2003 Volkswagen Jetta: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Aug 30, 2018 · Lights · 150,000 miles · PA

Driving hello all state route after dark at 55 mi./h the headlights went out completely and then came back on in a short matter of seconds. Had the road not been straight at that section I could have very easily collided with trees or guardrails. The 1st time this happened was 2012-08-01. I had the local volkswagen expert garage replaced the headlights stock. The next time that occurred was july 2018. This is a severe safety hazard I have not sought any repairs yet.

Filed Jun 7, 2010 · Electrical · 74,050 miles · VA · fire

Started car and turned on headlights. Started driving home and the dashboard dimmer switch caught fire. Fire went out but all dashboard lights were out.

Filed Mar 8, 2010 · Engine · 25,000 miles · GA

When I start my car, the engine idles inconsistently and the car shakes or stutters. If I begin driving normally one of two things will happen, either the engine will stall (happening more frequently lately) or the car will continue to have idling problems until it warms up. In the second case, the car will drive normally for about 15 minutes until I come to the first hill. If the car down shifts while going down a hill at lower speeds, the asr light will come on and from this point on the car has a difficult time shifting gears. The shifting is abrupt and the engine does not sound normal. If I stop, turn the engine off and turn it back on the car appears to function normally. To avoid the above problem, I do the following when first starting my car. I start the car, turn on the headlights and rev my engine to about 3000 RPM's. I hold this RPM for about 30-60 seconds and then I notice that the headlights flicker once and become stronger and the engine will then rev up another 500 RPM's on its own. At this point I usually do not experience the asr problem with the car. Problem first started in 2007 and persisted until 2010 when it was finally repaired.

Filed Nov 14, 2007 · Lights · CA

The front headlight lenses have oxidized/deteriorated and has diffused the light to the point it is unsafe to drive at night. I had the lenses polished two years ago, and now they need polishing again. I don't feel that I should have to bear the burden of a safety issue like this.

Filed Oct 24, 2003 · Electrical · 8,800 miles · KY

This is the second time now that my 2003 vw 1.8t jetta would not start when I went to leave for work in the morning. I un-lock the doors with the remote and get in the car, press in on the clutch and turn the key, the headlights, radio, door-chimes and interior lights all come on but the engine will not turn over at all. I only have 8800 miles on the car at this point in time, the first time was about two weeks ago and the dealer can't seem to find anything wrong with it. I don't understand what could possibly be causing the problem except that both time it has been near freezing outside and the car had sat over-night. The first time the dealer had my car for three days, without giving me a loaner car before they told me to come pick it up because they couldn't duplicate the problem. This time they have had my car for two days now, and I haven't even received a phone call from them to let me know about the progress of my vehicle.

Filed Jul 31, 2003 · Brakes · 300 miles · IA

Okay, I have had my 03 jetta for one month and two days (I received it on june 29th). It has already been in for service for the following reasons: july 8th: -A/C vent made loud noise like something was stuck/flapping around in it - condensation in drivers side headlight -pulled to the right -made a moaning noise when I turned left, gradually worsened to make the same noise when I turned left. *vw had the car at that time for two days, then called me to tell me that they were stumped about the moaning noise and that they wanted their head tech to look at it. However, he happened to be on vacation so I would need to bring it back in. But they added that they did inspect the car as far as safety was concerned and I was good to go. July 24: -car brought in for the second time for moaning noise when turning *vw called me that afternoon stating that since the last time I had brought it in a service bulletin had been issued for my problem and all they had to do was drain and replace my transmission fluid and the noise would be gone. I picked up my car that evening and 1 1/2 hrs later I heard the noise again, not half as loud or as noticeable but it was still there and it again was pulling to the right. I immediately called and left as message with my service advisor that night and called my salesperson in the morning. I had to wait one more week until they could get it back in again. July 30-present ( they still have my car!) - returned car for the third time for moaning noise when turning -still pulling to the right -paint on hood had a noticeable 3d effect & hairline scratches that were not just caused by a bad detailing job -the night before this my brakes started pumping when I would slow down from 60 MPH to get off onto the on ramp to get home, which I didn't think was normal. T *vw said my rotors were warped so they had to replace them.