Volkswagen Jetta (2006 – 2011) Review

• June 2005: Jetta name revived
• December 2005: Pricing and specification confirmed

01-01-0001:

Failures of Mechatronics units of DSGs reported at 30 months old. A problem of 2.0TDI PD 140s and 170s is failure of the oil pump. The oil pump is driven from a balancre shaft via a short hexagonal shaft. The peaks of this hexagonal shaft locate in six corresponding but minute grooves machined within the otherwise circular-bored oil pump drive shaft. Thus, the oil pump drive relies entirely on an interference fit of little more than 0.010" along the peaks of the hexagonal shaft. After about 50,000 miles, the shaft can round off, resulting in a totally destroyed engine and turbo, plus a bill of up to £9,000.

If the danger is known and the oil pump is removed by the garage in good time, a new replacement pump will cost over £500, plus the labour etc to remove and refit it. However, it is also possible to save the old pump and modify the drive at a fraction of the cost of a new one. Many local machine shop already have numbers of these pumps in for such rectification, the drive shaft of each having been on the point of rounding off.

Reports of 1.4 TSI 160s (supercharged and turbocharged) developing cracked pistons.

20-10-2009:

Steering rack replaced f.o.c. under Warranty at Heritage/Weston-super-Mare.

21-09-2010:

Re-secured loose fuel tank f.o.c. under Warranty at Heritage/Weston-super-Mare

22-01-2011:

If ESP/ABS amber warning light comes on intermittently and will not re-set, you might not actually have the ATE Teves Mk 60 ABS/ESP problem. First check circuits and start at the ABS fuse and holder (no 9 on a Golf, on scuttle edge by driver door). Pull it out, have a look and if okay replace it. The warning light may then go out. Sometimes they slip out a bit and become wobbly, which is enough to set off the warning.

ESP warning light can indicate Fault Code "Boost Pressure Sensor G201". This is embedded inside ATE Teves Mk 60 ABS systems and VW originally said it required replacement of the entire ABS control unit/pump, asking owners to email volkswagencustomercare@volkswagen.co.uk . However, by January 2011 the company was becoming more generous and changed its policy to replacing just the hydraulic element of the module which has the G201 sensor permanently embedded, as BMW had done all along. The fault seems to be age-related, occurring mainly in 3 - 5 year old cars. Does not necessarily lead to an MoT failure. More on the problem and independent rebuilds of the unit at: www.ecutesting.co uk and at www.sinspeed.co.uk In the photo of the ABS unit it is the alloy hydraulic section in the centre that is now replaced.

Door seal failures seem to be a common problem.

Failure of Zexel or Valeo a/c compressors is common, usually a year or two out of warranty and dealers can quote £1,304 for new compressor, condensor and expansion valve. Sometimes goodwill of about £300 offered. But cheaper to buy a new Sanden compressor for £287 and have it fitted by an independent a/c specialist for about £150. Internet forums, particularly in USA are full of postings concerning failures of Zexel and Valeo compressors, seems a case of "when not if".

Quite a lot of turbo oil seal failures soon after the 3 year warranty expires. Cost of new turbo, intercooler and exhaust manifold £2,700. So best to buy an extended warranty that covers you for this before the manufacturer warranty ends.

Hiccuping on 2008 1.9TDI 105s cured by a flash dealer download to the ECU.

Problems emerging with the 1.4TSI and 7-speed DSG: jerking at low speeds, losing drive, etc. One owner had the transmission replaced, then the entire car replaced, only to be faced with the same problems. VW later acknowledged a problem that is completely fixed by a software download.

Steering racks give trouble. VW has replaced a lot of steering racks on 04 - 06 Mk5 Golfs because of rubbing, creaking noises when turning left. New rack was released late 2006-early 2007 but no safety recall was not done.

On TDIs a starting problem may be due to a faulty relay under the dashboard. As this relay also controls the fuel cut-off valve, it means that, even with the engine hot, the engine will not start no matter how much it is churned over. However, if the glow-plug light comes on, however briefly, the engine will start immediately. Replacing the relay solves the problem.

ECUs can be damaged by moisture due to water ingress to the passenger compartment via the pollen filter. Same old VAG problem: The water is coming from the vent well in the bulkhead and in through the pollen filter. The reasons might be blocked vent well drains leaving rainwater nowhere else to go except into the car. Or a failed pollen filter seal. Or a broken or misfitted pollen filter cover. This is a typically terrible piece of German engine-erring and is so difficult to replace accurately that most fitters give up in the time they are allocated for the job. So if the leak followed a service that included a pollen filter change the reason is that the garage did not fit the cover properly and is fully responsible for all the damage cause by this.

Check 2.0TDIs regularly for coolant loss. VW has become aware of a problem with the alloy used to make the cylinder head, causing the head to become porous allowing coolant to leak in to the engine. Means a new head at a cost of £1,700 plus labour at VAG franchise rates. By July 2009, cylinder head failures of 1.9 and 2.0 diesels were becoming increasingly common.

Another problem of 2.0TDI PD 140s and 170s is failure of the oil pump. The oil pump is driven from a balancre shaft via a short hexagonal shaft. The peaks of this hexagonal shaft locate in six corresponding but minute grooves machined within the otherwise circular-bored oil pump drive shaft. Thus, the oil pump drive relies entirely on an interference fit of little more than 0.010" along the peaks of the hexagonal shaft. After about 50,000 miles, the shaft can round off, resulting in a totally destroyed engine and turbo, plus a bill of up to £9,000. If the danger is known and the oil pump is removed by the garage in good time, a new replacement pump will cost over £500, plus the labour etc to remove and refit it. However, it is also possible to save the old pump and modify the drive at a fraction of the cost of a new one. Many local machine shop already have numbers of these pumps in for such rectification, the drive shaft of each having been on the point of rounding off.

Minor problems with hestitation when pulling away and car very prone to stalling.

On 6-speed twin shaft manuals the gearchange from 1st to 2nd can become stiff. First stage dealer cure is to replace the transmission oil. If that fails, it needs a synchro ring replacing. So if your box stiffens up, make sure it is attended to before the warranty expires.

Lack of grease on bonnet catches on later production allows them to corrode and jam. Something you can check and attend to yourself before the catch jams.

30-05-2012:

Cooling fan motor failures and failures of intake manifold flap motors can result in a £1,000 bill.

09-08-2012:

Report of DPF failure on a 31k miles 2008/58 Jetta TDI; initially quoted £1,800 for a replacement.

27-09-2012:

VW dealers now quoting £180 for a DSG fluid and microfilter change every 4 years. (Ford dealers quoting £250 for a Powershift fluid and microfilter change every 3 years.)

28-09-2012:

3 new door locks supplied and fitted at a cost of £703.00. Heritage/Weston. Eventually part refund of £351.50 received from Heritage/Weston-super-Mare

11-01-2013:

Warranty on 7-speed dry clutch DSG extended to 5 years or 150,000 kilometres in Russia and China. Followed by recalls in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. Problem is with the Mechatronics unit, replaced in the Singapore/Malaysia recall. The transmission reportedly makes strange noises heard inside the car when shifting from 4th to 3rd, 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st. Outside the car the noise is a metallic and repetitive sound, made when the car goes over speed-bumps. www.autoevolution.com reports that an angry group of French VW owners claim that Seat, Skoda and Audi drivers are also reporting the same problems.

22-03-2013:

Dash light showed a fault at 43,650 miles. Customer first asked to pay for removal of manifold for insoection, then asked to pay for removal of cylinder head for ionspection. Cracked piston found. VW supplied replacement engine FoC, but customer had to pay for it to be fitted. 50% of the cost of this (£729.10) was later reimbursed.

16-04-2013:

News of failure of timing chain on a 2008 Jetta 1.4TSI DSG on the same day we heard of a similar failure on a 2008 Golf 1.4TSI 140.

18-09-2013:

Numerous problems over the life of a Jetta 1.4 TSI 140 Twincharger purchased new on 16-10-2008, eventually leading to engine failure at 43,650 miles.

15-05-2015:

All you need to know about VAG EA288 TDI DPFs: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/DPF-Adblue-FAQ-VW-Audi.htm

07-11-2015:

Surface rust appearing on 50k mile 2007 Jetta on the bonnet, sills, where the rear doors bolt to the chassis (spidering around these metal parts) and on the boot. The paint thickness was measured by the dealership and the car had never been repaired. VW offered 50% goodwill towards repairs leaving owner to pay £800.

26-11-2015:

Volkswagen announced fix for EA189 1.6TDI and 2.0TDI engines. A “flow transformer” will be fitted directly in front of the air mass sensor on the EA189 1.6TDI engine. This is a mesh that calms the swirled airflow in front of the air mass sensor and will improve the measuring accuracy of the air mass sensor. (The air mass sensor determines the air mass throughput, which is a very important parameter for the engine management for an optimum combustion process.)In addition, a software update will be performed on the 1.6TDI. The workshop time is expected to be less than a hour. The EA189 2.0TDI engines will get a software update. The programming time for this will be around half an hour. The objective is still to achieve the applicable emission targets without any adverse effects on the engine output, fuel economy and performance. However, as all model variants first have to be measured, the achievement of these targets cannot yet be finally confirmed. Based on this, service concepts are currently being developed for all 28 EU markets concerned. The aim is to implement the update in the first vehicles during a recall starting in January 2016. However, to compete the entire recall is likely to take until the end of 2016. Volkswagen will contact all customers and endeavour to consider individual customer needs during the implementation of the recall to avoid any disadvantages for the customer such as possible loss of mobility. All customers will be offered free courtesy cars if required. Since the beginning of October 2015, all Volkswagen customers have been able to check for themselves whether their vehicle is affected by the diesel issue. At www.volkswagen.de/info every customer can enter their vehicle identification number to obtain clear information.

23-08-2018:

Report of VW Jetta 2.0TDI 140 PD juddering on acceleration. Dual Mass Flywheel had already been replaced, so had to be a fuelling problem. Renewed tandem pump, but still juddered. Engine was suffering from fuel contamination: engine oil and diesel. Injector seals were leaking. Intercooler also replace Suoerfuel used. Judder gone.

06-02-2020:

Report of engine of 2008 VW Jetta randomly surging when in gear. Garage eventually replaced 2 injectors (#2 and #4 based on reports from the VW diagnostic computer, First of all it was only #2 then later #4) AND the EGR Regulator which was heavily carboned up.