2001 Volkswagen Jetta Volkswagen Jetta 2001

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta repairs by problem area

Engine (50%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (5%)

Brakes and Traction Control (4%)

Suspension and Steering (17%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (16%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (4%)

Other (5%)

Chart based on 278 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta.

2001 Volkswagen Jetta engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (2%)

$1000 - $2499 (9%)

$500 - $999 (22%)

$100 - $499 (34%)

< $100 (34%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 125 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2001 Volkswagen Jetta

Engine not specified

77000 mi

US $450
The car has been in and out of the shop with this problem for the past 6 months. I have taken it to 2 dealerships and 3 local shops-no luck. The person who was finally able to fix it was a VW specialist who replaced a vacuum tube and a hose 
78000 mi

US $450
I'm done with this car. It's a complete piece of s---, and I can't fix it anymore. After taking it to 5 mechanics, no one can figure out what's wrong with it. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Wagon

115-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD

101000 mi

US $1100
Car would stall and electrical system would go mostly dead/flickering, with continous, rapidly clicking relay sounds. At first car would restart after a few seconds, but had a dangerous incident where car was stalled in traffic for 2min. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 90hp 1.9L I4 Diesel 5-speed manual FWD

258000 mi

US $400
Turbo is going. Sends signal to computer when over-revved. Computer drops engine power to safe mode. Have to flip ignition off on to reboot. Runs Til next rev 
165000 mi

US $250
Glow plug relay faulted out, causing a check engine light on the dash to illuminate. Had glow plug relay replaced. 
165500 mi

US $200
Glow plug light came back on after about a week. Need to get VAG-COM analyzer, rescheduled service for July. Shop also replaced the serpentine belt tensioner, which had began squeaking. Examined the old part. It was definately bad. 
172000 mi

US $125
Turbocharger variable-vane mechanism not operating properly resulting in the computer limiting fuel delivery in extended full throttle application in situations such as passing. Will eventually require a new turbocharger to repair. 
137000 mi

US $64
Alternator pulley failed. Replaced pulley. 
200000 mi

US $12
Thermostat housing was oozing coolant. Replaced housing and o-ring, all's well again. 
180000 mi

US $100
Removed and cleaned intake manifold 
181000 mi

US $250
Limp mode - fixed with new MAF and N75 valve. Purchased limp mode kit from kermatdi. 
204000 mi

US $100
Egr valve leaked oil - $150 part, I never got to repairing it. 
99000 mi

US $60
CEL came on. Code indicated general glow plug fault. Found #2 glow plug open circuit (infinite resistance - spec is about 1 ohm). Replaced all (4) glow plugs. Had code cleared. Problem fixed. 
127000 mi

US $5
CEL lit on startup, code indicated glow plug fault. Ohmed plugs, all OK. Bought electric contact cleaner and cleaned harness and plugs. Had code purged. No further issue. 
138000 mi CEL came on shortly afer start. Suspected glow plug circuit, checked plugs, OK. Cleaned harness and plugs with DeOxit and reconnected harness. Had Auto Zone pull code, 0380 general glow plug fault. Cleared code, has not reappeared. 
116000 mi

US $43
Replaced diesel injection pump top and middle seals. The pump had been weeping since I purchased the car from the original owner at 80k miles, but got worse in the last year. I have used Biodiesel in the car which may have exacerbated the problem. 
119000 mi

US $15
Replaced injector return lines. They hadn't started leaking, but were suspected to be letting air in. They were replaced with Viton hose because I have run high blends of biodiesel in the past, which likely contributed to their demise. 
142000 mi

US $60
Turbo variable vane (VNT) actuator ring was installed upside down, preventing the turbo from venting and causing an overboost condition at high engine load. The ring was reversed, fixing the problem. The only parts replaced were gaskets. 
143000 mi

US $69
The oil return line was observed to be weeping when the turbo was R&R'ed this past summer. The return line was replaced. 
145000 mi

US $9
The injection pump "head" O-ring was leaking and was replaced in situ. This is not the authorized VW way to do it, though it saves a lot of time and money to not need to remove the pump from the car. 
197000 mi

US $700
exhaust leak behind cat 
128300 mi

US $65
Cooling temp sensor was faulty 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 150hp 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD

154000 mi

US $9
Replaced cracked engine oil dipstick tube. 
184000 mi

US $1100
new turbo charger, new antifreeze, synthetic oil change since turbo is cooled with oil and coolant 
124000 mi

US $400
Replace all PCV components 
142500 mi

US $75
Plastic coolant flange degraded overtime and could no longer seal 
145000 mi

US $125
Replaced valve cover and cam gaskets replaced coolant fitting that cracked 
153000 mi

US $200
Cam chain tensioner began to fail, replaced 
40300 mi Symptom: Check engine light on (again, comes on and off periodically) & uneven/rough idle. Diagnostic test came up with: 17545 p1137 Long Term Fuel Trim Add.Fuel,Bank1 System too Rich 17705 p1297 Connection turbocharger - throttle valve pressure hose 
44640 mi

C $500
Check engine light, uneven idle ending in stalling the car. First repair cleared up the codes in the computer test completely, but problem reocurred couple weeks after at which time mass air intake meter (I thought it was sensor, but mechanic called ... 
54560 mi

C $180
Check engine light on again (goes off couple of days after oil change and computer codes reset for the past few years). Replaced one of the (intake?) hoses that had a cut on it and reset the computer. Another hose adjacent to it needed change per mechani Another intake (?) hose needed replacement per mechanic to resolve check engine light. Ordered part, to be replaced next time. The light came off again few days after replacing the hose per previous report for the same trip 
56420 mi

C $1150
Replaced all remaining air intake hoses. Reset the codes.The check engine light came back on after a few days. I don't bother to take it to the mechanic anymore - I am deciding whether to change mechanic, or change the car, or ignore. Symptom: Noisy muffler/exhaust. Exhaust pipe was broken/torn. Replaced the complete exaust pipe, together with the catalytic converter. 
54180 mi Check engine light on (same codes as previously reported), uneven idle when cold engine. Replaced parts: turbo cat-off valve, valve cover gasket & CAM tensioner gasket (both leaking per shop). Engine not reaching regular temperature and also growing much slower than usually. Replace Thermostat and temp.sensor. CEL did come back on a few days after previous repair. But then shop simply reset it and it has remained off since then. 
150000 mi

US $300
Flex pipe on catalytic converter assembly broke. Replaced myself in about 2 hours with basic hand tools. 
176000 mi

US $2500
Plastic cooling neck on left side of engine ruptured, resulted in head gasket failure from lack of coolant. Replaced head gasket, head studs, coolant neck, timing belt & water pump since they had to come off anyways, milled head to fix warp. 
187000 mi Heater core 
116000 mi

US $106
Car sometimes wouldn't start, sometimes would stall, sometimes hesitate. Turned out to be the Crank Position Sensor. Got one off Amazon for $59 and paid $47 labor to have it replaced. Car runs smooth now. 
122000 mi

US $40
Replaced valve cover gaskets and spark plugs 
126000 mi

US $400
Thermostat died, blew hose and lost coolant. Blew waterpump, wound up doing that + timing belt + tensioners + seals, etc. 
126000 mi

US $108
Had to clean the throttle body because the car kept going into limp mode during hard acceleration. Took a while to trace the problem down to this. 
184220 mi

C $1500
Generator pulley 
132000 mi

US $300
Thermostat needed replacement. 
149000 mi

US $400
Turbo downpipe flex joint developed a leak. Entire downpipe was replaced. 
158000 mi

US $400
Camshaft chain tensioner was faulty, developed chain rattle, replaced 
160000 mi Ignition coil failed, dealer replaced all 4 under recall 
170000 mi

US $179
Worn engine and transmission mounts, replaced. Valve cover gasket was leaking, replaced Alternator failed while on highway. 
81000 mi

US $50
Emissions, upstream oxygen sensor 
84300 mi

US $8
Check engine light on because mass airflow sensor was fouled. Cleaned and reinstalled. 
89200 mi

US $9
Check engine light came on. Cleaned mass air flow sensor. 
90000 mi

US $8
MAF sensor needed cleaning again to clear check engine light 
91000 mi

US $800
Replaced leaking water pump, drive belt and drive belt tensioner 
94300 mi

US $500
Engine coolant leaked out because a coolant hose was leaking 
100000 mi

US $8
MAF sensor was cleaned to clear check engine light. 
99000 mi

US $100
Replace lower transmission mount. 
121000 mi

US $80
Replaced cracked coolant flange. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 150hp 1.8L I4 4-speed automatic FWD

112820 mi

C $157
diverter valve changed 
115000 mi

C $732
muffler and resonator with pipes and collets 
127000 mi

US $786
The radiator cracked and connecting hoses, because of the material they're constructed from cracked as well. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Sedan

174-horsepower 2.8L V6 5-speed manual FWD

121900 mi

US $1500
Coilpack failure.  Broken waterpump. 
123500 mi replacement of thermostat system and water displacement system (aka VR6 crackpipe). replacement of thermostat system and water displacement system (aka VR6 crackpipe). 
140000 mi Engine mount replacement 
182000 mi

US $200
Radiator developed a leak. Had to replace the radiator, thermostat housing, cooling pipe "crack pipe", most of the coolant hoses, and oil coolant. I did most of the work myself. The parts cost came out to about $200. 
140000 mi

US $900
Radiator cracked.  Oil leak in valve cover gasket 
142000 mi

US $985
Second, smaller leak due to an oil pan o-ring. 
145000 mi

US $790
Serpentine belt worn. Water pump leaking. 
177000 mi

US $300
Car overheated resulting in blowing coolant reservoir top off spewing coolant all over engine bay. Led to a ruptured hose as well. 
177000 mi Blown head gasket 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Sedan

174-horsepower 2.8L V6 4-speed automatic FWD

132500 mi

US $600
Mass Airflow Sensor replacement 
135000 mi

US $200
replaced ignition switch 
57000 mi

US $662
flushed coolant and replaced pipe. Also did oil change 
121000 mi

US $10
Replace coil pack Coolant leak at thermostat housing Valve cover oil leak 
90000 mi CEL for O2 sensor, scanned code to verify 
265000 mi

US $320
tensioner pulley wore out causing drive belt to rip off. New tensioner pulley assembly and drive belt installed. 
160000 mi

US $500
Radiator replaced 
130000 mi

US $150
Replaced water pump 
165000 mi

US $300
Replaced radiator 
170000 mi

US $700
replaced water pump and belt, cracked thermostat housing 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Sedan

115-horsepower 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD

127100 mi

C $500
Leaking head gasket; replaced Spark plug maintenance; replaced Damaged Spark plug wires (through replacement of spark plugs, replaced set Worn (cracked) timing belt, after 50,000km; replaced 
US $750 bad crankshaft sensior 
218200 mi

US $220
Replaced worn serpentine belt tensioner and worn timing belt tensioner. Replaced coil pack. 
185200 mi Misfire cylinder 4 in wet weather. Changed plug wires. Still exists 
188000 mi

US $180
Ignition coil cracked 
178000 mi

US $1000
catalytic converter 
93000 mi

US $625
Car overheating. Replaced thermnostat and tuned misfiring. 
104000 mi

US $500
Body throttle, new plugs and cables. 
109500 mi

US $385
Busted fuel pump. 
209000 mi

US $450
Timing belt 
218000 mi

US $450
The car had a leak in one of the vacuum hoses and a bad 'mass air flow' sensor 
261000 mi

US $700
cooling system leak motor mount 
292800 mi

US $381
There was a minor water leak and it was fixed.  
332000 mi

US $1800
replaced timing belt 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Sedan

115-horsepower 2.0L I4 4-speed automatic FWD

91000 mi Intermittent "Check Engine light" after replacing O2 sensors (Front and Rear), Dealer diagnosed with "Bad Catalytic Converter". Replaced it under Manufacturer's Extended Emission Warranty.  
100000 mi

US $2400
Timing Belt and tensioner replaced, Water pump replaced, Accesory belt replaced, power steering fluid and transmission fluid replaced. oil pan replaced. oil dip stick and tube replaced. exhaust mid-pipe replaced 
133000 mi

US $544
Check engine and ABS light came on. Check Engine light started to flash and car would lose power. Replaced the left front ABS sensor and the O2 sensor. 
133300 mi Check Engine light came back on. It was fixed for free. 
234360 mi Blew a gasket and ran out of oil, by the time i pulled over the engine started knocking. The gasket is right where the oil filter is installed. I replaced the gasket and added Lucas, noise is reduced, but I stopped driving the vehicle. 
235600 mi

C $950
Ran out of oil, engine was shot, replaced it with a used engine from another vehicle. 
84542 mi

US $253
Replaced coolant temperature sensor and gas-cap 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel manual 2WD

207080 mi Oil leak into the Turbo. Would have cost $3,000 so traded car. Glow plug short somewhere. 
127720 mi

C $1800
Vane rod seized on turbo. Discovered dealer had sold car with broken turbo. Turbo replaced and second turbo blew within 1 hour. Replaced again but still having overboost and stumble problem. Glow plugs also replaced. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel automatic 2WD

178000 mi

US $350
Coolant hose had a slow leak. System drained, flushed and hose replaced. fuel line came unseated on injector pump. Line repositioned and tightened 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder manual 2WD

106000 mi

US $412
mass air flow sensor bad 
104000 mi

US $500
Timing belt. 
79000 mi Timing belt snapped while driving. Valves destroyed. Dealership replaced entire top half of engine after finding out a 10 yr/100k mile warranty was still in effect.  

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder automatic 2WD

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

6-cylinder manual 2WD

135900 mi

US $1000
The water pump and auxiliary pump went out. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

6-cylinder automatic 2WD

63000 mi Replaced the secondary air solenoid, and also the vaccum hose cuz the engine light was on. You can buy cheap vaccum hose from Kragen for $1.29/foot and it's 300% thicker than the original vacuum hose -- they designed the car to fail. Dealer replaced MAF free of charge. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

4-cylinder manual 2WD

117800 mi

R 800
Engine mount replaced. 
130200 mi

R 400
Water pump malfunction: cam-belt was driving pump, but plastic impeller had been broken off. Replaced with new, all-metal pump. 
65000 mi

US $990
Replaced catalytic converter. 
156000 mi

US $220
Thermostat Housing Cracked. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta 4-door

4-cylinder automatic 2WD

106000 mi

US $200
Wrong Coolant used by dealership damaged engine parts in about 5-7 days. Also, timing belt replaced previously by dealer was not adjusted properly trigging loud knocking. Dealer had to re-adjust. Timing Belt needed to be re-adjusted. 
107000 mi

US $100
Oil consumption. The car needs a full quart of oil every 500 - 600 miles. This is a non-turbo engine, but told that all VWs do that. There is no oil leak that I can see. 
107000 mi Last oil change, dealer damaged oil pan threads. For the next oil change, the threads came out with the bolt. Dealer installed new plug with new threads. According to dealer, this is a common problem on VWs. 
118000 mi  Bad fuel readout. It has lost its accuracy. Low fuel indication may occur when there's no fuel left, or with 2 gallons left (as it should) or anywhere in between. 
97000 mi

US $722
Timing belt, water pump, timing belt tensioner replaced because the water pump was failing. 
118000 mi Engine block bolt broken, timing belt slipped, died in flight. 

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2001 Volkswagen Jetta Engine Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2001 Volkswagen Jetta problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.