Despite clever ads, is Volkswagen a Lemon?

Does Volkswagen quality and service create long-term brand damage?

I have been teaching marketing and advertising classes since 1996 and using Volkswagen advertising and marketing as positive examples in my classes. The clever Volkswagen ads from creative legends Bill Bernbach and Helmut Krone in the 60's and 70's changed the face of design and advertising to usher in the "Creative Revoulution". 

I now have new reasons to speak about Volkswagen to others.

Despite the clever ads, the recent unpleasant Volkswagen experience of a friend has me asking the question "is Volkswagen a lemon?" 

My friend recently purchased a deep black 2009 Volkswagen CC Luxury edition which starts at $32,350 U.S. dollars.  She travels a lot and wanted a car that is safe, reliable, and looks great. If you click here you will be taken to the Volkswagen website and you can see all the rave reviews about the appearance, safety, and performance of the CC. I agree with the reviews and think that the car is beautifully designed inside and out.  I have always admired the design of Volkswagen. 

However, attractive design is not enough if the product fails. My friend has had the CC in to the dealer four times in four months with electrical and mechanical problems. The dealer has always provided friendly service and fixed the problems but the failures should not have occurred in the first place. 

Is Volkswagen selling lemons or are the following details of her experience the exception to the rule?