First, a bit of background. We purchased this car new in August of 2021. Since new the rear brakes have produced a significant amount of brake dust, so much so that even with weekly washes when I spray the rear wheels down a black stream of brake dust goes down the driveway. The rear brakes have also made a groaning sound upon release since new. All of this I have just lived with until recently when the rear brakes began to squeal upon releasing the pedal at speed. So say you slow from 60 mph to 50 mph, then release the brake pedal, at this point the car will make a squeak, squeak, squeak sound for a few seconds before stopping. Almost as if the rear brakes don't completely release.
This is the point where I decide to make a dealer visit. Also by this time I have read numerous reports of 2021 and 2022 Jetta's having premature rear brake wear, so I wanted to make sure we weren't driving metal on metal.
The dealer replaced our burned out rear tag light and inspected the brakes and my service advisor came back and said, "The tech said your brakes are fine, the pads are worn down to 5mm (down from 10mm new) and with this rate of wear will need to be replaced by 20,000 miles". I then questioned why they were making squealing noises upon pedal release but all I got was, "they said they look fine".
Now knowing that premature rear pad wear is very common on 21+ models I called VWOA and was swiftly told that they would not warranty the brakes beyond 1 year / 12K miles. I explained my frustration in needing new pads after only 1 year of ownership and the rep told me that if enough people complain, VW should do something about it. Well that wasn't a good enough answer for me so I requested they escalate my case as it is glaringly obvious that this is a widespread issue, and customers should not pay for such an issue out of pocket when even VW knows it is a problem (as they have now issued new pads with a new part number). She told me she would escalate the case but I would receive the same answer she told me.
She also recommend that I contact the service manager at our dealer and request goodwill assistance directly through them. So today, that is what I did. I spoke with the service advisor that I dealt with yesterday. She told me "well they use organic pads now and everyone is having early brake wear". I then informed her that I was aware that there was a new part number out that is supposed to resolve the issue. She then said they she would pass the request up to the service manager and that he would give me a call back.
This is more of a rant than anything. I just feel that for such an issue, a KNOWN issue on parts that should last a couple years at least with mild / moderate use that the manufacture should be doing more to take care of the customer. Still love the car though. Thoughts?
This is the point where I decide to make a dealer visit. Also by this time I have read numerous reports of 2021 and 2022 Jetta's having premature rear brake wear, so I wanted to make sure we weren't driving metal on metal.
The dealer replaced our burned out rear tag light and inspected the brakes and my service advisor came back and said, "The tech said your brakes are fine, the pads are worn down to 5mm (down from 10mm new) and with this rate of wear will need to be replaced by 20,000 miles". I then questioned why they were making squealing noises upon pedal release but all I got was, "they said they look fine".
Now knowing that premature rear pad wear is very common on 21+ models I called VWOA and was swiftly told that they would not warranty the brakes beyond 1 year / 12K miles. I explained my frustration in needing new pads after only 1 year of ownership and the rep told me that if enough people complain, VW should do something about it. Well that wasn't a good enough answer for me so I requested they escalate my case as it is glaringly obvious that this is a widespread issue, and customers should not pay for such an issue out of pocket when even VW knows it is a problem (as they have now issued new pads with a new part number). She told me she would escalate the case but I would receive the same answer she told me.
She also recommend that I contact the service manager at our dealer and request goodwill assistance directly through them. So today, that is what I did. I spoke with the service advisor that I dealt with yesterday. She told me "well they use organic pads now and everyone is having early brake wear". I then informed her that I was aware that there was a new part number out that is supposed to resolve the issue. She then said they she would pass the request up to the service manager and that he would give me a call back.
This is more of a rant than anything. I just feel that for such an issue, a KNOWN issue on parts that should last a couple years at least with mild / moderate use that the manufacture should be doing more to take care of the customer. Still love the car though. Thoughts?
