NHTSA Complaint #10259762 — 2000 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

MY 2000 JETTA IS LOCKING AND ARMING AUTOMATICALLY. RECENTLY, I OPENED MY PASSENGER DOOR (DRIVER'S SIDE) AND PUT MY 3 MONTH OLD BABY IN HER CAR SEAT. WHEN I SHUT THE DOOR AND REACHED TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR THE DOORS LOCKED AND ARMED. THANKFULLY I HAD MY KEYS IN MY HAND AND WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY UNLOCK AND GET INTO MY CAR, BUT I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO MY CHILD IF IT HAD BEEN A HOT SUMMER DAY AND I COULDN'T GET INTO MY CAR QUICKLY ENOUGH. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES (INTERMITTENTLY) WITHIN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. WHEN I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIPS SERVICE DEPARTMENT I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM IS A FAULTY DOOR LATCH AND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH VW CARS. THIS WAS UPSETTING NOT ONLY BECAUSE MY CHILD COULD HAVE BEEN HURT, BUT BECAUSE I HAD JUST REPLACED ANOTHER DOOR LATCH JUST PRIOR TO THE BIRTH OF MY CHILD. I?M NOT SURE WHY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DIDN'T CHECK THE OTHER DOOR LATCHES AT THAT TIME, BUT I THINK THAT SHOULD BE STANDARD PRACTICE AS THESE CAN BECOME DANGEROUS IF UNFIXED. UNTIL I CAN AFFORD THE $400 TO FIX THE DOOR LATCH (OR BUY A NEW CAR AT THIS POINT) I NO LONGER LOCK MY DOORS OR USE MY REMOTE IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. HOWEVER, EVEN IF SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACES MY DOOR LATCH I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. IN TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERVICED VW CARS I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM. I UNDERSTAND THAT CAR PARTS STOP WORKING AT SOME POINT; HOWEVER WHAT THEY SHOULD NOT DO IS TURN THE CAR INTO POTENTIAL DEATH TRAP. IT IS FRIGHTENING TO THINK THAT MY CHILD COULD BECOME TRAPPED IN MY CAR BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO DON?T FEEL THAT SIMPLY REPLACING THE DOOR LATCH WITH ANOTHER POSSIBLE FAULTY DOOR LATCH WILL FIX THIS PROBLEM OR RESTORE MY CONFIDENCE AS A VW DRIVER. AS A PARENT I WANT TO FEEL SECURE THAT THE CAR I DRIVE WILL BE SAFE FOR MY FAMILY. I FEEL THAT THIS ISSUE REQUIRES FURTHER ATTENTION FROM VW AND THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. *TR