Besides having many, many, many problems with my vw jetta, I have found the absolute biggest one. While driving for a while...say 45 minutes or so depending on the day...the rear brakes lock up and stay on while still driving. It has been to the dealership three separate times to have this fixed and they say they can't get it to demonstrate the problem on their lame 10 mile test drive and has yet to remain fixed. They also tried to make me fix some other meaningless problems with the car under the guise of fixing the brakes which I did not agree to. I no longer feel safe in the car and refuse to drive it.
2001 Volkswagen Jetta brakes complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 77, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Recently, my ABS warning light came on. Upon diagnostic evaluation by volkswagen (vw), I was told that ABS control unit was faulty and needed replacement. When I informed them that I had researched this and discovered that there was a national recall on the '01 jetta ABS control unit, I was told that this was true, but in fact my particular unit, as discerned by their diagnostic evaluation, did not qualify for recall. I was offered a 50/50 split on parts and labor by the dealership b/c the car is only several months out of the warranty period. Of course, after turning blue in the face trying to explain my dilemma to the vw customer relations dept (that's a real joke; they did nothing for me), I was left w/no choice but to accept their offer, as this was a safety issue and needed to be addressed. Clearly, my particular unit should have been on the recall list b/c it was faulty and reared it's ugly head only 3.5 months outside of the warranty period. It's a real shame that vw is more concerned w/taking a customer for all he/she is worth one time around w/out any regard to maintaining true customer relations for the long run. The only satisfaction I could have at this point would be a full refund on the labor/parts charges for this repair. Taking responsibility for this problem, and acknowledging the undoubtedly myriad other customers affected who also did not "qualify" for recall, should be vw's stance. Corporations in this country have run amok and the consumer is paying-$25000 in my case, and a host of problems ranging from paint issues to the current issue. This was my first new car and I was very excited about purchasing it. Vw has left me feeling violated and played for a fool.
Interior console paint peeling, fabric fading, engine rattle noise, window actuator failure and noise, thermastat, fuel door actuator, seat springs snap, brake pad excessive wear, A/C runs hot.
"when the brake pedal was depressed from a cold start position, the vehicle failed to stop, which resulted in extended stopping distance. *ak *scc. The consumer stated there was damage to the vehicle as a result of the vehicle not stopping.
The consumer stated the ABS light illuminated. The dealer was contacted, however the problem had not been rectified.
Consumer noticed a grinding sound when depressing brakes at 30-35 MPH from rear and front of vehicle. Vehicle was serviced by technician, calipers needed to be replaced.
Vehicle experienced the same defect with ABS as stated in recall 02 v 031 000, but this vehicle was not included due to VIN.
I have just purchased a 2001 vw jetta. In the last month since I have purchased the vehicle. I have had boh of the rear brakes failed since purchasing the vehicle. I have had to replace all pads and calipers on the rear brakes. They were both defective and had to be replaced. I am very disapointed in the quality of this vehicle. I dont know if this is a common problem but I thought I would report it and find out some more information on the subject.
Problems with 2001 jetta brake system.*mr rear brake failure called for replacement of rotors, calipers and required a complete brake system flush. The consumer was concerned as to why the ABS warning light did not activate. *ph
At appr 30,000 my d/s rear brakes locked until the pad was gone. The vehicle operation did not change. Upon hearing a metal to metal noise I drove immediately to my dealer. I replaced the rearpad and declined replacing the rotor as it did not have any grooving. I have nad an an occasion were my ABS did not kick in and one were the ABS was activated upon regular braking. This is vw #3 and last vw for me. This along w/ having an electrical problem that resulted in a new computer, new wireing harness and 2 new sets of glow plugs is unacceptable.
See similar complaint #8000894 rear brakes wore to bare metal with no warning at 2500 miles. No audible warning, and the prior service at 2000 miles revealed no imminent wear problem. Seems to be common problem based on web searches on this problem. Vehicle was made unsafe by this aggressive brake wear and reduced stopping ability. Would like to see vw add some sort of warning device. Lack of warning lead to rotor damage and replacement (unnecessary expense).
The gear was hard to shift out of park and the brake sensor needed to be replaced.
My 2001 vw jetta just rolled 30000 on the odometer. I have heard that there are problems with the brake pads on the rear of the car. I had to pay $350 to get the pads replaced and get the rotors refinished. I don't drive the car unusually hard and did not expect the brakes to go so quickly. Also, this past winter, all of the spark plugs were shot. This not surprisingly occurred right after the warranty expired. I have had numerous little problems with the car since I bought it. I am leaning toward never looking to purchase a volkswagen again.
Back brakes and rotors had to be replaced on my 2001 jetta glx v6 which was purchased 08/01. I only had 23,000 miles on the car! At my 20,000 mile service no problems were mentioned. My check engine light came on too. I had to have my o2 sensor replaced under warranty. The warranty did not cover the brakes. I do not ride the brakes. 1 month after I bought the car I noticed that when I start it in the morning it makes a sound like and old junky car would. I had it to the dealer twice for this and they said its nothing and that's the way a v6 sounds! It only does it on the first start of the day. I am afraid it will end up being some very expensive problem in the future. 9 months after I had the car the arm rest came apart and had to be fixed under warranty. I will never buy another volkswagen again and I would not recommend them to my friends who are md's and rn's and can afford nice cars.
Volkswagen of america knows about a brake problem with 2001 jetta's. They are soft brake pads, wearing out before it's time with no indication what so ever. The brakes grind into the rotors, which need to be replaced. Vw has replaced both pads and brakes with some customers (outside of the warranty problem) but continues to deny it in others - such as myself.
@ 20000 miles desert vw performed warrenty service (5 weeks ago) which included a complete break inspection. At the time no problem was seen. @ 22000 miles both pads on the back were totally gone. I understand vw used a thinner pad on the 2001 jetta's. This was to cut down on noise noted on the 2000 models in 2002 vw went back to the old pads. I contacted vw of america, and desert vw. Both told me changing the back brakes @ 22000 miles was normal. How was my pads being worn down to nothing missed at 20000? @ 22000 I'm doing a brake job on the back brakes only? It would seem that brakes, (on the back), should last 2 to 1 from the front. The shop that did the repair said he has never encounted this before and this shop handles imports only. Please contact me and I will forward all information to your office. I feel this is unsafe, costly and can be corrected. Dt
Had problems prior with brake pedal vibrating when depressed slightly and also during turns with loss of brake power. Abs system replaced by local dealer. Had an incident after replacement. Going down a hill at 45 MPH with a right bend, applied brakes. Same vibration in brake pedal, no braking power and steering kicked car sharply to left and ended up off the road. Then everything seemed to work again but still experiencing problems car going in for more service yet again. Dt
Consumer received a recall notice on the ABS control unit in march 2002. An appointment could not be made until july 10, 2002. The ABS light & brake light illuminated. Consumer was told to continue driving the car until june 25. Consumer took the vehicle to another dealership where they were appalled that under the severity of the ABS unit consumer was told to keep driving.
Consumer states that while driving the vehicle into her drive way she proceed to stop and brakes fail.consumer says that there is a recall out but does not include her VIN number.
Back brakes were grinding and rotors were replaced. Dealership mechanic told consumer that rotors were warped.
Smoldering fire put out with fire extinguisher. May be related to antilock brake system recall. Will contact dealer and manufacturer.
Received recall 02v031000 notice and had repair work done. When repairs were finished problem started again. Did not have problem with brakes until recall repairs were done.
While driving windshield wipers quit. Also, ABS light illuminated. Took vehicle to dealer, and they couldn't duplicate problem. Please provide any further information.
Consumer states his daughter 2001 jetta has 17000 miles on it and the rear brakes are gone.
Consumer experienced a burning wire smell inside vehicle, prior to the recall # 02 v 031 000. Abs light illuminated.*jbconsumer was told by dealer the problem was not serious and did not require immediate attention, however the ABS failure eventually drained the battery.
When applying brakes in snow or icy conditions it causes brakes to lock up or freezes up. Vehicle was taken to dealer, and they could not find any thing wrong, but the problem is reoccurring. Feel free to provide any further information.
I have had trouble with this jetta from the first day I took ownership of the vehicle. The brake assembly has been replaced. The brake light switch has been replaced. Now I have just received a new transmission in my ten month old car. The car's transmission was reset three times before volkswagen replaced the valve body. This procedure did not work and in turn endangered my life. I was trying to get on the highway when the car would not shift and was shuddering. I was almost hit by an oncoming 18 wheeled truck. I am scared every time I have to get back in this car. The transmission has been fixed, but not my trust.
Vehicle was taken in for a routine oil change. Brake pads were worn out. There was metal to metal noise, and rotors were ruined. Dealer said that rear brake pads and rotors neededto be replaced.
Vw dealer refuses to provide a solution to this problem, nor do they recognize the brake failures. The vehicle's fuel injectors have not been repaired and was serviced on 11-28-01 by the dealer. They refuse to cooperate with me in working these matters out in a fair manner.
I've come to my car several times and have found the brake lights on. After depressing the brake pedal several times, they come off, but managed to come on again after closing the door. More disturbing, however, is the fact that when the vehicle is on, your foot does not have to be applied to the brake pedal to shift out of park; it assumes your foot is on the brake. This is definitely not good; not to mention the drain on the battery. Have there been similar problems reported?
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