NHTSA Complaint #10100928 — 2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

1) VEHICLE COMFORT MODULE SPONTANEOUSLY FAILED. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THE CAR! 2) A MAJORITY OF THE FUNCTIONS CONTROLLED BY THIS MODULE FAILED, INCLUDING ALARM GOING OFF WHILE DRIVING, FUEL CAP RELEASE NOT WORKING, DOOR LOCKS, TRUNK RELEASE, ETC. ALL FAILED. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY, THE ALARM WENT OFF AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO TO TURN IT OFF. CALLED EMERGENCY ROADSIDE SERVICE AND THEY SHOWED ME HOW TO DISABLE THE ALARM (TURN THE KEY IN THE DOOR LOCK ON AND OFF SEVERAL DOZEN TIMES). HOWEVER NONE OF THE OTHER FUNCTIONS WORKED, MOST SERIOUS WAS THAT THE FUEL CAP COULD NOT BE OPENED. I HAD TO GET THIS FIXED BEFORE I RAN OUT OF FUEL! 3) TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE COMFORM MODULE AND MOST OF THE SYSTEM OPERATIONAL AGAIN. 4) HOWEVER OVER TIME, ONE BY ONE VARIOUS SYSTEMS STARTING MALFUNCTIONING AGAIN. WITHIN WEEKS, ONE OF THE REAR DOOR LOCKS WOULDN'T CLOSE AUTOMATICALLY. LATER THE TRUNK RELEASE DIDN'T WORK WITH THE REMOTE. THEN THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WOULDN'T GO OFF AUTOMATICALLY. OTHER DOOR LOCKS STOPPED FUNCTIONING, ETC. 5) SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THESE WERE NOT CRUCIAL FUNCTIONS, I LIVED WITH THESE FAILURES. BUT NOW I'M UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING THE CAR, NOT KNOWING WHERE AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, EVERYTHING STOPS WORKING AGAIN. 6) I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN AND DESCRIBED THIS. THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AND FIXED AT MY OWN COST. THEY SAID THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY COULD NOT HELP FIX THIS. I ARGUED THAT THIS WAS A CORE COMPONENT THAT FAILED - NOT DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR OR MISUSE, BUT THEY STILL SAID SORRY!*AK