Problems with 2002 Volkswagen Jetta EQUIPMENT

I have a 2002 volkswagen jetta this morning while driving my car to work in houston texas on interstate 59 south my driverside window airbag deployed as well as the seat airbag. after getting to the side of the road my car cranked back up and i got out to inspect if there was any damages. i found no damages on the car and the air bag deployed for no reason. i am lucky i did not swerve or there would have been a huge wreck. i believe there should be a recall on all of these 2002 jetta since there have been so many occurrences of this happening. *tr

I have two problems, one with temperature coolant sign. many jetta's have this problem, it occurs every time i turn on the car, sign always comes on. this causes signals and computer programs in the car to be confused, and is always a dangerous light because i never know if there is something wrong with my car's coolant or radiator. i have replaced this part about two times through a mechanic shop with a vw part twice. still is a failure, and i read most jettas have this problem and it is ridiculous that vw can not fix this expensive part for its customers. also i had a problem with my alternator one day ago. my vehicle was forced to stall on the middle of the highway causing me almost to get into an accident. for some reason my car lost all its power, battery was only one or two weeks old, and now my alternator died. my car has only 71,400 miles on it, it is not very old, it is a major concern to see an alternator die that early in the car, makes me wonder what other major problems i have in the future, let alone what i had in the past. now i have to fix this car, and will take one week to fix and get the part ready, costing me almost $600 in repair. not only did my car break down on the highway but the car smelt like it was burning, very dangerous!!this a vw defect, and should be addressed to all vw owners about their alternators, it doesn't feel safe if this car keeps breaking down, tired of this car.other recalls about this vehicle make me want to question whether to drive it not, if it has a country wide brake problem in this car. *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 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 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

The right front turn signal bulb was at first intermittent, but then became inoperative. when light was removed the filament was fine, but there was evidence of arcing across the contacts. it looked like the contacts were short circuited. i had this same problem about a year ago. my 2002 jetta was not part of a recall of this very problem. the vin # did not qualify. but, after looking at forum postings this is a bigger problem that the group of vin numbers that volkswagen included in the recall.*ak

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

Turn signal unit clicking at twice the speed intermittently when turn signal is not even turned on. lights have never been actuated yet, but vw dealer told me it could happen as malfunction progresses. vehicle only 4 years old with 88 000 kms. no recall by manufacturer yet, although dealer told me it is a recurring problem. cost of replacement for steering stalk flasher unit is 250 dollars. *nm

2002 vw jetta with what is becoming a common problem. while driving the a/c unit stopped working. all items were checked and no obvious sign of leak, electrical problem or other was found. dealer wanted to replace all items in the a/c system. upon further research it was found that the ac clutch is held on by a nylon nut and these are not able to function without this flawed design. a search on any vw discussion board will provide hundreds of complaint about this substandard design. this was a design/manufacturing flaw and need to be addressed by vw. how many other consumers paid for a new a/c system (fan, compressor, clutch ect.) when all that is needed is a properly manufactured clutch. i believe that this design was only in existence for 2 years and was replaced by vw. shouldn't they have to answer to all of the consumers about this design. this part is also found a lot of time by vw technicians when they remove the protective belly pan. this is a similar problem to window regulator recall where the used a plastic clip instead of metal. *tr

My wife's 2002 jetta station wagon turbo has been nothing but trouble. only 30 k and today a $2,600 repair. valve for air conditioner pump broke and sent metal fragments through the system necessitating replacement of ac pump. cooling fan not working- that's $800.00. last repair was auto windows- idiot designers put in plastic components. my wife takes excellent care of her vehicle (oil change, etc.) and this inferior bit of workmanship just costs her more money. she will shortly be dumping this piece of crap for toyota corolla. *nm

Was in an automobile accident and was hit square in the side of the car at 45 mph. damage was done to entire left side of vehicle. no air bags deployed. i have front and side air bags. called volkswagen to determine where sensors are, and the sensor on the side is where i was hit. i did some research through nhtsa reports on volkswagen, seems there are a sufficient amount of consumer complaints with the airbags, many of which state volkswagen didn't want to discuss or take care of. i am concerned with for my own safety while driving this volkswagen. *jb

While on the freeway we had a blown tire in our 2002 vw jetta gls vr6 vehicle. we could not open the wheel bolts since they were glued from the factory, into the wheel. it took a 4' piece of pipe to operate the bolts wrench to open them. furthermore, the jack supplied with the vehicle is undersized and unsafe to operate. it shifted with the vehicle and was not able to provide a steady support for raising the vehicle for the wheel change. after a few tries, we resorted to using a hydraulic jack supplied by the local sheriff deputy who was passing by the location we were stopped at. *ak

I had a vw jetta 2002 model with 13880 miles. prior to that incident, i had no accident or trouble. i had service check up done and the last one was done on mar.16, 2004. on apr.5, i parked the car in the elementary school parking lot. i took out the ignition key, but the car was still shaking and vibrating and the sound was getting louder and louder. i called out for help and the janitor came to open up the hood. by the time, the burning smell was all over and the smoke was coming out. the cables attached to the battery was on fire and the battery was melting. the janitor had to cut off the cables in order to stop the fire. it was towed away to vw sunnyvale. after the inspection, vw said that the probable cause was the safety key device which was installed at the bob lewis dealer where we bought the car. then the starter disengaged. vw said it was an aftermarket product that their bumper to bumper warranty won't cover the repair. when we bought this car, it was new and we refused to have an extra safety device, but bob lewis had left it there without our knowledge. they also did not disclose that modification was done nor after any modification. the car will not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty. now the sunnyvale dealer estimated the cost of repair for $14500. my insurance had sent 2 appraisers and i am waiting for their reports. i tried to reach bob lewis, but they have never called me back. *la the point of origin was in the wiring. the starter disengaged and the probable cause was the after market product due to a modification on the original wiring. (the damage appeared to be directly below the battery) *sc *jb

I have a 2002 1.8t volkswagen jetta - i have experienced numerous failures. 1)radio has failed twice - in each instance fault was traced to a fuse - following radio failure i experienced repeated dead batteries until the radio was repaired. 2) abs failure detected when i was getting my radio fixed the second time 3)vehicle has failed to start on two occasions - i wait a minute and try again - it worked 4)my window fell into the door 5)i experienced an activation of numerous engine fault lights that reset following engine restart 6)the coating on interior door handle surfaces peels off easily 7)the chrome ring around the shift know is peeling. *ak

2002 jetta tdi developed odor on the interior at 20000 miles. national volkswagen in jacksonville, nc has serviced problem several times without correction of odor problem. they claim odor will go away since they cleaned out air conditioner box by removing the entire dash. national also discovered problem in a new 2004 passat. odor still exists. car has been detailed, sprayed with no improvement. various people have sat in car and witnessed odor. customer service at volkswagen of america takes word of the dealer that problem is fixed and odor will go away one day. *ak

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!!!

I started my car to leave work and when i put it in reverse the car would not back up. i thought it was the transmission? i had vehicle towed in for repair to local dealer, they replaced a switch in the abs system that was causing the brakes to stick. as of today the car is back at the dealer with the same problem. in august of 2002 the switch in the brake pedal that allows you to put the car into gear had went out. the dealer replaced the switch and when i picked up my car the brakes were grabing as i left the dealer, i immediately brought it back and told them it was not right. a mechanic and i road tested the car and he stopped and physically pulled up on the brake pedal to make the brakes release. he stated there was nothing wrong. that evening the car did the same thing while i was on the interstae and caused such a drag on the wheels that you could not go over 40mph. i was able to pull off at an exit and pulled on the brake pedal to make it release. the next day on my way to work i had the car in cruise control and when i tapped the brake for cruise to release, the brakes locked on the car again and i had to pull up on the brake with my foot to try to get them to turn loose. the cruise did not release, it got stuck, i had to turn it off with the switch on the steering mechanisim. i told the dealer that i would not drive the vehicle because i felt this problem was dangerous and they had it towed for service. they stated the switch they had just replaced the day before was faulty. i asked them to check the bearings and rotars for possible damage due to the brakes sticking while driving on the highway. i feel all of these problems are related to each other and one may have been precluded the others. as i stated previously the car is back at the dealer for the same problem and i just happen to be 2,000 miles out of warranty. the car has had a warranty recall for a part in the abs system which was done at the dealer. this has all happened ...

The coils on my 2002 volkswagen jetta gls 1.8t are burning out. volkswagen of america has informed me that rather than replace all 4 coils, i must wait until each coil burns out before they will replace it. i have a letter from them as well stating they are aware of the problem but can not do anything more about it due to a lack of coils in stock. i guess the letter is a way to shut the customers up. apparently this is happening to over 500,000 people last i heard. i want this complaint logged and a personal note added and directed to volkswagen of america (if possible), "i will not renew my lease on this lemon and i will never purchase another volkswagen again." the coil issue is just one of the issues i'm having with this vehicle. the date below is the last time i went in for coil replacement and got to work late.

Engine failure, radio failure, window wouldn't roll back up, vibrating speakers. w service shop failed to correct conditions on several occasions. *ak

Owners manual indicates that seat belt warning on dashboard will illuminate if seat belts are not worn. however, if seat belts aren't worn nothing will flash as a reminder. dealer was notified. please provide more information.*ak

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