Problems · by component
2000 Volkswagen Jetta service brakes, hydraulic problems
42 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2000 Volkswagen Jetta cite service brakes, hydraulic, 9% of all 451 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
42
9% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes, hydraulic
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“WHILE DRIVING AND LIGHTLY BRUSHING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO BEGIN SLOWING, THE BRAKE PEDAL AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGES FULLY, SLAMMING ON BRAKES UNEXPECTEDLY. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A SOUND OF AIR PRESSURE BEING RELEASED. IF YOU PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AFTER THE AIR IS RELEASED, THE PEDAL WILL RETURN TO REST AND THE BRAKES WILL FREE UP. NO EXISTING DEALER RECALLS AND VW (AND VW SERVICE DEPARTMENTS) HAVE NO RECORD OF THIS BEING A COMMON PROBLEM. MY LOCAL VW SPECIALTY REPAIR SHOP SAYS THIS IS COMMON ON 2000 JETTA TDI'S. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. IF YOU EXPERIENCE A SIMILAR ISSUE, PLEASE REPORT IT! THERE ARE THREE OTHER ISSUES POSTED THAT APPEAR TO BE RELATED: 10116640, 10139585, 10052281.”
“I PURCHASED A 2000 VW JETTA ON 6/16/10. TWO WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS & SINCE I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE, IT HAS HAD TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING REPAIRS: 2 FANS, ABS SENSOR WOULD COME ON & LOCK UP THE WHEELS, SO THE SYSTEM HAD TO BE UNPLUGGED, COOLANT SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED, A TRANSMISSION REPLACED & A CERTIFIED TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST FOUND IT HAD BEEN TAKEN OUT PRIOR & 4 CYL PARTS WERE USED IN A 6 CYL VEHICLE, & THERMOSTAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE COST OF REPAIRS TO DATE ARE APPROX. $5,200 & I ONLY PAID $4,995 FOR THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SOLD IN THE CONDITION IT WAS IN. THE SELLER FAILED TO DISCLOSE THAT THE VEHICLE HAD UNDERLYING PROBLEMS AFTER I INQUIRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE BUSINESS SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR SELLING AN UNSAFE VEHICLE AND I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER VEHICLES THE BUSINESS HAS SOLD LIKE THIS. I HAVE THIS VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIRS MORE THAN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT & WHEN I PURCHASED IT, THE SELLER WAS AWARE I NEEDED A RELIABLE VEHICLE TO GET TO THE KIDNEY TRANSPLANT VERY QUICKLY. *TR”
“2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. CONSUMER WRITES REGARDING FAULTY DESIGNED SYSTEM IN JETTA *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE DEALER TRIED TO COVER IT UP BY PUTTING NEW BRAKES ON THE VEHICLE. *JB”
“SINCE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS PROBLEMS AND ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE MOST TROUBLESOME AND EXPENSIVE IS THE COOLING SYSTEM. I HAVE HAD 3 DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOPS LOOK AT IT AND "FIX IT" ONLY TO HAVE THE CAR DO THE SAME THING. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THE CAR IS OVERHEATING, HOWEVER, IT MUST BE. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED MULTIPLE TIMES (ALMOST EVERYDAY IN MY COMMUTE TO FROM WORK AND SCHOOL), AFTER I SIT IN TRAFFIC OVER 20 MINUTES, OUT OF NOWHERE THE RADIATOR CAP BLOWS OFF THE COOLING RESERVOIR SPILLING THE LIQUID ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND CAUSING THE CAR TO SMOKE. I HAVE EVEN BURNED HAD A SECOND DEGREE BURN FROM HAVING TO PULL OVER AND OPENING THE TRUNK SO I CAN REFILL AFTER IT COOLS. SOMEONE HAS YET TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR YEARS, AGAIN ONLY TO HAVE MULTIPLE PEOPLE LOOK AT IT, AND NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM SOLVED. I WILL CRANK THE ENGINE BUT THE CAR WILL DIE OUT. BUT IF I HIT THE SPEED CONTROL TO SET THE SPEED IT WILL STAY ON. THE CAR WILL HESITATE AND I WILL START OFF SLOW THEN IT WILL GO AT NORMAL SPEED. LAST BUT NOT LEAST I HAVE GOTTEN PULLED OVER 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 3…”
“I AM REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE IGNITION COIL PLUGS ON THE MODEL YEAR 2000, VOLKSWAGEN, JETTA. I HAVE EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE STALLING EVENTS AND CAR NOT STARTING UP AFTER UP OR BEING PARKED AFTER SHUTTING OFF ENGINE AS A RESULT OF ONE OR MORE IGNITION PLUS MALFUNCTIONING ON MY 2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GL. AS A RESULT OF THE ENGINE STALLING AND NOT STARTING WHEN IGNITION IS ACCELERATED, I HAVE ALSO I EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND INCREASED BREAKING EFFORTS WHEN I PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WOULD NOT START WHEN SITTING FOR A WHILE. AFTER ABOUT 45 MINUTES OR LONGER - I WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE OPERATED AT A REDUCED POWER. THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND WILL NOT START UP FOR NO REASON AT ALL. I FEEL VERY UNSAFE AND NERVOUS WHEN DRIVING - AND HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM OVER AND OVER AND HAVE PAID FOR COSTLY REPAIRS. STILL TO NO AVAIL, IT KEEPS HAPPENING. TIRED OF THE VEHICLE - WILL NEVER EVER PURCHASE A VOLKSWAGEN AGAIN! PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IGNITION MODULE ON VOLKSWAGEN JETTAS - YEAR 2000 PLEASE ASAP !!! I HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN THE WORST PLACES WITH THE…”
“FIRST WE WOULD LIKE TO START BY SAYING WE LOVE THIS CAR, WE ARE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE LOYAL VW CUSTOMERS. THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE TENSIONER ON THE REAR BRAKE PADS. WE HAD THE TENSIONER FALL OFF CAUSING THE RIGHT REAR BRAKE TO CLUNK AND THE BRAKES TO BE TOUCHY TO THE POINT WHERE IT WAS SCARY. WE DISCOVERED THIS WHEN WE DECIDED TO PUT NEW PADS ON BECAUSE THE LOCATION OF THE NOISE WERE BOTH PADS ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. JUST WANTED TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THE POSSIBLE DANGERS. THANKS. *NM”
Showing 6 of 42 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.