Brake power booster suddenly fails in stop and go traffic and vehicle brakes really hard and the brake pedal floors on its own. This can cause serious accidents.
2002 Volkswagen Jetta brakes complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 51, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On october 19, 2006, while driving my 2002 volkswagen jetta, the ABS warning lights came on the dash. According to the owner's manual this indicated a serious problem that could effect the brakes on the car. On october 26, 2006 I took the car to fischer's foreign cars, inc. For repair. They told me the ABS control module was defective and needed to be replaced. The cost of the repair was $702.93 and they said there was a recall for this problem (they gave me a copy of the recall letter from volkswagen of america inc(voa) dated march 12, 2002) and that I should file a claim with voa for reimbursement. I purchased the car new on february 16, 2002, and never received a recall notice for this problem. On november 4, 2006, I sent a registered letter to voa requesting reimbursement for the repair costs. I also enclosed copies of the recall letter and the repair bill. About november 11, 2006, I received a telephone call from a woman at voa and she said that the recall letter did not cover my car and that because the factory warranty had expired in february 2006, that voa would not honor my request for reimbursement. She said the decision was final. I can't understand why the recall would not cover my car when the problem indicated in the recall letter is the same as mine. It seems that the recall should have included more cars when it is obvious from my defective ABS module that the problem was not corrected. At the time of the failure, my car had 38,631 miles on it. I am concerned that there are other cars, like mine, that should have when covered by the recall or a subsequent recall to correct the defective ABS module. I believe someone should revisit this issue to determine if the recall should be expanded to include more cars.
This is a report of the failure of the booster brake on a 2002 vw tdi jetta. The symptoms are that while applying the brakes, the pedal will suddenly be sucked to the floor resulting in a sudden stop. The danger created is of being rear-ended and is a potential life threatening issue. The problem is difficult to trouble shoot because it is intermittent. Once the pedal is sucked to the floor it could be days before it happens again. I see that at least eleven other 2002 jetta owners have reported the sudden braking problem to nhts, I.e. Odi id #10103196, 10129643, 10137579, 10100576, 10058106, 10027194, 8011122, 10139134, 10086927, 8023749, 769651. In each case, where a solution is mentioned, the solution involved the booster brake. In my case the vw dealer, after trying twice, did not find the solution. It was after interacting with the folks at the vw tdi club who experienced the same problem that I learned their solution which was to replace the booster brake. The vw dealer agreed to replace my booster brake only if I agreed to hold no one other than myself responsible should the replacement not solve the problem and if they could replace the master cylinder in addition to the booster brake. The repair made over a year ago on 25 october 2005, solved my sudden braking problem. I see that others on the tdi web site are still having booster brake problems and that they have been unsuccessful in getting volkswagons attention. The help of the nhts is needed to raise the corporate consciousness of the right folks in vw about the booster brake problem. At a minimum vw should alert its service repair folks to the symptoms and the solution. A recall to correct the failed booster brakes is the desired redress. I still have the failed booster brake and master cylinder and will be glad to provide all the parts to the nhts folks.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle has a faulty electrical brake light switch causing the vehicle to malfunction and the brake light to illuminate. The dealers determined that the vehicle was not part of a recall although the vehicle experiences similar symptoms. The contact researched online to check on recalls pertaining to the vehicle's symptoms, recall #04v096000 identified similarities. The dealers offered to replace the part for a cost.
We have a 2002 volkswagen jetta tdi gls. Since the vehicle was new we have had an intermittent serious problem with the braking system. We live near fort collins, co; when we travel to other parts of the country with lower elevation, our brakes begin to malfunction. Initially, they begin to drag; you usually have to turn off the ignition to get them to release. Sometimes you can pump them hard and get them to release. During this phase the brakes wear quickly and become very hot. Within a day the problem progresses to a much worse condition. As you press the brake pedal, the pedal feels as though it is pulling away from your foot. As you press a little more, the pedal suddenly pulls violently from your foot and the vehicle brakes slam on. At this time the ABS does not work as far as I can tell. When the brakes pull from your foot there is a noise like air being sucked into something. When the brakes slam on in this fashion, one of several things happen. The brakes may stay locked on, leaving you to try to get them to release, often in an intersection or traffic. They may release entirely, and be okay until the next braking incident. Many times they drag somewhere between light enough that you might just think the car is running poorly to so heavily that you can barely move the car without killing the engine. We were most recently in the portland, oregon area when this happened. It began to happen the first night we were in town, with the dragging. The next morning we drove to the coast, and the more serious malfunction began. We tried to drive around a small coastal town, only to have to park and walk everywhere we needed to go. On the way back we were unfortunate to find ourselves in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic. With nearly every single use of the brakes, they would slam to the floor. We have to try to stay far enough away from other vehicles to avoid being hit from behind or skidding into the vehicle in front of us.
I own a 2002 vw jetta tdi. Three times now I have had a serious incident with my brakes. While driving at low speeds, under 25 MPH, the brake pedal has pulled itself to the floor and sharply applied the brakes while I was driving. My foot was on the accelerator while this occurred. There is also a loud pressure release sound coming from the brake pedal after it applied itself. This happens intermittently and the dealer has not been able to correct it yet.
On 9/17/2005 I was pulling into my assigned parking spot at my condo. I was approximately traveling about 3 MPH and had my brakes applied to maneuver into my parking spot. Upon reaching the curb, I applied pressure to the brakes and expected to come to a complete stop. However, my car lunged forward and ended up in my neighbor's living room. My car only stopped after taking out the brick structure and front window of her condo. Before making impact with the outside structure I attempted to brake twice with no response. The impact was substantial and yet the airbags never deployed. My car was towed to a garage that my insurance approved and not to the dealership who has serviced my car for all the current recalls and various problems. The recalls and problems include the brake light switch, replacement of the coil ignition, armrest break, alarm sounding for no reason, and the window falling into the door frame. This accident caused serious property damage and the police were called to the scene. The police acknowledged my skid marks and my attempt at applying the brakes. The situation was treated/cited as a car accident so that my neighbor and I could go through the proper procedures of her damages being reimbursed. I plan to prove my car is defective and a lemon. I would appreciate any feedback, advice or suggestions regarding my situation. *nm
Over the past few months I have been experiencing difficulty with an intermitent problem with my car. Periodically the car would not accelerate past 10-15 miles an hour resulting in the car going into overdrive. The car was towed twice in two weeks. After the first tow, the dealership could not detect the problem and returned the car to me even though I felt unsafe driving the vehicle. The second time, the car was moving at 40mph and then dropped to 5 MPH on a busy highway, where I was close to causing a serious accident. I demanded that the dealership keep the car and continue to test drive the car until they detected the problem, which they finally found. They found a defect in the brake system where the brakes would cease while driving resulting in the complete replacement of the brake booster system and brake peddle, which the dealership claimed was defect from the manufacturer as it is a rare occurance. Approx. $700., the car is returned although I continue to feel unsafe driving the car. Also, because of this defect, it required me to replace brake pads x2 in a two week period. I am concerned that this defect has not been a recall of some kind. Please advise.
Dt: consumer states that vehicle is having excessive vibration while braking at medium speeds. Owner did take the vehicle in to be serviced, and had the rear brake discs replaced. It has caused the front end to vibrate worse.
While driving in inclement weather, the consumer applied the brake, but they failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the brakes were frozen and that the rotors were bent. The power booster and rotors needed to be replaced. Please provide further details.
When the consumer applied the brakes the pedal went to the floor.. The consumer was able to pump the brakes and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer to be inspected, however they were unable duplicate the problem.
The booster and master cylinder were defective. When touching the brakes they locked up.*ak. Booster and master cylinder are good, but shaft between the two misaligned and hangs up. Cannot realigned. *ak....manufacturer insisted that booster and master cylinder were good, but shaft between the two was misaligned, could not realign it. Has to replace it at $640.00.
A few weeks ago I was driving my 02 jetta tdi and was sitting at a light with the brakes applied. Once the light turned green I release the pedal and it had a hydraulic release sound, like a swishing noise. The brakes were still on but the pedal had released. I tapped the pedal and they released. Over the course of my drive home every time I applied the brakes the pedal would suck all the way to the floor and make that swishing sound. The car would jolt as the brakes applied full force. Other times they would stay applied and I would have to tap the pedal and then they would release. I got home and later decided to test the car out again. And it did nothing! The car drove fine for a couple weeks. Today the problem started again suddenly. Advice. Help. Thanks.
While driving on a slight downgrade, during clear wether, on a dry road, my brakes locked up. This was preceeded by a loud decompressing sound, immediately after which the brake petal went to the floor of its on volition. My foot was no where near the break petal. This caused me to skid on the dry pavement and left me extremely close to a ditch. As soon as the car stopped moving the brakes returned to normal. This occured twice more during the mile to my home. It was towed to the dealership. "no fault codes" were in the computers memory. Initial diagnosis - intermittent occurance of an unknown nature. My concern is that if this occured on a busy highway I may have been struck in the rear by another vehicle, injured or died and no-one would have known it was a brake malfunction. My concerns were heeded and a tech was assigned to drive the vehicle home that eve. The brake lock-up occured several times to him while driving slowly. It was once again towed to the dealership. They are replacing the brake booster but are not sure this is the exact cause of this problem. I am concerned to say the least. This is my only vehicle. Is there a recall or investigation? Are there deaths attributed to this failure? Could there be unreported deaths due to this defect? Why was there no fault in the computer? Vehicle being repaired @ speedcraft vw, wakefield, ri, (401) 783-3303.
I have a 2002 volkswagen jetta. I had the brakes checked due to vibration. Even though there was 40% of the pads left the front rotors had to be replaced. I have been told the rotars on the jetta are lighter/thinner and with a combination of harder brake pads it is not unusual for the rotars to warp with heavy city driving. It is not uncommon to have to replace the rotors with the very first brake job. I was told that with subsequent brake repairs the replacement rotors probably could be turned and not need changed. There is an obvious issue with the factory rotors and/or pad match. A first time brake job should not require rotor replacement.
While driving at any speed front brakes locked up.
1) transmission slips, and causes a thud. Have taken vehicle to dealership 3 times and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 2) LED display disappears. Have informed dealership of this problem twice and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 3) brakes are mushy. Have informed dealership once and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 4) vehicle is sluggish when accelerating. Have informed dealership once. 5) engine light has come on, and there is peculiar smell. Have informed dealership once.
Vehicle had difficulty shifting out of park. Dealership said it had to do with a brake switch recall and that the problem was corrected. When vehicle was driven after repair, brakes felt differently, but worked. A week later while driving on the interstate, the brake pedal stuck and would not accelerate over 50mph. The dealership said the master cylinder was bad and will replace it. Other problems include the arm rest breaking three times, window mechanics needed replaced, door leaks, and cover on plastic interior peeling.
While driving, pressure was applied to the brake pedal and the vehicle did not stop at the desired stopping point. Master cylinder was replaced twice.
In attempt to stop the brake pedal went to the floor and the emergency brake had to be used to stop. After pumping the brakes several times partial braking was restored. Upon examination by the local dealer it was determined that the vaccum pump had failed and the vaccuum hoses were full of holes. The car is a 2002 vw jetta tdi (deisel) and had 52000 miles at the time of incident. At 50000 miles the car was inspected at the dealer according to vw specifications and the defect was overlooked. Volkswagen of america fails to understand the serious nature of this problem and fails to accept any responsibility. I am concerned that there may be many other cars on the road facing the same serious dangerous condition.
While driving 45 MPH driver applied brakes and pedal went to the floor. This caused the vehicle to skid into a tree. Both air bags did not deploy.
I have a 2002 1.8t volkswagen jetta - I have experienced numerous failures. 1)radio has failed twice - in each instance fault was traced to a fuse - following radio failure I experienced repeated dead batteries until the radio was repaired. 2) ABS failure detected when I was getting my radio fixed the second time 3)vehicle has failed to start on two occasions - I wait a minute and try again - it worked 4)my window fell into the door 5)I experienced an activation of numerous engine fault lights that reset following engine restart 6)the coating on interior door handle surfaces peels off easily 7)the chrome ring around the shift know is peeling.
My 2002 vw jetta has been sitting at the dealership for almost 30 days waiting for an ABS control module. No one at the dealership or vw of america can tell me when the part will be shipped or if it has even been shipped yet. I call every day to find out status, and still no one at this huge corporation has an answer.
When the consumer attempted to apply the brake, the pedal "shot" all the way to the floor, which left the vehicle with no braking ability. The pedal eventually recovered and consumer pulled into a parking lot for safety. While parking, the consumer attempted to apply the brakes again and the pedal "shot" to the floor a second time. Dealer had not been able to duplicate or determine cause. *ak the dealer was unable to remedy the problem. On the way home, the problem occurred again while in traffic and to avoid an accident, the consumer ran into the ditch. *scc
Consumer's vehicle almost rear ended another vehicle when brakes took about 4 seconds to catch.
The anti-lock brake failed, which caused the vehicle to experience extended stopping distance.
I purchased this car for my daughter. The major problems are complaints of having trouble stopping. I was concerned so I drove it and immediately I heard a grinding noise and felt a vibration while applying the brakes. I took it to a local firestone tire and they felt the vibration and heard the grinding noise but the brake pads looked good so they advised me to take it to the dealer, as it was probably a warranty issue. I took it to the dealer and they charged me $37.00 to tell me that the rotors were warped and it's not covered by warranty. I was advised vw is aware of this problem. (why charge me $37.00 for a problem that (they know) they have?). How can this happen on a brand new car that doesn't even need it's first set of brake pads? I am still not sure what to make of the braking problem. The rotors were just discovered because I was complaining of a braking problem. *jb secondly,while driving, the car jerks back and forth and sometimes jolts. I am concerned as to what this could be. The dealer has no idea. *jb I paid $27,000 for this car to insure my child's safety. I am now wondering just how safe it is.
I started my car to leave work and when I put it in reverse the car would not back up. I thought it was the transmission? I had vehicle towed in for repair to local dealer, they replaced a switch in the ABS system that was causing the brakes to stick. As of today the car is back at the dealer with the same problem. In august of 2002 the switch in the brake pedal that allows you to put the car into gear had went out. The dealer replaced the switch and when I picked up my car the brakes were grabing as I left the dealer, I immediately brought it back and told them it was not right. A mechanic and I road tested the car and he stopped and physically pulled up on the brake pedal to make the brakes release. He stated there was nothing wrong. That evening the car did the same thing while I was on the interstae and caused such a drag on the wheels that you could not go over 40mph. I was able to pull off at an exit and pulled on the brake pedal to make it release. The next day on my way to work I had the car in cruise control and when I tapped the brake for cruise to release, the brakes locked on the car again and I had to pull up on the brake with my foot to try to get them to turn loose. The cruise did not release, it got stuck, I had to turn it off with the switch on the steering mechanisim. I told the dealer that I would not drive the vehicle because I felt this problem was dangerous and they had it towed for service. They stated the switch they had just replaced the day before was faulty. I asked them to check the bearings and rotars for possible damage due to the brakes sticking while driving on the highway. I feel all of these problems are related to each other and one may have been precluded the others. As I stated previously the car is back at the dealer for the same problem and I just happen to be 2,000 miles out of warranty. The car has had a warranty recall for a part in the ABS system which was done at the dealer. This has all happened after the recall.
When applying the brake pedal while traveling about 30mph the pedal will go all the way down to the floor. Dealer was notified provide additional information. Ts
The consumer rented a vehicle for two days while her vehicle was being repaired for a recall on the ABS electronic control unit, the consumer received a reimbursement check but it was not for the full amount paid, the consumer was told that volkswagen only reimbursed $25 a day for rental vehicles, the consumer stated that this was never disclosed to her and she is seeking the remainder of the money for reimbursement.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Volkswagen Jetta?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history