Dear Volkswagen of America,
I have owned a 2001 VW 4-door Golf GLS 1.8T, a 2006 VW Beetle TDI, a 2007 VW GTI and now I own a 2011 VW Jetta SE.
As a loyal owner I have always gone to bat for VWoA and I honestly have not had serious issues with any of my vehicles until my current vehicle (the Jetta). To say that the quality of my Jetta has been awful would be an understatement. Almost right off the bat my seat started squeaking whenever I would go over bumps or go through turns. That had to be sublet out to a third party who apparently had to tear the seat apart to replace the frame.
Then came news of the horn recall for 2011 Jettas. To my dismay Volkswagen (and perhaps other car companies) allocates the first recall replacement parts for unsold cars on a lot instead of customer vehicles. To me that appears as though Volkswagen is more concerned with selling a profit as opposed to ensuring that customers who are on the road have safe vehicles. A Volkswagen of America representative did offer to have the part replaced if I had a concern about the safety of my vehicle. Should each customer have to express an extraordinary concern in regards to the safety of their car to get their vehicles repaired? Volkswagen should always put the safety of their customers ahead of their bottom line. I not only encourage a change in company policy but I plan on encouraging members of Congress to enact legislation that would require replacement cars be allocated to customer vehicles first.
After being notified of the recall I became aware that my car's horn was no longer honking when the vehicle was locking. I did not think anything of it and the issue continued for approximately two weeks. I discovered that my horn was no longer functioning when someone pulled out in front of me and I tried to honk so they would know I was there. When I honked nothing happened. It turns out that my horn was inoperable. The day it was scheduled to be looked at it mysteriously started working again. My dealer went ahead and performed the recall associated with the horn wiring. After that recall my one-touch up and down windows began working sporadically. At first none of the buttons' one-touch feature was working and then only two were working and now all have randomly begun working again.
To say that I am disappointed with this car is an understatement. If I could "undo" this transaction and purchase another brand and model I would do so without hesitation. Not only am I disappointed with this vehicle but in the increasingly connected world anyone that does a search for 2011 Jetta on YouTube can find a video account and evidence of my displeasure (and footage of the horn not working): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFOOIRlWhLY .
I wanted to bring these serious quality issues to your attention because I know that Volkswagen is in the process of trying to boost their sales numbers in the U.S. by a very large amount. Necessary to that success is going to be a positive word of mouth reputation regarding the quality and reliability of VWs. As you open the plant in Tenneessee I would strongly encourage that you reexamine the quality of parts, the quality assurance procedures of the suppliers you get them from, the thoroughness of your Research and Development program (the fact that using the horn can cause the car to turn off should have been caught during the testing phase(s)), and you need to extend the warranty you put on your vehicles. I think the only vehicles with warranties as short as Volkswagen are the two big Japanese firms Toyota and Honda and their reliability is almost beyond reproach (Although Toyota has suffered lately from the unintended acceleration issues there is still a general feel that they are incredibly solid vehicles). Honda uses the tagline that "Everyone knows someone who loves a Honda" and that is true. It is also true that nearly in America "Everyone knows someone who hates Volkswagens" (or at least has had an awful experience.
As a fan of the Volkswagen design, power train innovation, strong commitment to diesel-powered vehicles and the way that Volkswagens drive (I love the way the Jetta actually drives (if I excuse the spongy brake pedal)).
Therefore, it pains me to say that I am already trying to figure a way to get rid of this car without being horribly upside down. The prospect of holding onto this car after the warranty expires is enough to induce a panic attack. I can say with absolute certainty that the experience I have had with this car will prevent me from buying another Volkswagen. For a company that has the ability to make some of the most interesting, utilitarian and fun to drive cars on the planet that is truly a shame.
Best Regards,
Matthew Bray
No comments:
Post a Comment