NHTSA Complaint #10181270 — 2004 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

I PURCHASED MY 2004 VW JETTA GLI 1.8T LAST AUGUST. IT HAD 21,000 MILES WHEN I PURCHASED IT. AT ABOUT 23,000 TO 24,000 MILES I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND WITH NO PRIOR WARNINGS THE CLUTCH POPPED. THINKING THAT IT WAS THE PREVIOUS OWNER THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A NON VOLKSWAGENS DEALER THINKING THAT IT WAS NOT STILL UNDER WARRANTY( WHICH IT WASN'T). THE REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT IT WAS "DRIVER ERROR" THAT CAUSE THE PROBLEM AND I ASSUMED THAT IT WAS THE PREVIOUS OWNER. I PAID THE $1500 FOR THE REPAIRS AND ABOUT 25,000 TO 26,000 MILES LATER IT WENT OUT AGAIN. I ONCE AGAIN HAD IT TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND WAS ONCE AGAIN TOLD THAT IT WAS "DRIVER ERROR" THAT CAUSE THE PROBLEM. I PAID THE $1500 AGAIN AND KEPT DRIVING. THEN ABOUT 200 OR 300 MILES LATER THE CLUTCH WENT OUT AGAIN. THIS TIME I SENT IT TO A VOLKSWAGEN DEALER AND HAD THEM LOOK AT IT. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF WITHOUT A CAR THEY FINALLY FIXED THE PROBLEM AND ONCE AGAIN BLAMED IT ON "DRIVER ERROR." BY THIS TIME I WAS SURE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT BOTH DEALERS WERE MISSING SO I CALLED THE FIRST REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SENT THE SERVICE MANAGER TO TALK TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE VW DEALERSHIP. BOTH HAD REPLACED THE EXACT SAME THREE PARTS AND BOTH THINK THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF "DRIVER ERROR." IF IT WAS DRIVER ERROR THEN WHY IS THE TIME BETWEEN EACH CLUTCH GETTING SHORTER BUT ITS THE SAME PROBLEM EVERY TIME? SO I PAID MY $2000 AND LEFT AND NOW HAVE SPENT $5000 ON A CAR I EXPECTED TO LAST ME OVER 100,000 MILES. THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE VW CLUTCH.