2001 Volkswagen Jetta engine and engine cooling problems

“I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED IN 2003 AND HAD PROBLEMS WITH IT SINCE. ESC LIGHT COMES ON ALL THE TIME. REPLACED IGNITION COILS, MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR, OXYGEN SENSOR, AND SPARK PLUGS MULTIPLES TIMES TO TRY AND FIX THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THAT KEEPS COMING BACK ON. IT KEEPS SPITTING OUT RANDOM CYLINDER MISFIRE CODES. PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW BROKE. THE ARM REST HINGE BROKE. THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT HINGE BROKE. BRAKE LIGHTS NEED REPLACING CONSTANTLY. WATER PUMP BROKE WHILE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF FREEWAY AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE SHOT THROUGH THE ROOF. A RANDOM TUBE/HOSE IN THE ENGINE BROKE. TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, COULD NOT SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE. INTERIOR CABIN SMELLS LIKE CRAYON. VERY ROUGH IDLE, NEED TO WARM UP THE CAR FOR AT LEAST 5 MINS EVERY MORNING OR ELSE THE CAR WILL STALL. I NOTICED IF YOU DO NOT WARM THE CAR LONG ENOUGH, YOU HAVE TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL VERY HARD TO GET IT TO STOP. I CAN COPE WITH ALL THE ABOVE ISSUES BUT I CANNOT TOLERATE THE CAR RANDOMLY STALLING/ENGINE DYING WHILE DRIVING AROUND THE CITY. LATELY THE CAR IS MAKING WEIRD NOISES LIKE IT RAN OVER A POTHOLE. I GAVE AWAY THE CAR AND WILL NEVER AGAIN OWN ANY CARS MADE FROM VOLKSWAGEN. *TR”

“THE VW JETTA VR6 2001 THAT I PURCHASED LAST YEAR FOR $7,000 (FINANCING THROUGH MY CREDIT UNION) IS A LEMON. I HAVE HAD IT LESS THAN A YEAR AND ALREADY SPENT $2000 ON MINOR REPAIRS AND I ESTIMATE THAT RIGHT NOW IT NEEDS ABOUT $4000 MORE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. I BELIEVE THAT SUNDANCE IMPROPERLY SOLD THIS CAR, KNOWING THAT A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF THINGS ARE WRONG WITH IT. I HAD A GARAGE WITH WHICH THEY ARE AFFILIATED LOOK AT IT AND COMPLETELY MISREPRESENTED THE SHAPE OF THE CAR. SINCE ACQUIRING IT I HAVE BEEN PLAGUED WITH DIFFICULTIES WITH IT, FROM HEAD LIGHTS MYSTERIOUSLY GOING OUT, TO THE WATER PUMP FAILING, TO THE SERPENTINE COIL FAILING, NOW TO THE AIR COMPRESSOR FAILING, AS WELL AS THE COMPUTER TO THE A/C, AND TODAY IT IS THE EPC CODE (WHICH I BELIEVE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH EITHER THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, OR COMPUTER - BUT THE THING IS LOSING POWER AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD), NOT TO MENTION THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. HAVING BEEN PLAGUED WITH THESE ISSUES, I HAVE COME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER VW JETTA VR6 2001 OWNERS WHO ARE ADAMANT THAT THIS CAR IS A MANUFACTURED LEMON. VW NEEDS TO BE…”

“I HAVE MY CAR AT SCHOOL IN SOUTH BEND INDIANA AND IT IS STORED OUTSIDE. EARLY THIS WINTER THE CAR STARTED TO IDLE VERY ROUGH. IF I TRIED TO GO TOO QUICKLY AFTER TURNING THE CAR ON I WOULD GET A FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THAT READ FOR A RANDOM CYLINDER MISFIRE WHEN THE CODE WAS PULLED. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. SO I HAD TO LET THE ENGINE IDLE FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES SO THAT IT COULD TRY AND WARM UP BEFORE I COULD GO ANYWHERE. IN MID FEBRUARY I TURNED THE CAR ON IN THE AFTERNOON AND I NOTICED IT WAS IDLING VERY ROUGH. SO I CRACKED THE HOOD AND THERE I SAW SPARKS JUMPING FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SPARK PLUG WIRES TO THE ENGINE BLOCK. A MECHANIC CONFIRMED WHAT I SUSPECTED, THAT THE COIL PACK WAS CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I DID AN ONLINE SEARCH AND FOUND THAT VW HAD ISSUED A RECALL FOR VR6S THAT HAD PROBLEMS WITH CRACKED COIL PACKS. HOWEVER, WHEN I CALLED THEM ABOUT IT I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. IT WAS NOT THE RIGHT ENGINE MODEL BECAUSE THEY CHANGED ENGINE MODELS HALF WAY THROUGH 2001 AND MY CAR WAS THE OLD MODEL. DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH A CRACKING COIL PACK IN A CAR OF THE RIGHT MODEL FROM THE…”

“OUR 2001 VW JETTA GLS SPUTTERS INTERMITTENTLY AND LOOSES ACCELERATION POWER AT IN OPPORTUNE TIMES. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE IGNITION COIL, AND THAT VW IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ARE RECALLING CERTAIN MODELS. OURS HAS NOT HAD THE RECALL AS OF 11/1/09. WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BLINKS. I HAVE FOUND THAT PULLING OVER, SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF AND REMOVING THE KEY FOR 30 SECONDS AND THEN RE-STARTING SOLVES THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE DEALER PULLED THE CHECK ENGINE CODES, THERE WERE 2. ONE FOR THE MISFIRE AND A "CATALYST EFFICIENCY BELOW THRESHOLD. THE DEALER SAID THE LATTER IS DUE TO THE MISFIRE AND IN TIME THE MISFIRES WILL RUIN THE CATALYST. UNFORTUNATELY AT OVER 75000 MILES AND 8.5 YEARS, NO WARRANTIES APPLY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COULD EASILY CAUSE A COLLISION AND WHEN PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE, WE WILL HAVE THE IGNITION COIL REPLACED. VW IS CLEARLY AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS AND SHOULD ACCELERATE THEIR RECALL CAMPAIGN ON THIS ISSUE. ALSO, THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE CATALYSTS THAT HAVE HAD THEIR USEFUL LIFE LOWERED BY THIS PROBLEM. *TR”

“2001 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA WOLFSBURG EDITION: CYLINDER 3 MISFIRED DUE TO A FAULTY COILPACK. COILPACK WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER CYLINDERS 2 AND 4 MISFIRE. WHEN THE MECHANIC TESTED THE COILPACKS, THEY WERE WORKING PROPERLY. PRESENTLY, RANDOM CYLINDERS CONTINUE TO MISFIRE EVEN THOUGH BRAND NEW COIL PACKS ARE INSTALLED. THIS CAUSES MY VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER AND IDLE VERY ROUGH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO FLASH WHICH IS CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY BRAND NEW CAT CONVERTER. *TR”

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH OR LESS, THE VEHICLE WOULD REV AND PERFORMED AS IF IT WOULD STALL. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ALSO ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 100,000.”