2001 Volkswagen Cabrio

THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ON MY 2001 CABRIO MAY AND HAVE CAUSED A SHORT WHICH SPARKED UNDER HOOD CAUSING SMOKE AND POSSIBLE FIRE ALSO, THE COMPUTER OVER HEATS CAUSING SHORTS WHICH MADE THE TRANSMISSION FAIL AND GAUGES FAIL, THE US GOV. (DIVISION) THAT HANDLES SUCH FAULTS SHOULD FORCE VOLKSWAGEN TO RECALL EVERY AND ALL CARS FOR REPAIRS! THE US OWNERS ARE PAYING FOR VOLKSWAGENS MISTAKES, PARTIALLY FOR THEIR DECISION TO HAVE THESE CARS MADE IN MEXICO EVADING TAX'S AND WHICH HAS MADE THESE AUTOS CHEAP AND FLAWED. THESE CARS ARE UNSAFE AND THE ELECTRICAL ISSUES ARE AND WILL IN FUTURE COST THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ALOT OF MONEY....... SO FAR: MY AUTO HAS BEEN AT REPAIR SHOP FOR OVER 6 MONTHS AND HAS COST ME MORE THEN WHAT IT'S WORTH, HARD WORKING PEOPLE ARE GETTING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY A POORLY BUILT AND UNSAFE PRODUCT [XXX][XXX] PS EVEN VOLKSWAGEN DOESN'T AND CAN'T FIX ALL THESE ITEMS, TRY TAKING IT TO DEALER..... YOU WILL SEE INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

CONSUMER STATES: HAD 2ND ELECTRICAL FAILURE ON THE ENGINE, THE WIRING HARNESS BURNT UP. UNDER WARRANTY THE DEALER REPLACED PARTIAL WIRING OF THE HARNESS. ALSO 3 IGNITION SWITCHES PUT IN. MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR,OXYGEN SENSOR, AND COOLANT TEMPERATURE FAILED. CURRENTLY, THE VEHICLE NEEDS TWO HOLE WIRING HARNESSES, AN ORIGINAL HARNESS AND MAIN ENGINE HARNESS. *AK

WHEN STARTING CAR 75% OF THE TIME ABS AND (HAND) BRAKE LIGHT WOULD SWITCH ON THOUGH BRAKE NOT ENGAGED; AT THE SAME TIME HEADLIGHTS AND A/C DIDN'T WORK. WAS TOLD IT IS AN IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM. ALSO, WINDOW AUTOMATIC CLOSE MALFUNCTIONING WHICH DEALER SERVICE SAYS IS UNRELATED. NECESSITATED ABOUT $1,800 PARTS AND LABOR. ALSO, UNFORTUNATELY AT THE MERCY GENERALLY OF VW DEALER SERVICE SINCE MANY MECHANICS DO NOT STOCK THE COMPUTER NECESSARY TO DIAGNOSE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SERVICE PROBLEMS WITH TWO VW DEALERS IN MY AREA (NORTHERN VIRGNIA). ONE DEALER (ALEXANDRIA VW) FAILED TO TIGHTEN WHEEL NUTS AFTER A ROUTINE CHECK-UP AND CLAIMED AFTER LOOKING AT THE CAR THAT NOTHING WAS AMISS. ANOTHER (STOHLMAN IN VIENNA, VA.) REPLACED THE IGNITIION SWITCH BUT BROKE A PART WHILE DOING SO, SO THAT THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. *AK

VEHICLE FIRST SUFFERRED SERIOUS POWER AND IGNITION PROBLEMS ONE RAINY DAY. ON TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER WE WERE INFORMED THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED AND IT WOULD BE $750.00 FOR NEW SPARKPLUG WIRES, DISTRIBUTOR CAP, AND ROTOR. I AM AN ENGINEER AND FOUND THAT PRICE OFFENSIVE WRT THE WORK ASSOCIATED. I REPLACED THESE ITEMS AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. AFTER A GREAT DEAL OF DEBUGGING THE IGNITION SYSTEM I FINALLY FOUND AN ELECTRICAL SHORT AT THE CONTROL LINES TO THE DISTRIBUTOR WHEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER WAS APPLIED. I SEALED AND WATER PROOFED THIS ELECTRICAL CONNECTION WITH SILICON AND COULD THEN DOUSE THE ENGINE IN WATER WITHOUT ANY MISFIRES. MY WIFE REPORTED CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH ACCELLERATION AND MISSING ON HUMID MORNINGS. I TOOK THE CAR FROM HER ONE DAY AND IT RAINED. SINCE THEN THERE IS A MASSIVE MISFIRE AT THE COIL. THIS MAKES STARTING DIFFICULT AND RUNNING IMPOSSIBLE. AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER THE MANUFACTURE OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENETS IN THIS VEHICLE ARE AMATURE BORDERING ON RETARDED. SOMEONE PLEASE TRANSLATE THIS TO GERMAN AND FORWARD IT TO BOSCH AND VOLKSWAGEN. *AK

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: IN MARCH, 2003, MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A NEW 2000 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO CONVERTIBLE. WHEN THE CAR HAD 13,611 MILES ON IT, WE NOTICED THAT THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS NOT OPERATING. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS AT THE TIME, SUCH AS THE WINDOW SWITCHES NOT WORKING PROPERLY, AND THE FACT THAT THE ALARMS HAD GONE OFF AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES, LOCKING UP THE RADIO. MY WIFE TOOK THE CAR TO THE FORT MYERS DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. WHEN SHE PICKED UP THE CAR, SHE WAS TOLD THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAD BEEN REPLACED, AND THE OTHER PROBLEMS WERE ALSO TAKEN CARE OF. SHE REALIZED WHILE DRIVING AWAY THAT THE ODOMETER WAS SHOWING ZERO MILES, SO SHE RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP TO QUESTION WHY. THE MEN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT BRUSHED HER OFF AND SIMPLY SAID IT'S OKAY, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. SHE ATTEMPTED TO GET A SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION, AS SHE KNEW THAT CHANGING THE ACTUAL MILEAGE OF AN AUTOMOBILE IS VERY SERIOUS; BUT THEY CONTINUED TO REPEAT IT'S OKAY, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. AT THE TIME, THEY NEVER EVEN BOTHERED TO EXPLAIN TO HER THAT THEY HAD PUT A STICKER IN THE DOOR JAM SHOWING HOW MANY MILES THE CAR HAD ON IT WHEN THEY ZEROED IT. WE DECIDED TO TRADE OFF THE CAR FOR A NEW MAKE OTHER THAN A VOLKSWAGEN. AT TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, IT WAS EXPLAINED TO US THAT THEY COULD NOT GIVE US A FAIR VALUE FOR THE CABRIO IN TRADE FOR THEIR MAKE. WE HAD EXPLAINED TO THEM ABOUT THE STICKER VOLKSWAGEN HAD PLACED IN THE DOOR JAM; AND BOTH SAID IT WAS IMMATERIAL FOR THEY WOULD HAVE TO AUCTION OUR TRADE AS A VEHICLE WITH UNKNOWN MILEAGE. BECAUSE OF VOLKSWAGEN'S ACTIONS, WE'RE BEING PENALIZED APPROXIMATELY $3,000 WHICH IS THE AMOUNT THE OTHER DEALERS INSIST THEY MUST DEDUCT FROM THE VALUE OF THE CAR. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE STATE OF FLORIDA SHOULD HAVE PROVISIONS WITHIN ITS LAWS THAT WOULD ALLOW A MANUFACTURER TO ASSURE THAT THE PROPER MILEAGE. *LA