2002 Volkswagen Jetta transmission problems

Filed Sep 26, 2018 · Electrical, Transmission · 230,000 miles · TN

While the vehicle is in motion, it "jerks" or makes a shaking movement. While the vehicle is in motion, the "door ajar" light stays on although all doors have been opened and closed. While stationary, the vehicle brake light is not working. While stationary and in motion, the vehicle's check engine light stays on. The rear middle passenger seatbelt is not useable. The driver's door remains unlocked after pressing the "lock doors" button.

Filed May 9, 2017 · Transmission · 166,000 miles · AL

The shifter first locked up in heavy traffic, then later came completely loose in traffic. The vw parts departments said this problem has happened so much that no one within 200 miles had the parts in stock as they were sold out. Vw refused to cooperate with the better business bureau in resolution. The bbb told me to report to the federal safety agency>

Filed Apr 22, 2014 · Transmission · 90,000 miles · MN

After sitting in traffic and driving at low speeds the car suddenly will slip out of gear. The engine races and I am stuck in first. I have to continue to drive at high rpms in 1st just to get home. It happened intermittently at first, but now it happens daily in traffic. I took it volkswagen and they say nothing is wrong. Took it to a transmission shop and they say the transmission must be rebuilt for $6000. If I turn the car off and it cools down, I can sometimes get it to stay in gear. It happened several times while accelerating onto a freeway nearly causing an accident because I had to quickly pull off the roadway. Unreal that volkswagen is "unaware" of this issue and can't seem to repair it. Please recall!

Filed Apr 18, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 92,000 miles · IL

Engine abruptly lost all power and turned off while driving down the street. No warning lights came on, and the car restarted and ran normally for 6 months. The same thing happened about 6 months later. 10 minutes after the second episode, mechanic wasn't able to find a fault code and drove it without the stall recurring.

Filed Jul 11, 2012 · Transmission · 140,000 miles · GA

After starting the car and letting it warm up. I drove out of my driveway to the stop sign. Made a right turn and then a quick left. After turning the car could not go into gear,the rpms kept racing up. But the gear would not engage. Pulled into a store parking lot and drove around in circles at this low speed. Until finally the car jumped into gear and I took off. Car was diagnosed as having a bad mother board to the cars computer. It drove fine for a few days then at a stop light it jumped off again. (car was warm because I had driven a distance). Today I had the transmission flushed and changed. No improvement again. Usually the car will drive straight after it's real warm. But if I make a sharp turn the car jerks and revs up the rpms just as if it was cold. The vw folks kept misdiagnosing and giving me the wrong parts (these must be the same people that made the transmission. They've been a nightmare for assistance very unknowledgeable. I have been buying volkswagens since 1974. I have never had such a crappy piece of a car(also my first time owning a car with a automatic transmission and my last). It drives beautifully (when it's working) but has all plastic crap for parts.(while still under warranty I had most of that replaced). But to find that the transmission is faulty I demand a recall on this 2002 vw jetta 1.8t. I promise I'll never buy another vw or will I let any one I know or contact through social media purchase a vw. I can actually say we have been ripped off by vw with their low standards for a car. These cars used to last forever what a way to rip off the public form for money! Just like toyota had a recall volkswagen you need to recall this unrepairable car no and save your advertisement fees, because bad news travel faster..

Filed Jan 24, 2012 · Transmission · 115,000 miles · MA

Transmission failure resulting in inability to shift above third gear without allowing the car to warm up for 20+ minutes. Sometimes the transmission will slip out of gear and the car will lose all power from the engine. (rpms drop to 0, car will coast).

Filed Jan 24, 2012 · Transmission · TX

I have a 2002 jetta & in november 2011, I began experiencing issues with the automatic transmission. It only occurs when the car is cold & after warming up, the issues go away. Upon starting the vehicle, the car shifts hard between the 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears. It revs up between each gear then jumps to the next gear. I took it into one vw dealer service shop who told me that there were several issues, that the transmission was slipping, I had a vacuum leak & the cb boot is split. The transmission would need to be completely replaced costing me $5811.56 (parts and labor). The car has 103,508 miles. I took the car to another vw dealer shop to get a second opinion and they ran test and said that there was nothing wrong. Frustrated with the vw service shops, I decided to take it to a transmission repair - they stated that since this was a sealed transmission I would need to have it rebuilt which would cost $2,500-$3,500. Who knows if this will actually correct the issue since nobody can pinpoint what is wrong or diagnose the issue! I researched it online, and countless '02 jetta owners are experiencing the exact issues. There are several forums and complaint boards regarding vw and their handling of this transmission problem = http://getsatisfaction.com/volkswagen/topics/jetta_2002_major_transmission_issues_anyone_else and also many on the federal safety agency. What is it going to take to get vw to admit that they have a faulty transmission in their 2002 jettas. This needs to be recalled. I loved my car up until now, but the service and their attention to the customers issues is making me second guess ever owning a volkswagen. It frustrates me that nobody from this huge corporation will admit that they've somehow dropped the ball with the transmission. This deserves to be recalled since it is not an isolated incident and is in not fault of the owner. Thank you for your attention to this!

Filed Jan 21, 2012 · Transmission · 117,000 miles · NJ

The car began to slip out of gear. Even though the gas pedal was pressed, the car would not accelerate. The mechanic says the transmission fluid is burnt out which indicates an internal transmission problem. Repair estimates between 3500 and 4000.

Filed Jan 18, 2012 · Transmission · 160,000 miles · GA

At a cold start, car is sluggish going into 2nd gear. Sounds like the engine is revving up at acceleration, but it will go no faster than 10 MPH!! Also I cannot reverse! The car must be warm (190 temp) in order to reverse and shift properly! Ive read of other vws with similar problems.

Filed Jan 4, 2012 · Transmission · 94,000 miles · WV

On cool days (approximately 40 degrees fahrenheit and below), the automatic transmission starts out in emergency running mode in third gear. If car warms up sufficiently, the ignition can be turned off and restarted to get the transmission to work correctly. I have read many boards where problems very similar to this seem widespread and many have been forced to do costly repairs. A recall may be necessary for this issue.