Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 110 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 110, in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT WAS GETTING AN ALLERGIC REACTION FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS AN ODOR EMITTING FROM THE VEHICLE, WHICH CAUSED THE REACTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR CENTER, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE INDEPENDENT DEALER WHO SOLD THE CONTACT THE VEHICLE DID NOT VERIFY IF THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14E007000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 91,677. .. UPDATED 12/22/16 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED ONE HOSE WAS REPLACED AND THERE IS A HOLE IN ANOTHER HOSE, AND ALSO MISSING BRACKETS. *TR
THE CAR WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE DECELERATING(EX..COMING TO A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT)THE ENGINE JUST STOPS AND THE GENERATOR LIGHT COMES ON.I CAN START IT UP AGAIN RIGHT AWAY.IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I FEEL LIKE I MAY GET REAR-ENDED I HAVE READ ONLINE THREADS THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND THEY ARE HAVING PROBLEMS FINDING A SOLUTION.I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE SINCE NEW AND NOW IT ONLY HAS A LITTLE OVER 115,000 MILES ON IT.
OIL LIGHT IS BLINKING, I WAS TOLD BY SEVERAL MECHANICS THAT JETTAS AS WELL AS VOLKSWAGENS IN GENERAL ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING TERRIBLE SLUDGE ISSUES. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY CHARGED ME OVER $150 TO DIAGNOSE MY CAR, AFTER DIAGNOSING IT THEY SAID THAT THE ENGINE NEEDS NEW OIL BEARINGS DUE TO SLUDGE ISSUES, THEY SAID THAT THE OILS PRESSURE IS FLUCTUATING AND THAT SOON MY ENGINE WILL BLOW UP, THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER SIMILAR RECALLS THAT THEY'VE HAD ON OTHER MODELS OF THEIRS AND THAT TO FIX MY PROBLEM I WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE WHICH WOULD COST ME OVER SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM FOR VW, THEY'VE KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR YEARS BUT JUST LIKE THE PROBLEM THEY'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW WITH THE SOFTWARE, THEY'VE KEPT THIS QUIET.
JUST CHECKING MY VIN TO COMPARE MY OWN RESEARCH WITH MY IMMOBILIZED VEHICLE TO THE RESULTS I RECEIVE FROM THIS SITE BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE WHO CAN OR IS WILLING TO HELP ME ANSWER MY QUESTIONS OTHER THAN THE ACTUAL PERSON IN CHARGE AT THE SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT OF A COMPANY THAT I HAVE QUESTIONS WITH. *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 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
TRAVELING DOWN PET SITES ROAD ON MY WAY TO WORK WHEN I NOTICE MY CAR SUDDENLY RUNNING HOT. I PULLED OVER AT THE NEAREST SAFEST PLACE TO DO SO AND PROCEEDED TO CHECK MY FLUID LEVELS. AS I WAS UNSCREWING THE WATER RESERVOIR CAP I NOTICE WHAT SHOULD BE ANTI-FREEZE AND WATER MIX, IS A MUDDY BROWN COLOR. I FELT THE SUBSTANCE AND THEN REALIZED IT WAS OIL IN MY RESERVOIR, AND ALMOST ALL MY OIL HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM MY ENGINE AND IM GUESSING WAS DISPLACED TO MY RESERVOIR. MY CAR NEVER ONCE HAS ACTED LIKE IT WANTED TO RUN HOT, NOR HAD IT UNTIL 6-19-2013. *TR
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED IT IS DO WITH MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH VWS THAT THE MANUFACTURER DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AS A MASS RECALL ISSUE. I AM DUMBFOUNDED THAT THIS CAN BECOME AN ISSUE WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE ON THE CAR. *TR
WE WERE TRAVELING 70 MPH ON A HIGHWAY IN OUR 2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA WAGON (GLS 1.8T) WHEN, WITHOUT WARNING, AN LOUD "POOF" SOUND WAS HEARD, THE CAR LOST ALL POWER, AND WE SMELLED BURNING PLASTIC. THE CAR REGAINED POWER, THEN A SECOND "POOF" SOUND WAS HEARD, AND THE POWER FLICKERED IN THE CAR, AT WHICH POINT THE CAR BEGAN FILLING WITH SMOKE. WE ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOWS, PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER, AND EVACUATED THE VEHICLE. WE PULLED OUT WHAT BELONGINGS WE COULD, BUT RETREATED FROM THE CAR ONCE FLAMES APPEARED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE INTERIOR. APPROXIMATELY 1 MINUTE LATER, THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND WAS A TOTAL LOSS. WE ARE THANKFUL TO HAVE ESCAPED WITH OUR LIVES. HERE ARE THE SPECIFICS OF OUR VEHICLE: MODEL:JETTA TRIM:GLS BODY STYLE:4 DOOR WAGON ENGINE:1.8L I4 20V MPFI DOHC TURBO TRANSMISSION:AUTOMATIC. *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
WAS DRIVING WHILE IT WAS RAINING WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR STARTED JERKING AND WOULDN'T LET ME GO FASTER THAN 15MPH. THE ASR AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS WENT ON. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE DRIVING AT 6AM WITH NO ONE ON THE STREETS. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS HAPPENINGS IN THE PAST BUT I READ ONLINE YOU JUST TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT. I TRIED IT THIS MORNING AND THE LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. THIS WAS AT 6 AM IT IS NOW 9:49 PM AND STILL NO LUCK. I ALSO HEARD IT MIGHT BE DUE TO ENGINE COILS BUT I HAD MINE REPLACED LESS THAN A MONTH AGO. *TR
MY 2002 VW JETTA HAS SMELLED OF MELTED CRAYONS SINCE THE DAY THAT I BOUGHT IT. I AM NOT ALONE...JUST DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH BRINGS UP A LOT OF POSTS. VW OF AMERICA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IS NOT DOING ANYTHING TO HELP THOSE OF US WITH THIS PROBLEM. THE SMELL IS SO BAD THAT IT GIVES ME A HEADACHE IF I CAN'T HAVE THE WINDOWS DOWN. TURNING ON THE HEAT MAKES THE SMELL EVEN WORSE, SO I AM DREADING THE COLD WINTER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT BREATHING IN THESE FUMES IS DOING TO MY HEALTH. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 15-20 MPH, THE ENGINE COMPLETELY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AS IT RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWENTY TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ON TEN TIMES FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR WAS REPLACED WITH NO ADDITIONAL REPAIRS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AFTER THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A VOLUNTARY MANUFACTURER RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE RECALL DEFECT COULD POSSIBLY BE RELATED TO THE ENGINE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND PLANNED TO SELL THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 16,000.
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
ABS WARNING LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT LIT UP IN 2002 JETTA. *TR
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2002 VW JETTA AND JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDS REPLACEMENT. I WAS VERY SURPRISED WHEN MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME HE HAS SEEN MANY 2002 JETTAS WITH THIS PROBLEM. HE SAID IT WAS RELATED TO A PROBLEM WITH A BAD COIL THAT WAS PART OF A RECALL AND CAUSED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS TO FAIL ABNORMALLY FAST. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT IT APPEARS VW KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND IS IGNORING THE ISSUE. THE REPAIR COSTS MORE THAN $1000 AND I AM UNABLE TO PASS STATE INSPECTION WITHOUT GETTING IT DONE. *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
2002 VW JETTA 2.0 STOPPED AND SPUTTERED ON MAIN HIGHWAY BECAUSE OF IGNITION COIL FAILURE. THE CAR HAS 7500 MILES AND VW ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROBLEM FOR 1.8 LITER ENGINES BUT NOT FOR 2.0 LITER. THEY ARE RECALLING 90000 1.8 CARS BUT ARE CHARGING $600 FOR THE 2.0 FIXES. SURELY, THEY BOUGHT THEM FROM THE SAME SUPPLIER. *TR
I BOUGHT A 2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLS FROM A USED CAR DEALER LAST APRIL. I HAVE HAD A COUPLE PROBLEMS THAT I THOUGHT WAS UNIQUE TO MY SPECIFIC CAR, HOWEVER, AFTER HOURS OF RESEARCH I'VE FOUND THAT NUMEROUS OTHER JETTA OWNERS ARE HAVING SOME OF THE SAME PROBLEMS. 1. THE VEHICLE SMELLS LIKE CRAYONS 2. THE HEATER STOPS WORKING AND ONLY BLOWS OUT HOT AIR. 3. THE ENGINE EATS OIL AND HAS A PROBLEM WITH SLUDGE. THIS IS INAPPROPRIATE AND NO ONE IS TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR HAS A REMEDY FOR THESE PROBLEMS. I'M AFRAID THE FUMES FROM THE VEHICLE MAY BE TOXIC AND AM UNABLE TO GET RID OF THE CAR. *TR
2002 VW JETTA VR6 WITH CYLINDER NO. 5 MISFIRING, ROUGH IDLE AND CHECK ENGINE STAYS ON. VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED, THEY REPLACED THE COIL PACK INJECTORS AND THE CAR HAS BEEN TUNED, HOWEVER, THE TECH'S AT THE DEALER CAN NOT PINPOINT THE PROBLEM AND THE CAR WILL NOT PASS THE STATE INSPECTION. *TR
I OWN VW JETTA 1.8 TURBO 2002, AT 2005 HAD A COOLANT BOTTLE LEAKING INTO CONNECTION,CLUSTER, COOLANT FOUND AT CONNECTOR. SINCE MY CAR WAS UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY BY MASTERGUARD THEY JUST DID A PATCH WORK OVERLAYING HORNS TO CLUSTER AND REPLACING THE COOLANT BOTTLE AND CAP LEAVING ALL MAJOR WORK WHICH NEED TO BE DONE AT THIS CASE TO PREVENT FOLLOWING DAMAGE OF ENTIRE WIRING SYSTEM CAUSING COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE CAR. SO I WOULD PAY FROM MY WALLET $ 6000 OR MORE WHEN WARRANTY EXPIRES. MY CAR NOW STARTED HAVING ALL THIS PROBLEM DUE TO THAT COOLANT MIGRATION LEFT THERE. IT'S A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED BY MANUFACTURE. SO,WHO IS GOING TO PAY NOW FOR THAT? CLASS ACTION NEED TO BE TAKING AGAINST VW!!! *TR
VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 2002 COOLING FAN FAILURE/ INOPERATIVE I'VE BEEN TRYING TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS WITH NO LUCK AND I ALSO DID RESEARCH ON THE WEB AND THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE THAT HAVE THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE SOMEONE PLEASE HELP. *TR
MY DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. I TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC SAID THAT PIECE THAT HOLDS THE WINDOW IN PLACE WAS STRETCHED AND ABOUT TO BREAK. WHEN I SPOKE WITH A FRIEND WHO USED TO OWN A JETTA OF THE SAME YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL AS MINE, HE SAID THAT THE SAME THING HAD HAPPENED TO HIS VEHICLE. HE SAID THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THIS PART. WHEN I CHECKED THE NHTSA'S WEB SITE, HOWEVER, I COULD NOT FIND THIS RECALL. *TR THE CONSUMER HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE AND THE STERRING COLUMN WAS DEFECTIVE. THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED RIGHT AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. UPDATED 06/01/09.*JB
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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