2003 Volkswagen Jetta Engine And Engine Cooling Problems
- 21
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 21 stored complaint records:
- 2 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 11 |
| 1–30k mi | 4 |
| 30–60k mi | 4 |
| 100–150k mi | 1 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine · Engine And Engine Cooling
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle overheated and the check engine indicator illuminated. The contact added water to the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 184,072.
ODI 11099851
Engine And Engine Cooling
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…
ODI 10630206
Engine And Engine Cooling
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 deadener material under the carpet seems to be the culprit. I am concerned that this will affect breathing and could be toxic. *tr
ODI 10526178
Engine And Engine Cooling · Fuel System, Gasoline · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Seats
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…
ODI 10546042
Engine And Engine Cooling
The drivers side motor mount broke, engine dropped and fell on the axle and broke it. *tr
ODI 10446721
Engine And Engine Cooling
Rattling noise in the engine, oil pump was not pumping oil and camshaft chain tensioner (timing belt) rattling from lack of oil. I was informed i needed to replace engine due to metal particles and carbon in the oil pan.
ODI 10397914
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Visibility
2003 vw jetta: digital display would shut off when key was removed from ignition. Unable to lock vehicle doors with remote. Vehicle had to be restarted for digital panel to appear (re-set) and for door to lock with remote. Engine would also shut off while at a stop light and while driving on freeway. Possibility to cause a crash. All digital panels still illuminated, key would be locked in ingnition, un-able to turn…
ODI 10313312
Engine And Engine Cooling
After taking my 2003 vw jetta 1.8l turbo to the vw dealership for a broken dipstick and ignition recall, i was told there was sludge in the engine in which the car had under 68,000 miles. The dealership stated it was not under the manufactures warranty and would cost at least $900 to clean out the engine. Upon deciding to take it to a mechanic for a 2nd opinion, the car seized up and ceased to work while driving.…
ODI 10329807
Engine And Engine Cooling
2003 volkswagen jetta 1.8 turbo, engine failure due to sludge formation. *tr
ODI 10284794
Engine And Engine Cooling
2003 vw jetta - fuse box inside engine compartment melted! *tr
ODI 10255362
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Exterior Lighting · Interior Lighting · Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc. · Suspension · Wheels
I have had 27 things break or fail on my 03vw jetta 1.8t. I bought the car used in 01/06 with 32,000 miles. After buying the car the first five mins the window shattered. First two months 2 tires blew out, front rim cracked, back tires out of alignment. Dealer paid to fix rim broke 2 weeks later the dealer paid fo used set of similar rims. Every light inside and out went out by 05/06 driver seat wont raise up cargo…
ODI 10248367
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling
My 2003 vw jetta has been in the shop more in the past 6 months than in the last 5 years. The latest two problems were; 1) the engine coil (was replaced once by recall) and 2) my fuse box on top of my battery melted. I have spent over $1,500 in the last two months on the car. Was told that only one engine coil was allowed under the recall, and was told the fuse box melting was a common occurrence even though they…
ODI 10235347
Engine And Engine Cooling
My 2003 vw wolfsburg edition jetta continues to lose power. While i am driving the car will almost stall the power catches and powers back up prior to stalling. The lights interior and exterior go out, the radio turns off, the clock loses power, the engine loses enough power to not accelerate, but still does not stall. The power lose last for a few seconds. The interior lights also flicker. This happens several…
ODI 10239748
Engine And Engine Cooling
I have a piece of junk volkswagen jetta 1.8t that is a lemon. At 64,000 miles the fan shorted out and caused some problems to the tune of $800. Then at 70,000 miles the air tubes melted making the car run terrible. That was another $600 dollars to fix. Now at 71000 miles the heating and cooling system stopped working along with other electrical components. I have had it talking to the dealer and constantly writing…
ODI 10227276
Engine And Engine Cooling
When i start my car, the engine idles inconsistently and the car shakes or stutters. If i begin driving normally one of two things will happen, either the engine will stall (happening more frequently lately) or the car will continue to have idling problems until it warms up. In the second case, the car will drive normally for about 15 minutes until i come to the first hill. If the car down shifts while going down a…
ODI 10317720
Engine And Engine Cooling · Ignition
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen jetta. On two separate occasions, while driving approximately 30 mph with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The contact drove home and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that the coil inside the cylinder failed and had to be replaced for the second time in one month. The current mileage was 39,890 and failure mileage was…
ODI 10212100
Engine And Engine Cooling
A) 1) drove vehicle for about 2 miles on the morning of 05/21/07 when the failure happened. 2) vehicle lost engine power and vehicle started to vibrate a lot. 3) failed ignition coil #3 was replaced under warranty. B) 1) drove vehicle for about 1 miles on the morning of 11/07/07 when the failure happened. 2) vehicle lost engine power and vehicle started to vibrate a lot. 3) failed ignition coil #4 was replaced. *tr
ODI 10213315
Engine And Engine Cooling
Vw jetta 2003 oil leakage from oil pan screw according local service guy: alumin pan and steel screw theard on oil pan loose grip. Vw need to recall this. Http://www.auho.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1613.html *tr
ODI 10191860
Engine And Engine Cooling
On march 1, 2004, i purchased and financed a 2003 jetta tdi from the vw dealership in chico, ca. I began to experience problems with my new vehicle in late november 2005, with mileage at 47399. I suffered intermittent loss of power when accelerating onto the freeway and in traveling up hills. During the loss of power, i also noticed that i could not hear the whine of the turbo and assumed that the problem must be…
ODI 10231190
Engine And Engine Cooling
The oil pump quit, causing the oil pressure lamp to come on. The vehicle is still under warranty, but since i cannot produce all of the receipts for oil changes since i purchased the vehicle, they will not cover the warranty. The dealer says that the failure was due to oil sludge. I was not informed that i had to keep receipts for oil changes durring the lifetime of the vehicle.
Crash reported
ODI 10070895
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Equipment · Exterior Lighting · Hub · Power Train · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
I have owned a volkswagen jetta (turbo - 2003) and have had one horrible problem after another. Without fail, i have taken my vehicle in for random mechanical repairs every few months since purchasing the vehicle. I found out the car was manufactured in mexico and that vw was aware of how bad their car's manufactured in mexico were. If that is the case, how can so many car owners with so many mechanical issues…
Crash reported
ODI 10197150