Abs light came on at startup, contacted dealer service and told them of the problem, asked if safe to drive. They replied yes without ABS. Drove 30mi home, stopped and shutoff car, 1minute later, large amounts of smoke from under hood and in cabin. Fire dept responded. No visible flame, but burned wiring was evident. Dealer has only confirmed so far that the ABS controller, pump and wiring harness has shorted out.
2001 Volkswagen Jetta brakes complaints
Page 4 of 4: complaints 71 to 77 of 77, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Brake do not engage properly, consumer was informed on the first visit that there was an air pocket in the brake system, new brake fluid was added and the brakes were rebleed, however consumer began experiencing the problem again and the dealer found that the master cylinder was leaking which was replaced, consumer is again experiencing the same problem.
The vehicle experienced a total brake failure. The pedal offered little resistance, and sank to the floor. An accident was avoided by emergency procedures. The throttle was also inoperative. After bringing the vehicle to a eventual stop, the brakes slowly returned to normal, mushy at first, then to original feel. Not an expert at diagnosis, but it would appear that the "brain" that controls throttle and the ABS systems experienced a temporary failure. No indicator lights were dispalyed to indicate any form of failure. Needless to say, this was an "exciting" experience for a couple of minutes!!!.
While driving in rush hour traffic the master cylinder failed resulting in loss of braking ability. Nlm
Car was parked on near-level surface of driveway. Car was left in neutral (manual transmission) and parking brake was set. Doors were locked. Car began to roll 165 feet down driveway about 20 minutes after use. Car rested in a fence post. Dealer claims that car should be left in gear because the parking brake system on this car is hydraulic, and while the car is driven, the rear disc brakes heat up, and when the car is parked, the brakes cool down. The same brakes that cool down are the same brakes that heat up. When a brake pad heats up, it expands, when it cools down, it contracts. My parking brakes failed because they cooled off and became inoperable, causing the car to roll all on its own. I was never informed that the parking brake system on this car was not a separate drum brake, and I was never advised by the dealer during delivery to leave the car in gear while parked because the parking brake will be useless after every trip.
Transmission replaced on february 8, and ABS sensor replaced on february 21. Brakes had failed.
While driving down at steep incline vehicle would not stop. Also, expierenced a problem while traveling at 50 MPH, consumer tried to brake, and pedal went to the floor.
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