2006 Volkswagen Jetta: rotors or pads wearing out early

Filed Jun 24, 2012 · Engine · 101,000 miles · FL

Camshaft began knocking around 100,000 miles. Many other '06 jetta tdi have had premature camshaft failures as well. Knocking intensified just before 101,000 miles. Took it to mechanic who was very familiar with the issue, as he has seen more than his share. He said the earliest failure he has seen was at around 40,000 miles. I had to go to great expense to replace cam follower, camshaft and cam bearings. It also caused premature wear on my lifters, which I expect I'll have to do soon, as they are starting to "tick". I love my tdi, and have made sure all service was done promptly. I am frustrated that vwag has denied there is a problem. If enough people complain, then they will have to admit that poor engineering is the cause of the premature camshaft failures that are plaguing pumped use owners.

Filed May 7, 2009 · Brakes · 10,000 miles · CA

This letter is to express my dissatisfaction with rear brake performance on my 2007 jetta. The summary is extremely rapid rear pad wear, while then front, which have the wear sensor, remain unscathed. This is a known issue and the dealer admits its part of a ?safe braking? Design that tries to make the car squat rather than dive. The problem is, this is an unconventional method of brake application (rear biased when physics has the fronts normally doing more work), combined with a conventional brake design that has smaller parts and no wear sensors in the rear. The result of this ?safety feature? Is that I can expect to wear out rear pads faster than front, in as little as 9-10k miles. The problem is a reasonably minded person would not come to this conclusion, and the lack of a rear pad wear warning system creates a potential safety issue. The user manual does not warn that rear pads may wear faster, and in fact indicates they should be inspected each 10 k, or when the front wear sensor illuminates. Both of these cases may be too late, leading at best to expensive repairs when the rotors are damaged, or worse, to unpredictable braking in an emergency. If I have my car inspected at 10k, and the rears are still serviceable, I do not believe they would make it to 20k. The dealer admits its a common complaint, and that there is nothing than can be done. I feel this is a design defect and that pressure should be applied for a real fix. I am not alone: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f16f1f6/11 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080205103511aa06feq http://rabbitownersclub.com/vw/showthread.php/12-000-mile-and-my-11363.html http://www.myvwlemon.com/ubb/forum1/html/000342.html http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=803924 http://rabbitownersclub.com/vw/showthread.php/excessive-rear-brake-dust-6947.html http://www.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/jetta/2005/brakes/premature_rear_brake_and_rotor_replacement.shtml.

Filed Jan 1, 2008 · Brakes · 19,247 miles · PA

Rear brake pad wear worn out at 19k. Dealer says there is nothing wrong and wants $272.72 for the pair.

Filed Sep 28, 2007 · Engine, Transmission · 7,890 miles · MO

I have a 2006 volkswagen jetta tdi. Initially I was slowing down on the interstate, as soon as I was getting ready to stop due to construction, when the shifter hit first, the car bucked, died and I lost power steering and brakes. I also noticed that none of the gears in the transmission would sync and allow me into them. I pulled off to the side of the road, when I realesed my foot from the clutch, the pedal did not come back up. I shut down the car, crawled out the passenger side, I looked under the car for leaks and anything that may indicate a major failure. When I pulled the clutch back up manually, the pedal would not go back down but half way. I pushed hard enough to get the clutch interlock switch to disengage, and tried to start the car. When the starter engaged, the engine dragged with something else. I abandoned the car to get to a phone. When I called the dealer, they gave me a phone number to roadside assistance, they wanted to charge me to tow the car to the nearest vw certfied repair shop. Eventually I convinced them to tow the car, and when I met him at the car, I noticed a leak of either hydraulic, gear, or diesel fluid. When I got on the internet I found that this is a very common problem due to a poor desing in the flywheel. Vw tends to refuse to replace the clutch claiming that it was premature wear due to poor driving habits. The flywheel tends to crack or even shatter causing not only clutch issues but also transmission and engine issues. This issue can lead to wrecks fires and also even stranded people that may have no way of getting help. Volkswagen has recalled the flywheel in europe but refuses to do so in america. Information on the issue can be found here http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=137014&page=1 this is a 60 page forum that equals about 500 pages printed out this is specifically to this issue. The recall info can be found here http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/2/562166/showthread.aspx

Filed Jan 5, 2007 · Brakes · 11,000 miles · CA

1) vehicle is a 2006 vw jetta, package 1 manual transmission; driving vehicle normally; no abnormal braking incidents or accidents whatsoever. 2) rear brake pads on driver's side worn down to rivets at around 11k miles; this resulted in scored rear driver's side rotor; passenger side rear pads also worn down but no damage to rotor yet; front brake pads still in excellent condition for both sides. Apparently for the 2006 vw jetta, the rear pads wear out before the front pads. I consider this a major design defect especially since the rear brake system is not designed to be the primary brake load carrier, at least based on the size and construction of the rotors: a) front rotors are 25mm ventilated b) rear rotors are 12mm unventilated the rear brakes wearing out before the fronts for the vw jetta is a common problem and this should be looked into. Search the vw forums and you will find many cases of this. 3) vw will be replacing both rear rotors and pads under warranty; not sure about keeping the old parts since the work will be done under vw warranty. The replacement of the parts is good but I'm not sure if this solves the ultimate issue of the rear brake biasing which is causing this problem in the first place. Either the entire vw jetta brake system and/or the brake proportioning valve needs further investigation.