Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Volkswagen Jetta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving my car when all of a sudden my check engine light came on and was flashing and my battery light came on. I was about to switch lanes to pull over and I lost power, brakes, and steering. I just made it into a parking lot about five feet from a building when my car all of a sudden started smoking. I popped my hood but it wouldn't come open. Within about a minute and a half my hood started melting sparks were falling from the underneath of my car and through the grill I could see a small fire. Within two minutes my car was on fire! I had to call to fire department and my car is completely totaled and burnt to a crisp ! Before the fire department came a volunteer fire fighter just happened to drive by and fire extinguished it but it didn't do a thing. Now I am out my car...my lively hood..and the $4500 I spent 1 year ago.
On 9/17/2005 I was pulling into my assigned parking spot at my condo. I was approximately traveling about 3 MPH and had my brakes applied to maneuver into my parking spot. Upon reaching the curb, I applied pressure to the brakes and expected to come to a complete stop. However, my car lunged forward and ended up in my neighbor's living room. My car only stopped after taking out the brick structure and front window of her condo. Before making impact with the outside structure I attempted to brake twice with no response. The impact was substantial and yet the airbags never deployed. My car was towed to a garage that my insurance approved and not to the dealership who has serviced my car for all the current recalls and various problems. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact stated the vehicle engulfed into flames while parked and unoccupied. In addition, one or two days prior to the failure the ABS warning indicator illuminated. The fire department extinguished the flames and advised that the fire originated near the ABS control module. The engine compartment was completely damaged and the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. There was a recall associated with the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 02V031000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the contact's VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.
While driving on a slight downgrade, during clear wether, on a dry road, my brakes locked up. This was preceeded by a loud decompressing sound, immediately after which the brake petal went to the floor of its on volition. My foot was no where near the break petal. This caused me to skid on the dry pavement and left me extremely close to a ditch. As soon as the car stopped moving the brakes returned to normal. This occured twice more during the mile to my home. It was towed to the dealership. "no fault codes" were in the computers memory. Initial diagnosis - intermittent occurance of an unknown nature. My concern is that if this occured on a busy highway I May have been struck in the rear by another vehicle, injured or died and no-one would have known it was a brake malfunction. My concerns were heeded and a tech was assigned to drive the vehicle home that eve. …
Over the past few months I have been experiencing difficulty with an intermitent problem with my car. Periodically the car would not accelerate past 10-15 miles an hour resulting in the car going into overdrive. The car was towed twice in two weeks. After the first tow, the dealership could not detect the problem and returned the car to me even though I felt unsafe driving the vehicle. The second time, the car was moving at 40mph and then dropped to 5 MPH on a busy highway, where I was close to causing a serious accident. I demanded that the dealership keep the car and continue to test drive the car until they detected the problem, which they finally found. …
I purchased this car for my daughter. The major problems are complaints of having trouble stopping. I was concerned so I drove it and immediately I heard a grinding noise and felt a vibration while applying the brakes. I took it to a local Firestone tire and they felt the vibration and heard the grinding noise but the brake pads looked good so they advised me to take it to the dealer, as it was probably a warranty issue. I took it to the dealer and they charged me $37.00 to tell me that the rotors were warped and it's not covered by warranty. I was advised vw is aware of this problem. (why charge me $37.00 for a problem that (they know) they have?). How can this happen on a brand new car that doesn't even need it's first set of brake pads? I am still not sure what to make of the braking problem. The rotors were just discovered because I was complaining of a braking problem. …
Brake booster is failing after use in traffic. The brake pedal slowly sinks and when lightly tapped, it slams to the floor. When this happens, a loud suction can be heard inside the car, and the brakes are applied fully. This usually happens after brakes are used some time, say in a traffic jam. There is a site, tdiclub.com, which has forums where many people talk about this problem on their 2002 model year vw Jetta. The danger is that the brakes come on fully, which startles not only the driver and passenger(s), but the vehicles that are following. This is an intermittent problem (brake booster failure) but can be replicated if the brakes are used heavily. When the problem starts to happen, it will continue until the brakes are not used for quite some time. Once this started happening today, virtually every other application of the brakes caused the symptoms above. …
I purchased the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta in August of 2006. The first set of repairs was on 3/2007 at 64,332 mi check engine light mulitple misfires: p0300, p0301, p0302, p0303, p0304 replaced ignition coils cost: $200.11 second repair took place in April of 2007 took car in for recall - replacement of brake light switch check engline light was back on - replaced temp. Sensor cost: $199.33 car was jerking into gear, downshifting hard and sluggish. Brought car into dealserhsip in April 2008 worn strut brushings needs rear pads needs rotors check engline light on again needs new coils again spark plugs temp sensor again new t-stat fans not working hoses under intake broken needs new transmission diagnosis cost: $149.21 estimated cost of repair: $6,500.00.
In attempt to stop the brake pedal went to the floor and the emergency brake had to be used to stop. After pumping the brakes several times partial braking was restored. Upon examination by the local dealer it was determined that the vaccum pump had failed and the vaccuum hoses were full of holes. The car is a 2002 vw Jetta tdi (deisel) and had 52000 miles at the time of incident. At 50000 miles the car was inspected at the dealer according to vw specifications and the defect was overlooked. Volkswagen of America fails to understand the serious nature of this problem and fails to accept any responsibility. I am concerned that there May be many other cars on the road facing the same serious dangerous condition.
I have a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta. I had the brakes checked due to vibration. Even though there was 40% of the pads left the front rotors had to be replaced. I have been told the rotars on the Jetta are lighter/thinner and with a combination of harder brake pads it is not unusual for the rotars to warp with heavy city driving. It is not uncommon to have to replace the rotors with the very first brake job. I was told that with subsequent brake repairs the replacement rotors probably could be turned and not need changed. There is an obvious issue with the factory rotors and/or pad match. A first time brake job should not require rotor replacement.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
On some passenger vehicles, short circuits can occur within the electronic control unit of the anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ABS control unit. Owner notification began March 8, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Brake complaints in other Jetta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the brakes of the 2002 Volkswagen Jetta, 7% of the model year's 704 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Volkswagen Jetta brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-031 (antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, Jan 31, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Volkswagen Jetta brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.