2008 Volkswagen Jetta: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Jun 2, 2022 · Locks · VA

I would like to report driver door lock actuator goes bad over time, and could become an issue of getting out of the driver side of the door in a safely manner. I had to get door fixed a mechanic.

Filed Dec 23, 2016 · Electrical · 45,000 miles · NY

I first started experiencing this problem with the rear passenger door on my vw jetta in december 2015. The door would not lock using the key remote. I have to manually lock the doors by pushing the key into the driver side door in order to get a beep sound and flashing indicators to confirm that all the doors are locked. I took the car to the vw dealership which cost $480 to fixed one door. About four months after fixing the door, someone broke into the car which I later found out that the driver side rear door lock also failed and wasn't working. The difference this time was, manually using the key would only lock three doors (2 front door and passenger side rear door, which I had fixed prior to the second failure). I took the car to the dealership again and had to pay another $480 to get it fixed. About a months after the second failure, the front passenger side door lock stop working which cost me another $480. Currently, the driver side door lock is not working. I asked the volkswagen service advisor if volkswagen is going to or planning on correcting this problem and the answer I got was 'no, it's not a safety issue.' why do car doors lock automatically while driving? Could it somewhat be for safety reason? When one of the door lock fails, the car doors are not locked while driving. This is a well-known problem with most of the volkswagen models. Does volkswagen cares? Could this be dangerous for a child or adult in the back/front seat of a car driving around with unlock doors? Please, please I'm crying for help!

Filed Feb 12, 2016 · Electrical · 45,000 miles · GA

Rear passenger side door lock inoperable. Lock mechanism failed causing the door to not lock manually or with remote. Also, the alarm system failed to "chirp" when pressing remote. Took to dealer and spent $500 on a lock mechanism in the door. I hear this is very common with this model. Buyer beware.

Filed Dec 10, 2015 · Electrical · 105,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 volkswagen jetta. The contact stated that the rear passenger side door failed to lock. The door failed to lock manually and with the key fob. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the door lock mechanism was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Filed Mar 25, 2015 · Locks · 86,300 miles · CA

The door locking mechanism stops working and this is a known issue in a lot of vw forums online. They call it the actuator and when it stops working the child locks do not work and the vehicle then has a major safety issue which relates to "child safety seats that contain defective safety belts, buckles, or components that create a risk of injury, not only in a vehicle crash but also in non-operational safety of a motor vehicle." a door that can be opened by a child when in movement or parked is a big safety issue. The door can be easily pushed open from the inside when the locks don't work. Also, the alarm on the vehicle will not arm because the doors will not lock so if someone went door checking in a parking lot, my car would be broken into - if not stolen altogether due to this. In december I paid $450+ to have the rear door lock replaced and now, 3 months later, the front two door locks have stopped working. Another hazard for safety happens when you cannot lock your door from the inside. If someone wanted to carjack me at a stop light - I am unable to lock my doors! I called vw care and they have declined to even help me with this cost and I am slo filing a claim with the better business bureau. It is a known issue in the forums online, something must be done about this.

Filed Oct 6, 2014 · Body, Electrical · CA

Sunroof would open and close at random, had that fixed while under warranty. Now the rear drivers side door will not lock and the alarm will not turn on. This is a safety issue as well as a theft issue and appears its pretty common due to previous vw threads. At $400 repair costs and vw knowing this is an issue, I feel this should be elevated to a recall status and not chargeable to owners. Please help me/us, I cant afford the repair!!!

Filed Oct 2, 2014 · Electrical, Locks · 60,000 miles · WA

In 2011, the right rear door stopped locking. When I would try to lock the door both with the internal lock switch and the fob, the door would not lock. It also would not chirp to let me know that all the doors were locked and the alarm was set. Locking the door with the fob does set the alarm, however you can open the rear door and the alarm goes off. In september of 2014 the left rear door stopped locking as well...it has the exact same issues as the right rear door not locking...however, it is so far somewhat intermittent and sometimes will not open at all!

Filed May 4, 2014 · Electrical, Locks · 94,500 miles · GA

I got locked inside the car on a hot day with my kid! I sat in the back to play with him and keep him company. The door closed and it would not unlock no matter how many times I would pull on the lever. I was pinched between the child seat, the driver's seat (I keep it pulled back quite a bit) and the door. I could barely move. My wife had to unlock the door from the outside. The door lock/latch mechanism has (since this incident) failed on both rear doors. Both!!! We can no longer lock the car without spending 10-15 minutes opening, closing, working the remote etc, until it finally produces the desired beep with the car being actually locked. The door would close, the alarm would be activated but the rear door (passenger side) would remain unlocked. I pull on the handle, the door opens and the alarm goes off. We are almost at the point where we might have to take the child out of the car via the front doors. I am not even talking about the car probably getting stolen over this. This is a serious child hazard! There are dozens of threads on vw forums about these mechanisms failing either on: 1. Electrical harness being damaged. Or 2. Door lock/latch not activating or deactivating. Or both how long is vw going to ignore this massive problem. The dealership wants $450 in parts and labor for 1 door. That's almost a $1000 for a problem that is very common. Very.

Filed Jan 2, 2014 · Electrical, Locks · 844,000 miles · TX

The back passenger side door lock quit working and the door won't lock at all. Anybody can open the door and hurt your child or still the car. I called the dealer here in austin, tx today, and they told me that is a very common problems with the jetta model and it has happened to hundreds of costumers. The electric locks quit working. This is a safety issue and clearly a manufacturers defect that should be a recall.

Filed Nov 22, 2013 · Locks · 735,000 miles · NC

Doors do not lock, or unlock, random opening of sunroof and door lock mechanism.

Filed Mar 15, 2013 · Electrical, Locks · 93,000 miles · TX

Drivers side door lock actuator failed to lock or unlock the door, alarm horn fails to sound when alarm is activated. Rear driver's door lock actuator failed to lock or unlock the door. The rear drivers door doesn't have an external key hole to unlock door and the only way to open the door is from the inside. In the event of an accident with a child in a child safety seat, this could result in a delay of removing the child from a potentially dangerous situation. The volkswagen manufacturer/dealership charges between $450 to $550 per actuator. After an extensive search of the internet and numerous forums, this actuator repair is more common than volkswagen would like anyone to believe. This part is kept in stock at dealerships and they are vague when questioned about the frequency of repair. This appears to be more a problem with newer models. I've owned a used 2003 vw jetta for over 5 years now and haven't needed an actuator yet.

Filed Jun 10, 2012 · Locks · 60,000 miles · VA

2008 wolfsburg edition jetta: started experiencing issues with one door lock and the dealer told me that the locks can go bad and need to be replaced, costing $450 for the replacement. After having this fixed, only two months later, another lock started having an issue. I have not yet replaced this lock, but now a third lock is starting to experience problems on the same vehicle. At this rate, I expect the fourth and final lock to start having issues. At $450 for each lock replacement, this seems excessive. On a single car that is kept in a garage, with only two adults (no children) using the front doors, it doesn't make sense how three doors can experience lock issues, unless there was some larger issue with the locks. This is a serious issue as the locks serve as the first line of defense in anti-theft. After searching online and seeing others with similar issues, I decided to report this.