2006 Volkswagen Jetta

DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL (DMF) FAILURE AT 28,000 MILES. SYMPTOM: VERY ROUGH VIBRATION WHEN LETTING CLUTCH OUT AND WHEN SHIFTING. CLUTCH DOES NOT SHOW ANY ABNORMAL SLIPPAGE. WIFE IS SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH OUR KIDS AFTER READING ABOUT RELATED FAILURES AND POSSIBLE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. DEALER WON'T COVER COST. PRIVATE REPAIR FACILITY DIAGNOSED THIS AND SAID MINIMUM $1,800 TO DO THE REPAIR, AND THAT VW HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE ISSUE FOR A WHILE. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE STILL DRIVES WELL WHEN CLUTCH IS ENGAGED, SO I GUESS I'LL CONTINUE TO TAKE MY CHANCES FOR A WHILE LONGER UNTIL SOMETHING MORE CATASTROPHIC HAPPENS AND WE'RE FORCED TO MAKE THE REPAIR. *TR

2006 VW JETTA TDI (TURBODEISEL) WITH DSG TRANSMISSION: WHEN CAR IS PARKED ON INCLINED SURFACE WITH FRONT END LOWER THAN REAR END, CAR WILL NOT SMOOTHLY ENGAGE REVERSE GEAR. VEHICLE TRANSMISSION WILL EITHER NOT ENGAGE REVERSE GEAR AT ALL, OR WITHOUT ANY WARNING WILL ABRUPTLY ENGAGE AND CATAPULT VEHICLE IN REVERSE 4 TO 5 FEET EVEN WHEN GRADUALLY INCREASING ENGINE REVS. THIS IS DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE WHEN BACKING OUT INTO PARKING LOT LANES WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ALSO, VEHICLE CONTINUES TO ROLL FORWARD OR REVERSE APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES DEPENDING ON INCLINE WHEN PLACED IN PARK POSITION AND AFTER BRAKE RELEASED. *TR

ON A RETURN TRIP FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE TO CONNECTICUT ON INTERSTATE 91 IN MY 2006 VW JETTA TDI, I DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH AND THE PEDAL BECAME STUCK AT THE FLOOR. I WORKED TO FREE IT, BUT BEING UNABLE TO DO SO, COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WITH NO ABILITY TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN GEAR, WE (MYSELF AND MY FAMILY) WERE STUCK IN A DANGEROUS LOCATION. I WAS ABLE TO FREE THE PEDAL, BUT THE CLUTCH NO LONGER WORKED AND WE HAD TO WAIT THERE FOR ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 50,000 MILES AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THOUGH THERE WAS LITTLE WEAR ON THE CLUTCH SURFACE. WITH SOME INVESTIGATION ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED BY VW. *TR

I HAD A 2006 VW JETTA TDI. MY WIFE WAS ON HER WAY TO WORK WHEN SHE WENT TO TAKE OFF FROM A STOP SIGN AND THE CLUTCH STUCK TO THE FLOOR AS THE CAR SAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. AS ALL THE REST OF THE COMPLAINTS GO WITH THIS CAR THE DEALER PAID FOR THE PARTS AND I HAD TO PAY $1000 DOLLARS OF LABOR. WITHIN THE 2 WEEKS OUR CAR WAS IN THIS DEALER 3 OTHER 2006 JETTA TDI CAME IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT WASN'T A WALK IN THE PARK TO HAVE VW PAY FOR AT LEAST HALF. ALSO IT TOOK THE DEALER 2 WEEKS TO GET THIS JOB DONE. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT VOLKSWAGEN NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF. ANOTHER THING I WAS TOLD BY VW OF AMERICA WAS THAT THIS IS A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM AND NOT PART OF THE DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY. IF A PART HAS ANY MOVEMENT ON A CAR IT GOES THROUGH WEAR AND TEAR. SO IF A PISTON RING BREAKS AND LOCKS THE MOTOR UP IS THAT COVERED OR IS THAT WEAR AND TEAR. WE HAVE LEARNED OUR LESSON AND WILL NEVER BUY VOLKSWAGEN EVER AGAIN. BY THE WAY ONLY 50,000 MILES ON CAR. *TR

AT 23,000 MILES, WITHOUT WARNING, NO INITIAL SIGNS OF CONCERN, CLUTCH FAILS, DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO RETURN. MY MISFORTUNE HAPPENED EXACTLY HOW THE OTHER NUMEROUS COMPLAINANTS DID. FOUND VW TECHNICAL BULLETIN #2016615 DATED 11/05/07 DESCRIBED AS 'CLUTCH, FRICTION MATERIAL FLAW' (SACHS MANUFACTURED ONLY) NOTES ONLY SACHS CLUTCH PLATES ARE AFFECTED BY THIS FLAW AND THEREFORE ONLY ISSUES WITH THE SACHS CLUTCH PLATE WILL BE COVERED UNDER THIS TECHNICAL BULLETIN. THERE ARE NO KNOWN FRICTION MATERIAL FLAWS WITH LUK CLUTCH PLATE OR PRESSURE PLATE.' BULLETIN EXTENDS THE WARRANTY ON THESE PARTS AN EXTRA 4 YEARS / 50000 MILES. MY CLUTCH PLATE HAPPENS TO BE A LUK...AFTER READING THE SCORES OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT CLUTCHES GOING OUT AT 10-50K MILES, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S TRUE ANYMORE...MY SUSPICION IS THAT MAYBE THE PROBLEM IS REALLY WITH THE LUK MANUFACTURED CLUTCH PLATE AND THAT THE TECHNICAL BULLETIN WAS ISSUED COVERING THE SACHS BRAND TO AVOID HAVING TO WARRANT THE LUK BRAND. *TR UPDATED 09/18/08. *JB

THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON AND WILL NOT TURN OFF RESULTING IN A DEAD BATTERY AND A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION WHILE DRIVING. I DROVE FOR A HALF A DAY WITHOUT KNOWING THE LIGHT WAS STAYING ON. A COUPLE OF PEOPLE HONKED AT ME, BUT I DID NOT KNOW WHY. I ALSO COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHY MY CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT WORK. I FIGURED OUT THE BRAKELIGHT SWITCH WAS NOT WORKING WHEN I CAME OUT OF HOME DEPOT AFTER DARK AND I THOUGHT I LEFT MY LIGHTS ON. IT TURNED OUT IT WAS THE BRAKELIGHT SWITCH. I CALLED A VOLKSWAGON REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID THERE WAS A RECALL ON IT AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY. WHEN I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN DEALER SERVICE TO REPAIR IT, THEY DENIED ANY RECALL. I DID A LITTLE SEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND I NOW SEE THEY HAVE A HISTORY OF BRAKELIGHT SWITCH FAILURES ON JETTAS AND BEETLES. THEY TOLD ME MY VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY ALSO AS IT HAS 59,400 MILES ON IT AND IT IS A 2006 JETTA TDI. I BOUGHT THIS CAR THINKING IT WILL GO 250,000 MILES WITH NO PROBLEMS AND AM SADDENED BY THIS TYPE OF TREATMENT FOR A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH THEY HAVE A HISTORY OF. I HAVE DRIVEN MANY CARS OVER 250,000 MILES WITHOUT A BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE. IT SEEMS VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO REMEDY THE FAILURES ON THE MEXICAN MADE VEHICLES ON SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WHICH SHOULD BE DESIGNED FOR A NEAR INFINITE LIFE SINCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. IT IS NOT LIKE A FAN SWITCH. I AM PROBABLY ONE OF THE FIRST TO SEE THE FAILURE AS I HAVE PUT ON AN UNUSUALLY HIGH AMOUNT OF MILES, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE HIGHWAY MILES. WHEN I GET IT REPAIRED, I CAN GET THE OLD PART. I HOPE TO GET IT REPAIRED TOMORROW. *TR