It was raining. My windshield wipers were on. White smoke came up from my steering column for a couple seconds. What makes this particularly frustrating, this happened on a 94 jetta I once owned. This happened on a 96 jetta my sister owned. Eventually, something in the steering column burned out and had to be replaced. We both paid for those to be replaced. Now, years later, I am faced with another burning steering column. I hope to find that vw is owning up to poor design, and when this one finally breaks, that they foot the bill for their failure. Referred to this site by this link: http://www.sportcompactracing.com/vbulletin/printthread.php?t=36741 I did a quick yahoo search to find that this was not a jinx that hit just my family.
1998 Volkswagen Jetta: windshield wiper failure
9 of the 192 complaints about the 1998 Volkswagen Jetta describe windshield wiper failure.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 77,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 5 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Windshield wiper failure by model year
What owners say
1. Driving 2. Lights went out, fan went out and windshield wipers stopped working.
While driving smoke was coming from the steering column. Consumer took the vehicle to dealer for inspection and the technician was unable to pin pinpoint the problem. The consumer determined that the wiper switch inside of the steering column needed to be replaced due to worn out switch. *ak an independent technician replaced the switch.
The e brake light, and the airbag light stay on once the car is started. Today this problem has included the heater fan not working, the headlights will not come on, and the wipers will not work. If I leave the light switch on, and leave the wiper switch on, I have found I can pull the high beam switch, and the wipers come on.
The ignition switch in my car is getting worse. The first time it malfunctioned was on a cold and snowy night. I was driving along and all of a sudden the lights went out, the wipers stopped, the defroster fan stopped and the ABS light went on. It was a little unsettling. The vw dealer told me it was a bad ingnition switch and it would cost about $300.oo dollars to replace. When I asked the parts department if they had the switch in stock he laughed and said "oh yeah". I am now driving my car only in the daytime while I save the money to replace the switch. I have owned over 30 cars and have never had an ignition fail.
My 1998 volkswagen (vw) jetta has an ignition switch problem. When driving, it falls back, turning off the electrical system (including lights and windshield wipers). Vw has identified this as a problem in the 1996 and 1997 jettas (and sent out a recall on the part) but does not recognize it as a problem for the 1998 models. I have been told by a vw service person that the 1998 models use the same ignition switch as the 1996/1997's. Vw representatives claim that they do not see a problem with the 1998's. This is a dangerous problem and should be addressed by vw.
While driving in the rain windshield wipers failed, causing driver to have poor visibility. It was an intermittent problem. Will be taking vehicle to dealership to have mechanic check it out.
My lights, wipers and heat wouldn't work, discovered it was the ignition switch. Contacted vw, and dealer, they want to charge me too much to fix it. I know 3 other people with jettas that had the same problem. Obviously vw is installing defective ignitions. My emergency brake wasn't releasing, took it to dealer and they informed me that I had a torn brake cable boot that was allowing moisture to get in and freeze my cable. The 2 yr/24,000 mile warranty was expired. My check engine light started going on and off, when I took it to the dealer, it took them 3 times to figure out it's the rear oxygen sensor. This is the first brand new car I have ever purchased and I have had more things wrong with it than I ever had with previously owned vehicles.
Windshield wipers failed while driving in the rain. I consider this to be a serious safety problem.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Technical Bulletin (Windshield Wipers Streak or Smear): Windshield or rear window is streaked, has a...
- Air Conditioning, Cleaning of the Refrigerant Circuit (U.S.Only)
- Tech Tips (Heated Rear Window, One or More Lines Inoperative): To detect which line(s) is inoperative,...
- Subject regarding sunroof binding or noisy due to broken slide(s)
- Subject pertaining to power sunroof convenience close feature, function change
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Volkswagen Jetta wipers
Is windshield wiper failure a common problem on the 1998 Volkswagen Jetta?
9 of 192 owner complaints about the 1998 Volkswagen Jetta (5%) mention windshield wiper failure. The model year with the most reports is 2011.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Volkswagen Jetta?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Volkswagen Jetta
Power windows 12Headlights 8Check engine light 7Airbag light 6Fire or smoke 6Stalling 6Tire blowout 6
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