We found the following complaints for VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE (2003)
Read complaints for VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE (2003)
Takata recall air bag light switch has been recalled on several 03 beetles but nothing that included the 03 convertable version of this light being activated the car has never been in an accident that i know of and is a cause for concern where none of my airbags will deploy if i ever get into an accident. God forbid. This has been checked by the vin but does not necessarily mean the part is not defective. Also opposite lights in the rear seem to have some sort of electronic issue new fuses new bulbs and relay seems not to fix this issue. Could possible be part of the same 03 beetle break switch recall??
1.my airbag light in my car came on. 2.i took it to a repair shop that found the seatbelt sensor had gone bad thus causing the airbag light to come on and the airbags would not deploy in the case of an accident.3.the seatbelt was replaced so that the sensor would again be working correctly and the airbags would be deployed in the case of an accident.as the seatbelt mechanism was working fine, but just a tiny sensor on the seatbelt arm went bad, it caused my airbags to be deactivated.there should be a lifetime warranty on such safety parts such that there is never a failure to deploy airbags or an issue with seatbelts.the auto repair employees said they have replaced hundreds of these seatbelts in vws for the very same reason i had.
2003 new beetle convertible. The car is less than two years old and the airbag light has turned on for no reason three times.(it stays on.)in sept '04 dealer replaced a crash sensor; in oct '04 dealer replaced the airbag; in may '05 dealer replaced crash sensor again.srs.pco
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked when she changed gears. The failure progressed over time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced which was done at that time. The contact also stated that both the front window regulator motors failed; the vehicle was repaired at a local repair shop. The door lock actuators failed and were repaired at a repair shop. The air bag light illuminated and the contact was informed that the air bag sensor had failed. The vehicle was being repaired. The rear windshield was beginning to detach from the structure of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 75,347 and the current mileage was 93,800.
Air bag light as of 1/1/11, these were recalled for 2004-2006 beetles and 2003-2005 beetle convertibles. No recalls yet for 2003 beetles, but it seems to be a growing problems that are yet to be fixed by vw!!!seems like they are just delaying the recall until they receive enough complaints/injuries.2 recalls of a frontal sensor/control module in 4/2008 & a passenger occupant detection system (pod) dealer reprogram repair in 12/2004but again nothing for 2003 models even though it started in late 2003.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While driving approximately 55 mph, the contact heard a loud clicking sound in the rear of the vehicle. The contact also noticed the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The rear driver's side roll over bar suddenly deployed inadvertently. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The technician was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 28,600.
Air bag light came on.i have done a lot of research on the internet and i have found alot of people have had the same problem with vw new beetle.i feel that this could be a major problem due to the fact that while this light is on the air bags will not work in case of an accident.this is a major safety issue.
2003 vw beetleair bag light came on and stays on, will not go off. Vehicle has never been involved in an accident. Nhtsa campaign id number 08v178000, investigation pe08-012, nhtsa action number pe08012 lists model yeas 2003-2005however, 2003 model with this vin number not listed. Believe to be same problem.
The air bag light came on and when we took it to the volkswagen dealership we were told that the air bag had failed and that it may or may not deploy during an accident, and that it could deploy without cause while driving. Called volkswagen customer care number and was told that the recall had been addressed in 2008 with the vechicle and that it was not necessarly repaired "it was just addressed". I could not get any further response. I have never had or read about a car having to have airbags replaced as a scheduled service or maintance.airbag failure showes that it was not done right to begain with. The car was purchaced with 34,000 miles and now has 60,111 miles. I am concerned about the airbag possiblity deploying while driving more than not deploying during a crash. Any help in understanding this matter is much appriciated.
When the engine was started, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and stays illuminated until the engine is turned off. The seat belt light goes off after the car is started even when no seatbelts are put on. The vin was not included in recall 08v178000, although the failure symptoms seem similar.
Air bags light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer two timeson nov 15,2005cause:00591 lt side belt switchit was replaced.ondec/12/ 20007 thetest diagnostic and confirm fault cod 00591,drivers seat belt switch faulty. Estimate fore service $472.00 i had to declined .if they replaced it two years ago it shouldn't have the same problem.
I was involved in a crash while driving my 2003 vw beetle convertible.i was unable to brake and avoid a semi-truck that was in directly in front of me.i was traveling at a speed between 30-40 mph but did lose conscience so am not sure if remember exactly how fast i was going.my airbag did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock causing my face to slam directly into the steering wheel.the passenger side airbag which contained no passengers nor items did deploy.i suffered facial fractures and a broken nose.my fractures have healed but my nose needs to be reconstructed.my car was serviced at a collision center and then sent to the autobarn in countryside, il where the car was bought used in august of 2006.the car was returned to me on dec 27 but no explanation was given for the airbag not deploying.the transmission was also not working properly so i returned the car for additional service a few days later.the car was finally returned to me 2 weeks later with a new transmission but still no explanation for the airbag.upon leaving the autobarn on january 17 with my car, the air bag light turned on and stayed on while i drove about 10 miles.i returned the car the next day and the service department stated the light did not go on for them and offered again no explanation.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contact noticed that the air bag sensor light illuminated on the instrument panel.the light remained illuminated until the engine was turned off.the failure occurred without warning.the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was due to a loose electrical connector for the driver's side air bag.the recall repair was performed incorrectly.on three separate occasions, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for the same failure, but with no resolutions.the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved with the air bag deployment.the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown.the failure mileage was 15,000 and current mileage was 45,000.
Recall on airbag crash sensor back in 2008, which we had replace . However this problem constantly happen were the air bag crease sensor lights comes on and stays on. When you call the dealership they wants to charge the consumer. There is always a jerking in the power transmission while driving . This is dangerous you would think the car is going to stop going up hill. I made a complaint back in 2009 complaint #102868 never received a response.
The vehicle has less than 47,000 miles on it and the airbag sensor light came on. This airbag has never been used or deployed. It is not damaged and the vehicle has been maintained properly. I was informed by the dealer that it is a defective airbag and i would have to pay over $700 for a new airbag. I believe the dealer should be responsible for the replacement if they equipped the vehicle with a defective airbag.
After starting the car, air bag light continues to stay on. This is the second time in one year this has happened. This first time the air bag light came on the driver side sensor under the seat was replaced at dealer.
My car was rear-ended by another car at a high rate of speed. None of my air bags deployed and my fiance, who was driving, sustained a sprained neck and a concussion as a result of hitting the steering wheel.
The front passenger seat belt would not unlatch.passenger had to climb out from underneath.call to the vw dealership yielded comment from service department "sometimes the seat belt latch breaks; you need to bring it in and have it replaced (at my cost)".on may 14, 2014 i had the service repair done.mileage was 49,486.cost was $292.16.service was done by jim ellis volkswagen marietta, 1860 cobb parkway, marietta, ga 30060.i think this is a safety defect.if we had been in an accident, my passenger would not have been able to get out of the car; this would have been life-threatening, they could have died.i think volkswagen should make a recall of 2003 beetle convertibles and replace the latch and sensor (to airbag) at no charge to owner.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated the air bag light illuminated. The dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the entire air bag system failed and needed to be replaced. The contact believed that the failure was caused by a manufacturing defect. The vin was not available. The failure and current mileage was 96,000.
2003 vw beetleair bag light came on and stays on, will not go off. Vehicle has never been involved in an accident. Nhtsa campaign id number 08v178000, investigation pe08-012, nhtsa action number pe08012 lists model yeas 2003-2005however, 2003 model with this vin number not listed. Believe to be same problem.
Air bag warning light diagnosed at service by dealer (campbell/nelson vw) indicated that a sensor or switch located in the driver-side seatbelt latch was defective and even when the seatbelt was latched, the airbag would not deploy. This turned out to be a $400 repair and i believe it should be considered for a recall.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. After starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that unknown air bag wires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
I have had to replace all four power window regulators. I am now having to replace one of the replacements. This vehicle only has 83000 miles on it. The parts to repair this window are extremely expensive - over $500. I've already invested well over $1500 replacing the regulators already. Volkswagen is making defective parts and will not stand behind their product. I filed a complaint earlier on this vehicle for a defective airbag. This car has not been abused. I've taken good care of it. The airbag was never deployed or damaged in any way. If the airbag is defective it is because vw puts defective airbags in their vehicles.
Regarding/related to claim 048481910769 complaints: 2003 volkswagen jetta seats: front assembly: seat ...i own a 2003 vw jetta 1.8t with front heated seats. Drivers side seat caught fire due to a short in the seats heater 2 days ago on 12/13/2005 after the heater was on for less than 2 minutes. Burning a small hole trough the seat to the bottom area of my left side (buttock) i have come to find since this happened, my nhtsa has ...https://www.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/.../seats-front_assembly-seat_ heater_cooler.shtml29 complaints: 2003 volkswagen beetle electrical system problemsthe problem is that the entire fuse box assembly frequently melts into a glob of plastic, and represents a significant fire hazard. I have owned two new beetles ( 2003 & 2004), and have experienced this problem four time between the two. My own investigation into the cause(s) has shown me that if the vehicle battery is ...https://whttps://www.carcomplaints.com/search/?cx=partner-pub-6745124734283845%3a6pv4ih4brad&cof=forid%3a10&ie=iso-8859-1&q=vw+fire&sa=search&siteurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.carcomplaints.com%2fvolkswagen%2fbeetle%2f2002%2fseat_belts_air_bags%2fww.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/.../electrical_system.shtmlwasn't in the vehiclepersonal assistant/project consultant helping hard working people like you for more than 25 years! [xxx]information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).?*pm
Car bough used from vs dealership on 7/31/2006. Been in for check engine light 4times, airbag light 3 times, a/c broke once, windows would not roll up once, needed new rotors once, rattling under hood once, battery died two days after i bought it and i had to tow it back to vw. Car jerks when going out of first gear-i told vw this repeatedly and they only tried to fix it after the warranty was up. They told me it would be $700 to fix. On 12/9/2008 my car would not go out of first gear while i was driving it. It had to be towed to my house and has not been driven since. I have had nothing but problems out of this car. I can not put anymore money into it. When the warranty went up, all of the sudden everything started going wrong. I requested prior information from the vw dealership about the other owner before me. I feel that this car was doctored so that i would buy it and then it started falling apart.
The airbag light has been on since i purchased my used 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible 1.8t in june '07. We have taken it do the dealer several times, and they have quoted outrageous prices for replacing the front airbag sensors, upwards of $700. Last year there was a recall for the front airbag sensors, which we had replaced. But the light still remains on, and now they say it is the driver's side seatbelt switch, and quoted $300 for repairs.a quick web search shows this seatbelt switch issue is widespread, and is usually caused by broken wires under the seat. Apparently these wires are too short and/or exposed, and can easily be broken by moving the seat too far forward or by items pushed under the seat.i think this is yet another poorly designed system that creates a real hazard for people unwilling or unable to pay for the dealer to poke around until they find and fix the problems.
From day one this car had transmission problems which were denied by the dealer on 5 visits, after i sold the car i received a recall from vw, now that i am looking at blogs they have apparently recalled this recall to suit them. Other complaints with this vehicle are window troubles, convertible roof troubles, electronic troubles, seatbelt troubles, airbag troubles. I can't believe anyone will allow this car to still be sold or on the road. It is a safety hazard on wheels.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that the warning lamp illuminated for an air bag malfunction, flashed, and remained lit intermittently. The contact was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 08v178000 (air bags). The vehicle was not inspected or diagnosed. The vehicle was to be taken to an authorized dealer for further inspection. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Airbag lightis on..was diagnosed as a faulty airbag module ...vw dealer says parthas been discontinued and i can not get my car inspected.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that the driver side air bag deployed without any warning while driving.the wires under the seat began emitting smoke and the plastic coating was melted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 99,610.
Takata...air bag system air bag sensor issue...air bag sensor was repaired in 2008 under recall, but has failed again...
Airbag light always on even after the 6 second rule that the manual explains.
First i must ask myself why am i wasting my time again? you can write tonhtsaall you want and explain your complaint / defect but that's as far as it goes, they never respond and nothing gets repaired for free unless numerous accidents happen and people get hurt or worse yet die!
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contact stated that the air bag warning light started to illuminate approximately 2 years ago. The dealer replaced the oxygen sensors on three occasions. The seat belt buckle was also replaced; however, the light would continue to illuminate intermittently. The vehicle was recently taken back to the dealer who stated that the air bag needed to be replaced at the owners expense. The dealer confirmed that that repairs were not covered under the extended warranty.the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.the current mileage was approximately 95,000.
Air bag light and the warning light for malfunction indicator lamp comes on and does not go out also driver seat is stuck. The vehicle was taken on 11/15/2005 at that time it was only the air bag cause; 00591. Drivers seat belt switch faulty it was replaced on 12/12/2007 the same problem and more but,this time i have done a lot of researchon the internet and i have found a alot of people have had the same problem and nhtsa is aware of it.the car is no longer under warranty i have hadrepair driver seat slider. It has been very frustrating, never purchase another vw.
This is my second complaint to safercar.gov and i haven't received any contact from anyone on this matter. All i want is for my air bag system to be fixed for free by vw in stockton ca. My airbag light is on for the fourth time in four years that i have had the 03 vw beetle convertible and every time, vw has found that the sensor is at fault. Now this time, vw wants to charge me 678.00 to fix it. There is no recall on this. It is 00003 control module defective. I am extremely angry that they will not fix this knowing that this is the fourth time that the air bag light came on. Vw knows that my airbag light comes on and they supposedlyfix the sensors free of charge each time, but this time, they will not. They need to make a recall on this thing. Im sick and tired of having to have my car serviced over a light. Please help me.
Vehicle engine stopped while driving. Battery dead, no power in vehicle at all.found melted battery fuse box under hood.root cause determined to be corrosion on alternator power supply cable that created heat enough to melt plastic (~450f) and burn the protective cover off the alternator supply wire back 2 inches.poor contact due to corrosion caused battery to drain, which eventually could no longer sustain engine ignition.no warning lights prior to engine stopping.no battery power also means no power steering, no power brakes, no airbags during collision. Online forums indicate this is happening to a lot of people.it would appear to be as deadly as the gm ignition switch issue, but it is not being taken seriously by vw.
Dt: the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contactstated while driving andmaking a left hand turn the consumerheard a loud popping sound from the right front area.the consumer lost control of the vehicle; appliedthe brakes and hit the curb.the consumer began to accelerate to avoid hitting a light pole.this did minimize the hitting of the light pole.upon impact,the front air bagsdeployed.the only impact on the vehicle was above the right front tire.the service dealer was not willing to cooperate because there was nothing to determine the cause of the accident.the consumer has contacted the manufacturer, and they will respond within 24 hours.
Air bag light is on. The left front seat belt buckle is the cause of the light being on. Apparently the sensor in the buckle is defective.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, which indicated that the air bag system was inoperative.she took her vehicle to the dealer and a technician reset the air bag sensors.immediately after the repair, the failure recurred.the dealer stated that the sensors needed to be replaced at the discounted price of $250.the manufacturer stated that because the recall for nhtsa campaign id number 08v178000 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module) does not begin until july 31, 2008, the contact would have to pay for the repairs.the current and failure mileages were 32,000.
Three years ago when the car had only 55,000 miles on it, the air bag light came on. There was never any deployment of the air bags and i take good care of my car. Vw said it was a defective air bag, but refused to stand behind it. They want $750 to fix it.in the past four years i have had to replace each window motor. They cost $400 to replace. The driver side motor needs to be replaced for the second time. That means the first replacement lasted less than four years. The car has only 77,000 miles on it. This is outrageous.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.when the engine was started, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel.the light illuminated until the engine was turned off.the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the air bag sensor.the vehicle was not repaired.the vin was excluded from the recall, although the failures were identical.the failure mileage was 83,000 and current mileage was 85,000. Update 09/10/08 *cwupdated 09/15/08.
The airbag light is on.
The plastic window is separating from the cloth top of my convertible vw. Also, the headlights are constantly blowing bulbs and the sensor light of the passenger side airbag stays on. After fixing the light one time, the dealership mechanics said it was the seatbelt connector problem. They just want money, money , money and i am stuck with a volkswagen that is not functional for daily use.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.the contact stated that the air bag light in his vehicle would illuminate while driving various speeds.the dealer replaced the passenger side air bag due to resistance in the warning light; however, the failure recurred.he took the vehicle back to the dealer a total of eight times.the most recent time the vehicle was taken to the dealer was in december of 2006 and the light turned off.in july of 2008, the light illuminated again.the contact consulted the manufacturer about nhtsa campaign id number 08v178000 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module), but they claimed to have no knowledge of the recall.the recall was scheduled to begin on approximately july 31, 2008.the contact is currently waiting for someone from volkswagen to call back.the current mileage was approximately 65,000 and failure mileage was 5,694.
Frontal air bag crash sensor is bad barley out of warranty . I have read about this problem alot on the internet and believe this should be a recall by volkswagen's it is a safety issue.
Turned on my car and the air bag light will not turn off on the dash board panel.
Vw new beetles have a susceptibility to constant airbag light coming on due to poor quality wiring under the seat and in the seat belt harness. Volkswagen of american doesnot want to take responsibility for the poor quality workmanship. Parts are too expansive and only a dealer item. There are a lot of vw beetle owners out there that have the some problem with the air bag light.
This is my second complaint to safercar.gov and i haven't received any contact from anyone on this matter. All i want is for my air bag system to be fixed for free by vw in stockton ca. My airbag light is on for the fourth time in four years that i have had the 03 vw beetle convertible and every time, vw has found that the sensor is at fault. Now this time, vw wants to charge me 678.00 to fix it. There is no recall on this. It is 00003 control module defective. I am extremely angry that they will not fix this knowing that this is the fourth time that the air bag light came on. Vw knows that my airbag light comes on and they supposedlyfix the sensors free of charge each time, but this time, they will not. They need to make a recall on this thing. Im sick and tired of having to have my car serviced over a light. Please help me.
1) i drived my car and the air bag light came on in march 2007. The following three times the air bag light came on, was when i would start my car up.2) march 2007-first time air bag light comes on:hammer lane vw charged me for the diagnosis. December 2007-air bag light on again:elk grove vw did not charge me jan 2008-air bag light on again:elk grove vw did not charge me june 2008-air bag light on again:elk grove vw did not charge me september 2009-air bag light on again:elk grove vw wants to charge me 230.00 for labor and 678.63 for parts to fix air bag light and kerry from vw states that this has nothing to do with the recall. The self diagnosis protocol says 00003 control module defective and 00532 supply voltage lower limit not reached sporadic. The software part number is 6q0909605e3)bob from bob's german auto repair replaced air bag sensor pass side front the first time. Second time: elk grove replaced and replaced seat belt driverside and reset faults. Third time:elk grove vw replaced sensor in passenger side seat. Fourth time: i declined service from elk grove vw and they charged me 115.00 for the diagnosis. I don't think that this is fair and i shouldn't have to go through all of this hassle and pay unfair fees when there is recalls on this beetles all of the time. Im young and i am going to college. I don't have the time and the money to go through all of this.
The air bag warning light is illuminated. I had it checked out and the dealer said the sensor was broken and needed repair. They said the air bag would not activate with the switch inoperable. I paid big$$$ ($391)to have this repair performed.crash sensor.pco
Air bag safety sensor for airbags to deploy went out. And was not cover $591.00. To replace sensor switch.dup
I own a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.it had multiple failures while still under warranty that were never particularly corrected.would go out and car would not start - completely dead.batteries were replaced, alternator was replaced, something with the stereo system was replaced, etc.this happened many times over the course of two years, from approximately 2005 to 2007.i could provide specifics if necessary since i have all receipts.it sometimes happened within a week of getting the car back from the previous "repair."needless to say it has been very frustrating, and we will never purchase another vw.the reason i am just now writing is because my local newspaper had a small paragraph mentioning that the nhtsa is investigating a possible crash sensor malfunction in the airbag system.i have had to replace both of the sensors at my own expense since the car is no longer under warranty.the airbag indicator light first came on in june 2007 and the driver's side front crash sensor was replaced.just a short time later, september 2007, the airbag indicator light came on again.this time they told me it was the passenger side crash sensor that need to be replaced.these repairs cost me roughly $1000 out of pocket.i think the nhtsa would like to be aware of this as part of the investigation.thank you very much.ps: while listing "failures" below i will stick with just the two airbag failures and only provide info on other electrical problems if requested to do so.crash sensor.pco
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt buckle was s defective ,and the air bag lightconstantly illuminated.the vehicle was taken to the dealer three times , and numerous diagnostics were performed.currently, the cause of failure has not been found.the failure has been occurring since september 11, 2004.the current mileage is 59,500 , and failure mileage was 22,651.srs.pco
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle.the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel.he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the air bags:frontal:sensor/control module failed and needed to be replaced.one year prior to the failure, the contact replaced the frontal air bag sensor.the vehicle was repaired, but a formal complaint was not made with the manufacturer.the contact is in possession of the failed component.the failure mileage was 44,500 and current mileage was 45,439. Crash sensor.pco
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.while driving at an unknown speed, the air bag warning light illuminated, which instructed the contact to stop the vehicle.he called the dealer and was advised to bring the vehicle in for repair.at 27,680 miles, the dealer identified the failure with the air bag crash sensor.they replaced the front passenger side crash sensor and two windows.the failure recurred at 27,680 miles and the manufacturer stated that his vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 08v178000 (air bags:frontal:sensor/control module).the contact would be responsible for the repair costs.the failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 41,297. Updated 07/08/08.updated 07/03/08.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.while driving 55 mph, the air bag light illuminated.the dealer stated that the frontal driver side crash sensor caused the failure.the consumer replaced the crash sensor and there had been no further occurrences.the failure mileage was 39,268 and current mileage was 39,278.updated 01-15-08.the dealer would not cover the cost. Updated srs.pco
I test drove several vw new bettlesprior to purchasing one.in many of them the air bag light indicator remained on.is this a problem that you are aware of? have there been recall on this?
This is my second complaint to safercar.gov and i haven't received any contact from anyone on this matter. All i want is for my air bag system to be fixed for free by vw in stockton ca. My airbag light is on for the fourth time in four years that i have had the 03 vw beetle convertible and every time, vw has found that the sensor is at fault. Now this time, vw wants to charge me 678.00 to fix it. There is no recall on this. It is 00003 control module defective. I am extremely angry that they will not fix this knowing that this is the fourth time that the air bag light came on. Vw knows that my airbag light comes on and they supposedlyfix the sensors free of charge each time, but this time, they will not. They need to make a recall on this thing. Im sick and tired of having to have my car serviced over a light. Please help me.
-the contact's air bag warning light turned on after the vehicle reached 51,000 miles.the contact took vehicle to a volkswagen dealer and was told that the computer controller for the air bag system needed to be replaced by the owner at a cost of $1000.the contact stated that on december 27, 2006, while driving at 55 mph ,the right side passenger's air bag / curtain deployed for no reason, bruising a passenger in the car.the weather at the time the air bag deployed was nice.the contact stated that he wanted to pursue volkswagento getair bag repaired and working properly.the contact stated that volkswagen should pay for the repair.
Alternator harness had to much resistance in it causing the fuse box to melt and frying the alternator.dealer said it was a result of the wire being over crimpt during manufacturing.
Air bag light and the warning light for malfunction indicator lamp comes on and does not go out also driver seat is stuck. The vehicle was taken on 11/15/2005 at that time it was only the air bag cause; 00591. Drivers seat belt switch faulty it was replaced on 12/12/2007 the same problem and more but,this time i have done a lot of researchon the internet and i have found a alot of people have had the same problem and nhtsa is aware of it.the car is no longer under warranty i have hadrepair driver seat slider. It has been very frustrating, never purchase another vw.
Electrical main fuse box under hood burnt and melted into battery. See pics of burnt fuse box, and indention of melted battery. Car cut off while in motion on highway, causing my 19 year old college daughter to almost wreck in route to school last week at 8pm est.her major is nursing. I want to make sure she's alive to see her graduate.outside air temp was 65 degrees.this is extremely dangerous, not to mention the cost that will be associated with paying for volkswagons poor design electrical misengineering flaw, a new alternator, all electrical wiring,a new battery, and possibly new convertible top motor. Her vw is/was in mint condition with fewer than 80k miles. Vw estimates costs to fix over $5k to 6k. Kbb value is much less. My daughters life is priceless. Also, the wiring harness for the seatbelts underneath the seat are too short!! if you slide the seats back, it breaks electrical connections which triggers seatbelts light to come on, which disengages airbags to work in the event of an accident. The 2 front seats also must slide forward in order for back seat passengers to enter vehicle. Is this how vw saves money, by shortening electrical wire to connect seatbelts? perhaps it's on purpose to avoid millions of electrical lawsuits?
Constant electrical problems. Wires melting, battery needs to be replaced, warning lights go on then the car dies while driving, alarm system goes off when raining.
The epc light comes on all the time, even after being fixed.the window regulators break.the battery has had to be replaced twice.the cv boot broke.
The alternator harness has burnt up twice in less than 12,000 miles. The first time it melted everything and they replaced it and now it has done it again. It has stranded me on the side of the road and almost caused a fire under the hood. The dealership told me that they have had trouble with this on 2001 to 2004 models but then vw customer service says no. I am concerned that it will do it again and that a fire will be next.
When attempting to put car into reverse brake switch does not respond. This has happened numerous times. Driver side window goes back down by itself. Also car shifts real hard in second and third gear. Sounds like transmission will break.
Alternator gets extremely hot, untouchable.appears to be direct short with heavy load.melts fuse box on top of battery.fire hazard.online search for other events reveal that is common occurrence even resulting in class action suit but still vw will notadmit fault.all volkswagon beetles should be removed from the roads, it is a ticking time bomb. I was sitting in my car in my shop checking out systems and saw and smelled smoke coming from front of engine.vehicle not safe to be on road with engine running. Please require grounding all these vehicles until vw does a permanent fix, even on the ones that have been repaired up until now.
My vehicle's radio shut off, warning lights came on and vehicle powered down while driving. Could not even steer vehicle completely to shoulder of road. Police officer driving by stopped and chastised me for not moving my car completely out of traffic's way. Created a very hazardous traffic situation. Police officer had to direct traffic around my vehicle for the hour it took to get vehicle home.the battery was checked and was fine. No charge on alternator. A quick google search led to checking fuse box near battery. One fuse was completely melted/burnt as well as the alternator cable connection on vehicle. The google search made it seem as though this is a very common occurrence, yet no recall has been issued. From my assessment, the damage included the fuse-box assembly, one of the fuses, and alternator cable ring-terminal; however, multiple web forums suggest that fan assemblies and other components may need to be replaced as well, leading to costly repairs. It is my opinion that the issue can be attributed to manufacturer's faulty design. My internet search also revealed that a class action lawsuit was filled in florida, 2011, but i cannot find any further information on the matter.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contact stated that the vehicle fails to start in very cold weather.she notified a repair shop that came out and got the vehicle started.the contact took the vehicle to the volkswagen dealer who could not diagnose the cause of failure.a few months later, the check engine light illuminated while driving 60 mph.the dealer was unable to find anything wrong with the vehicle.the contact took the vehicle to the nearest shop who stated that the vehicle had enough oil.the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the computer board was changed.the current and failure mileages were 61,000.
My fuse panel has burnt out four times in a year and a half at a cost of $100.00 each time plus all the other parts it ruined when it burned. I had to get a new a/c compressor a new battery. I know from looking online trying to find out info about this problem that its happening to alot of people and this should have been a recall a long time ago.
Three years ago when the car had only 55,000 miles on it, the air bag light came on. There was never any deployment of the air bags and i take good care of my car. Vw said it was a defective air bag, but refused to stand behind it. They want $750 to fix it.in the past four years i have had to replace each window motor. They cost $400 to replace. The driver side motor needs to be replaced for the second time. That means the first replacement lasted less than four years. The car has only 77,000 miles on it. This is outrageous.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While driving at 25 mph, the vehicle stalled and the contact noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the fuse box was melted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuse box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, a few months later,here was smoke the contact noticed smoke and fire coming from the vehicle while it was parked. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.
Car stalled out in the middle of traffic and the epc code appeared.
First i had 4 warning lights come on. Battery, oil pressure, air bags, and brakes. Then the air conditioner compressor turned off. Then the car died in the middle of an intersection. I was almost hit by 3 cars. Finally got to the side of the road and opened hood. The fuse box on top of the battery melted along with the alternator wire to fuse box. Cost over $1000.00 to fix. Vw dealer stated this is a known problem with this fuse box but no recall and to be prepared for it to happen again. I did some searching on the internet....wow....this is really an issue with this fuse box. There was a civil suit filed by florida residents.
I own a 2003 vw new beetle convertible, 4 cyl, 6 sp auto.it has 80,000 miles on it.within the past year, it's started jerking when shifting gears.i've been told by i need a new transmission.after doing some research, i find i'm not alone.there are literally hundreds of others in the same position.according to vw, the transmission is $6,800.wow - i know!you have to use the dealer because the parts aren't available to the after market.in any event, the car hesitates when you attempt to pull out, jerks when you stop.i've narrowly avoided several rear end collisions as well as said several prayers when it didn't accelerate as quickly as it should have.i'm not a mechanic, but i'm not stupid either.the transmission is fine until the engine is warm.i can shift gears with no problem using the tiptronic part of the system - but others have said this only works for a short period.there are no metal sounds when the engine is shifting.there is nothing wrong with the transmission, it is an electrical issue.vw refuses to put the time and effort into determining what the real problem is.they just replace the transmissions and pocket $6,800.by the way, the blue book value of the car is $6,800.ironic, i know.i've read post after post from people who had the entire transmission replaced by vw only to find the problems persist.i understand they don't want to find the issue, but i really love my car and want it fixed.correctly.please, please, please strongly encourage vw to do the right thing, find the problem and fix it.any help you can offer is appreciated.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.while driving at an unknown speed, the contact's daughter noticed smoke underneath the dashboard.she pulled the vehicle onto the side of the road and it immediately burst into flames.there were no injuries.the vin was unknown.the current and failure mileages were 54,000.
2003 volkswagen beetle--electrical problemengine compartment fusebox melted due to a short.the car was maintained.it just passed inspection 2 weeks before meltdown.the battery was checked as well.no warning or dash lights indicating a problem.the car was nearly not possible to start in recent hot humid weather.i took it to a garage and they found the melted fusebox.this has to be changed asap because it could affect the car's computer and they aren't sure about the alternator yet as it was having a hard time starting the car.this repair is going to cost me $400.00 out of pocket so far.if this is a design flaw by vw which causes damage because they don't protect the engine fuse box or any related wiring from heat from the battery, there should be a recall.i noticed a similar post from houston, texas on this site.my car seems to be among several which have had this problem.the mileage of this vehicle is 66,417.
I have a 2003 vw beetle turbo 1.8.and the fuse block has burnt up 3 times now and there hasn't been a recall.i just had vw to do over $2000.00 and have the receipts to prove it.they didn't fix the problem to begin with but says they did.the car has left my daughter stranded 3 different times.i hear that the alternator harness is faulty.you can go to http://gotaclassaction.com/volkswagen-named-in-class-action-over-fuse-boxalternator-cable-assembly/ and see that they are some major problems with this.
This particular electrical problem with vw new beetles has been reported in online vw forums hundreds of times.there is a small plastic fuse box that is attached at the top of the vehicle battery in the engine compartment.it contains a series of flat metal fuses of various amperage, and is electrically fed by a cable directly from the alternator.once at the fuse box, the electricity is branched to other circuits by connection to a bus.but the main feed from the fuse box is to the battery by an auxiliary cable, branching out from the fuse box, connected by the alternator cable/flat fuse at one end (in the fuse box), and directly to the battery positive at the other end.the problem is that the entire fuse box assembly frequently melts into a glob of plastic, and represents a significant fire hazard.i have owned two new beetles (2003 & 2004), and have experienced this problem four time between the two.my own investigation into the cause(s) has shown me that if the vehicle battery is discharged, and the alternator attempts to recharge the battery at a high rate, that once the electrical charge enters the fuse box via the alternator cable, the auxiliary cable is incapable of allowing the electricity to pass on through to the battery.the excess electrical build up is dissipated as heat, and the fuse box melts.it is analogous to bringing in water through a fire hose (the alternator cable), and then trying to funnel all of the water into a straw (the auxiliary cable).it won't fit. It appears that the auxiliary cable is of insufficient size and metal type to handle the electrical charge.in addition to the generic fire hazard, given the fuse box location, any leaking fumes (hydrogen) from the battery which come into contact with a fuse box spark/flame could cause the battery to explode.please advise.
Own a 2003 volkswagen beetle.brake and tail lights failure intermittently faildealer as replaced the epc switch twice in the last 2-monthscomment today was "oh, we have been having a lot of problems with that switch.
Passengers side headlight shorting out for 7th bulb replacement and new electrical problems. Strange, all within 6 months. My 21 yr old nursing student of ecu university has had the exact same issue while on her 4 hour trip home 7 times now. The wiring continues to fry itself in the main fuse box , now affecting theabs braking system. I paid $9k in cash and have electrical receipts, seat belt, convertible top, blower door, front end replacement, radiator, water pump, trunk latch, hydro licks on convertible, timing belt, 4 batteries, air bags! i could continue with a longer list. I added up to $17,000.00 i have in this piece of crap that continues to break monthly . I would be ecstatic to provide all receipts. Isn't problems of this great nature unreasonable for a car with 70,000 miles also considered a lemon? all incidents have left my daughter stranded on interstate 85 where she has feared her life fight off the homeless psychotic people. It has left me unable to buy her a new car with no savings due to fixing something new each month. And 27 degrees outside with no ability to startit. The seat levers back and forth have had to be bolted in one position to prevent seat belt electrical too short electrical cord so the faulty airbags may by chance deploy if she ever got into an accident.latest is. She needs another water pump and timing belt from just being done 2 years ago!! something major defects with this car. I fear for her life! last trip home a car did not see her pulled over on interstate and side swiped her bumper. Water pump again.see photo of it leaking more when we had it towed home in garage. Also rear bumper of inciden
Electrical fire in fusebox of 2003 volkswagen beetle disabled vehicle and melted fuse housing and cover.
Vehicle engine stopped while driving. Battery dead, no power in vehicle at all.found melted battery fuse box under hood.root cause determined to be corrosion on alternator power supply cable that created heat enough to melt plastic (~450f) and burn the protective cover off the alternator supply wire back 2 inches.poor contact due to corrosion caused battery to drain, which eventually could no longer sustain engine ignition.no warning lights prior to engine stopping.no battery power also means no power steering, no power brakes, no airbags during collision. Online forums indicate this is happening to a lot of people.it would appear to be as deadly as the gm ignition switch issue, but it is not being taken seriously by vw.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contact noticed that the air bag sensor light illuminated on the instrument panel.the light remained illuminated until the engine was turned off.the failure occurred without warning.the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was due to a loose electrical connector for the driver's side air bag.the recall repair was performed incorrectly.on three separate occasions, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for the same failure, but with no resolutions.the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved with the air bag deployment.the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown.the failure mileage was 15,000 and current mileage was 45,000.
From day one this car had transmission problems which were denied by the dealer on 5 visits, after i sold the car i received a recall from vw, now that i am looking at blogs they have apparently recalled this recall to suit them. Other complaints with this vehicle are window troubles, convertible roof troubles, electronic troubles, seatbelt troubles, airbag troubles. I can't believe anyone will allow this car to still be sold or on the road. It is a safety hazard on wheels.
2003 beetle convertible window regulators.
Regarding/related to claim 048481910769 complaints: 2003 volkswagen jetta seats: front assembly: seat ...i own a 2003 vw jetta 1.8t with front heated seats. Drivers side seat caught fire due to a short in the seats heater 2 days ago on 12/13/2005 after the heater was on for less than 2 minutes. Burning a small hole trough the seat to the bottom area of my left side (buttock) i have come to find since this happened, my nhtsa has ...https://www.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/.../seats-front_assembly-seat_ heater_cooler.shtml29 complaints: 2003 volkswagen beetle electrical system problemsthe problem is that the entire fuse box assembly frequently melts into a glob of plastic, and represents a significant fire hazard. I have owned two new beetles ( 2003 & 2004), and have experienced this problem four time between the two. My own investigation into the cause(s) has shown me that if the vehicle battery is ...https://whttps://www.carcomplaints.com/search/?cx=partner-pub-6745124734283845%3a6pv4ih4brad&cof=forid%3a10&ie=iso-8859-1&q=vw+fire&sa=search&siteurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.carcomplaints.com%2fvolkswagen%2fbeetle%2f2002%2fseat_belts_air_bags%2fww.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/.../electrical_system.shtmlwasn't in the vehiclepersonal assistant/project consultant helping hard working people like you for more than 25 years! [xxx]information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).?*pm
Window needs new regulator.it is stuck halfway down.it is the drivers side rear window.
Generator pulley failure.
First i must ask myself why am i wasting my time again? you can write tonhtsaall you want and explain your complaint / defect but that's as far as it goes, they never respond and nothing gets repaired for free unless numerous accidents happen and people get hurt or worse yet die!
All panel lights come on (abs, brake, battery, seatbelt, check engine), and the indicator continuously sounds like the seatbelt is not locked.the right brakelight goes out when the lights are on.alternator and battery were both checked and they were both really strong.thinking this may be an electrical problem.
I test drove several vw new bettlesprior to purchasing one.in many of them the air bag light indicator remained on.is this a problem that you are aware of? have there been recall on this?
Headlight went out while starting the car. Dealer found a burned wiring harness to be the cause. Cost to repair $ 159.31. This could have been a major problem if both head lights would have gone out while traveling on a dark hwy at high speed. Burned wiring harness is in my possession. Second problem was with a brake light that went out date 10/30/07. Cause asper dealer was a faulty light socket. Cost to repair $ 73.61.
The alternator cable is burn also the fuse box on top of battery is burn.the dealership told me they see this happen on different volkswagen in the houston area and the fuse box needs some kind of thermal protection because the battery gets to hot.if i place some kind of thermal protection i will be held liable.the dealership nor the manufacturer are willing to help, they just told me a had 12 month warranty and if this happens again after 12 months it will be my expense.i had a 40,000 mile service on 10-3-07 which include inspecting battery which cost over $400.00.
The car is having issues as exactly the recalls has stated (i haven't known by now about the recalls)1. Selector shift and shifter cables were broken2. Break switch did not function, leading to malfunction of epc (electronic processing control) that later caused cruise control, taillight and ac compressor not working3. Windshield wiper pump was not working4. Headlight beam was low
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While driving at 25 mph, the vehicle stalled and the contact noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the fuse box was melted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuse box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, a few months later,here was smoke the contact noticed smoke and fire coming from the vehicle while it was parked. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.
My car was purchased as a used car. I purchased it with 100000 miles (approx.), and i have put on 31000 additional miles since (within 5 years). My car has always been routinely maintained/serviced. I take excellent care of my beetle. In november 2013, my automatic transmission began to slip. It has become worse, and it lurches forward will in drive, and at a controlled intersection my car either hesitates to take off or it rocks back and forth. This is a very expensive fix, having consulted two mechanics and receiving their estimates. I feel that this transmission issue poses a safety hazard for myself, other drivers, and pedestrians who may be crossing in front of my lurching vehicle. I think that with the multitude of 2003 transmission issues/failures, vw needs to stand behind their faulty product with a recall.
I own a 2003 vw new beetle convertible with an automatic tiptronic transmission. Recently , at random times, when shifting between 3rd and 4th gear the engine would rev up past 4000 rpm and jump into gear. Essentially a very hard shift. With plans to keep this vehicle for many years to come, i immediately took the vehicle to a trusted mechanic. After test driving and experiencing the "hard shift", i was informed that it was most definitely transmission related, however, only vw can access the transmission due to the fact that it is completely sealed.the vehicle was taken to a david maus volkswagen of orlando for the diagnostic. I was informed that the transmission was "coming apart from the inside" and that it was a "ticking time bomb". Because the vehicle is over 100000 miles , it does not fall under the transmission valve body recall. The repair cost for a new transmission is $6000.00. I feel that this is gross negligence on the part of volkswagen of america, to knowingly place this vehicle with such a major defect on the marketplace. I now have an unusable hunk of scrap metal sitting in my garage for fear of the time bomb under the hood. I refuse to drive this car and potentially put others lives at risk. Volkswagen needs to be held responsible for knowingly putting a car with such a major defect on the road.
My daughter was driving her 2003 vw beetle on the highway and noticed that she was having an issues with her rpm's revving very high.she pulled off the highway and shut the car off and restarted it after awhile.she got back on the highway and continued to drive home, her speed was roughly 65.all of a sudden her vehicle dropped her speed down to 50 causing her to almost be rear ended on the highway.this has happened at least 3 times.as she is away at college so her car is not driven much, so we are unsure if this is a constant issues. This is a safety issue with the vehicle and was taken to a car repair shop and we where told the transmission is having issues.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While driving 35 and depressing the accelerator pedal, a loud noise was heard and the vehicle started jerking. The battery, check engine, and epc warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over to the side of the roadway and, upon opening the hood, noticed that part of the engine had separated from the motor mount as the bolts were cracked and stripped. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The contact stated that he was repairing the vehicle himself. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
I was coming home from by ers appointment today and on the highway 2, toward home my car lost all power i had cars all over finally got off road. Would not start so had towed home. No reason for this. Date today october 20 2015 at 730 @ night. Cold by myself in car.....updated 01/13/16
Car stalled out in the middle of traffic and the epc code appeared.
I am the third owner and i should have cked this car out since the person who sold it too me didnt tell me a thing about the car.i am so dicusted about this adorable looking car. I only drove it once and took it too our mechanic. Wished i had taken it there first$800.00 later and just the beginning! i paid too much to begin with. Ipaid $4500 for a 2003 vw because it was cute! so i wish vw would help us american people. I want to drive my car but have only driven it once.!help !! still at the mechanics! wish people could be honest ! this would not happened in the 60"s . We have a good mechanic! thank god!
The 2003 vw beetle has started to slip at 96,500 miles going from 2nd to 3rd gear.i have done alot of online research and there are several forums and thousands of similar cases as the one i am having.i called vw of america customer care and talked to tim and he said because the car was out of warranty they could not do anything.i mentioned that the problem seems to be the valve body and he agreed but still could not help me.further research led to me finding a class action suit agains vw america for exactly this problem.since there are so many documented cases, i feel there should be a recall immediately as this can lead to a serious safety issue on the road.worse yet, vw knows about it and is not doing anything!please help.
2003 volkswagen beetle began to spark while driving. Consumer stated that she pulled over and then it caught fire.the fire started in the engine compartment. Ohio traffic crash report # 10-91-0903
I just bought a volkswagen new beetle, 03.the smell makes me physically ill to be in it.the day after i bought it, i had the cabin filter changed and it still smells.this smell is a chemical smell and my throat started hurting and swelled up.i saw a doctor and she could not identify the problem but added that my throat was filled with puss.i stopped driving it and asked my husband to drive it.he is now complaining that he is having headaches and having new allergies after just one week.we called vw who said it was a rust proofing material that they used to put on the car and that nothing could be done.but i have been reading many websites that say it is a parafin sound proofing mat under the carpet.this material is being removed by vw for some people after contacting nhtsa.there are many posts online concerning this chemical smell (like burned crayons).i am concerned for my family's health.i have 3 kids who have to ride in the car as well.i want vw to remove the parafin sound proofing mat at vw cost.
I received a coupon in the mail from midas for $19.95 oil change with coupon.the coupon specified to bring coupon with me to a midas mechanic shop to get the $19.95 oil change.i went to midas at 4480 s babcock street, melbourne florida and i presented the coupon. The manager asked me did you bring your own synthetic oil like you use to, i responded no i have a coupon.he printed the receipt for $19.95, and i signed. I use to buy my own synthetic oil and midas charged me $19.95 for oil change at same rate they charge for regular oil change.midas always advertised outside their shop an oil change for $19.95. This price is without a coupon. As the mechanic drove my car into the shop for oil change, i reminded the mechanic my car takes only synthetic oil. He told the manager/owner and came back to tell me they are going to put syntactic oil. So he started changing the oil. After he was done the mechanic told me to go and pay for the oil change. The manger/owner asked for my credit card and he did all the transactions and hand me the receipt in a envelop. As i am leaving the shop i took the receiptout of the envelop and found out the manager/owner charged me $62.66 for oil change withoutsaying a ward to me.he should of told me to come back and sign anther agreement for the $62.66 but he choose not to because he wanted to make more money and if he told me i would of said no, and i would of told him i want to comeback with my own synthetic oil. The owner wanted me to bring the car back so he could take his syntactic oil out and put regular oil instead in my car even though he knows my car does not use regular oil. I replied you would break my car and might do something to the engine that could cause danger to me and others if breaks in the middle of the road. I refused to let him put regular oil in my car for fear of mechanical damage to my car.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen news beetle.while driving 3 mph or greater, the vehicle would shut off without warning.the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure however; they have replaced the wiring harness.the failure continued to occur.as of october 9, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle.the failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 37,000.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While the contact was driving approximately 50 mph there was an unexpected loss of engine power without prior warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated the timing belt broke which caused extensive damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated the vehicle exceeded the service warranty. The failure mileage was 94,000. Updated 10/31/11updated 11/14/11
Oil light was coming on for no reason. It was full of oilthe dealer replaced the sensor and in a month it was doing it again but this time the temperature light was coming on and staying too.
I have a 2003 conv/new beetle 1.8t engine 69,200 mi. It's had regular oil changes, garaged kept and low mileage less than 10,000 mil per yr. Per the vw service dept it has sludge build up. To my understanding other 2003 new beetle owners have had the same problem. Very costly to fix. Per vw it's out of warranty and it's nothing they can do.
My 2003 new beetle convertible with a 2.0 automatic transmission (code: ggz) has a bad transmission that needs to be replaced and i see many other people are having the same problem.i cannot afford $6,000 for a new transmission and $3,500 for used.the used transmissions have more miles than my poor car.i want to file a complaint against vw.
From day one this car had transmission problems which were denied by the dealer on 5 visits, after i sold the car i received a recall from vw, now that i am looking at blogs they have apparently recalled this recall to suit them. Other complaints with this vehicle are window troubles, convertible roof troubles, electronic troubles, seatbelt troubles, airbag troubles. I can't believe anyone will allow this car to still be sold or on the road. It is a safety hazard on wheels.
This car was purchased new and within three months had to have the transmission replaced under warranty.recently it started to lurch at stops and starts, and the diagnosis was a failed valve body on the transmission.the transition company referred me to websites where there are multiple complaints for this exact problem with this model.i called volkswagen in mi and was told there had been a warranty extension, of which i was not informed, but that it would not apply to me now.it appears to me that the frequency of this problem warrants a look at this model and its transmission. The dealer warned my transition specialist that the repair which has been frequent only works about 50% of the time.i asked if it is safe to drive as is and was warned only for short distances.it appears to e that this should have triggered a recall or a class action suit.
As i turned off the 4 lane highway onto our local street i heard a loud noise, i thought i had blowna tire. I pulled into our driveway, about 30 yards further, and saw nothing.fortunately, we have a nissan dealership whose parking lot has an entry across the street from ourdriveway.i drove to them very slowly as car was making terribly noises.i also found a broken offbolt about 1/2 inch diameter in the road just before our driveway and took it to nissan.nissan found that both engine mounts were broken.they felt one had broken and the weight of theengine falling had broken the second. My engine was "sitting on top on my exhaust" if this had happened on a high speed road -- the highway i had just turned off of ---i may have causeda serious accident with fatalities.i have reported to both my local vw dealership where the car has been serviced as well as the vwnational office.neither would pay for my $800 repair, both said there were no recalls on my model.i maintain my car and feel this is terrible that something like this can happen.if the bolts are broken--which is what nissan says/ not rusted --- then the bolts are defective!!!!it was so fortunate that the engine dropped when it did and not on a highway!!!
Recall on airbag crash sensor back in 2008, which we had replace . However this problem constantly happen were the air bag crease sensor lights comes on and stays on. When you call the dealership they wants to charge the consumer. There is always a jerking in the power transmission while driving . This is dangerous you would think the car is going to stop going up hill. I made a complaint back in 2009 complaint #102868 never received a response.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.while driving approximately 70 mph on normal road conditions, the oil pressure and check engine warning indicators illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel.the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was related to oil sludge and the sending unit.the vehicle was repaired.the failure mileage was 99,600 and current mileage was 100,000. 4/01/09 *njthere was sludge in the oil pan and the check engine light stayed on constantly. Updated 04/06/09.
Car bough used from vs dealership on 7/31/2006. Been in for check engine light 4times, airbag light 3 times, a/c broke once, windows would not roll up once, needed new rotors once, rattling under hood once, battery died two days after i bought it and i had to tow it back to vw. Car jerks when going out of first gear-i told vw this repeatedly and they only tried to fix it after the warranty was up. They told me it would be $700 to fix. On 12/9/2008 my car would not go out of first gear while i was driving it. It had to be towed to my house and has not been driven since. I have had nothing but problems out of this car. I can not put anymore money into it. When the warranty went up, all of the sudden everything started going wrong. I requested prior information from the vw dealership about the other owner before me. I feel that this car was doctored so that i would buy it and then it started falling apart.
Beginning around september 2010, my 2003 vw new beetle began experiencing hard shifting and engine revving during normal driving. When accelerating from first to second gear, and from second to third gear, the car idles at very high rpms while failing to actually shift for a few seconds, then shifts very hard into gear forcing the car to slow down, jerk and buck. Vw did issue a warranty extension some time ago but the extension was only to 100,000 miles and at the time, my car had approximately 104,000 miles on it and vw wouldn't do the work - which involves replacing a faulty transmission valve body. Since that time, the rpms have gotten stuck idling almost to red zone levels while i'm driving, though the car is not actually accelerating. It's as if the car is in neutral with the foot on the gas. This has happened at least 10 times and is remedied if i pull over and turn the car off, then restart it. In addition, when downshifting to exit the highway or upshifting to enter the highway, or simply when pulling away from a stop light or stop sign, the car has a tendency to skip a gear or shift so hard it jerks and bucks and revs very high until the gear engages (like it does when a kid is learning how to drive a stick shift, only it's an automatic). This happens every time i drive the car and has continually worsened. I haven't had an actual accident but believe it is imminent if the condition keeps getting worse.
Transmission on the vw new beetles are faulty. Cars should last more than 45,000 miles before the transmission goes. This has been a documented problem on website forums like newbettle.org and i hope that you can do something about it.
Since september 22, 2008, the oil light has been coming on, first intermittently and then constantly, followed by buzzing sound.the vw service repair replaced a clogged oil pump which they stated would fix the problem.october 6, the oil light came on-replaced oil pressure sensor and oil filter..on october 17, 2008 the oil light came on again - vw service kept the car to test drive until october 20 at which time they replaced the oil pump.october 22, 2008 the oil light came back on- vw service requested to keep the car because they needed to call vw headquarters to try to determine the cause of the oil light constantly coming on.on november 3, vw service stated they did not know what the problem was, however, suggested replacing the engine, at the owners expense.in reviewing information on various discussion boards, the 1.8t engine that is in the vw new beetle is the same engine that caused similar issues with the oil light in the passat and the audi.in conversation with vw customer care (1-800-822-8987), they indicated there are no complaints re new beetle and the 1.8t engine and stated the oil pan size is different.it is unreasonable to expect that an engine with 55,000 miles and 5 years old , and that has been maintained according to the service manual would need replacing---at the owners expense.the scary part is the service department cannot guarantee that replacing the engine would fix the oil light issue.
This the second water pump replaced due to impeller failure.
2003 vw beetle convertible.automatic transmission began showing signs of trouble well over a year ago.problem starts after 15 minutes of driving.downshifts hard around 30-25 mph.also shows hesitation coming out of 2nd to 3rd gear. Car has 75,000miles.had transmission fluid changed/flushed twice in past 6 months hoping that would help.took to dealership today, quoted me $1900 to replace valve body.are you kidding me?not to mention the fact that this car has had the rear window regulator go out -cost $300 to repair.the glue affixing the rear glass window to convertible top is breaking down.the check engine light comes on and appears to be some sort of malfunction with the gas cap...no matter how often i tighten it.then it mysteriously goes off.oh, and should you ever need a replacement key, good luck.why couldn't vw use normal sized/type keys?vw is making crappy products.nhtsa please do something.this manufacturer should not be permitted to release another vehicle off its assembly line unless it fixes the many problems affecting innocent, unfortunate vw owners like myself.yield your power and enforce some action.vw needs to be responsible for the junk they produce.maybe then they'll think twice before turning out anymore crappy products.i will never own another vw product.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated there were wax fumes underneath the carpet that were in the vehicle. There was liquid wax that held the carpet in place throughout the vehicle.when the vehicle was hot and the air conditioner was on the wax fumes circulate back into the vehicle. The manufacturer stated he should take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who notified the manufacturer and stated there was nothing they could do to repair the failure. The manufacturer stated they would not repair the failure per the warranty.the contact had to pay the repair cost. The failure mileage was 47,000.updated 10/14/11 vw took repsonsibility and fixed the vehicle. Updated 10/21/11
The car is having issues as exactly the recalls has stated (i haven't known by now about the recalls)1. Selector shift and shifter cables were broken2. Break switch did not function, leading to malfunction of epc (electronic processing control) that later caused cruise control, taillight and ac compressor not working3. Windshield wiper pump was not working4. Headlight beam was low
Takata recall air bag light switch has been recalled on several 03 beetles but nothing that included the 03 convertable version of this light being activated the car has never been in an accident that i know of and is a cause for concern where none of my airbags will deploy if i ever get into an accident. God forbid. This has been checked by the vin but does not necessarily mean the part is not defective. Also opposite lights in the rear seem to have some sort of electronic issue new fuses new bulbs and relay seems not to fix this issue. Could possible be part of the same 03 beetle break switch recall??
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While driving 30 mph, the hazard lights, headlights, and turn signals failed to function properly. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and the manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage and vin were unknown.
Headlight went out while starting the car. Dealer found a burned wiring harness to be the cause. Cost to repair $ 159.31. This could have been a major problem if both head lights would have gone out while traveling on a dark hwy at high speed. Burned wiring harness is in my possession. Second problem was with a brake light that went out date 10/30/07. Cause asper dealer was a faulty light socket. Cost to repair $ 73.61.
Rear tail lights and brake lights continue to malfunction. Each time dealer the fixes problem it promptly returns.
When attempting to put car into reverse brake switch does not respond. This has happened numerous times. Driver side window goes back down by itself. Also car shifts real hard in second and third gear. Sounds like transmission will break.
Headlight went out while starting the car. Dealer found a burned wiring harness to be the cause. Cost to repair $ 159.31. This could have been a major problem if both head lights would have gone out while traveling on a dark hwy at high speed. Burned wiring harness is in my possession. Second problem was with a brake light that went out date 10/30/07. Cause asper dealer was a faulty light socket. Cost to repair $ 73.61.
Rear tail lights and brake lights continue to malfunction. Each time dealer the fixes problem it promptly returns.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. The contact stated that the driver side exterior turn signals remained illuminated without warning and were very hot. In addition, the passenger side turn signal blinked vigorously. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.on december 19, 2008, the contact's vehicle failed to start.the vehicle was towed to a repair shop and the mechanic stated that the relay was malfunctioning.all the components attached to the relay failure were repaired, but the vehicle still would not start.the contact was advised to take the vehicle to an international center for more information and they stated that the fuel pump was the cause of the failure.the contact spent over $800 repairing the fuel pump three times.the failure still persists.his last resort was to have the dealer repair the fuel pump; however, the parts would not be under warranty.there was no recall for the failure.the failure mileage was 59,968.
Car will not start.engine not receiving fuel.fuel pump, sender, relay, & fuses are now being replaced for the third time within 3 weeks time.dealer will not warranty parts even though they have acknowledged 10 or 12 other incidents within the last couple of weeks. Foreign car mechanic and independent tow truck drivers have also reported knowledge of other instances of the same situation in this area.repair costs have already exceeded $800. Not including towing the vehicle on 3 separate occasions.concerns are related to fuel safety issue and maybe related to 2003 vw passat fuel pump recalls.
I just bought a volkswagen new beetle, 03.the smell makes me physically ill to be in it.the day after i bought it, i had the cabin filter changed and it still smells.this smell is a chemical smell and my throat started hurting and swelled up.i saw a doctor and she could not identify the problem but added that my throat was filled with puss.i stopped driving it and asked my husband to drive it.he is now complaining that he is having headaches and having new allergies after just one week.we called vw who said it was a rust proofing material that they used to put on the car and that nothing could be done.but i have been reading many websites that say it is a parafin sound proofing mat under the carpet.this material is being removed by vw for some people after contacting nhtsa.there are many posts online concerning this chemical smell (like burned crayons).i am concerned for my family's health.i have 3 kids who have to ride in the car as well.i want vw to remove the parafin sound proofing mat at vw cost.
I noticed a gasoline smell in the car each time i drove it.the mechanics checked and found a seal for the fuel pump housing leaks.they removed and replaced housing and seal.
I have a 2003 conv/new beetle 1.8t engine 69,200 mi. It's had regular oil changes, garaged kept and low mileage less than 10,000 mil per yr. Per the vw service dept it has sludge build up. To my understanding other 2003 new beetle owners have had the same problem. Very costly to fix. Per vw it's out of warranty and it's nothing they can do.
I bought my 2003 vw beetle a few months ago from a private seller.in the past week, the shifting has gotten really difficult and it very often will not accelerate easily.my husband drove the car and reported having no problems, so he didn't believe me.yesterday, i was driving on the highway and couldn't get the car to accelerate past 50 mph.it was especially scary when i tried to cross the highway and the car didn't want to accelerate at all.that could have been a horrible accident.after crossing the highway, i was unable to accelerate past 20 mph.i parked the car at a relatives home and had her drive me home as i was afraid to drive the car again.i started doing research and was blown away by the number of people facing the same problems.this is a dangerous situation that needs to be resolved.
I received a coupon in the mail from midas for $19.95 oil change with coupon.the coupon specified to bring coupon with me to a midas mechanic shop to get the $19.95 oil change.i went to midas at 4480 s babcock street, melbourne florida and i presented the coupon. The manager asked me did you bring your own synthetic oil like you use to, i responded no i have a coupon.he printed the receipt for $19.95, and i signed. I use to buy my own synthetic oil and midas charged me $19.95 for oil change at same rate they charge for regular oil change.midas always advertised outside their shop an oil change for $19.95. This price is without a coupon. As the mechanic drove my car into the shop for oil change, i reminded the mechanic my car takes only synthetic oil. He told the manager/owner and came back to tell me they are going to put syntactic oil. So he started changing the oil. After he was done the mechanic told me to go and pay for the oil change. The manger/owner asked for my credit card and he did all the transactions and hand me the receipt in a envelop. As i am leaving the shop i took the receiptout of the envelop and found out the manager/owner charged me $62.66 for oil change withoutsaying a ward to me.he should of told me to come back and sign anther agreement for the $62.66 but he choose not to because he wanted to make more money and if he told me i would of said no, and i would of told him i want to comeback with my own synthetic oil. The owner wanted me to bring the car back so he could take his syntactic oil out and put regular oil instead in my car even though he knows my car does not use regular oil. I replied you would break my car and might do something to the engine that could cause danger to me and others if breaks in the middle of the road. I refused to let him put regular oil in my car for fear of mechanical damage to my car.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked when she changed gears. The failure progressed over time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced which was done at that time. The contact also stated that both the front window regulator motors failed; the vehicle was repaired at a local repair shop. The door lock actuators failed and were repaired at a repair shop. The air bag light illuminated and the contact was informed that the air bag sensor had failed. The vehicle was being repaired. The rear windshield was beginning to detach from the structure of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 75,347 and the current mileage was 93,800.
The door hinges on my drivers' side 2003 volkswagen convertible beetle has broken for the second time.volks of america and vw oconnor in augusta maine are very unhelpful.this has been an on going problem since i have had the vehicle four years and turns out before i owned the vehicle.i went to get into my car on sat 6/6/09 and my door hinge snapped and the door is about to fall off.now my alarm system will not go on.someone need to fix my car.
Door handle locking mechanism on the body of the 2003 vw beetle which my daughter, kimberly freisner has owned since it was new has a safety problem. The screws which hold these mechanisms in place and the door closed keep loosening several turns. I have tightened these units before only to have them loosen up over a short period of time. If the car was hit i think the doors would open during the crash.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. When decelerating to approximately 5 mph, the vehicle would jerk before switching gears. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and after inspection the contact was advised that the transmission failed. The replacement of the transmission would be at the owners expense at a cost of $6,000. In addition, the contact stated that the rear passenger window would open and close independently.the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000.
Transmission suddenly failed!
I couldn't wait for the new beetle convertible to come out. I bought it brand new from the dealership. Now, after only 60,000 miles, i am told i need a new transmission. The car is completely unsafe to drive--it will get stuck in first gear, it will kick between gears one and two, and it will jolt suddenly and without warning. These vehicles are unsafe for the road.
My 2003 beetle has been violently jerking after about 10-15 minutes of driving (when it warms up).if i'm at a stop sign or red light and accelerate - it violently jerks into gear !! if i baby it and barely move (where traffic is practically running into me from behind), it is not soooo bad, but still bad and it is very dangerous.vw also extended the warranty until 2010 or 100,000 which ever came first, and unfortunately 2010 came first and they refuse to extend the warranty to be used under the 100,000 miles rule.this is extremely expensive to fix, i've read thousands of the same exact complaints in this car -- thousands, the very same thing and vw will not take responsibility to change it to 100,000 miles and not just 2010 (which obviously has past 2 years ago).this is dangerous and expensive.it is a defect and vw should pay for this.do people have to get killed before they offer the extension up to 100,000 miles??? thank you
The transmission downshifts on its own at any giving time. Was close to getting rear ended several times..
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that the transmission would not shift and would exhibit an abnormal banging sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that there was an internal problem and the transmission would need to be replaced. The failure mileage was 79,000 and the current mileage was 82,200.
The automatic 6 speed transmission fails to work properly.
I am the third owner and i should have cked this car out since the person who sold it too me didnt tell me a thing about the car.i am so dicusted about this adorable looking car. I only drove it once and took it too our mechanic. Wished i had taken it there first$800.00 later and just the beginning! i paid too much to begin with. Ipaid $4500 for a 2003 vw because it was cute! so i wish vw would help us american people. I want to drive my car but have only driven it once.!help !! still at the mechanics! wish people could be honest ! this would not happened in the 60"s . We have a good mechanic! thank god!
2003 volkswagen jerk when slowing down and accelerating.the consumer was told the transmission would be covered for 60,000 miles.
The car runs fine while it is cold but when it warms up then it begins to "jerk", shift up and down "hard".we were told it was a tiptronic switch was bad so we replaced it and now we are told that the valve body transmission is bad.the car has less then 100k miles on it.this is a safety concern as we have almost been rear-ended when the car began jerking.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test and the mechanic stated that the power train had failed. The contact had the transmission replaced. The contact did not call the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 36,000. Updated 11/15/13
While driving the vehicle unexpectedly and erratically down shifts or hard up shifts, creating an unsafe condition.
I have a 2003 vw beetle that i purchased on may 18, 2003 off the showroom floor of my local dealership.it currently is sitting in my garage as i have experience issues with the transmssion slipping hard into gear or jerking to a hard stop when slowing down. This started in april, 2012,i took it in to the vw dealership and was told i need a new transmission and i only have 85,000 miles.well, i took it too several independent repair locations and they said the same with a cost up to around $6,000.i worked hard to pay my car off and now it sits covered in my garage as i have read their are possible class action lawsuits against vw for this issue.i did receive a notice from vw in november of 2010 regarding warranty extension - transmission valve body.it covers the valve body in your vehicle's transmission to 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle's original in-service date.well, i bought my car in may of 2003, so my 7 years was up in may of 2010...so vw sends out a worthless notice in november 2010 and i am stuck with the bill.i have been getting calls and emails from my vw dealearship that i can trade in my car and they will give me top $$.i don't want another vw car, i just want this one fixed by vw.please help direct me to the appropriate group, person so that i can be included in any lawsuit or settlement.
This car was purchased new and within three months had to have the transmission replaced under warranty.recently it started to lurch at stops and starts, and the diagnosis was a failed valve body on the transmission.the transition company referred me to websites where there are multiple complaints for this exact problem with this model.i called volkswagen in mi and was told there had been a warranty extension, of which i was not informed, but that it would not apply to me now.it appears to me that the frequency of this problem warrants a look at this model and its transmission. The dealer warned my transition specialist that the repair which has been frequent only works about 50% of the time.i asked if it is safe to drive as is and was warned only for short distances.it appears to e that this should have triggered a recall or a class action suit.
We have purchased this 2003 beetle bug for my daughter and the transmission is hard shifting and down shift really bad. After doing research on this model and year. There as been nothing but complaints about the transmission (valve body). My understanding the extended the warranty for 7 years and 100,000 miles. This beetle bug only has 86560. We can't even drive this car. I can't believe with all the issue that volkswagen has had with transmission there is no recall on this. This is a major safety issue while driving this car.
The transmission on this vehicle has started hard shifting when warm, causing erratic speed changes and possible lack of traction.vwoa issued a recall around a year ago however only within a very limited number of miles done, showing they acknowledge there is a problem but will not take adequate action to resolve the issue.
Over the last couple of years my 2003 vw beetle has been in and out of the garage.it seems to have trouble changing gears (it's an automatic) and has gotten stuck in 3rd gear. It will jerk and lunge when slowing down.each time the mechanic has "reset the codes" and the test drive showed no signs of anymore trouble.it has gotten much worse and now after driving for about 25 or 30 minutes it begins the jerking and lunging.after researching, i see that this is a common problem with this car.i love my car, but no longer feel safe driving it and i certainly cannot rely on it.i now feel that i am stuck with a car that i cannot drive nor can i sell.
Drove 600 miles to purchase this vehicle-my dream car. Had it for 2 days, put the top down twice and the cable to the convertible top snapped. Couldn't afford to have it fixed right away (missed the whole first season of using the convertible). Finally got enough $$ together to have it repaired and found out a piece of something must have fallen down into the channel of the rear window and broke a part inside so added that to the expense, around $800. Replaced the brakes next (o.k. With that, normal repair of any vehicle). But, not too long after, noticed transmission had a tiny "slip". Ignored that since i didn't want to think something else was going wrong already. Progressed to where i am now, slamming down into the lower gears when slowing to a stop. Received a letter from vw stating if any repairs had been incurred during the warranty/extended warranty, it would be covered as 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever came first. Well, as it happens, my car has just under 83,000 miles on it and the warranty had expired in april of 2010. I took it to my local dealership and they quoted me $2490 for repair. The service manager said he had a rep he could call to see if "there was anything they could do" since it was such a short time after my warranty expired. After it was all said and done, they would deduct $750 from the total repair if i would show good faith and purchase new tires ($500), new battery ($195 or $165)and an exhaust clamp ($58) from their dealership.i'm no math wizard, but that put me right back to almost the original repair cost. I am at my wit's end with this car. I don't feel safe driving it but have no choice as it is my only mode of transportation.i have been reading several other comparable complaints, so i know i am not alone. I feel that a 100,00 mile warranty should be just that, not 7 years/or.......
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen bettle. While drivingapproximately 25 mph the vehicle began to decelerate and there was an increase in the rpms. The failure occurred constantly after driving the vehicle for approximately ten minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the transmission had to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.
The six speed transmission shifts at random i got this car for my 16 year old daughter and im scared to let her drive it. Got a notice in the mail from vw about it they drove it and said it was ok but obviously its not. They need to address this situation before some one gets injured.
. Gets stuck randomly in 1st gear ... Some of the time it shiftsbut if i leave it running in park for a few minutes (especially then) or when it warms up nicely and i then have to slow down into 1st like at a light after i exit the highway and then try to drive again it won't shift out of first . And. I know when it's about to start this because it starts shifting so hard the car lurches (sometimes so roughly that if i hadn't made sure to be extra far away from any vehicles in front of me then my car would have leaped right into theirs - even if i am braking) very scary:(and i feel unsafe especially when it lurches badly and also when the car stops gaining speed because it got stuck in 1st and the cars behind me almost run right over me ) from what i've read while researchingthis, this issue is a well known defect. V w made a minuscule effort to address it ... An extended warranty which is useless because it doesn't cover fixing the damage to the transmission that this defect causes, leaving us owners to have buy a new transmission basically because of this known defect. Vw should fix it since they clearlyknow about this as a defect. It effects new beetles years 2003 to 2007! and in my research it is clear that many many '03-'07 new beetle owners have very similar problems and most feel like i do...that thesecars are scary and unsafe to drive.vw is aware of this but doesn't care so i implore you to please take a deep and serious look into this problem and help make vw take responsibility and fix this dangerous and unpredictable defect. Thank you very much and look forward to hearing from you.respectfully, [xxx]information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
While driving one evening the car lost the ability to shift into higher gears on highway, thus limiting the speed to less than 35 miles per hour in a posted zone of 55 mph.third -sixth gears failed.
I was out driving my 2003 beetle on the freeway and the vehicle begin to stall and slow down. I pressed the accelerator and the engine just rev very high and started jerking. I immediately got off the freeway as soon as i can. This problem appears to beon going. After driving for approximately 20 to 30 minutes the transmission will rev high as though i put the car in neutral and eventually jerks and lunges. Ifi stop at a red light the car will stall and lurch forward upon acceleration. I have approximately 106,000 miles on this vehicle. This car is unsafe and should be repaired by volkswagen.
Once the car warms up, the transmission begins to shift very erratically. This includes while upshifting - the transmission slips causing the engine to rev up and suddenly shift into the next higher gear without warning. Sometimes the upshift is so sudden that it causes the tires to break free. It also occurs when slowing down to come to a stop - the transmission downshifts into low gear unexpectedly at too high of a speed causing everything in the vehicle (including occupants) to lurch forward. The sudden deceleration could cause rear end collisions from following vehicles.edmunds.com has a forum full of this exact problem - http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/7375/volkswagen/new-beetle/volkswagen-beetle-transmission-problems/p2
I own a 2003 vw new beetle convertible with an automatic tiptronic transmission. Recently , at random times, when shifting between 3rd and 4th gear the engine would rev up past 4000 rpm and jump into gear. Essentially a very hard shift. With plans to keep this vehicle for many years to come, i immediately took the vehicle to a trusted mechanic. After test driving and experiencing the "hard shift", i was informed that it was most definitely transmission related, however, only vw can access the transmission due to the fact that it is completely sealed.the vehicle was taken to a david maus volkswagen of orlando for the diagnostic. I was informed that the transmission was "coming apart from the inside" and that it was a "ticking time bomb". Because the vehicle is over 100000 miles , it does not fall under the transmission valve body recall. The repair cost for a new transmission is $6000.00. I feel that this is gross negligence on the part of volkswagen of america, to knowingly place this vehicle with such a major defect on the marketplace. I now have an unusable hunk of scrap metal sitting in my garage for fear of the time bomb under the hood. I refuse to drive this car and potentially put others lives at risk. Volkswagen needs to be held responsible for knowingly putting a car with such a major defect on the road.
Vehicle does not shift properly, vehicle does not shift to drive correctly and either shifts down or stays in neutral
When this car shifts into third gear, it is very hard and violent with an awful lunge, making it difficult to keep the car in control. I am still driving it, but waiting for an accident to happen.
I purchased my 2003 new beetle convertible brand spanking new in dec 2002. The car had 32 miles on it when i bought it; the car now has 77k miles as of today.i have been experiencing a major transmission problems that vw is acutely aware of. The car is a 6 speed auto transmission with trip tronic. The car hesitates upon acceleration and before shifting into 2nd gear. Instead, the transmission lurches from 1st into 2nd, causing the tires to screech. When the car lurches forward it causes the front drive/steering tires to lose grip on the pavement which is a safety issue. There have been a few times when it jumped so hard it almost hit the car in front of me and sometimes the lurch is so strong it feels like another car hit me from behind. The transmission works fine when it is cool but gets worse as the car warms up - after about 5 miles. The other gears have shifting problems too; just not as harsh as going into 2nd. This happens when the car is downshifting as well. I have also experienced the car getting stuck in 2nd gear while traveling in traffic which created a danger for me and others on the road. The only way to cure the problem is to safely make my way to the side of the road, turn the engine off, wait a few minutes, then turn it back on. This doesn't completely make the lurching go away but it gives me several travel miles before getting stuck in gear again. I contacted my local dealership who looked up my vin. They told me i was over my years for the recall on the valve body which is what should correct my transmission problem. I have lived at the same address since i purchased the vehicle in 2002 and never received a recall notice for this item. I am very disappointed in vw of america! i waited several years for the convertible version to come out and this was a birthday present to myself (this is how much i love this car!)
Vehicle engine stopped while driving. Battery dead, no power in vehicle at all.found melted battery fuse box under hood.root cause determined to be corrosion on alternator power supply cable that created heat enough to melt plastic (~450f) and burn the protective cover off the alternator supply wire back 2 inches.poor contact due to corrosion caused battery to drain, which eventually could no longer sustain engine ignition.no warning lights prior to engine stopping.no battery power also means no power steering, no power brakes, no airbags during collision. Online forums indicate this is happening to a lot of people.it would appear to be as deadly as the gm ignition switch issue, but it is not being taken seriously by vw.
My daughters 2003 volkswagen beetle shifts very hard after driving for about 10 minutes, almost to the point of possible causing a severe accident! i've read message boards and have realized that this year of beetle needs to have a recall on this before someone losses their life!it shifts the worst between 2nd and 3rd gears. She is scared to death to drive this car!
Recall on airbag crash sensor back in 2008, which we had replace . However this problem constantly happen were the air bag crease sensor lights comes on and stays on. When you call the dealership they wants to charge the consumer. There is always a jerking in the power transmission while driving . This is dangerous you would think the car is going to stop going up hill. I made a complaint back in 2009 complaint #102868 never received a response.
On 11/3/2018 at around 11:00pm, i was driving my 2003 volkswagen beetle on the highway (90e towards cleveland) going 65mph. Suddenly, my automatic transmission popped out of gear and hard downshifted.this caused a drastic reduction in speed, and i was almost hit by a semi-truck which was behind me .luckily, the driver of the semi was alert and swerved out of the way just in time. This isn't the first time that this auto trans has acted up either.however, this is the first time where i really could have been seriously hurt or killed as a result of it. This transmission is faulty, the symptoms point to a malfunctioning valve body unit, and there needs to be an investigation or a recall. How many people have gotten into accidents,hurt, or even killed because of this bad automatic transmission (jerking/popping out of gear at random) not shifting properly?enough is enough!
Vehicle would lurch when down or upshifting between 2ndand 3rd and 3rd to 4th at just over 90,000 miles.it would also stick in neutral for a few seconds before engaging.we took it to our local shop for repair in december 2010. This is a well known issue with the transmission valve body causing a number of accidents. While the our bug was in the shop we received a letter dated november 2010 from vw about extended warranty to 100,000 miles or 7 years from date of purchase. Our bug was purchased august 2003 putting it out of warranty. Considering the number of incidents vw should have been doing a general service recall on the transmission long before november 2010..
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While the vehicle was at a stop light, the brake pedal was applied; however, the vehicle failed to stop and rolled back. In addition, while driving at unknown speeds, the accelerator pedal was applied; however, the vehicle failed to respond and the safe mode engaged. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 133,437.
I was driving on the highway and as i was exiting the highway, my car shifted down very hard and the steering wheel jerked causing me to hit a guardrail. I took my car to a shop and had the body repairs done ($3910.00), and upon taking my car, it did the same thing again. I had it taken to a mechanic and he stated that it was a known problem with those vw's and they had a recall on it. My localvw dealership stated that they would not do anything for me because the warranty on the vehicle was up. I was hoping that someone there could help me resolve this issue. The estimated cost of the repair is 5900.00 for the transmission and the body damage was 3910.00.thank you,[xxx]information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
2003 volkswagen beetle owner blogs, failed transmission is a common and frequent occurrence.*05/31/12the consumer stated that upon starting the car and shifting it moved forward for a few seconds and then stopped. The engine still ran fine but, the transmission did not shift to higher gears. The transmission slipped and the car would not move forward.updated 06/06/12
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the transmission down shifted automatically and the vehicle decelerated. The contact mentioned that the check engine warning lamp illuminated and the vehicle started to jerk violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.
My transmission valve body is faulty, but vw's extended warranty only covers vehicles after 7 years or 100,000 miles. My car was just 4 months too old to qualify and they refused to replace anything, despite it being a major issue affecting drive performance. Other cars in my same model year qualified, but mine did not. How is this fair?
We just bought a 2003 beetle bug and only has 86560 and shifting and jerking really hard after driving the car for a couple miles. It shift hard and down shift thru 1, 2, 3 gears. After reading several reports there is a known issue with the transmission for this year and model. Every where i read, they extended the warrantyuntil 2010 and 100,000 miles. We are under the mileage by far. I feel the dealer need to fix this issue since this is a know issue for this year. You don't know you have an issue until you hit around 80,000 miles mark. I need some help and direction what can be done for this car,
From day one this car had transmission problems which were denied by the dealer on 5 visits, after i sold the car i received a recall from vw, now that i am looking at blogs they have apparently recalled this recall to suit them. Other complaints with this vehicle are window troubles, convertible roof troubles, electronic troubles, seatbelt troubles, airbag troubles. I can't believe anyone will allow this car to still be sold or on the road. It is a safety hazard on wheels.
At 70,000 miles, my vw starting shifting hard causing it to be difficult to drive. Vw states that this should not happen this early but that they can't do anything about it.
The electronic automatic transmission became stuck in third gear while driving in traffic. I had to turn the car off while in heavy traffic for the transmission to reset. This is a perilous maneuver, but i didn't have many options. The transmission had been experiencing some problems shifting both up and down.the upshifts are problematic in that the car can suddenly lurch forward when the automatic transmission re-engages.for example, when accelerating from a stop, the car will not immediately shift from 1st to 2nd.the rpms will go to @5000, then the shift will cause the car to squeal tires and lurch forward.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle. While driving approximately 30 mph, the transmission began to down shift continuously into lower gears. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated to the contact that the transmission valve body was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred two years later. The vehicle had not been repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the defect and was unable to provide further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. The vin was unavailable.
My car was purchased as a used car. I purchased it with 100000 miles (approx.), and i have put on 31000 additional miles since (within 5 years). My car has always been routinely maintained/serviced. I take excellent care of my beetle. In november 2013, my automatic transmission began to slip. It has become worse, and it lurches forward will in drive, and at a controlled intersection my car either hesitates to take off or it rocks back and forth. This is a very expensive fix, having consulted two mechanics and receiving their estimates. I feel that this transmission issue poses a safety hazard for myself, other drivers, and pedestrians who may be crossing in front of my lurching vehicle. I think that with the multitude of 2003 transmission issues/failures, vw needs to stand behind their faulty product with a recall.
My daughter was driving her 2003 vw beetle on the highway and noticed that she was having an issues with her rpm's revving very high.she pulled off the highway and shut the car off and restarted it after awhile.she got back on the highway and continued to drive home, her speed was roughly 65.all of a sudden her vehicle dropped her speed down to 50 causing her to almost be rear ended on the highway.this has happened at least 3 times.as she is away at college so her car is not driven much, so we are unsure if this is a constant issues. This is a safety issue with the vehicle and was taken to a car repair shop and we where told the transmission is having issues.
The 2003 vw beetle has started to slip at 96,500 miles going from 2nd to 3rd gear.i have done alot of online research and there are several forums and thousands of similar cases as the one i am having.i called vw of america customer care and talked to tim and he said because the car was out of warranty they could not do anything.i mentioned that the problem seems to be the valve body and he agreed but still could not help me.further research led to me finding a class action suit agains vw america for exactly this problem.since there are so many documented cases, i feel there should be a recall immediately as this can lead to a serious safety issue on the road.worse yet, vw knows about it and is not doing anything!please help.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked when there was a shift of gear. The contact also stated that the vehicle slid out of gears by itself. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop, where it was inspected and it was determined that the transmission was faulty. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, however no assistance was provided. The vin was unavailable. The failure mileage was 108,000 and the current mileage was 109,000.
My vehicle will down shift really hard from 3rd to 2nd with a loud clunk noise. The transmission at times will get stuck in a gear at a intersection and not move at all..then all of a sudden it will take off really fast. It has done this on the freeway as well. I have done some research on this car and found that i am not the only one that has complained about this issue. I have contacted vw and they said i need a new transmission. They know that their is a problem with their transmissions but fail to fix it. They should be recalled. This is a very dangerous situation a lot of these car owners are young (new ) drivers and this is not a safe car!
The vehicle starts up fine and accelerates normal at first. Just before the vehicle switches to second gear it gets stuck. The only way to get it to properly shift to second gear is to give it more gas, which makes the rpms go up to 7,000. At this point the vehicle changes to second gear and lunges forward. I have almost rear ended multiple people do thisproblem. Once the vehicle gets into second gear it accelerates normally again, just until it changes to third gear and does the same problem that i described above.this problem is not only dangerous, but also financial hurtful. I have read hundreds of reviews on this problem and they all describe the same thing, along with their vehicles being very low in mileage.
Was driving my beetle convertible at around 40mph there was a car that stopped in front of me and i started slowing down as the transmission down shifted it jerked so hard it made me go into oncoming traffic and almost have a head on collision vw is aware of these cars doing this and warrantied the valve body's but when i called and told them about mine they said i was to late that the warranty was over!!! this is a very serious issue and could result in people being killed vw didn't even offer me the part to pay someone to fix my car so now it sits in the yard and i can not drive it due to i have children and i'm scared it will gets us in a very bad accident and harm us! there needs to be a recall for this before so many people are hurt!!!! step up vw and do what's right!
I purchased my vw 2003 new beetle convertible new in 2003.i have kept vehicle maintained- mostly at dealership according to the schedule.i have about 115,000 miles.over the past month it has begun "revving up" or "jerking"- especially when slowing to a stop or accelerating from stop.this happens very sporadically, but is very scary when it occurs.i am not sure what the problem is, but have an amateur guess that it is transmission related.
The car has a transmission that is needing replacing after only 60,000 miles.
Transmission will not shift out third gear, triptrontic automatic, leak in trunk, top will not go up.
2003 volkswagen beetle transmission. The cost to fix this problem with the beetle is way out of line. An volkswagen should have to fix the problem. With all the other hard working people that has had the same part to break. Please look at this and do something.
Vw beetle transmission slips and jerks,may other individuals are complaining also.very unsafe and the company does not seem to believe it is a defect in their product.consumers need help.
Transmission problem in 2003 vw beetle.while braking car jerks and jumps. Car has 56k miles and has been consistently serviced by vw.vw states car needs new valve body and tiptronix switch totaling $2500+ .
Occasional violent shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to third gear - automatic transmission.very dangerous in intersections.vw had a recall to fix this problem, i was notified by them last month- vw said my car was 1 year too old - can't afford to fix on my own - car is worthless with this problem.
I have 2003 volkswagen new beetle and the transmission has gone bad once already and was replaced by a new one...but the tranny has gone bad again just after 35,000 miles after the new tranny was replaced...its really scary driving that car because you never know when its going to skip...it runs well for a while then it just starts skipping gears...we have change the tranny fluid about 3 times and nothing has worked out...its going to cost me $1,700 to fix....i think vw should have a recall on new beetles to replace the transmissions...
2003 volkswagen beetle convertible.car only has 74k miles on it and the transmission is slipping badly.when downshifting it shifts really hard and lunges forward.this also happens when upshifting in the auto trans.this seems to be a big problem with the new beetles.the only fix is replacing the transmission, which cost about 6,000.there is no reason for a transmission failure at 74k miles.
2003 volkswagen new beetle.77315 mi.transmission is faulty.slips in and out of gear...bangs into gear shifting from 3 to 4.engine revs while transmission tries to "find" the next gear.this is dangerous !please don't wait until someone is killed before forcing vw to be responsible for their faulty product !!
2003 new vw beetle transmission issues.please look into this.... Look on the vw forums and edmunds- there are 100s of complaints on this cars issues.i have a 2003 vw beetle convertible and it hard shifts downwards from 3rd to 2nd.i am told by the service advisor off the record that this is a problem with beetles in general, and he has seen over 100 in his one year with the company that need to be replaced.mine has what many people have reported- brackets around all the drives (p,r,n,d,s) so the transmission does not know what gear it is in, it gets stuck in 3rd sometimes and i have to pull over to shut it off and restart it, and when it downshifts, the car jerks and pushes my head forward (this is an automatic, and does not downshift properly).please investigate and recall....please please please. It is a very common problem, and we as consumers should not have to purchase new transmissions when there is obvious faults with these cars.
Transmission on the vw new beetles are faulty. Cars should last more than 45,000 miles before the transmission goes. This has been a documented problem on website forums like newbettle.org and i hope that you can do something about it.
After around 36000 miles we noticed that the car would shift rough. The dealer told us it was not under warranty because it had a leak. The problem has persisted and we were told by a transmission shop that the leak was not severe enough to cause these problems. It now shifts so rough that when it goes into gear it pull hard left or right when it engages. Upon downshifting it actually lunges forward and has caused many concerns with me and my wife.
Vw beetle 2003, 61,000 miles, i noticed it shifted hard shortly after i purchased it this past april; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, etc; went to vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (received in december 2010, but they are unwilling to cover the cost because the extension is to cover 7 years, and my car is 6 months too old; they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it.
Like almost all 2005 vw new beetles with automatic transmissions, mine (after warming up) shifts very hard both up and down the gears and revs up between gears.occasionally it hangs up in third gear until it sits and cools down for several hours.i have had it fail on multiple lane highways causing me to become trapped between lanes.this transmission is failing in most if not all vw beetles and is very dangerous.just do an internet search for "new beetle transmission failure" and you'll see how pervasive it is.my beetle began giving problems at 45,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2003 volkwagen beetle which was purchased in 2008. While driving approximately 45 mph and accelerating or shifting gears, the vehicle would act as if it was going to stall and began to shake violently. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt at a costs of over $6,000 at the owner's expense. No repairs were made to date. The current and failure mileages were under 100,000.
2003 vw beetle convertible.automatic transmission began showing signs of trouble well over a year ago.problem starts after 15 minutes of driving.downshifts hard around 30-25 mph.also shows hesitation coming out of 2nd to 3rd gear. Car has 75,000miles.had transmission fluid changed/flushed twice in past 6 months hoping that would help.took to dealership today, quoted me $1900 to replace valve body.are you kidding me?not to mention the fact that this car has had the rear window regulator go out -cost $300 to repair.the glue affixing the rear glass window to convertible top is breaking down.the check engine light comes on and appears to be some sort of malfunction with the gas cap...no matter how often i tighten it.then it mysteriously goes off.oh, and should you ever need a replacement key, good luck.why couldn't vw use normal sized/type keys?vw is making crappy products.nhtsa please do something.this manufacturer should not be permitted to release another vehicle off its assembly line unless it fixes the many problems affecting innocent, unfortunate vw owners like myself.yield your power and enforce some action.vw needs to be responsible for the junk they produce.maybe then they'll think twice before turning out anymore crappy products.i will never own another vw product.
Overheat light remains on after replacing thermostat and cover and timing belt and water pump.the system has been flushed multiple times.i took it to the vw dealer that i purchased the car from on 8/25/10 after overheating light.the dealer said it was the engine coolant sensor my previous mechanic had replaced in the car.(a vw factory part).$244.00 repair from cooley-mazda vw dealer.i drove home 10 miles and the overheat sensor was on in my car.i had the car towed back to dealer at my expense that day. Rented a car for the weekend.returned on monday 8/30/10.car wasn't worked on. Picked up car on wednesday, 9/1/10.paid additional 170.00 for repair, of thermostat cover which was said to be leaking.dealer had said there were no leaks prior to this.system flushed.said there was air in the system.car overheat sensor after driving about 20 miles. Car was towed back to dealer.car was picked up on 9/3/10.dealer told me they could not get the overheat light to go on.i drove car home 15 miles.overheat light on.i called dealer.service technician informed me that the increased city driving i was doing was causing car to overheat.informed that the transmission was causing the car to overheat and that i would need a new transmission.he informed me that since i said okay at the shop when they told me that the sensor was not going on and the transmission was slipping.that i knew that the transmission needed to be replaced.that is my fault and my prior mechanics.i had car towed to a recommended independent shop who was going to look at the transmission.i can not drive my car and i still owe money on it.i desperately need a vehicle to drive.
My 2003 new beetle convertible with a 2.0 automatic transmission (code: ggz) has a bad transmission that needs to be replaced and i see many other people are having the same problem.i cannot afford $6,000 for a new transmission and $3,500 for used.the used transmissions have more miles than my poor car.i want to file a complaint against vw.
2003 volkswagen beetle 59,500k miles. In lower gears the car lurches forward, shifts violently and transmission slips. Car cannot get enough power in lower gears to move at a safe rate of speed. When going from park to drive or visa versa car violently jerks. There have been loud banging noises when car is shifting in lower gears. Many times while driving can cannot move fast enough because of violent shifting to get out of the way of traffic. Have almost been in several accidents because of transmission issues. Transmission issues happen every time the car is used. Not using car much because of the problems and concerned of safety issues. Problem has been going on now for approximately 2 yrs and is getting worse over time. Taking car to dealership to have estimate on repair.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.while driving at any speed, the contact noticed that the vehicle would surge and jerk forward and shift hard between gears.the dealer advised the contact to have the transmission replaced.the manufacturer did not offer any assistance.the vehicle was taken to a privatemechanic; however, he was unable to duplicate the failure.the current mileage is 79,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 65,000. Updated 05/05/11*ljupdated 05/13/11
Defective valve body for 09g engine that vw corporate has known about and fixed in later models.
2003 vw new beetle transmission valve body. Rough shifting up and down. 1st and 2nd.. Could not be driven safley. I had to have it repaired at aamco. Vw is rufusing to reimburse me. 4k +.
For the last 6 months my 2003 automatic vw beetle convertible with 56k miles has been shifting hard (lurch feeling) intermittently going up or down hills. When the mechanic inspected it the transmission readout said it was fine and this was normal wear and tear.on november 15, 2010 while driving in traffic at about 15mph, the transmission stopped grabbing and went into neutral. I was able to shift it to the tiptronic system to drive the vehicle safely out of the way. Upon inspection the vw dealer stated that they did not know the exact cause and only direction they got from vw national was to replace the transmission completely for $7k.
Over the last month or two my wife's 2003 vw beetle convertible has had some issues with the manual transmission that progressively have gotten worse.dealer says trans is bad with only 120k miles.trans is non serviceable and would need to be replaced.when accelerating or decelerating trans slams between gears making car undrivable.dealer wants $6500 to replace.forums on the internet claim this has been an issue for years and vw is not doing squat about it.$6500 to fix a '!@#$% transmission is ridiculous.when will there be a recall.this is unsafe!
2003 volkswagon beetle convertable..transmission company stating i need a new valve body..very dangerous to drive. Received the extension letter but was a little to late. My young daughter was driving has been stranded on the side of the road. Something needs to be doen about this..
Car jerking, lurching, and shifting gears- transmission- as car starts and stops it jerks really bad this make it hard to stop the car...very scared that i will have an incident.
Normal driving with recommended service intervals. Transmission starts hard downshifts. Transmission will also wind out and slip or wind out and not shift into 5th and 6th gear.
While driving at a speed of around 45+ mph my wife's vw beetle randomly downshifted to the point that it squealed the tires and threw her forward.the dealership determined that the transmission will have to be replaced.their estimate is $4900 for a used transmission or $6000+ for a new one from vw.they also said that this is a "known" problem with this specific transmission.the dealership said we should have received a letter from vw extending the warranty on the transmission to 100,000 miles for this problem.i have the letter but my wife's car has 128,000 miles so vw has refused to help at all with the problem.i also checked with two other vw dealerships in the kc metro and they immediately started nodding their head in agreement about this being a "known" problem with this transmission.as i was trying to locate a used transmission online at a cheaper price i was absolutely in shock at the volume of people that have had this same problem with this transmission.that random downshift is going to cause a wreck if it hasn't already.if someone is following too close, the pavement is wet, snow on the ground, gravel roads, whatever scenario you can imagine - a downshift of that nature could easily result in a wreck.i also checked with a national transmission company (certified transmission) and they said that due to a "design flaw" with that transmission they will only warranty their work to 12mos/12,000 miles instead of their normal 3yr/50,000.vw's own letter acknowledging a problem due to "customer complaints", 3 dealerships stating this is a "known" problem, a national transmission company reducing their warranty due to a "design flaw" and the literally hundreds of discussions with the same problem - it is obvious there is a known issue with vw's "ggz" transmission.
2003 vw beetle, transmission control module ...original owner, regular servicing,completed. Automatic 6 speed sport shift.runs fine when the car is cold.drive 10 miles or so an the car starts to jerk and fails to shift into 4th gear.yesterday got stuck in 3rd gear while on hwy, created a danger for me and others on the road. Took it to a trany place, not the transmission, but suggests it is the transmission control module, which is located under the dash on passenger side. When the car fails to shift the rpms go to 5k or 6kthen the car jerks and tires screech,i called vw and the parts guy said that a new trany runs7 k or so and he is aware of the problem as i described it above.
I had previously complained about my 2003 beetle on this website. Somehow my car seems to have somehow repaired it self !! it is no longer shifting hard when it shifts and its no longer lurchingor pausing as it shifts. Im not sure why, im just really relieved!
2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible 6sp. Tiprtonic transmission needs replaced at 78,500 miles. I pulled out of a parking lot and onto the road and the car accelerated like it was supposed, shifter through first, second, and third, then never shifted to fourth just revved. Was told transmission need to be replaced and quoted $4,800 by mechanic. Have been doing research about this topic since and have discovered several others in the same situation. I feel volkswagen should at least help us out. I contacted volkswagen on may 12th and was told basically they would do nothing about it. With everything i have seen on discussion forums about this particular transmission, i feel a recall may be in order to force volkswagen to look at the issue. Thanks you for time and consideration on this matter.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked when she changed gears. The failure progressed over time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced which was done at that time. The contact also stated that both the front window regulator motors failed; the vehicle was repaired at a local repair shop. The door lock actuators failed and were repaired at a repair shop. The air bag light illuminated and the contact was informed that the air bag sensor had failed. The vehicle was being repaired. The rear windshield was beginning to detach from the structure of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 75,347 and the current mileage was 93,800.
I was involved in a crash while driving my 2003 vw beetle convertible.i was unable to brake and avoid a semi-truck that was in directly in front of me.i was traveling at a speed between 30-40 mph but did lose conscience so am not sure if remember exactly how fast i was going.my airbag did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock causing my face to slam directly into the steering wheel.the passenger side airbag which contained no passengers nor items did deploy.i suffered facial fractures and a broken nose.my fractures have healed but my nose needs to be reconstructed.my car was serviced at a collision center and then sent to the autobarn in countryside, il where the car was bought used in august of 2006.the car was returned to me on dec 27 but no explanation was given for the airbag not deploying.the transmission was also not working properly so i returned the car for additional service a few days later.the car was finally returned to me 2 weeks later with a new transmission but still no explanation for the airbag.upon leaving the autobarn on january 17 with my car, the air bag light turned on and stayed on while i drove about 10 miles.i returned the car the next day and the service department stated the light did not go on for them and offered again no explanation.
Near-miss but no traffic collision due to unexpected jerkiness, loss of power transfer to drive wheels, with associated revving of engine of 2003 vw new beetle convertible with automatic transmission, while i tried entering traffic stream on a busy street. Symptoms were intermittent for 9 months; now present whenever vehicle warmed up after 3 miles driving; vehicle not used for past 9 mo.volkswagen dealer advises "replace transmission".valve body failure in 6-speed tiptronic (aisin-warner 09g) automatic transmission causes hard upshifts and downshifts and lapses in power transfer, resulting in unsafe situations when merging onto freeway or into heavy traffic, for example. The 6 electrically controlled valves and associated solenoids in this transmission gradually wear out, typically soon after the volkswagen 5-year, 60000-mile powertrain warranty expires. The problem is traceable to defective design of the combination of aluminum valve bores, shift valves which cause wear in the bores, faulty solenoids, and shift programming which relies on frequent electrically activated movement of the valves to modulate and produce smooth shifts between gears. The consequence of continuing to drive the car can be complete transmission failure, which may occur unexpectedly and place the driver in a dangerous situation if unable to pull off the roadway, or if failure occurs while attempting to merge or execute normal driving maneuvers. In my case, the transmission operates well for the first 3 miles, but not when warmed up. Volkswagen of america announced a warranty extension on the "valve body only" for the 09g model transmissions, for a specific 7 years from vehicle-in-service date or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. I will have the valve body replaced by an independent transmission shop, using genuine vw parts, as vwofa has declined to repair my transmission or replace it completely unless i am willing to pay for a new transmission. The used parts will be saved.
I have vw 03' beetle and transmission is going out early.jerks between gears, and feels unsafe to drive on road.
I bought a used 2003 vw beetle conv. In 2006.i immediately reported to the service dept. That it there was some jerking happening when the car changed gears and they told me that this was normal for vw.recently the jerking got really bad, and almost caused an accident because the transmission hesitated in the middle of an intersection and then i could not regain any speed.i was very close to being hit by an oncoming car.the replacement cost will be around 5800.my mechanic talked to vw and they told him they were aware of the problem and have fixed it inthe newer models.
I bought a brand new vw beetle convertible in 2003.a few years ago, i reported a number of instances of a lurching problem to my service guy at the vw dealership, and he said they couldn't find a problem.a few months ago, the problem came back full force, and he said eventually i would need a new transmission.the car has begun lurching and shuddering violently when shifting, and today, my rpm's were highly elevated, despite my low speed.i pulled over and turned the car off, despite being on the 101 freeway in la.it couldn't drive.it started up again, and this evening the same thing happened.i'm afraid to continue to drive my car.it's seven years old and it only has 40,000 miles on it.there's no reason for this dangerous problem to occur, and there should absolutely be a recall.thank you.
I've been driving my 2003 beetle convertible for 7.5 yrs.been taking it in for the last 2 yrs about hesitation/grabbing while driving.was told that they couldn't find any problems. This week, the engine light comes on and i get the diagnostics run and found out i have transmission problems.and it's been going on for a while, which is what the grabbing and hesitation is.i only have 78k miles on a nearly 8 year old car (again, only owner) and shouldn't have this issue.found out that vw has known about these issues with the transmission but waited until i was well out of warranty.now i'm looking at minimum of $5k, most likely $6.5k in repairs.
I own a 2003 vw new beetle convertible, 4 cyl, 6 sp auto.it has 80,000 miles on it.within the past year, it's started jerking when shifting gears.i've been told by i need a new transmission.after doing some research, i find i'm not alone.there are literally hundreds of others in the same position.according to vw, the transmission is $6,800.wow - i know!you have to use the dealer because the parts aren't available to the after market.in any event, the car hesitates when you attempt to pull out, jerks when you stop.i've narrowly avoided several rear end collisions as well as said several prayers when it didn't accelerate as quickly as it should have.i'm not a mechanic, but i'm not stupid either.the transmission is fine until the engine is warm.i can shift gears with no problem using the tiptronic part of the system - but others have said this only works for a short period.there are no metal sounds when the engine is shifting.there is nothing wrong with the transmission, it is an electrical issue.vw refuses to put the time and effort into determining what the real problem is.they just replace the transmissions and pocket $6,800.by the way, the blue book value of the car is $6,800.ironic, i know.i've read post after post from people who had the entire transmission replaced by vw only to find the problems persist.i understand they don't want to find the issue, but i really love my car and want it fixed.correctly.please, please, please strongly encourage vw to do the right thing, find the problem and fix it.any help you can offer is appreciated.
Volkswagen, 2003 new beetle transmission problem.
Faulty automatic transmission activity. Low mileage transmission failures causing hazardous driving. Downshifting causes jolting gear changes, accelerating causes slip into neutral nearly causing rear-end collisions. Computer codes fail to correctly diagnose failure, causing dangerous driving hazard.
2003 vw bug stalls when hitting around 35 miles per hour, almost was rear ended - takes a while to start back moving but is sluggish.took it to the mechanic and he said it was the transmission.i only have 80,000 miles on this car - how could this be the transmission.
2003 vw new beetle convertible has a transmission flaw which results in jerky shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear causing whiplash to the driver as well as a hesitation (and high engine revving) shifting into 5th gear. This is an automatic transmission with some kind of shifting control problem. The transmission works fine when it is cool (first start driving) but gets worse as the car warms up. After 15 miles the transmission shifting is very jerky and unsettling. There is a hesitation and then a very hard clanking sound when shifting from park to reverse and neutral to drive. Highway driving is very dangerous due to hesitation between gears 4 and 5 at around 60 miles per hour.city street driving is dangerous due to the jerky shift into 3rd gear at around 20 miles per hour.this is happening 1 day after having the car in the vw shop for 4 days having the tiptronic gear shift control module replaced to address the problem.this condition has been happening to a lesser degree for several years. The car has had the transmission checked 4 times in 5 years to address the rough shifting condition. The vw dealers\service people report the transmission is operating as designed. The automatic transmission is not designed to jerk roughly between gears nor to hesitate between upper gears. Any hesitation at 55 to 60 mphs shifting from 4th to 5th gear (similar to pushing in the clutch but not shifting gears in a manual tranny) can result in someone running into teh rear end of the car. In a small vehicle like the beetle, a rear end collision at 60 mph can result is flipping the car and deaths.please take action against vw america to address and resolve this unsafe condition.thank you.*tw
2003 vw beetle, transmission slips between 2nd and 3rd gear on upshift.vw 'rebuilt' the transmission last year but problem returned.
I have a transaxel on my 2003 beetle conv. That has a setting for manual shift or auto. I can no longer shift to the manual setting. At first it would allow me to shift into manual if i stopped then, i had to turn the engine off and shift quickly from park to manual. Now, nothing. They told me i would have to have a new transaxel installed. I have driven older vw for 20 years, now i will never buy another vw product of any kind.
My 2003 volkswagen beetle, with under 50,000 miles on it will shift dangerously hard. When it shifts into 1st or 2nd gear, it shifts with a slam and lurches forward. There is a pause before it shifts which makes it very dangerous due to oncoming traffic, instead of moving forward when it should there is that pause while it lurches down and slams into gear. It does this on a regular basis.*ln
Transmission shifts hard around 20 mph.jerks so hard sometimes it seems like the car will stall out.dealership says this is normal. I can't imagine that it is good on the transmission!? this has been happening for the past three years.
My 2003 new beetle convertible has been having transmission problems where it will jerk violently when it shifts up or down and sometimes it will not shift at all. It will get stuck in a gear and i have to stop it and turn the engine off and restart it. It will jerk even when stopped at a light. I have to make sure i am far away from the car in front of me. I no longer drive it because i don't know what will happen at any time. My airbag light stays on and will not turn off also, so i'm not sure if it will even work if there was an accident. Transmissions should not be jerking that way at all and if someone was to walk in front of my car at a stop light or sign, it could jerk forward and hit them. Not a safe car.
Transmission shifts very hard from 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 4th.has even stalled on occasion.has less than 70,000 miles.transmission hits so hard it feels as though it will fall out of the car.i have stopped driving it due to this dangerous situation.can not afford the 4,000 - 7000 dollars quoted to replace.
Purchased 2003 new beetle convertible in june 2003.i am the only owner of the vehicle.the car had approx. 69 miles on it when i bought it.the car now has 39,038 miles as of this writing.within the last month (when the car turned over to 39,000), i have been experiencing major transmission issues.starting from a complete stop, accelerating, the car will not shift into 1st gear.instead, the transmission grinds & then jumps (lurches) forward, causing the tires to screech.when the car lurches forward, there have been a few times when it jumped so as to almost hit the car in front of me.the problem is intermittent & seems to occur once i have driven the car for 10 miles or more.there is no rhyme or reason for this problem, & i cannot predict when or where it will happen.i would say that it happens frequently.i have read on line that many people with this make/model/year of car have experienced this problem.some people have indicated that an accident was barely avoided - - same scenario that i am complaining of in this complaint.my question - why is volkswagen not recalling this car for the transmission issues before someone is injured by this unexpected lurching problem.like the toyota accelerator problem of recent weeks, injuries could be prevented if the car manufacturer would take responsibility for this problem.i am unable to afford to repair my car & have an ad on craigs list fully disclosing the problem i am experiencing.hopefully, i will be able to sell the car to someone who can afford the $4,000+ repair to replace/repair the transmission.[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The transmission bang into gear sometime and gets stuck in gear between 3th and 4th. You never know when it going to happen, when accelerating on to the interstate it can be dangerous.
Transmission failed to shift into manual from automatic while stopped. It was intermittent and at about 58,000 failure is permanent and no longer is usable.
Vw bug 2003, 87,000 miles, original owner. Transmission shifting rough. Dealer said we needed to have the "valve body" checked ($1413). If this wasn't the problem would need to replace the transmission ($5761). I do not understand why it costs so much before we even know if the transmission is bad, or why the transmission is going on such a relatively young car.
Vw new beetle,2003, with only 75,000 miles the transmission failed. I was on the highway, ramping up and the car was stuck in 3rd gear. Its an automatic. I wasn't able to down shift. I had to coast over to the side of the highway.the dealership decided i needed a new transmission.luckily i was 13 miles under my warranty and they fixed it without charge. I wanted you to know this because i see many other owners having the same problem. I could have been in an accident because of this problem.
The transmission jerks in and out of gear. This happens in stop and go traffic and is very dangerous! i have read from other owners that they are having the same exact issues. My auto repair shop says there is nothing other than replacing the transmission.
2003 volkswagen beetle convervible transmission problems.
2003 vw beetle convertible has transmission problems that are a safety issue that vw of america does not want to do anything about. Car hesitates after stop with transmission jerking and causing cars behind vw to almost rearend vw. Transmission jerks when shifting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears causing front drive tires and steering tires to lose grip on pavement. This happens after car warms up (approximately 15 minutes). This is a large safety issue. If the car jerks when in a turn it will crash! my fiancee drives this car and i am concerned for her safety and anyone else driving near this car. This is a common issue with the 6-speed transmission that vw knows about but disavows any responsibility for. Can my government help the vw owners? will you do your job and forcee a safety recall onto vw of america or will more owners have to be injured or die for any concern to be shown? vw just says they want to replace transmission at over $6000. The whole car is worth just $8000.
My 2003 was serviced at the dealership and certified mechanics.i only have 75,000 miles on my 2003 new beetle convertible and the transmission has failed.i have since found many of the same year car with the identical complaint of the transmission failing.
Bought car for daughter feb.2011. The gear seems to get hung up between 2nd and 3rd then the car will barely move. Sometimes when it goes in to gear it lunges forward. My daughter almost had a wreck trying to turn and the gear got hung up and stalled in traffic.
2003 volkswagen new beetle failed. The vehicle jerked like it was going to cut off.the dealer has installed a new transmission but the problemm has recurred.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle.the contact stated the vehicle would jerk violently when she attempted to shift between gears.she also noticed debris entered the vehicle through the ventilation system which was a greasy substance that caused her eyes to burn and could have obstructed her view.the dealer nor manufacturer were notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was awaiting an appointment with a private mechanic. The current mileage was 67,700.the approximate failure mileage was 67,100.updated 10/18/11*ljthe dealer indicated the debris was a result of the a/c unit protection with a foam substance which was peeling off the a/c unit.the consumer also stated the main valve for the transmission was replaced
When attempting to put car into reverse brake switch does not respond. This has happened numerous times. Driver side window goes back down by itself. Also car shifts real hard in second and third gear. Sounds like transmission will break.
The car surges when shifting causing the wheels to spin out on wet surfaces.
2003 vw beetle... Transmission "lurches" forward... Not safe. Vw extended warranty by only 7 years. That excluded any 2003's sold during normal model year. Only had 54,000 miles. Cost over $3,000.00 to fix. How can volkswagen know there is a problem and then exclude vehicles like this?
2003 vw beetle shifts so very hard between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear it feels like the car is going to break.took to dealership to perform a diagnostic.they said it was the transmission gasket.i replaced it, problem still exists.driver's side window rolls down on its own.passenger side window hits the top (when putting it up) then rolls down.dealership says this is a safety feature.
2003 tdi beetle (auto) jerks abruptly when upshifting.the car almost stalls in fast-moving traffic, creating a life-threatening condition.dealer service dept. States a temperature sensor for transmission fluid is not functioning, and needs replacement.this is not a part that should fail as it threatens lives, and should be replaced by vw.
Near collision caused by defective automatic transmission solenoid valve body produced and installed on the volkswagen beetle and cabrio convertible models. The transmission is a 6 speed automatic tip-tronic shift style specifically usedbetween 2001 - 2004 model years. The defective part causes a sudden jump or jerking motion between gear shifting. In our instance the car jerked and stopped in the middle of an intersection which nearly caused a vehicle collision. This has happened on more than on one occasion. Further research discovered that vw has known about the defective part and that it has caused or been the possible cause of accidents involving these vehicles as well as numerous and constant complaints to vw dealers and on line complaint forums. A replacement of the defective designed internal solenoid valve body is needed to avoid further damage to the transmissions and make the vehicle safe to drive. This is especially an issue for lesser experienced drivers and when he vehicles are engaged in heavy traffic conditions.
2003 vw new beetle has a faulty transmission which is presenting a safety concern as the vehicle is driven on roads and highways. Car does not shift right, hard shifts, bucking, etc. And now stalling, probably a totally failed transmission for which vw is taking no responsibility.
I started experiencing transmission shift problems on my '03 vw beetle turbo, just around one year after purchase from a vw dealer.the vehicle was pre-certified at the time, since i couldn't afford the warranty, but the dealer had, i presume, declared it free of defects and problems.i took the vehicle back to the dealer to check the problem, upon which i was advised to replace the transmission at a cost of $4200.no further details were given as to the reason or possible cause for the problem, in spite of my requests for a description.the service advisor just stated "it needs to be replaced".i have since visited online automotive forums and found out this seems to be a problem with other owners as well.i am concerned now that even if i replace it, the replacement may have the same problem.in the mean time the transmission unpredictably starts slipping, or making a squeaking noise when slipping and at other times won't even shift for several seconds. *tw
Vw beetle 2003, 98,000 miles, started shifting hard about 6 months ago; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, and 4th to 3rd to 2nd to 1st; called vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (dec 11, 2010) but they are unwilling to cover the cost (5 months too old); they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it.
Occasional violent shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to third gear - automatic transmission.very dangerous in intersections.vw had a recall to fix this problem, i was notified by them last month- vw said my car was 1 year too old - can't afford to fix on my own - car is worthless with this problem.
After warming up, the car's transmission jerks very badly, and runs wildly before shifting. The mileage is just 75k. It is really dangerous especially driving on the highway due to the hard shift. Many other owners have similar experience. Vw must be responsible for this horrible defect.
I couldn't wait for the new beetle convertible to come out. I bought it brand new from the dealership. Now, after only 60,000 miles, i am told i need a new transmission. The car is completely unsafe to drive--it will get stuck in first gear, it will kick between gears one and two, and it will jolt suddenly and without warning. These vehicles are unsafe for the road.
2003 volkswagen beetle convertible automatic was "hard shifting" after warming up for 15-20 minutes from 1st to 2nd gear, and down from 4th all the way to 1st.this issue started after 75,000 miles.fix = replace valve body...around $2000.i was told that this is a very common issue, and that vw has addressed this defect in newer models.this seems to be a manufacturer defect if it is a known, common, and fixed problem by vw.
Transmission bad.
I too have fallen victim of the latest transmission problems. I have a 2003 vw beetle with 90,000 miles in immaculate condition and experienced jerkiness in the transmission as well.when i would press on my brakes i noticed that as my automatic transmission was trying to shift itself down, it begin to jerk as it was shifting down.i made sure i maintained this car and was told all was well.then one day i was driving it on the freeway and as i pressed the gas pedal it wouldn't go any more.i pulled over and shut it off.when i started up the car again i put it in d (drive) it would jerk forward and turn itself off.i took it to the mechanic and they told me it was stuck in 4th gear.when the mechanic checked it out i was told there were lots of metal pieces in the oil as if possibly something broke inside.how does this happen?????????my warranty will only pay $2,000. 00 and the cost is approx. $6,000.00 to repair. Why do i have to repair this vehicle?i know it's mine, but the transmission was faulty.
My 2003 vw new beetle convertible has approx 89k miles on it.the automatic transmission shifts hard causing a jerking motion.it has progressed from a mildly noticeable to a more obvious jerking upon shifting.after researching this situation online, it seems as if it is a widely reported complaint about these vehicles.i feel like vw should resolve the problem being experienced by such a high number of owners.
Car bough used from vs dealership on 7/31/2006. Been in for check engine light 4times, airbag light 3 times, a/c broke once, windows would not roll up once, needed new rotors once, rattling under hood once, battery died two days after i bought it and i had to tow it back to vw. Car jerks when going out of first gear-i told vw this repeatedly and they only tried to fix it after the warranty was up. They told me it would be $700 to fix. On 12/9/2008 my car would not go out of first gear while i was driving it. It had to be towed to my house and has not been driven since. I have had nothing but problems out of this car. I can not put anymore money into it. When the warranty went up, all of the sudden everything started going wrong. I requested prior information from the vw dealership about the other owner before me. I feel that this car was doctored so that i would buy it and then it started falling apart.
I would like to file a complaint regarding my 2003 vw beetle which i purchased brand new in april of 2003.i have just over 60k miles and it appears that my transmission is going out.i have taken it a reputable mechanic who tells me it could be approx $3000 to fix it.i have read on the internet that this seems to be a very common problem with the vw's and i think that volkswagen should recall the transmissionsand pay to have them replaced.
As happened to many other owners of this vehicle, the automatic transmission on my 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible began to bang very hard when shifting and locked up periodically in third gear.when the transmission locked up in third gear while stopped at a light, the car was very slow to move.this left me nearly stranded in the middle of major busy intersections several times.i had to get out of the car to push it to the side of the road with cars whizzing past. This defect is very dangerous and is a known frequent problem with these cars through several year models.it cost me over $3000 to have the transmission fixed.vw is well aware of the problems with the control valve in this defective transmission and has extended the warranty, but has left out cars sold at the time mine was.
I have a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible with auto and tipronic transmission.at about 64,000 miles the transmission started "slipping".as it would automatically change to a higher gear the change would slip and cause the engine to rev up until it changed into the next gear this would cause the engine to jump or lurch.when in the tiptronic manual mode the gear would slip also.also when put into reverse it jumps in reverse and wants to accelerate back quickly.a few occasions when driving the car and getting into traffic the car would take so long to get into gear that it caused traffic behind to almost rear end me.no crash but almost.
The epc light comes on all the time, even after being fixed.the window regulators break.the battery has had to be replaced twice.the cv boot broke.
With only 64000 miles on the car, my 2003 vw new beetle convertible's manual transmission let go and something tore a 3/4" by 2" hole in the bell housing.luckily, this did not happen on the open road.the resulting gush of tranny fluid could have caused major problems.
Passengers side headlight shorting out for 7th bulb replacement and new electrical problems. Strange, all within 6 months. My 21 yr old nursing student of ecu university has had the exact same issue while on her 4 hour trip home 7 times now. The wiring continues to fry itself in the main fuse box , now affecting theabs braking system. I paid $9k in cash and have electrical receipts, seat belt, convertible top, blower door, front end replacement, radiator, water pump, trunk latch, hydro licks on convertible, timing belt, 4 batteries, air bags! i could continue with a longer list. I added up to $17,000.00 i have in this piece of crap that continues to break monthly . I would be ecstatic to provide all receipts. Isn't problems of this great nature unreasonable for a car with 70,000 miles also considered a lemon? all incidents have left my daughter stranded on interstate 85 where she has feared her life fight off the homeless psychotic people. It has left me unable to buy her a new car with no savings due to fixing something new each month. And 27 degrees outside with no ability to startit. The seat levers back and forth have had to be bolted in one position to prevent seat belt electrical too short electrical cord so the faulty airbags may by chance deploy if she ever got into an accident.latest is. She needs another water pump and timing belt from just being done 2 years ago!! something major defects with this car. I fear for her life! last trip home a car did not see her pulled over on interstate and side swiped her bumper. Water pump again.see photo of it leaking more when we had it towed home in garage. Also rear bumper of inciden
Electrical main fuse box under hood burnt and melted into battery. See pics of burnt fuse box, and indention of melted battery. Car cut off while in motion on highway, causing my 19 year old college daughter to almost wreck in route to school last week at 8pm est.her major is nursing. I want to make sure she's alive to see her graduate.outside air temp was 65 degrees.this is extremely dangerous, not to mention the cost that will be associated with paying for volkswagons poor design electrical misengineering flaw, a new alternator, all electrical wiring,a new battery, and possibly new convertible top motor. Her vw is/was in mint condition with fewer than 80k miles. Vw estimates costs to fix over $5k to 6k. Kbb value is much less. My daughters life is priceless. Also, the wiring harness for the seatbelts underneath the seat are too short!! if you slide the seats back, it breaks electrical connections which triggers seatbelts light to come on, which disengages airbags to work in the event of an accident. The 2 front seats also must slide forward in order for back seat passengers to enter vehicle. Is this how vw saves money, by shortening electrical wire to connect seatbelts? perhaps it's on purpose to avoid millions of electrical lawsuits?
1.my airbag light in my car came on. 2.i took it to a repair shop that found the seatbelt sensor had gone bad thus causing the airbag light to come on and the airbags would not deploy in the case of an accident.3.the seatbelt was replaced so that the sensor would again be working correctly and the airbags would be deployed in the case of an accident.as the seatbelt mechanism was working fine, but just a tiny sensor on the seatbelt arm went bad, it caused my airbags to be deactivated.there should be a lifetime warranty on such safety parts such that there is never a failure to deploy airbags or an issue with seatbelts.the auto repair employees said they have replaced hundreds of these seatbelts in vws for the very same reason i had.
First i must ask myself why am i wasting my time again? you can write tonhtsaall you want and explain your complaint / defect but that's as far as it goes, they never respond and nothing gets repaired for free unless numerous accidents happen and people get hurt or worse yet die!
From day one this car had transmission problems which were denied by the dealer on 5 visits, after i sold the car i received a recall from vw, now that i am looking at blogs they have apparently recalled this recall to suit them. Other complaints with this vehicle are window troubles, convertible roof troubles, electronic troubles, seatbelt troubles, airbag troubles. I can't believe anyone will allow this car to still be sold or on the road. It is a safety hazard on wheels.
When the engine was started, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and stays illuminated until the engine is turned off. The seat belt light goes off after the car is started even when no seatbelts are put on. The vin was not included in recall 08v178000, although the failure symptoms seem similar.
Air bag warning light diagnosed at service by dealer (campbell/nelson vw) indicated that a sensor or switch located in the driver-side seatbelt latch was defective and even when the seatbelt was latched, the airbag would not deploy. This turned out to be a $400 repair and i believe it should be considered for a recall.
I was involved in a crash while driving my 2003 vw beetle convertible.i was unable to brake and avoid a semi-truck that was in directly in front of me.i was traveling at a speed between 30-40 mph but did lose conscience so am not sure if remember exactly how fast i was going.my airbag did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock causing my face to slam directly into the steering wheel.the passenger side airbag which contained no passengers nor items did deploy.i suffered facial fractures and a broken nose.my fractures have healed but my nose needs to be reconstructed.my car was serviced at a collision center and then sent to the autobarn in countryside, il where the car was bought used in august of 2006.the car was returned to me on dec 27 but no explanation was given for the airbag not deploying.the transmission was also not working properly so i returned the car for additional service a few days later.the car was finally returned to me 2 weeks later with a new transmission but still no explanation for the airbag.upon leaving the autobarn on january 17 with my car, the air bag light turned on and stayed on while i drove about 10 miles.i returned the car the next day and the service department stated the light did not go on for them and offered again no explanation.
I own a 2003 vw beetle, the seat belt buckle has wires connected to it, this wires snapped on their own. My airbag light turned on, for approximately 4 months i had this light on in my car. Through research in the internet, i found out that the seat belt was the problem. It seems that there was a defect with the seat belt buckle, lots of beetle owners had this problem. I contacted vw and they refused to take any responsibility. Information provided indicates that when the airbag light is on the airbags will not deploy in an accident. Please look in to this matter. Thank you.
The front passenger seat belt would not unlatch.passenger had to climb out from underneath.call to the vw dealership yielded comment from service department "sometimes the seat belt latch breaks; you need to bring it in and have it replaced (at my cost)".on may 14, 2014 i had the service repair done.mileage was 49,486.cost was $292.16.service was done by jim ellis volkswagen marietta, 1860 cobb parkway, marietta, ga 30060.i think this is a safety defect.if we had been in an accident, my passenger would not have been able to get out of the car; this would have been life-threatening, they could have died.i think volkswagen should make a recall of 2003 beetle convertibles and replace the latch and sensor (to airbag) at no charge to owner.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contact stated that the front driver's side seat belt buckle was s defective ,and the air bag lightconstantly illuminated.the vehicle was taken to the dealer three times , and numerous diagnostics were performed.currently, the cause of failure has not been found.the failure has been occurring since september 11, 2004.the current mileage is 59,500 , and failure mileage was 22,651.srs.pco
Regarding/related to claim 048481910769 complaints: 2003 volkswagen jetta seats: front assembly: seat ...i own a 2003 vw jetta 1.8t with front heated seats. Drivers side seat caught fire due to a short in the seats heater 2 days ago on 12/13/2005 after the heater was on for less than 2 minutes. Burning a small hole trough the seat to the bottom area of my left side (buttock) i have come to find since this happened, my nhtsa has ...https://www.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/.../seats-front_assembly-seat_ heater_cooler.shtml29 complaints: 2003 volkswagen beetle electrical system problemsthe problem is that the entire fuse box assembly frequently melts into a glob of plastic, and represents a significant fire hazard. I have owned two new beetles ( 2003 & 2004), and have experienced this problem four time between the two. My own investigation into the cause(s) has shown me that if the vehicle battery is ...https://whttps://www.carcomplaints.com/search/?cx=partner-pub-6745124734283845%3a6pv4ih4brad&cof=forid%3a10&ie=iso-8859-1&q=vw+fire&sa=search&siteurl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.carcomplaints.com%2fvolkswagen%2fbeetle%2f2002%2fseat_belts_air_bags%2fww.carcomplaints.com/volkswagen/.../electrical_system.shtmlwasn't in the vehiclepersonal assistant/project consultant helping hard working people like you for more than 25 years! [xxx]information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).?*pm
Drivers seat will not stay latched to the floor of the car, and seat bounces as i drive.was repaired at dealership in dec 2007, broke again in june 2008.dealership refuses to accept responsibility.suggests replacing the seat frame for $700.normal use of a drivers seat should not cause this type of an issue.
Passengers side headlight shorting out for 7th bulb replacement and new electrical problems. Strange, all within 6 months. My 21 yr old nursing student of ecu university has had the exact same issue while on her 4 hour trip home 7 times now. The wiring continues to fry itself in the main fuse box , now affecting theabs braking system. I paid $9k in cash and have electrical receipts, seat belt, convertible top, blower door, front end replacement, radiator, water pump, trunk latch, hydro licks on convertible, timing belt, 4 batteries, air bags! i could continue with a longer list. I added up to $17,000.00 i have in this piece of crap that continues to break monthly . I would be ecstatic to provide all receipts. Isn't problems of this great nature unreasonable for a car with 70,000 miles also considered a lemon? all incidents have left my daughter stranded on interstate 85 where she has feared her life fight off the homeless psychotic people. It has left me unable to buy her a new car with no savings due to fixing something new each month. And 27 degrees outside with no ability to startit. The seat levers back and forth have had to be bolted in one position to prevent seat belt electrical too short electrical cord so the faulty airbags may by chance deploy if she ever got into an accident.latest is. She needs another water pump and timing belt from just being done 2 years ago!! something major defects with this car. I fear for her life! last trip home a car did not see her pulled over on interstate and side swiped her bumper. Water pump again.see photo of it leaking more when we had it towed home in garage. Also rear bumper of inciden
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the welding has failed on the driver's seat track.as a result, the seat moves back and forth and, in the event of a crash, the seat would detach from the vehicle.the dealer stated that they were aware of the failure, but were not obligated to make the repair.the failure mileage was 38,000 and current mileage was 39,000.updated 01-11-08.updated 12/12/07
Electrical main fuse box under hood burnt and melted into battery. See pics of burnt fuse box, and indention of melted battery. Car cut off while in motion on highway, causing my 19 year old college daughter to almost wreck in route to school last week at 8pm est.her major is nursing. I want to make sure she's alive to see her graduate.outside air temp was 65 degrees.this is extremely dangerous, not to mention the cost that will be associated with paying for volkswagons poor design electrical misengineering flaw, a new alternator, all electrical wiring,a new battery, and possibly new convertible top motor. Her vw is/was in mint condition with fewer than 80k miles. Vw estimates costs to fix over $5k to 6k. Kbb value is much less. My daughters life is priceless. Also, the wiring harness for the seatbelts underneath the seat are too short!! if you slide the seats back, it breaks electrical connections which triggers seatbelts light to come on, which disengages airbags to work in the event of an accident. The 2 front seats also must slide forward in order for back seat passengers to enter vehicle. Is this how vw saves money, by shortening electrical wire to connect seatbelts? perhaps it's on purpose to avoid millions of electrical lawsuits?
Air bag light and the warning light for malfunction indicator lamp comes on and does not go out also driver seat is stuck. The vehicle was taken on 11/15/2005 at that time it was only the air bag cause; 00591. Drivers seat belt switch faulty it was replaced on 12/12/2007 the same problem and more but,this time i have done a lot of researchon the internet and i have found a alot of people have had the same problem and nhtsa is aware of it.the car is no longer under warranty i have hadrepair driver seat slider. It has been very frustrating, never purchase another vw.
Epc light illuminated. Brake lights inop.replaced brake light switch.volkswagen customer service stated the switch had been replaced under recall in 2007.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While the vehicle was at a stop light, the brake pedal was applied; however, the vehicle failed to stop and rolled back. In addition, while driving at unknown speeds, the accelerator pedal was applied; however, the vehicle failed to respond and the safe mode engaged. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 133,437.
Dt: the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contactstated while driving andmaking a left hand turn the consumerheard a loud popping sound from the right front area.the consumer lost control of the vehicle; appliedthe brakes and hit the curb.the consumer began to accelerate to avoid hitting a light pole.this did minimize the hitting of the light pole.upon impact,the front air bagsdeployed.the only impact on the vehicle was above the right front tire.the service dealer was not willing to cooperate because there was nothing to determine the cause of the accident.the consumer has contacted the manufacturer, and they will respond within 24 hours.
Rear window is detaching from convertible top creating open space into car, rain entry and poor visibility thru rear view mirror when water is coming in.fabric shrinking back from glass.cannot be re glued. We have been advised the entire top must be replaced. Researching this on the internet as well as with a company that replaces convertible tops evidently his is common on the 2003 model. The rear convertible top window started falling out late 2008. I bought this car new and the warranty has expired.too many safety concerns driving in bad weather.
While the rear driver's side window was being lowered by the 20 year old female driver it made a horrendous grinding noise which caused the driver to nearly lose control as she tried to stop quickly.she fearedsomething in the rear wheel was breaking. A short time later the pasenger side window ground to a state of disrepair. Now the driver's side front window needs to be lowered very carefully to avoid engaging the automatic feature as this causes the window to make a terrible noise. This is very distracting to the driver to have to stop the window just before it reaches the fully open position.the rear windows have to be manually positioned just right to allow the convertible top to be lowered properly.also, when small children are in the back seat they may be able to cause the windows to fall down all the way subjecting them to ejection or the ability to fall out of the vehicle on their own.when it is raining or snowing the elements fly in throught the windows because they won't stay up.this is also very distracting and dangerous especially with small children in the back seat. Repair estimates for the rear windows start at $1500.00 which this particular owner/driver cannot begin to afford!. Vw refuses to address this problem.
Transmission will not shift out third gear, triptrontic automatic, leak in trunk, top will not go up.
After any rain on my non-moving 2003 vw new beetle water collects under the driver's seat floor pan causing the car to stink and mold to grow.i have tried numerous times to clear the sunroof drain with very limited success.the problem persistently returns.
I have a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. The back window of the convertible top is coming apart from the cloth top. I have read online several posts of many consumers having this same issue in the same make and model vehicle. This may be related to a defect in the glue or sealing they use to hold the window in place.my concern is the back window may fall out while driving or even fall into the backseat onto someone causing sever injuries.
Inner door handles to close the doors, both left and right, have broken off, snaping. As i did research to find replacement; i contacted over 20 different junk yards in my area and i am being told the same; "all panels have the handle broken".the only way i can repair it is by buying the whole panel from the dealer at an outrage price or buying it from a used seller which is still at least $600.00 for the pair panels. I need these handles to close the doors securely .
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle glx convertible. The contact stated that the rear window separated from the convertible top. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the convertible top needed to be replaced and verified that there was no recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was 70,000.
The plastic window is separating from the cloth top of my convertible vw. Also, the headlights are constantly blowing bulbs and the sensor light of the passenger side airbag stays on. After fixing the light one time, the dealership mechanics said it was the seatbelt connector problem. They just want money, money , money and i am stuck with a volkswagen that is not functional for daily use.
This vehicle permeates an odor of crayon wax in heat or cold. More so in heat and when the heat or a/c is being used. The odor sticks to you hair and clothing and is extremely nauseating. In research it is a wax that coats the underlay of the carpet. If you google "crayon smell in vw or how to remove crayon smell in vw" you will find several forums. I believe it is a health hazard. My daughter drives the vehicle primarily & refuses to use the a/c or heat due to the smell making her sick &sticking to her hair and clothes. I drove it for a weekend and had a nauseating migraine all weekend long. Who knows what long term affect this can have on ones health. I called vw, they said its out of warranty. This isnt due to lack of care or maintenance, this is a poor quality material used to manufacture the vehicle that is causing the odor that is making people sick.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. The contact was traveling 50 mph when the rear convertible window became loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the convertible top needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 18,452.
Rear window will not open or close.
2003 new vw beetle convertible passenger side rear quarter window.window fails to fully raise and will automatically open when it reaches 2/3 raised position.faulty window regulator. A very expensive repair.
2003 beetle convertible right side window will not roll up or down.
2003 new beetle convertible, rear window separation from convertible top.failure of adhesive.no repair can be made by the dealer, only solution is to replace the entire top!expensive repair!
Rear passenger side window has fallen down and the dealer wants around $1,000 to repair it.our thermostat went out last week and cost us $315 for just that, and then the next day our drivers side door hinge broke.the car has around 70,000 miles on it and things keep going wrong every week!i loved this car but the way it is going i will not buy another vw product (even though i owned 2 in the past).
Dt*:the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle was involved in a front-end collision.the hydraulic rod holding the hood up detached and entered through the windshield glass. The contact incurred wrist and ankle injuries in the collision.a police report was filed, and the vehicle was towed to an impound lot.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.after examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rearwindow was separating from the roof. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the roof would need to be replaced. Prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the roof would not properly close. The vehicle had not yet been serviced at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 73,000. Updated 06/06/11updated 12/29/2011 *ln
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle.the contact stated that the glass on the convertible top has begun to separate from the canvas.the dealer stated that the vehicle needed a new convertible top.the manufacturer offered to pay 75% of the replacement cost.as of june 18, 2007, the vehicle has not been repaired.the powertrain was unknown.the current mileage is 75,000 and failure mileage was 50,000.
The door hinges on my drivers' side 2003 volkswagen convertible beetle has broken for the second time.volks of america and vw oconnor in augusta maine are very unhelpful.this has been an on going problem since i have had the vehicle four years and turns out before i owned the vehicle.i went to get into my car on sat 6/6/09 and my door hinge snapped and the door is about to fall off.now my alarm system will not go on.someone need to fix my car.
Dt: the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contactstated while driving andmaking a left hand turn the consumerheard a loud popping sound from the right front area.the consumer lost control of the vehicle; appliedthe brakes and hit the curb.the consumer began to accelerate to avoid hitting a light pole.this did minimize the hitting of the light pole.upon impact,the front air bagsdeployed.the only impact on the vehicle was above the right front tire.the service dealer was not willing to cooperate because there was nothing to determine the cause of the accident.the consumer has contacted the manufacturer, and they will respond within 24 hours.
While driving in the rain my car seemed to have lost traction on the road and i lost control but did not hit anything. The indicator light illuminated the a with the circle around it. I took it to the shop and i was informed that my abs control unit was completely fried. So now i have to pay almost $2000 to get it fixed.
Its a recall of the water pump and i'm having issues with my cooling ,my car is running hot have had everything done except the water pump and still running hot just found out that its a recall on the water pump if there is other recall can it be done also
My car has a very,very stong crayon-chemical smell..that permeates the entire interior of the car. No one, i repeat, no one will ride with me in my car unless i drive with the windows down. I complained about to the vw dealership (leith vw/capitol blvd. Raleigh,nc)- and was told by a technician that they have had this complaint before and the problem seemed to be the the glue used to hold down the padding/carpet .i have very bad sense of smell and do not notice as bad as everyone else..but have lately developed a chronic hacking cough that has lingered for several months now (w/o proper diagnosis..).i would love to be included in a class action lawsuit against vw of america to include all of the other vw owners who share this very,very strong crayon-chemical smell..and have been getting no help from the vw corporation. I have been driving this car for over 4 years now..putting @ 110,000 miles on it in that time period..and i always drive with the windows up (either heat or a/c on).
Onboardcomputersystem readiness statusduring car inspectionemission resultsreadinessfailmonitor evap-not readymonitor secondary air not ready
Having major transmission issues after trying to fix and replace everything like fluid and filters. Has a hard time changing gears. Engine will rev while changing gears sometimes. Hiccups and jolts a lot especially when going from 2nd to 3 then to 4th. And when going down in gears
The rear window of the convertible top has come unglued.after checking online sources, i have found this has happened on other cars.it can cause the entire rear window blow out if all of the adhesive gives way.
On april 25, 2008 we took our 2003 vw beetle convertible to our vw dealer for service and a complaint about the transmission shifting hard or clunking at times. They said the noise was the exhaust and adjusted it and signed off. That was not the problem. The hard shifting continued occasionally for some time. Then it started to happen more often and be more severe.on october 23, 2009, we returned to our dealer for service and told them again about our concerns about the hard shifting as we had on several occasions in the past. At this time they ran a diagnostic ($90.00) on the transmission. They had to order a part and we returned on november 5, 2009 to have the cable installed.($1406.36) the problem got worse and we returnednovember, 10, 2009 for another diagnostic and another cable install.($179.78) still not fixed the car goes into limp mode when you try to drive it. We left the car with our dealer for them to try to find a used transmission. No luck. On december 2, 2009 we decided to contact a transmission shop a friend told us about. I called a transmission shop to pick up the car at our dealer and take it to their shop to look into rebuilding the transmission. All to no avail they could not get parts for that transmission. The next step was to look for a used one again. Still unable to locate a used transmission we decided to have a vw rebuilt transmission installed. ($5469.60) this was done and the car was picked up on january 7, 2010. Now on december 14, 2010 we receive a letter that describes our original complaint about the hard shifting. The letter wasextending the warranty on the transmission. I then sent a claim to vw to ask for reimbursement. That claim was not accepted.
The car is having issues as exactly the recalls has stated (i haven't known by now about the recalls)1. Selector shift and shifter cables were broken2. Break switch did not function, leading to malfunction of epc (electronic processing control) that later caused cruise control, taillight and ac compressor not working3. Windshield wiper pump was not working4. Headlight beam was low
I own a 2003 vw new beetle convertible, 4 cyl, 6 sp auto.it has 80,000 miles on it.within the past year, it's started jerking when shifting gears.i've been told by i need a new transmission.after doing some research, i find i'm not alone.there are literally hundreds of others in the same position.according to vw, the transmission is $6,800.wow - i know!you have to use the dealer because the parts aren't available to the after market.in any event, the car hesitates when you attempt to pull out, jerks when you stop.i've narrowly avoided several rear end collisions as well as said several prayers when it didn't accelerate as quickly as it should have.i'm not a mechanic, but i'm not stupid either.the transmission is fine until the engine is warm.i can shift gears with no problem using the tiptronic part of the system - but others have said this only works for a short period.there are no metal sounds when the engine is shifting.there is nothing wrong with the transmission, it is an electrical issue.vw refuses to put the time and effort into determining what the real problem is.they just replace the transmissions and pocket $6,800.by the way, the blue book value of the car is $6,800.ironic, i know.i've read post after post from people who had the entire transmission replaced by vw only to find the problems persist.i understand they don't want to find the issue, but i really love my car and want it fixed.correctly.please, please, please strongly encourage vw to do the right thing, find the problem and fix it.any help you can offer is appreciated.
My 2003 beetle has been violently jerking after about 10-15 minutes of driving (when it warms up).if i'm at a stop sign or red light and accelerate - it violently jerks into gear !! if i baby it and barely move (where traffic is practically running into me from behind), it is not soooo bad, but still bad and it is very dangerous.vw also extended the warranty until 2010 or 100,000 which ever came first, and unfortunately 2010 came first and they refuse to extend the warranty to be used under the 100,000 miles rule.this is extremely expensive to fix, i've read thousands of the same exact complaints in this car -- thousands, the very same thing and vw will not take responsibility to change it to 100,000 miles and not just 2010 (which obviously has past 2 years ago).this is dangerous and expensive.it is a defect and vw should pay for this.do people have to get killed before they offer the extension up to 100,000 miles??? thank you
My car (2003 volkswagen convertible beetle automatic) jerks so hard dangerously.i found so many people who have the same problems online.fortunately i haven't hurt anyone yet.please help me before i do!
When cruise control is engaged, suddenly, without warning, the vehicle will accelerate at ever increasing speeds until disengaged. This happens intermittently, without warning and seemingly without a common denominator (such as 30 min after engaged or at a particular speed). It does happen with more regularity exceeding speeds of 70 mph on the highway, but it has also happened at 45-50 mph as well. The dealer was unable to duplicate the problem so subsequently did not repair the problem.
I bought my 2003 vw beetle a few months ago from a private seller.in the past week, the shifting has gotten really difficult and it very often will not accelerate easily.my husband drove the car and reported having no problems, so he didn't believe me.yesterday, i was driving on the highway and couldn't get the car to accelerate past 50 mph.it was especially scary when i tried to cross the highway and the car didn't want to accelerate at all.that could have been a horrible accident.after crossing the highway, i was unable to accelerate past 20 mph.i parked the car at a relatives home and had her drive me home as i was afraid to drive the car again.i started doing research and was blown away by the number of people facing the same problems.this is a dangerous situation that needs to be resolved.
The vehicle starts up fine and accelerates normal at first. Just before the vehicle switches to second gear it gets stuck. The only way to get it to properly shift to second gear is to give it more gas, which makes the rpms go up to 7,000. At this point the vehicle changes to second gear and lunges forward. I have almost rear ended multiple people do thisproblem. Once the vehicle gets into second gear it accelerates normally again, just until it changes to third gear and does the same problem that i described above.this problem is not only dangerous, but also financial hurtful. I have read hundreds of reviews on this problem and they all describe the same thing, along with their vehicles being very low in mileage.
Over the last couple of years my 2003 vw beetle has been in and out of the garage.it seems to have trouble changing gears (it's an automatic) and has gotten stuck in 3rd gear. It will jerk and lunge when slowing down.each time the mechanic has "reset the codes" and the test drive showed no signs of anymore trouble.it has gotten much worse and now after driving for about 25 or 30 minutes it begins the jerking and lunging.after researching, i see that this is a common problem with this car.i love my car, but no longer feel safe driving it and i certainly cannot rely on it.i now feel that i am stuck with a car that i cannot drive nor can i sell.
Car intermittently fails to respond to the accelerator pedal - acceleration is delayed for several seconds - possibly by computer.i have had many close calls when pulling into traffic- car accelerates only when it is ready.i have requested repair every time the car is in for service.they say that they reset something and problem temporarily goes away. Vw doesn't seem acknowledge this as a safety issue/concern.they didn't put the request in my last maintenance/computer write-up.i also head another customer, while at the dealer, ask about the same problem.vw should address this problem.
When i put the car into drive it doesn't always accelerate as soon as i hit the gas pedal.i never know when it's going to happen and it's very nerve racking.it's most difficult in a parking lot.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle.the contact stated the vehicle would jerk violently when she attempted to shift between gears.she also noticed debris entered the vehicle through the ventilation system which was a greasy substance that caused her eyes to burn and could have obstructed her view.the dealer nor manufacturer were notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was awaiting an appointment with a private mechanic. The current mileage was 67,700.the approximate failure mileage was 67,100.updated 10/18/11*ljthe dealer indicated the debris was a result of the a/c unit protection with a foam substance which was peeling off the a/c unit.the consumer also stated the main valve for the transmission was replaced
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible.when the contact opened the door, the window would not operate correctly and would roll down approximately half an inch.once the window was rolled down, there was no way to roll the window back up.the dealer stated that the electronics that control the window failed and the entire window operating system needed to be replaced, including all four regulators, motor, and all the related components.the dealer stated that the repairs would cost $1,400.the vin was unknown.the failure and current mileages were less than 60,000.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. When decelerating to approximately 5 mph, the vehicle would jerk before switching gears. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and after inspection the contact was advised that the transmission failed. The replacement of the transmission would be at the owners expense at a cost of $6,000. In addition, the contact stated that the rear passenger window would open and close independently.the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000.
I have a 2003 convertible vw and my back window has come unglued to the canvas. My vw has less than 45k miles.vw should be made responsible for this bad quality in manufacturing this make. I've inquired and it will cost $1300 to replace the entire top. This is ridicules - anyone know of a class action??
Six months ago the left rear window in my vw convertible beetle broke, it would not go up or down.i do not use the rear windows very often so i was quite surprised when the window broke.i took the vehicle to a local dealer to get repaired.it cost me nine hundred and seventy eight dollars out of pocket.close to a thousand dollars to have just the window repaired.i thought this was ridiculous for just one small window.needless to say i was very very upset but i had no alternative i had to have it repaired.now six months later the left rear window has broken.once again i do not use the rear windows very often especially since the thousand dollar charge there is no way i was going to chance that happening.here it is winter time so there is no reason to be using those windows.anyway last week i was on my way to work and i heard a terrible popping sound, one which i have heard before and i thought oh no not again.well once i got to work and checked sure as heck the left window was broken.it is down about eight inches and one go up or down.what a disappointment it will cost me another thousand dollars just to fix a window.i do not have a thousand dollars laying around to get it repaired.my parents also own a vw beetle and they have had several window problems.we have both decided we will never buy another vw because we just cannot afford the repair costs for all the things that have gone wrong with these cars.i cannot believe how much it costs for repairs.i keep checking on the recall list praying that i may get some help but as of yet there has not been any assistance.can vw explain what is happening with these windows???thank you very much.
Rear window will not open or close.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked when she changed gears. The failure progressed over time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced which was done at that time. The contact also stated that both the front window regulator motors failed; the vehicle was repaired at a local repair shop. The door lock actuators failed and were repaired at a repair shop. The air bag light illuminated and the contact was informed that the air bag sensor had failed. The vehicle was being repaired. The rear windshield was beginning to detach from the structure of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 75,347 and the current mileage was 93,800.
The passenger side rear window went down 1/2 way then stopped. I tried to role it back up and it dropped down and would not come up or down. Then the top would not go down and the right wing flap froze open.i was told that it would cost 300.00 to go in and the part would cost 3-5 hundred for the part. I was told that this happened quit often on the 2003 vw conv. If that is the case, if this is such a wide spread and inherent problem, why has vw not been forced to recall and fix this problem. Would this come under the lemon law as it is a recurring problem that cannot be permenantly repaired. I understand that later models were given extended warranties to compensate for the problems. I will never trust vw dealerships or products again.
Rear window is deattaching from convertible top creating open space into car. Fabric shrinking back from glass. Headliner deattached from inside windows even though clips had already been replaced. $1850 for new top per dealer plus 6-8 hours for labor at $98 an hour.glass cannot be re glued ..whole top must be replaced. Vwoa customer care contacted many times and was told sorry you are over warranty. Many many people on line reporting same problem on the 2003 model. Vwoa not interested in checking into the problem only repeating that i am out of warranty. What happens if it falls out while driving..or falls in to the backseat and hits passenger or god forbid someone with a babyseat back there. Vwoa was not interested in the problem just in letting me know that there was no recall and it is not covered. There is nothing else wrong with the top it isa defect in the heat seal or adhesive holding the window in place. I have also had the same window problems asthe other complaints on the site but was still under warranty at the time. However ,from my internet search it seems that the rear convertible top window started falling out starting for most in 2008. I bought this car in 04 and can't believe icant even drive it safely even though i'm still making payments on itwithout making a $3000 repair.
2003 vw beetle convertible rear window regulator failurewith approx 23,000 miles on car. Both rear windows regulators have failed in the past year allowing the rear windows to fall down into the car with a very loud noise which could easily distract the driver. Once it has fallen down it cannot be raised and could cause problems in a very coldor hot environment. Vw has extended the warranty on the front windows but has done nothing about the rear window failures.
The rear windows on my 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible stopped working for no reason.
1) put the convertible top down2) rear passenger window went 1/2 way up and all the way down three times and then a grinding noise and window would not come back up again3) took to dealer for repairs, repair to cost about $1000.00 awaiting parts.
Both rear windows have stopped working.one is all the way down ther other 3/4 the way down.could be up to $2000 to repair both windows.
I own a 2003 vw beetle convertible, purchased new.only 42,000 miles on it.the front motor and module went our few days ago and had replaced.now the rear regulator is bad o the drivers side.i have read of a whole lot of complaints about this,why no recall, other model years have been, also the coil pack is bad and has been recall onother years.why don't include the 2003 model?thanks
Rear window is detaching from convertible top creating open space into car, rain entry and poor visibility thru rear view mirror when water is coming in.fabric shrinking back from glass.cannot be re glued. We have been advised the entire top must be replaced. Researching this on the internet as well as with a company that replaces convertible tops evidently his is common on the 2003 model. The rear convertible top window started falling out late 2008. I bought this car new and the warranty has expired.too many safety concerns driving in bad weather.
While the rear driver's side window was being lowered by the 20 year old female driver it made a horrendous grinding noise which caused the driver to nearly lose control as she tried to stop quickly.she fearedsomething in the rear wheel was breaking. A short time later the pasenger side window ground to a state of disrepair. Now the driver's side front window needs to be lowered very carefully to avoid engaging the automatic feature as this causes the window to make a terrible noise. This is very distracting to the driver to have to stop the window just before it reaches the fully open position.the rear windows have to be manually positioned just right to allow the convertible top to be lowered properly.also, when small children are in the back seat they may be able to cause the windows to fall down all the way subjecting them to ejection or the ability to fall out of the vehicle on their own.when it is raining or snowing the elements fly in throught the windows because they won't stay up.this is also very distracting and dangerous especially with small children in the back seat. Repair estimates for the rear windows start at $1500.00 which this particular owner/driver cannot begin to afford!. Vw refuses to address this problem.
My complaint is on the 2003 new beetle convertible rear window regulator. The window is down and will not roll up.i took my car into fix the backdrivers side window, and got a quote of $880 for each window. Why is vwoa making consumers pay for repairs on their cars when it is obviously a design flaw? i have read numerous websites and they were full of people just like me that get stuck with a bill from vw for something that they should be covering. Is there any type of class action happening about this? or possibly a recall? thank you!
Rear windows falling. Regulator brokenwhile moving. City.
Rear passenger side window has fallen down and the dealer wants around $1,000 to repair it.our thermostat went out last week and cost us $315 for just that, and then the next day our drivers side door hinge broke.the car has around 70,000 miles on it and things keep going wrong every week!i loved this car but the way it is going i will not buy another vw product (even though i owned 2 in the past).
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle.the contact stated that the driver side window would roll down and become stuck.the dealer replaced both window motors.the failure occurred on six occasions.the current mileage was 90,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.
Rear passenger window went down,but wouldn't come back up.
Both rear windows have stopped working.one is all the way down ther other 3/4 the way down.could be up to $2000 to repair both windows.
2003 vw beetle rear window issues. 3 times this has happened where the rear window wont roll up. 3 times vw dealership charged us close to a thousand dollars to fix because of there design flaw. So many people have had this problem its time to investigate...please!i have put the latest date this occurred, but as i say this has happened 3 times.
Rear driver side window- regulator.
Rear passenger side window has fallen down and the dealer wants around $1,000 to repair it.our thermostat went out last week and cost us $315 for just that, and then the next day our drivers side door hinge broke.the car has around 70,000 miles on it and things keep going wrong every week!i loved this car but the way it is going i will not buy another vw product (even though i owned 2 in the past).
2003 vw beetle shifts so very hard between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear it feels like the car is going to break.took to dealership to perform a diagnostic.they said it was the transmission gasket.i replaced it, problem still exists.driver's side window rolls down on its own.passenger side window hits the top (when putting it up) then rolls down.dealership says this is a safety feature.
2003 vw beetle convertible. Rear windows regulator/motors broke. Vw issued an extended warranty for front windows (7 years) rear windows have the same problem. Dealer wants $700.00 per side to fix. Windows do not roll down on command. Often fall on their own after a bump in the road.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle gls (n/a). The contact stated that the driver side rear window regulator was broken. The contact stated that the regulators on the different windows had been replaced five times. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the repairs would have to be performed at her expense. The current and failure mileages were 32,990.
The driver's side rear window fell down, and would not come back up. The dealership priced repair at over $600 dollars. Was told of extended warranty for up to 2002 models with similar problem, but not available for 2003 models.
Window switches/regulators on 2003 new beetle convertible continue to fail which then does not allow the windows to go up or down.one of my rear-seat quarter windows just fell into the window slot and i couldn't get it back up.windows that do not close all the way are safety issues.
Rolled the back window down on the passenger side, then when i went to roll it back up it failed and the window went down on its own.window is now inoperable.will have to replace back window regulator, new beetle convertible.
2003 vwnew beetle window regulators break and motors go out wayyyy too early. The 2005 and up are designed to pop down when you press the unlock button on the keyless entry but on the previous years, they do not. Therefore, this causes stress on thewindow and willnot close properly most of the time. Also, since they do not pop down with the keyless entry, when the temp drops below freezing and the car is outside, the windows freeze andwill not pop down to close the door until completely thawed out. Meaning you get to spend up to 45 mins with the door cracked waiting for the '!@#$% thing to unfreeze enough to pop down and close.
I have a 2003 vw beetle that only has 46,000 miles on it.the passenger side back window will not come up.before i took my beetle to the dealership to be fixed, i researched this problem on the internet and found that this is a known issue with vw beetles.there was a class action suit brought by the law firm of stueve siegel hanson in which vw agreed to(1) reimburse all expenses incurred by vw owners in the past related to replacing the defective window regulators, (2) install a redesigned metal window regulator replacing any failed window regulators (which used plastic components) under an extended warranty, (3) extend the warranty for all four window regulators at issue to 7 years from the date of the car purchase including 1999-2003 model year vw golf, gti and jetta and 1998-2003 model year vw beetle.however, when i spoke with vw about this agreement, they stated that my vw 2003 new beetle was not included in this settlement because it was a convertible.my car's window regulators are demonstrating the exact failure as these vehicles. It is unsettling to drive a car expecting a window to fall down into the tracks at anytime - especially if it is during the winter, raining, etc. This defect, in my opinion, is a safety issue.also it is unsettling that volkswagen of america does not have a company-wide policy concerning the reimbursement for this repair nor has instituted a recall to repair this defect. There are many horror stories of windows failing and cars being out of service for months while backordered parts arrive.i want volkswagen to cover the full cost to repair any defective window regardless of warranty status. Additionally, vw should be pro-active and issue a recall. This recall would improve volkswagen's customer service ratings by greatly decreasing the frustration and inconvenience caused by such failures. The lack of a recall gives the impression vw is profiting from the repairs of this defect, instead of taking action.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible.the contact's vehicle is equipped with windows that roll down slightly when the door is ajar and roll back up when the door is closed.however, when the vehicle was purchased, this feature failed to work properly.the contact had the driver side window motor replaced, but a few weeks later, the failure recurred.oftentimes, the contact would hear wind noise while driving or water would enter into the vehicle.currently, the vehicle is at the dealer for a diagnosis.the vin and engine size were unknown.the current and failure mileages were 44,000.
I have a 2003 vw new beetle convertible and both rear window regulators continually break. I was told that there is an active campaign going on with your agency to get this item covered as a recall by volkswagen. The item or complaint number that was given me is 10282664. These window regulators are of a defective design and should be covered by vw. I don't feel that they should prosper by selling the regulator kits that are necessary due to their faulty design. This will be the second time that i am replacing these items in a 7 year old car.
The window regulator has failed. When i roll the window up it starts going slowly when it's almost all the way up and then it makes a squealing noise and then once it reaches the top it rolls back down by itself without me touching anything. This is a safety hazard because if there is inclement weather, i cannot get my window to stay rolled up. My car is not safe left with the window rolled all the way down. This is not just an issue that i am having. There a forums filled with people experiencing the same problems all with 2003 vw beetles. It is a cheaply made part that has to be replaced professionally. It is not fair that everyone has to pay $300+ for repair that shouldn't happen this often in the first place.
The window regulator on the 2003 and 2004 volkswagen new beetle convertibles does not work properly.it does not allow the window to go down enough or sometimes not at all.this causes the window to rub against the convertible top.i now have a small tear in my top, which could lead to a larger tear or possible breakdown of my convertible top, rendering the car undriveable in my minnesota climate.this happens all the time with these cars and vw refuses to accept responsibility for their design flaw.this is unacceptable as the regulator can cost up to $700 per side to fix.this is outrageous for something that is happening to virtually every 03, 04 new beetle convertible.
The epc light comes on all the time, even after being fixed.the window regulators break.the battery has had to be replaced twice.the cv boot broke.
On the soft top convertible the windows drop when the door is opened and raised when the door is closed. Window still rolls up and down however the window doesn't respond to the door opening or closing anymore. This is a common and popular problem that needs to be addressed! expensive defect for unsuspecting owners.
I have a vw new beetle convertible 2003 less than 49,000.00 miles and suddenly both backwindows stop working properly.everytime i turn the engine the windows go down and do not want to close with the electric bottom,it is raining and my car is getting damage, i don't have extended warranty. I have called the dealer, i have been told, i have to pay for the repairs .now, i would like to know if there are any complains in regards to this issue, this is a defect, should thecompany be responsible?thank you,
Rear window will not come up. Other rear window is locked in up position as it broke 8 mo. Ago. There seems to be alot of this problem on the new beatle all years. Time for a recall?
I have had to replace all four power window regulators. I am now having to replace one of the replacements. This vehicle only has 83000 miles on it. The parts to repair this window are extremely expensive - over $500. I've already invested well over $1500 replacing the regulators already. Volkswagen is making defective parts and will not stand behind their product. I filed a complaint earlier on this vehicle for a defective airbag. This car has not been abused. I've taken good care of it. The airbag was never deployed or damaged in any way. If the airbag is defective it is because vw puts defective airbags in their vehicles.
Driverside rear electric window ceased functioning on my 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. This hinders lowering the top and i have learned that in some cases the window falls open and cannot be closed.while this has not happened yet, i worry that it might. The replacement part has been on national backorder for months.i have subsequently learned that this is a common problem with this vehicle and other owners are facing the same difficulty getting it resolved.i suspect this to be a seriously defective design to be happening so frequently.
2003 new vw beetle convertible passenger side rear quarter window.window fails to fully raise and will automatically open when it reaches 2/3 raised position.faulty window regulator. A very expensive repair.
2003 new beetle windows continue to fail rear window failed vw wants $900 to repair stuck in down position front window failed wants $700 for repair i had them fixed during warranty at least 10 times, i don't think they ever get fixed they just keep braking and now they want me to pay?
2003 beetle convertible right side window will not roll up or down.
From day one this car had transmission problems which were denied by the dealer on 5 visits, after i sold the car i received a recall from vw, now that i am looking at blogs they have apparently recalled this recall to suit them. Other complaints with this vehicle are window troubles, convertible roof troubles, electronic troubles, seatbelt troubles, airbag troubles. I can't believe anyone will allow this car to still be sold or on the road. It is a safety hazard on wheels.
In 2006 my right rear window stopped working, luckily the vehicle was still under warranty and the issue was fixed at no charge. Last week the rear driver's side window began having the same problem, and is now at the dealership and will likely cost me at least $900. I have looked at online message boards and found this to be a common problem with the 2003 vw new beetle convertible, and feel that vw should be paying for this, not car owners.
The window regulators/motors in my 2003 new beetle convertible have all broken. The front passenger broke twice. The back passenger is now broken and i can't afford to fix it. It is spring in chicago and rainy. Now i can't drive the car. The last time, the front and back driver's side windows broke. My dealer helped me with the cost since vwoa would not listen. I think i should be reimbursed for the last repair and get the new repair done and paid for by vwoa. Reading the chats and the complaints here tell me this is a known problem. I also was told by vwoa that the recall did not cover the beetle convertibles. What a loophole! if owners drive the cars regularly and don't baby the windows, they break. My kids' friends won't shut the doors because they are afraid the windows will break. Please force vwoa to pay for these repairs!
Odi number: 10282664hello,i have a 2003 vw new beetle turbo convertible with only 26,000 miles. I have had at least 5-6 repairs in the last two years. I'm the second owner of the car and purchased the car in 2008 after the warranty was up. Like many, i have had two problems with the rear window regulator on the left and right side in the last 6 months. The last repair to replace the right side window regulator was over $1,000 dollars and no the other side has the same problem. This should be a recall!
My drivers side window will not go up and to fix it will cost over 800 dollars. Several other people have complained about the same thing. Please do something because i cannot afford to pay there price again it has happened before.
I have a 2003 vw new beetle convertible and both rear window regulators continually break.i was told that there is an active campaign going on with your agency to get this item covered as a recall by volkswagen.the item or complaint number that was given me is 10282664.these window regulators are of a defective design and should be covered by vw.i don't feel that they should prosper by selling the regulator kits that are necessary due to their faulty design.this will be the second time that i am replacing these items in a 7 year old car.
2003 beetle convertible window regulators.
I took the top down this year for the first time the rear right side window went down but would not go up tried to get it fixed at the dealer they were going to charge more then $600.00 went somewhere else they took it apart and it started working fine then less then a week later it was stuck down again and two days later went up with some work now i don't even want to put it down at all!
Rear window is detaching from convertible top creating open space into car, rain entry and poor visibility thru rear view mirror when water is coming in.fabric shrinking back from glass.cannot be re glued. We have been advised the entire top must be replaced. Researching this on the internet as well as with a company that replaces convertible tops evidently his is common on the 2003 model. The rear convertible top window started falling out late 2008. I bought this car new and the warranty has expired.too many safety concerns driving in bad weather.
The contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle.the contact stated that the moonroof was seperating away from the vehicle.the vehicle was inspected by the dealer and they advised the contact that the roof of the vehicle would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.the manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 106,000.
Had just entered freeway, going probably 55 mph, when there was a loud noise and the car was out of control.thought the tire had blown, but the rim actually had a hole in it, with the impact direction going away from the tire, like it imploded.had to maneuver car to side of freeway and stop.put spare tire on car and took blown-out rim and tire to dealer.tire was fine, they refused to do anything about the rim because we were out of warranty on the car, even though it was a defective rim that could have caused a much more harmful accident.took car to tire shop and they had never seen anything like it before; ordered new rim and ended up putting same tire on new rim.
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