general problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta

I was driving my car when all of a sudden my check engine light came on and was flashing and my battery light came on. I was about to switch lanes to pull over and I lost power, brakes, and steering. I just made it into a parking lot about five feet from a building when my car all of a sudden started smoking. I popped my hood but it wouldn't come open. Within about a minute and a half my hood started melting sparks were falling from the underneath of my car and through the grill I could see a small fire. Within two minutes my car was on fire! I had to call to fire department and my car is completely totaled and burnt to a crisp ! before the fire department came a volunteer fire fighter just happened to drive by and fire extinguished it but it didn't do a thing. Now I am out my car. . . My lively hood. . And the $4500 I spent 1 year ago.

The contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated the vehicle engulfed into flames while parked and unoccupied. In addition, one or two days prior to the failure the abs warning indicator illuminated. The fire department extinguished the flames and advised that the fire originated near the abs control module. The engine compartment was completely damaged and the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. There was a recall associated with the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 02v031000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the contact¿s VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.

When gently applying pressure to the brake pedal the brakes would suddenly fully engage for a moment and then return to normal. This occurred every time the brakes were applied. There were no consequences in my case, but it is not hard to imagine this causing a car to be hit from the rear or causing a loss of control in slippery conditions. To correct the situation the brake booster needed to be replaced.

We have a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta tdi GLS. Since the vehicle was new we have had an intermittent serious problem with the braking system. We live near fort collins, CO; when we travel to other parts of the country with lower elevation, our brakes begin to malfunction. Initially, they begin to drag; you usually have to turn off the ignition to get them to release. Sometimes you can pump them hard and get them to release. During this phase the brakes wear quickly and become very hot. Within a day the problem progresses to a much worse condition. As you press the brake pedal, the pedal feels as though it is pulling away from your foot. As you press a little more, the pedal suddenly pulls violently from your foot and the vehicle brakes slam on. At this time the abs does not work as far as I can tell. When the brakes pull from your foot there is a noise like air being sucked into something. When the brakes slam on in this fashion, one of several things happen. The brakes may stay locked on, leaving you to try to get them to release, often in an intersection or traffic. They may release entirely, and be okay until the next braking incident. Many times they drag somewhere between light enough that you might just think the car is running poorly to so heavily that you can barely move the car without killing the engine. We were most recently in the portland, oregon area when this happened. It began to happen the first night we were in town, with the dragging. The next morning we drove to the coast, and the more serious malfunction began. We tried to drive around a small coastal town, only to have to park and walk everywhere we needed to go. On the way back we were unfortunate to find ourselves in bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic. With nearly every single use of the brakes, they would slam to the floor. We have to try to stay far enough away from other vehicles to avoid being hit from behind or skidding into the vehicle in front of us.

When the consumer applied the brakes the pedal went to the floor. . The consumer was able to pump the brakes and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer to be inspected, however they were unable duplicate the problem.

While driving on a slight downgrade, during clear wether, on a dry road, my brakes locked up. This was preceeded by a loud decompressing sound, immediately after which the brake petal went to the floor of its on volition. My foot was no where near the break petal. This caused me to skid on the dry pavement and left me extremely close to a ditch. As soon as the car stopped moving the brakes returned to normal. This occured twice more during the mile to my home. It was towed to the dealership. "no fault codes" were in the computers memory. Initial diagnosis - intermittent occurance of an unknown nature. My concern is that if this occured on a busy highway I may have been struck in the rear by another vehicle, injured or died and no-one would have known it was a brake malfunction. My concerns were heeded and a tech was assigned to drive the vehicle home that eve. The brake lock-up occured several times to him while driving slowly. It was once again towed to the dealership. They are replacing the brake booster but are not sure this is the exact cause of this problem. I am concerned to say the least. This is my only vehicle. Is there a recall or investigation? are there deaths attributed to this failure? could there be unreported deaths due to this defect? why was there no fault in the computer? vehicle being repaired @ speedcraft vw, wakefield, ri, (401) 783-3303.

1) transmission slips, and causes a thud. Have taken vehicle to dealership 3 times and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 2) led display disappears. Have informed dealership of this problem twice and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 3) brakes are mushy. Have informed dealership once and nothing has been done to correct this problem. 4) vehicle is sluggish when accelerating. Have informed dealership once. 5) engine light has come on, and there is peculiar smell. Have informed dealership once.

While driving in inclement weather, the consumer applied the brake, but they failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the brakes were frozen and that the rotors were bent. The power booster and rotors needed to be replaced. Please provide further details.

When applying the brake pedal while traveling about 30mph the pedal will go all the way down to the floor. Dealer was notified provide additional information. Ts.