11 problems related to equipment have been reported for the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta based on all problems reported for the 2003 Jetta.
I closed my trunk one day and now it will not open with fob or inside door latch or the key.
Seat caught on fire from shorted seat heater and burned a hole through passanger seat cover.
My water pump failed suddenly while driving, the engine overheat sign lit up. I was in the middle of nowhere. After a painfully long drawn out tow, taxi, rental car, and return to pick up the car 1 week later (drive 200 miles there and then back to do so), the garage which repaired my car indicated that there was a bad "design flaw" to the water pump where it had a plastic part that would commonly fail during the life of the car. They told me that this was a "well-know" problem in the Jetta, many people had experienced & written online about it. They recommended that I install an "after-market" pump with all metal parts so that it would not occur again, which I did. My CO-worker who owned a Jetta a few years older than mine (2001?) for 10 years and later traded it in, informed me that she had the exact same problem and in fact had to replace the water pump 3 times during the period she owned the car. I would like to make a complaint about the water pump design in the Volkswagen Jetta. If it had been recalled & fixed prior to my breakdown, I would not have had to endure the whole ordeal I went through.
The rear door looks do not work with the key fob or the electrical switch ion the driver's door. This is a serious issue when you have children in the rear seat.
The sunroof drain in my car is apparently made of 2 tubes that connect and were not secured together so they become detached and pour water into the car. This happened to me this year, I looked it up and found there was a recall on this that I never received. I called roger jobs(my local vw dealership) in bellingham, wa and they told me the recall expired and I would have to pay to fix this factory defect! I am a college student who cannot afford to fix this problem and really makes me mad especially since I received no notice of this recall. Now I have water flowing into my car every time it rains, it is starting to cause rusting under my seats and mold. Not happy!.
I have a Jetta that continually burns out the fuse box, which just happened again. The fuse box to replace costs around $100. Everytime. Due to this problem I am encountering additional repairs. Ignition coil etc. I even went and purchase a new battery for 160. 00. Car will not run? help.
Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, the vehicle was diagnosed that the noise barrier was rusting from the inside out. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000. Sa.
I have noticed a burning crayon smell in my 2003 vw Jetta for a few months. I have had the car detailed and had the dealer clean the ac ducts yet the smell remains - and gets stronger in hot/humid weather days. I see others have listed complaints of the same nature - and the sound deadner material under the carpet seems to be the culprit. I am concerned that this will affect breathing and could be toxic.
I started experiencing a hot spot in the driver's heated seat in the fall of 2012. I have to put a cushion between my right leg and the seat or it will nearly burn. I have also been having an issue with either the O2 sensor or catalytic converter whenever it rains and it's cool weather. The car will lose power, sputter and lurch until it has been running for a while then it acts normally. Finally, for the past two months the rear door locks will not open with the keyless entry or by hitting the lock/unlock button on the the door. I just reached the 100k mark and keep up regular maintenance on my car so I'm a little upset that things like this are happening so early.
2003 Jetta's clearcoat is peeling off, it started on front hood and now it is peeling all over the car. Called volkswagon they said it wasn't their problem. I think it is!!!.
This is in regard to tiptronic transmission failure at 77,000 miles. After the vehicle was fully paid off and 17k miles after warranty had expired. While I was driving vehicle would stay in 1st and 2nd gear and give a big jolt when going into 3rd and 4th while still cold, only after engine would heat up without any stops would it perform sub par. Previous to this I had have no complaints. Dealer quoted $5600 to rebuild transmission and independent shop $2500. I was informed I had a worn clutch and in 2008 I rebuild the transmission and continued having the same issue. After thousands of dollars spent on this vehicle on April 12 of 2012 I sent it the junkyard. I will follow up and send more hard copies documents to NHTSA as I have my entire service records from 2003 - 2012 to submitt. There are 100's of other american car owners with tiptronic transmission experiencing same issues and its apparent that it is faulty manufacturing. I'm attaching several pdf documents with articles and other similar costumer complaints. I have all my service records and will submit hard copies separately however wanted to get the complaint started here. The year of my vehicle was never included but its obvious this issue has been happening longer then previous recalls.