2008 Volkswagen Jetta

I HAVE A 2008 JETTA, WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND I HAVE BEEN THE SOLE OWNER. THE CAR HAS 18,000 MILES AND NEEDS NEW BACK BRAKES. VW SAYS IT IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND WILL NOT PAY FOR BRAKES. THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS 'EQUAL WEAR' ON BOTH BACK BRAKES (THE FRONT ARE FINE); HOWEVER, WHEN I LOOKED AT THE BRAKES WITH THE VW MECHANIC, THERE WAS NOT EQUAL WEAR. I AM CONTESTING THE ISSUE AND BELIEVE THAT IT IS A MECHANICAL PROBLEM AND NOT A CASE OF NATURAL WEAR. *TR

2008 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA S MY CAR HAS 36000 MILES ON IT AND I HAVE CHANGED THE REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS TWICE ON THIS VEHICLE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH MANY JETTAS AROUND THAT YEAR. I HAVE LUCKILY AVOIDED MANY WRECKS THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN IN IF THE REAR BRAKES RESPONDED AS THEY SHOULD. I FEEL THAT THIS IS DEFINATELY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

DRIVERS HEATED SEAT ACTIVATED ON ITS OWN. CONTROL SWITCH ON DASH WAS SET AT 0, DRIVE RECEIVED MODERATE BURNS TO LEGS AND BUTTOCK. REMOVED FUSE AND TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. NOTHING FOUND, DEALER SUGGESTED IF THE SEAT HEATS UP AGAIN, BRING VEHICLE DIRECTLY TO THE DEALER, DO NOT SHUT IT OFF. BURNS ARE SIMILAR TO A BAD SUNBURN, SOME REDNESS, NO BLISTERS. *TR

CHANGED REAR BRAKE PADS BECAUSE OF SQUEAKING NOISE. AFTER THAT BRAKE STARTED TO LOCK AND SMOKE COMING OUT OF REAR PASSENGER SIDE. WENT BACK TO MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD COULD BE PROBLEM WITH CALIPER. CHANGED CALIPER AND BRAKE LOCKED AGAIN WITH MORE SMOKE AND SMELL OF BURN COMING FROM REAR PASSENGER SIDE. HAD CAR TOWED TO MECHANIC AND THEY ADJUSTED BRAKES. TOOK CAR TO VW DEALER AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH BRAKES. NOTHING HAPPENED FOR ABOUT 5 DAYS AND AGAIN BURNED SMELL CAME BACK, TOOK CAR BACK TO MY MECHANIC DAY AFTER SINCE THEY WERE THE ONES THAT CHANGED PADS AND CALIPER BUT BRAKES WERE NOT LOCKED ANYMORE. *TR

I HAVE EXPERIENCED A CHALLENGE WITH MY REAR BRAKES ON MY 2008 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SO I BEGAN SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION FROM OTHERS ON THE INTERNET. REFER TO WWW.EDMUNDS.COM FOR OTHER CONCERNS REGARDING SIMILAR CONCERNS. I AM NOT THE ONLY INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCING THESE CHALLENGES. NOW LET ME DESCRIBE MY SITUATION. I NOTICED SOME SQUEAKING HERE AND THERE AROUND 26,000 MILES. I ASKED THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE NOISE AT THAT TIME. THEY DIDN'T SHARE THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG SO I DROVE OFF THE LOT. FROM THAT POINT FORWARD, I HEARD THE SAME SQUEAKING NOISE ONLY WHEN IT RAINED AND THEY MENTIONED THAT HAPPENS WHEN FROST GETS IN BETWEEN THE ROTORS AND PADS SO I DID NOT THINK MUCH OF IT. WHEN I DROVE INTO THE DEALERSHIP AT 31,000 MILES THEY SHARED MY REAR BRAKES WERE BETWEEN 2-3; THEREFORE THE REAR ROTORS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. I SHARED MY CONCERNS AS A VOLKSWAGEN OWNER, (HAVE OWNED 4 IN THE LAST 5 YEARS), THAT IT SEEMED ODD THAT THE ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE OF 31,000 MILES. THEY ASSURED ME THAT THEY DID NOTHING WRONG AND THEY ASSURED ME THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL ABOUT THIS ISSUE. OVERALL I AM DISAPPOINTED WITH MY DEALERSHIP IN THEIR RESPONSE CONSIDERING I HAVE BEEN A LONG STANDING CUSTOMER WHO DOES ALL OF MY SERVICE WITH THEM. AND I AM STILL LEFT WONDERING IF THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE MAKING OF THE CAR; THEREFORE CAUSING PRE-MATURE PROBLEMS WITH THE ROTORS. WHAT WOULD BE A NEXT STEP TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION? I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. *TR

PRE-MATURE REAR-BRAKE WEAR. THE REAR BRAKE PADS COMPLETELY WORE OUT AT ABOUT 17,000 MILES CAUSING METAL TO METAL CONTACT WITH THE REAR ROTORS. MOST OF THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY. MANY FORUMS REPORT SIMILAR PROBLEMS FOR OTHER YEARS OF THE VEHICLE AND IT SEEMS THAT THE CAUSE COULD BE CALIPERS THAT DON'T DISENGAGE COMPLETELY WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE IS USED. SINCE I HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION IT'S HARD NOT TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE. MY REAR WHEELS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN BRAKE DUST AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE PADS WILL WEAR OUT SOON AGAIN (ABOUT 22,000 MILES LATER). I TRIED NOT TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE AFTER THE FIRST REPAIR AND HAVE A COMMUTE CONSISTING OF ABOUT 85 PERCENT HIGHWAY MILES SO THIS KIND OF BRAKE WEAR IS INEXCUSABLE. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS DID NOT NEED ANY ATTENTION YET AND LOOK GOOD. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. I PURCHASED IT NEW IN AUGUST 2008. THE REAR BRAKES WORE INTO THE ROTORS AT 12,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP HAD JUST INFORMED ME THAT THE BRAKES WERE FINE AT 10,000 MILES. THE ROTORS AND BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED AT MY COST AS IT IS NOT A WARRANTY ITEM BUT A WEAR ITEM. AT MY 20,000 MILE CHECKUP, I WAS AGAIN TOLD THAT MY BRAKES WERE FINE AND HAD 50% REMAINING. I TOOK THE CAR TO MEINEKE TO HAVE THE BRAKES DOUBLE CHECKED. I WAS SHOWN THAT THE REAR CALIPERS ARE DEFECTIVE. THEY DO NOT ALLOW THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO DISENGAGE. AS SUCH, MY EMERGENCY BRAKE IS CONSTANTLY ON, CAUSING MY BRAKES TO LOCK ON TO THE ROTOR. THE MECHANIC HAD TO USE A CROW BAR TO PRY LOOSE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I WAS TOLD THAT I CANNOT USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE UNTIL IT IS FIXED. I HAVE A 5 SPEED AND THIS IS CONCERNING THAT I CANNOT USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE DEALERSHIP EXPLAINED THAT THE WARRANTY WILL ONLY ALLOW THEM TO REPLACE ONE CALIPER AT A TIME. IF THE OTHER ONE IS BROKEN, THEN I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I DRIVE IT A WHILE AFTER ONE IS REPLACED. I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF DATA ONLINE ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM IN SEVERAL MODEL YEARS OF THE VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. INTERESTINGLY, MY DEALERSHIP WAS OUT OF THE CALIPERS AND HAD TO REORDER MORE. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED THAT MY SAFETY HAS BEEN IN JEOPARDY AS MY BRAKES COULD HAVE ONCE AGAIN FAILED. I AM UPSET THAT THE DEALERSHIP NEGLECTED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I HAD TO TAKE IT TO A DIFFERENT MECHANIC TO FINALLY HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED. INCIDENTALLY, PART OF MY ENGINE WENT OUT WITHIN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF OWNING THE CAR. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO HAVE THE FRONT END REPAINTED AS IT BEGAN CHIPPING IMMEDIATELY. NOW THE DOOR EDGES AND THE TOP EDGE OF THE HOOD ARE CHIPPING. *TR