Three problems related to side/rear glass have been reported for the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta based on all problems reported for the 2002 Jetta.
I had driven the car approximately 30 miles when, while at a stop light the sunroof exploded outward. The pane remained in one piece, but was shattered and small shards of glass fell down on me. The temp outside was 36 degrees, no vehicle passed by, there was no point of impact, no severe temperature change, no chip or crack in the glass prior to the incident. The vehicle is kept in a garage and there was no precipitation (snow or rain) on that day. Vw claims no fault of theirs, but admits to a recall on a trough that leads from the sunroof down through the doors that's known to clog with debris. Vw will not repair at their cost.
Windows fall off of track in door. Glass falls completely inside the door. This happened while I was driving and is a major safety hazard. I was entering a 6 lane highway when this happened. It was my driver side front door. My husband has had this happen on his Jetta as well. We don't recommend Jetta's or vw for that matter for anything. We haven't even owned our cars for a year and we purchased them on the same day. They have been in the shop for repairs between the both of them 6 times! 3 each car! this is ridiculous for new cars and the windows are not safe if you ask me. According to vw technicians, it is a known issue, but won't be replaced until they break. These windows falling inside the door like they do is a hazard. If you are driving in the rain or even a nice day, it is distracting and not safe.
Defective clips that hold the driver's and passenger's door window to the mechanism which moves the window up and down.