2006 Volkswagen Jetta

NOTHING SPECIFICALLY HAPPENED LEADING UP TO THE EVENT BUT AT AROUND 52000 MILES. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG ON/OFF INDICATOR WOULD NO LONGER SHOW THAT ANYONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE ORANGE/YELLOW AIRBAG LIGHT ALSO HAS BEEN ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY SINCE THEN. I HAD THE DEALER RUN DIAGNOSTICS IN IT TO DETERMINE THE ERROR CODE. INITIALLY THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A FAULTY CONNECTOR IN THE WIRING, BUT THAT WAS DISCOVERED TO NOT ACTUALLY BE THE CAUSE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE A FAULTY WEIGHT SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. BE AGREED TO COVER THE LABOR ON IT AT FIRST WHEN IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE A FAULTY WIRING CONNECTOR BUT WHEN IT WAS FOUND TO BE THE WEIGHT SENSOR THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED THE DEALERS CALLS. *TR

IN MARCH 2009 I TOOK MY 2006 VW JETTA TDI IN FOR ITS NORMAL SERVICE POINT AT 90K. I WAS ASKED BY THE DEALER IF I COULD BRING THE CAR BACK IN BECAUSE OF A NOISE THAT WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER REPORTED THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. ON MAY 28, 2009 I HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL IN THE DSG TRANSMISSION. *TR

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY: TOOK CAR IN FOR 70K SERVICE AND SERP BELT SQUEALING. GOT A CALL BACK FROM DEALER SAYING THAT IN ADDITION TO THE SERP BELT NEEDING REPLACED, THEY FOUND THE FLYWHEEL NEEDED REPLACED AND IT WOULD COST $2100. NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, HAVE GOT EVERY SERVICE RECOMMENDED IN MANUAL THAT CAME WITH CAR (WHICH I BOUGHT BRAND NEW). FURIOUS AT THE $2100 THE DEALERSHIPS WANTS TO CHARGE ME, I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN AN ALARMING NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. CAR IS A AUTOMATIC, NOT CLUTCH, BUT HAS THE SLAPSTICK OPTION, I HATE DRIVING CLUTCH, THUS NEVER SWITCH OVER TO CLUTCH......SO, HOW CAN THE FLYWHEEL THAT HAS AN INTERNAL CLUTCH NEED REPLACED? MANUFACTURE DEFAULT? I HAVE NOT HAD WORK DONE YET, I AM TAKING TO 2 OTHER PLACES TO GET OPINIONS AND WILL TAKE PICTURES OF DAMAGE OR DOCUMENTATION PURPOSES. I DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR IN A "RACING" STYLE, I DRIVE 60 MILES ROUND TRIP A DAY TO WORK AND HOME ON COUNTY HIGHWAYS AS I LIVE IN THE COUNTRY. SO IF I NEVER USE THE CLUTCH OPTION AND KEEP IT IN AUTOMATIC MODE AT ALL TIMES, HOW CAN THE INTERNAL CLUTCH HAVE A PROBLEM? THE DEALER WARNED ME THAT I CANNOT LET THE PROBLEM GO ON AND MUST GET FIXED IMMEDIATELY OR RISK DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND/OR DAMAGE TO MYSELF & OTHERS DRIVING ON THE ROAD. *TR

I OWN A 2006 JETTA TDI WITH 70,450 MILES AND JUST SPENT OVER $2,000 AND FOUR DAYS OF CAR RENTAL REPLACING A DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL. THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING NOISES AND JERKING AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN IT TURNED 48,000 MILES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY RAN A "COMPUTER TEST" AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. THEY TEST DROVE IT FOUND THE SAME VERDICT AND SAID "THAT'S HOW JETTA DIESELS RUN." I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY WOULDN'T BECAUSE IF THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG, THEN THEY'D BE OUT THE MONEY AND I'D HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. THEY MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND RETURNED THE CAR. THE NOISE GRADUALLY GOT LOUDER, BUT AFTER SEVERAL REGULAR MAINTENANCE VISITS, NO A PROBLEMS WERE NOTED. FINALLY THE NOISE AND JERKING WAS TOO MUCH AND I SENT IT IN. THE SERVICE MANAGER IMMEDIATELY SAID IT WAS THE FLYWHEEL AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HE SAID "WE'VE DONE A LOT OF THEM". MY FLYWHEEL WAS THE DEFECTIVE SACHS TYPE AS DESCRIBED IN THE TSB. UNFORTUNATELY, MY POWER TRAIN WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 50,000 MILES AND THE BILL WAS MINE. GRRRRR!! *TR

THIS LETTER IS TO EXPRESS MY DISSATISFACTION WITH REAR BRAKE PERFORMANCE ON MY 2007 JETTA. THE SUMMARY IS EXTREMELY RAPID REAR PAD WEAR, WHILE THEN FRONT, WHICH HAVE THE WEAR SENSOR, REMAIN UNSCATHED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND THE DEALER ADMITS ITS PART OF A ?SAFE BRAKING? DESIGN THAT TRIES TO MAKE THE CAR SQUAT RATHER THAN DIVE. THE PROBLEM IS, THIS IS AN UNCONVENTIONAL METHOD OF BRAKE APPLICATION (REAR BIASED WHEN PHYSICS HAS THE FRONTS NORMALLY DOING MORE WORK), COMBINED WITH A CONVENTIONAL BRAKE DESIGN THAT HAS SMALLER PARTS AND NO WEAR SENSORS IN THE REAR. THE RESULT OF THIS ?SAFETY FEATURE? IS THAT I CAN EXPECT TO WEAR OUT REAR PADS FASTER THAN FRONT, IN AS LITTLE AS 9-10K MILES. THE PROBLEM IS A REASONABLY MINDED PERSON WOULD NOT COME TO THIS CONCLUSION, AND THE LACK OF A REAR PAD WEAR WARNING SYSTEM CREATES A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. THE USER MANUAL DOES NOT WARN THAT REAR PADS MAY WEAR FASTER, AND IN FACT INDICATES THEY SHOULD BE INSPECTED EACH 10 K, OR WHEN THE FRONT WEAR SENSOR ILLUMINATES. BOTH OF THESE CASES MAY BE TOO LATE, LEADING AT BEST TO EXPENSIVE REPAIRS WHEN THE ROTORS ARE DAMAGED, OR WORSE, TO UNPREDICTABLE BRAKING IN AN EMERGENCY. IF I HAVE MY CAR INSPECTED AT 10K, AND THE REARS ARE STILL SERVICEABLE, I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY WOULD MAKE IT TO 20K. THE DEALER ADMITS ITS A COMMON COMPLAINT, AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAN CAN BE DONE. I FEEL THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT AND THAT PRESSURE SHOULD BE APPLIED FOR A REAL FIX. I AM NOT ALONE: HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F16F1F6/11 HTTP://ANSWERS.YAHOO.COM/QUESTION/INDEX?QID=20080205103511AA06FEQ HTTP://RABBITOWNERSCLUB.COM/VW/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/12-000-MILE-AND-MY-11363.HTML HTTP://WWW.MYVWLEMON.COM/UBB/FORUM1/HTML/000342.HTML HTTP://WWW.GOLFMKV.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=803924 HTTP://RABBITOWNERSCLUB.COM/VW/SHOWTHREAD.PHP/EXCESSIVE-REAR-BRAKE-DUST-6947.HTML HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/VOLKSWAGEN/JETTA/2005/BRAKES/PREMATURE_REAR_BRAKE_AND_ROTOR_REPLACEMENT.SHTML. *TR

THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH BEGAN TO FAIL AT ~ 60,000 MILES. BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD REMAIN ON AT TIMES WITHOUT BRAKE BEING PRESSED. BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD COME ON AT NIGHT RANDOMLY AND DRAIN BATTERY. INTERMITTENT AT FIRST BECOMING MORE COMMON. PURCHASED NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FROM DEALER. THE SAME SWITCH HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR VW IN PRIOR YEAR MODEL CARS AND RESULTED IN A RECALL FOR SOME MODELS. *TR

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I PURCHASED A 2006.5 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI IN SEPTEMBER OF 2006. I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE FOUND A MAJOR MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT CAN CAUSE FIRE, AN ACCIDENT, OR BOTH. IT SURELY IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, A DANGER TO THE DRIVER, ALL PASSENGERS, AND OTHER CARS AS WELL. WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE CAR HAS TOTAL LOSS OF POWER . AFTER A FAILED REPAIR ATTEMPT BY MY DEALER, I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. I FOUND THAT THE MAIN ENGINE FEED HARNESS HAS MAJOR WIRE CHAFING CAUSING WIRES TO CONTACT EACH OTHER, POTENTIALLY CAUSING FIRE. THIS ALSO CAUSES THE CAR TO STALL WITH ALL POWER LOST. I DIRECTED MYSELF TO THE TDI FORUM WHERE MANY VW ENTHUSIASTS AND SERVICE TECH'S GATHER TO TALK ABOUT THEIR CARS. I QUICKLY FOUND MANY OTHER OWNERS FINDING THE SAME PROBLEM. BARE WIRES RUBBING TOGETHER. I HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT VW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS WELL. THE ONLY WAY TO PROPERLY CORRECT THE PROBLEM IS A NEW ENGINE HARNESS, WITH A LARGER LOOM, OR PADDING AROUND THE WIRES. *TR