Table 1 shows one common latches/locks/linkage related problems of the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Latches/locks/linkage problems |
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.
Doors do not lock, or unlock, random opening of sunroof and door lock mechanism.
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.
I have a 2008 Jetta and I started experiencing problems with 1 door. My car was still under warranty and the lock was replaced at the dealership. Then only months later I started having similar problems randomly (the lock would work some times but not others). Everytime I stopped at the dealership to have it fixed the lock worked- therefore they could not diagnose which door had a problem. The lock failed everytime and when I returned to the dealership, the car was no longer under warranty. The dealership said the locks can go bad and quoted me a cost of $400 to repair. After having one door "fixed" only to have another lock fail after months later seems excessive. At this point I have not replaced the second lock. It is frustrating to see a car with four doors have problem with two of the doors! at a cost of $400 to replace I felt there must be a larger issue that needs attention. We keep our car in the garage, the door that is now in need of repair is rarely used. This is a serious issue as the locks serve as the first line of defense in personal protection and anti-theft. After searching on line and seeing others with similar issues, I felt it was important to report this. I trust you will promptly follow up and assist me in resolving this issue.
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.
This vehicle was purchased approximately September 2008, and to date has experienced five (5) failures of the electronic door locking/unlocking mechanisms of three of the four doors of the vehicle and in some case multiple failures. I am currently experiencing failure number six (6). The failure of the locking/unlocking mechanisms is a safety issue as these failure have at time prevented being able to exit the vehicle and in the case of an emergency it is a serious threat to my safety. Additionally, I'm unable to lock the vehicle whenever I go anywhere thus putting anything in the vehicle at risk of loss from theft. The dealer's solution is to replace the locking mechanisms as they fail and as the vehicle is no longer under warranty it's cost roughly $370. 00 per incident. Below is a summary of the failures experienced thus far. I have copies of the service records available. 2008 Jetta door lock failures: date ro # item responsible party cost 11/16/09 116190 drivers side front door lock replaced warranty 03/02/10 118212 left rear door lock replaced warranty 08/03/10 121525 right rear door lock diagnosed warranty 08/06/10 121609 right rear door lock replaced warranty 06/01/11 129079 left rear door lock diagnosis customer paid $69. 00 06/01/11 129247 left rear door lock replaced customer paid $303. 09 10/18/11 132986 drivers side front door lock replaced customer paid $367. 25 03/15/12 right rear door lock beginning to fail. Door lock failure occurances drivers side front 2 left rear 2 right rear 2.