2008 Volkswagen Jetta

I GOT LOCKED INSIDE THE CAR ON A HOT DAY WITH MY KID! I SAT IN THE BACK TO PLAY WITH HIM AND KEEP HIM COMPANY. THE DOOR CLOSED AND IT WOULD NOT UNLOCK NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I WOULD PULL ON THE LEVER. I WAS PINCHED BETWEEN THE CHILD SEAT, THE DRIVER'S SEAT (I KEEP IT PULLED BACK QUITE A BIT) AND THE DOOR. I COULD BARELY MOVE. MY WIFE HAD TO UNLOCK THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE DOOR LOCK/LATCH MECHANISM HAS (SINCE THIS INCIDENT) FAILED ON BOTH REAR DOORS. BOTH!!! WE CAN NO LONGER LOCK THE CAR WITHOUT SPENDING 10-15 MINUTES OPENING, CLOSING, WORKING THE REMOTE ETC, UNTIL IT FINALLY PRODUCES THE DESIRED BEEP WITH THE CAR BEING ACTUALLY LOCKED. THE DOOR WOULD CLOSE, THE ALARM WOULD BE ACTIVATED BUT THE REAR DOOR (PASSENGER SIDE) WOULD REMAIN UNLOCKED. I PULL ON THE HANDLE, THE DOOR OPENS AND THE ALARM GOES OFF. WE ARE ALMOST AT THE POINT WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE TO TAKE THE CHILD OUT OF THE CAR VIA THE FRONT DOORS. I AM NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE CAR PROBABLY GETTING STOLEN OVER THIS. THIS IS A SERIOUS CHILD HAZARD! THERE ARE DOZENS OF THREADS ON VW FORUMS ABOUT THESE MECHANISMS FAILING EITHER ON: 1. ELECTRICAL HARNESS BEING DAMAGED. OR 2. DOOR LOCK/LATCH NOT ACTIVATING OR DEACTIVATING. OR BOTH HOW LONG IS VW GOING TO IGNORE THIS MASSIVE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS $450 IN PARTS AND LABOR FOR 1 DOOR. THAT'S ALMOST A $1000 FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS VERY COMMON. VERY. *TR

RECENTLY, I HEARD SOME BUMPING FROM THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO GET REPAIRED, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE COIL SPRING IN THE RIGHT REAR HAD BROKEN DUE TO CORROSION AND THAT IT NEED TO BE FIXED OR THAT SPRING COULD POP OUT WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE THE SUSPENSION TO FAIL. THE VOLKSWAGEN MECHANIC STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MODEL. I HAD THE SPRING REPLACED, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THE OTHER SPRING MAY HAVE THE SAME FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. WITH THE VEHICLE BEING ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR OTHER DRIVERS THAT DO NOT PAY AS CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE SOUNDS THEIR CARS MAKE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD WARRANT A RECALL. *TR

WHILE MERGING ONTO THE FREEWAY, AS I REACHED 60MPH THE CAR LUNGED AND THE ENGINE BEGAN REVVING OVER 6000RPM. IT FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR. THE GEAR/DRIVE MODE DISPLAY LED BEGAN FLASHING CONSTANTLY. THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT UP TO A HIGHER GEAR SO I MOVED INTO SLOWER LANES AND KEPT THE CAR AT ABOUT 5000RPM/55MPH UNTIL IT WAS SAFE TO STOP. THE CAR GEARED DOWN AS I DECELERATED BUT APPEARED TO SKIP A GEAR AND LUNGED AT EACH SHIFT. I TRIED SWITCHING BETWEEN DRIVE AND SPORT MODE BUT THERE WAS NO CHANGE. WHEN I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP I DISCOVERED THE REVERSE GEAR DID NOT ENGAGE. IT SIMPLY WENT INTO NEUTRAL. I SHUT THE CAR DOWN, WAITED A MINUTE AND STARTED IT AGAIN. IT NO LONGER HAD ANY VISIBLE PROBLEMS OR ERROR MESSAGES. I LATER LEARNED THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE DSG TRANSMISSION AND IS REFERRED TO AS THE 'DSG FLASH OF DEATH'.

THE BRAKES ON MY VEHICLE ARE FAILING FOR THE THIRD TIME IN 6 YEARS AND THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 68,000 MILES ON IT. THE FIRST TIME THEY FAILED, THE CAR WAS BARELY TWO YEARS OLD AND HAD 22,000 MILES ON IT. THE SECOND TIME THEY FAILED WAS TWO YEARS LATER, AT 40,000 MILES. THEY ARE NOW FAILING AGAIN. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET SHOWS THAT VW HAD DISCOVERED A DESIGN FLAW ON THEIR 2008 JETTA BRAKES THAT WAS CAUSING THIS, BUT NO RECALL OR RESOLUTION HAS EVER BEEN ISSUED. VW NOW REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE VEHICLE OR TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

TURNED SEAT WARMER ON WHILE DRIVING. THIRTY MINUTES LATER AFTER ARRIVING AT DESTINATION, FELT LIKE MY LOWER BACK WAS BURNED. HAD MY WIFE LOOK AT MY BACK. I HAD WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SECOND TO THIRD DEGREE BURN. THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON, THE BURN BEGAN BLISTERING. THERE IS AN IMPRINT IN THE SEAT WHICH MATCHES WHERE THE BURNT PART OF MY BACK WAS RESTING AGAINST THE BACK OF THE SEAT. A BURN MARK (HOLE), A LITTLE LARGER THAN THE SIZE OF A PIN TIP, WAS LEFT IN THE SEAT AND THE FABRIC APPEARS TO BE MELTED AROUND THE HOLE. *TR

THE BACK PASSENGER SIDE DOOR LOCK QUIT WORKING AND THE DOOR WON'T LOCK AT ALL. ANYBODY CAN OPEN THE DOOR AND HURT YOUR CHILD OR STILL THE CAR. I CALLED THE DEALER HERE IN AUSTIN, TX TODAY, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THE JETTA MODEL AND IT HAS HAPPENED TO HUNDREDS OF COSTUMERS. THE ELECTRIC LOCKS QUIT WORKING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND CLEARLY A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

FUEL CUT-OFF/SURGING WHEN ACCELERATING AND TAPPING NOISE FROM ENGINE. ENGINE IS THROWING ENGINE CODES; A LOSS OF POWER IS PRESENT WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS OCCURS EVERY TIME I TRY TO ACCELERATE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CAM FOLLOWER AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP ON ALL 2.0T FSI MOTORS FROM VW. MY CAM FOLLOWER HAS A HOLE IN IT (HAVE THE PART) AND THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP IS WORN DOWN (HAVE THE PART) BECAUSE IT HAS MADE CONTACT WITH THE CAM LOBE, WHICH HAS BEEN SCARRED (HAVE THE PART). REPLACEMENT REQUIRES A NEW CAM, HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP, AND CAM FOLLOWER. THE DESIGN HOWEVER WILL REQUIRE CONSTANT INSPECTION OF THE CAM FOLLOWER TO AVOID MAJOR ENGINE FAILURE. ALL 2.0 T FSI ENGINES WILL EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM. VOLKSWAGEN HAS A TSB #2015153 DATED DECEMBER 16, 2009 THAT WARNS OF THIS PROBLEM UPON CEL LIGHT BEING SHOWN. BUT BY THEN THE DAMAGE WAS DONE, UPON FURTHER INSPECTION IT HAD A HOLE IN THE CAM FOLLOWER, WITH SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE CAM AND HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. REPAIR COST WAS OVER $2,000.00. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS I FOUND OUT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR MOTOR. SO MUCH SO THAT VOA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO TEN YEARS AND 100,000 MILES JUST FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY THEY USED VIN NUMBERS AND MY VIN NUMBERS IS AFTER THE CUTOFF POINT EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE EXACT SAME MOTOR WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE EARLIER VIN NUMBERED CARS. THEY NEED TO COVER THE AFFECTED MOTOR NUMBERS NOT THE VIN NUMBERS. *TR

PURCHASED 4 NEW NEXEN N5000 (225/45R17) TIRES AND HAD THEM INSTALLED ON 10/21/13. APPROX. 2K MILES ON THE TIRES, AND WE NOTICED A BUBBLE ON THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE WHERE THE TREAD AND SIDEWALL MEET. NO SIGNS OF SCRATCHES ON THE SIDEWALL, AND WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY IMPACT WITH POTHOLES OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED IT. *TR