine makes a rattling noise when shifting (fixed twice), stereo system swallowed my cd (twice before new system installed), and air conditioning releases an awful moldy smell when turned on which dealer refuses to attempt to fix. bought car in valencia volkswagen in valencia, ca. solution simple, traded in my 1yr old car for a better car, one that works! *jb