Volkswagen Beetle

I purchased my 2000 beetle in 2005. I asked for a car fax, which did not indicate any accidents, major repairs, or needed repairs. About a month or two of purchasing the car, the airbag light and engine light came on. I've spent thousands of dollars trying to have these issues fixed, and it's 2012, and I'm still repairing the same issues. Both VW Springfield and Woodbridge, located in Virginia, have not been able to fix any of the problems. I just spent another $1,800 in repairs for the engine, and other things that they claim came from water getting into the engine coils. The engine light just came back on, after only a few months. Why can't VW mechanics repair VW vehicles?

In 2007 I purchased a brand new Volkswagen Beetle. Now that the vehicle is paid off and only has 73,000 miles, it is giving me problems. My daughter was driving on the freeway about 60 mph and the rpm went in the red area and the speed went from 60 to 30 mph in seconds. We took the car in to have them check it out and said we need to replace the transmission. They gave us a price which is $5600.00. I explained all the cars I have had in the past never had to replace a transmission especially a vehicle that haven't hit 100,000 miles.

I spoke to Jorge, he is the gentlemen that told me I needed to replace the transmission. He said it was internal problem but because I was past my warranty, I had to pay for it. My husband spoke to Oscar over the phone and Oscar stated they know there is a transmission problem, but it has to go through corporate and there was nothing they can do about it. I asked Jorge, "Isn't this a safety issue?" He couldn't tell me. That's horrible that Volkswagen service department knows there's something wrong with the transmission on almost every model, but no one is doing anything about it! I will never buy a Volkswagen again!

I'm not exactly dissatisfied of having purchased a Beetle. In my opinion, I don't think that Beetles should cost as much as they do, brand new. I believe that Beetles are overly priced. I also noticed that they had a recall on the windows for some models right around the time my window went out. They should have had a recall on all of the Beetle models. I had a lot of problems with my front window and my car is not old. The dealer refused to pay or at least give me some kind of deal to negotiate. Beetles are fantastic on gas, but they can be better. I wonder if these newer Beetle models will last as long as the older models.

I bought a 2007 automatic hatchback New Beetle in 2009. I love it and I haven't had any problems with it (except one of the clips broke that hold in the cover to the sunroof control, which I fixed easily with mighty putty). I'm sorry that some people are having trouble, but not everyone is. Mine still looks and drives like new. I do wish it got better gas mileage.

I own a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle limited convertible. The top was repaired several times a year while under warranty. Now it's not under warranty and does not work. The rear lights kept blowing out and bulbs were very expensive. I finally had it repaired and then the company has a recall after I paid monies to repair the problem monthly, not to get a moving violation ticket. Window regulators were repaired every time the car went in for service about 2x per year. Window regulators not working and I was told by the dealer that the entire window assembly needed to be replaced at $800 a window.

Within one month, I rebuilt the transmission, replaced a coil in the first cylinder and replaced the secondary air injection system including hoses in the tune of over $6000 cash! Every problem is a noted problem and or complaint by another beetle owner on the internet. I am financially committed to the vehicle once again. Had I know this prior to my purchase, I would have never purchased this car. My car looks like a cherry, everyone compliments it, but is actually a lemon! This car has never been 100% since I drove it off the dealer lot.

Volkswagen will not acknowledge the consistent complaints. My dealership is out of business and other dealerships do not honor transfer business. Parts and labor are extremely expensive. I called customer care and received no solution. I have no idea how to handle these issues. What will go wrong next?

I purchased a 2004 VW new Beetle convertible for my wife. We use it very little, currently at 45,000 miles. I have replaced the rear window regulator on passenger side about two months ago. Yesterday the driver passenger window regulator failed. The interior vinyl door covering is sagging and coming off the doors, the ash tray on the center console will no longer close, and the axle boots have split. VW has convinced me to never buy another car from them. From all of the web site postings I read, window regulators are a big issue with owners. $365.00 to replace a $30.00 item.

I bought my '98 Volkswagen beetle after working my first job for about 8 months, for my 17th birthday. I soon figured out it was a huge mistake. When I bought the car, the people who sold it to me completely rushed me into buying it and would not take it back . The day after I bought it , I tried to start it and it just wouldn't start. Soon we found out it was the charging system! So to drive it now, I have to charge it every night. Very, very irritating when I come home from a 10-hour day and I have to plug my car in and worry about it not starting all the time. Also the check engine light has been on since I got it. Battery light comes on, off and on and the cooling system light comes on. I recently took it to some to get have it looked at and I was told that would be expensive and most likely I would have to take it to Steven Volkswagen. Wow, what a great 17th birthday present. I just wish the people I bought it from would not have sold it to me. They knew the problems but hid it from us. They charged it before we test drove it so we had no idea it had these problems.

I own a 2004 1.8 turbo Beetle convertible. I bought it in 2006 with 30,000 miles. I replaced the clutch at 40,000 ($1400.00). I have replaced both rear windows ($390.00 for kit), driver's side window ($680.00) and window regulator ($300.00). The airbag light on at 55,000 and passenger side seatbelt assembly ($280.00) were also replaced. Now the airbag light is on again. There are problems with convertible top mechanism, convertible flap problems, thermostat light on, oil light and chimes on randomly (antifreeze and oil changed regularly). It ends up being $1000 plus every time it is taken to a shop. I had a Volkswagen years ago but will never buy another Volkswagen.

My overall experience has been very disappointing. Every single thing that can go wrong has happened to that car. We own a 2004 VW Beetle Turbo convertible. When we got it, we had the transmission problems, problems with the headlight, and with the control module.

Everything is falling, literally. On the backseat, there is a small compartment to put things, it's broken. The glove compartment is broken. The rear view mirror's right side is broken. I already need a new air conditioning compressor. I have also replaced the thermostat and some valves beside the whole transmission.

Now it needs brakes and it is leaking oil. Oh my God! My daughter was driving the car on IH 35 on a very congested area and the vehicle just went crazy. She was afraid that it was just going to speed up until it wouldn't stop! She called me crying and I could actually hear the car when she was calling. She was about to call 911 for help!

I have a 2006 VW convertible, closed the drivers side door when the window on the drivers side was down, and it spontaneously shattered. This is the second time, this window has shattered, (once previously when it was rolled up), since I have owned this car. The replacement cost is $193. I have read that this is common. VW should be held accountable for this equipment failure and recall, and repair. Loss of money, time, and glass all over my garage.

I used to love VW for their quality and craftsmanship. That is no longer true. I'm having problem with burnt oil with 60K miles on the car and the transmission shift, like it slips them, finally slams into gear in the morning. VW said there is nothing to be done since it is a sealed transmission. I have other minor problems, such as coolant sensor, O2 sensor, power door lock, lights popping out of socket, crumbling/disintegration of oil dipstick, and yearly replacement of head light bulbs. From the very little to big things, it is just not a good brand anymore. Sorry.

I am currently paying on a used 2005 Volkswagen Beetle. I am 76 years of age with not a lot experience in mechanics. But, I know when I have paid twice times for the same complaint without results that something is wrong. The problem is that after letting my car sit for a day or more, the battery dies on it. The last time this has happened, shortly after Thanksgiving, my battery began to smoke after one attempt of jumping the battery. I believe the repair people were putting bandaids on the problem instead of fixing it all together.

My car has given me so many problems and very expensive ones too. I have spent easily $1000 every time and this isn't maintenance. The most recent being headlight lens falling off. I have bought 2 headlight assemblies at $400 with labor for each and the one I replaced a little over a year ago is falling off again. I called up VW customer care and they told me that because it is over a month over a year, the warranty is void and I will have to replace again the second time for the driver side.

The design of the headlight is unbelievable! Who makes it so when it heats up it falls off? The design of the car and it being so compact has cause me many extra hours of labor that other cars don't require. There are so many horrible things with this car and VW in general.

I purchased a 2004 convertible new Beetle about 6 months ago for $58,000. New transmission and refurbished transmission valve assembly were installed a week prior to my purchase due to lurching. I now have 62,000 miles and the transmission that was supposedly fixed is acting up again.

I used to be a VW enthusiast, having owned 3 VWs since I got my license at the age of 17. It is safe to say that I will never own another VW again.

I currently own a 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle with just about 79,000 miles. Around 70,000 miles, I noticed some issues with the shifting of my car. The car slipped in and out of gear freely and at a big risk to public safety (The car will chirp and leap forward, even with my foot off the gas pedal, and I almost rear-ended a motorcyclist once.). And when it slipped in to neutral, especially while at a busy intersection, I do fear for my own safety.

After spending hours researching the problem online, I noticed very quickly that the transmission problem is definitely a known issue with VW. I have read hundreds of complaints that mirrored the exact problems I am having and that's not including the people who just pay out-of-pocket for a new transmission and don't bother to post their mechanical issues online!

With such low mileage and the dealer cost of replacing the transmission (since VW dearlerships don't repair transmissions; they only replace them) costing more than the current value of the car, I thought surely VW could offer some sort of assistance. So I utilized VW of America's live chat feature and chatted with Brian **. While he was kind, it went nowhere. He couldn't help. He was sorry, so on and so forth. After mentioning that I am concerned for my safety while in the vehicle, he offered the phone number for Customer Care. So I called the phone number and spoke to Allison. While she was kind as well, she said there was nothing VW would do for me. Apparently, my car was just outside of warranty for a valve body replacement, which has been reported to solve the issue.

I purchased a 2004 VW Beetle convertible 1.8L turbo new and it has had all kinds of problems from the very beginning. These problems are complicated by the actions of the dealer in my area and my communications with VW directly have been unproductive. I have had numerous problems with the engine light. This time, I was told it was a problem with the thermostat. After replacing the thermostat, I was told the problem was with a sensor. I replaced that and now they say it is the water pump and its plastic impeller.

Mind you, I paid their $98 fee for a "VW computer diagnostic test" that I was assured would "pinpoint the problem". The only thing that VW computer diagnostic testing has done was pinpoint the credit limit on my credit card! Everything breaks on this VW and due to the design, the labor costs for any repair is very high. Just wait until you need to replace the bulb in the headlight or replace the battery and learn that you must go to a mechanic because half the engine has to be removed just to access the part. And this is a car with only 59,000 miles! My first car was a 1969 VW Beetle and I thought this 2004 VW would be my last car. Well, it will be my last VW!

When is someone going to do something about these 'so called' VW beetles, which are a total piece of junk?

I purchased a 2005 Beetle in March of 2006. Two years later, roll over bag light came on. There's too much to fix, six months later the top came unattached on the passenger side and 2 months after that the knob fell off of the emergency brake. A week after, the handle to the left seat for back entry broke and now the transmission needs to be replaced right after the 5 years 60,000 mile warranty expired. The car is so cute and I really love it but I can't afford it. Others had told me about Volkswagen but I just didn't listen. Before you go shopping for a new car, read all you can about a Volkswagen.

Two months after I purchased a new 2003 Beetle convertible, I found myself coming back for a service almost every 2 months. Most were for the blasted check engine light that could, and I quote, "be anyone of a thousand things!" I was under warranty so other than the inconvenience, no money exchanged hands. After 50,000 miles, I was forced to buy the extended warranty because the car was in the shop every other month and I had grown fond of it because it is fun to drive, when I had it.

Problems are and are not limited to: thermostat, cooling system, electrical system, oil dipstick hull cracked, exploding battery, dead battery, all windows failed to work and needed parts that took 2 days to order, airbag sensors malfunctions, flaps malfunction on convertible hinges, liner pulled away from roof 3 times in 2 years, timing off, and many more.

On 09/06, I took my VW Bug to Gabriels Automotive due to the check engine light on and popping out of gear, tranny problems. They kept my car for 4 days, replaced the 4 spark plugs, and repaired a light bulb, which I did not request. They flushed my engine and charged me $608.00. My check engine light is still on. The car is behaving the exact same way. When I asked why it costs so much for the repair and the car is not fixed, Gabriel stated to me: "You work at the prison. It's not a big deal. You make money." I said: "What difference does that make? My car is not fixed." I produced a coupon advertisement from the yellow pages and he refused to accept it. My car is still not repaired.

I bought a brand new 2003 convertible Beetle. It only has 60,000 miles on it, but needs a new transmission. I am seriously worried about the safety of these vehicles; my car jerks, lurches and gets stuck in first gear. I can't bring passengers in my car because it is embarrassing and it's unsafe. Volkswagen wants to charge me $5500 for repairs, which is more than the car is worth. I have purchased three new Volkswagens and will never do so again unless the company rectifies this. It is unacceptable for a transmission to go bad at 60,000 miles.

Our 2004 VW Beetle Convertible developed a transmission problem in June of 2010 at approximately 87k miles. We immediately took the car to the VW dealership in Orlando, FL for a diagnosis.

To make a long story short, we spent approximately $1,200 on repairs that were suggested by their service department. This was to further help in diagnosing and eventually correcting the problem of the transmission jerking, slipping, and not shifting properly. It was finally decided by the service department on 7/15 that we needed to replace the transmission's valve body assembly at their quoted cost to us of $2,191. We decided it was not affordable at the time. And we were thinking if we really want to invest this additional $2,200 on top of our initial $1,200 just in order to get our car's transmission to perform properly. We realized we could not trade the car in and receive any fair value. Furthermore, we couldn't think of selling it privately without disclosing its apparent transmission problem and the assessed cost to repair it. As a result, we have been faced with driving the car this past year very sparingly and very cautiously.

My wife refuses to drive it. One day, while she waiting for a light to change, the car lunged forward while her foot was on the brake and tapped into the car in front of her. Luckily, the woman who was hit did not want to make a big issue of it because there was no major damage. She accepted my wife's apology and they both went on their way.

Moving ahead from that unfortunate set of circumstances to today, surprisingly last month, we learned something through an inquiry we made at the same dealership regarding our convertible top leaking. VW issued an "extended warranty" specifically on the transmission "valve body" for our model/year Beetle. The warranty extension was for 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the car's original in-service date. In our case, it was documented on October 25, 2003. Since our transmission valve body was diagnosed as defective by the same VW service dept. in July, 2010, (3 months prior to our 7 yr. in service warranty expiring) we made an inquiry on 8/31/11. We called VW customer care at 1-800-822-8987 at the suggestion of the service dept. adviser.

I spoke initially to one of VW's customer care advocates named Tracy. She confirmed that there was indeed an extended warranty on our model/year for the defective valve body. She also acknowledged that since we were in the VW dealership in July 2010 with having it diagnosed to be replaced, we would most likely be covered by the extended warranty. Tracy stated she needed to research the service department's records, and then pass on all the information onto one of their regional case managers who would contact me back in 24 hrs.

The next day on 9/1/10 at 1:24 p.m, I received a call from a VW case manager named Leslie. Leslie proceeded to explain that our case would not be covered by VW's extended warranty. It was because, first, we elected to not have the $2,191 quoted repair cost performed by the local VW service dept. back in July, 2010. Second, our 7-year warranty expired on 10/25/2010, exactly 7 years from the car's original in-service date. Furthermore, Leslie explained that if we would have elected to pay for the repairs in July 2010, Volkswagen of America, Inc. would have reimbursed us for the full amount of parts and labor totaling $2,291.

At first, it was extremely difficult for me to wrap my somewhat rational and logical mind around Leslie's very confusing explanation and reasoning behind their decision. It made no difference after I explained the facts of the matter that first, we were clearly diagnosed with a defective valve body. Second, we were in effect covered during the time period of their extended warranty by at least 3 months. We elected to not have the part replaced at the tune of $2,200 then. But we should have qualified for this extended warranty repair when it became announced months later. I asked why anyone at the VW dealership service dept. didn't inform us that there was an extended warranty. Leslie stated the warranty wasn't put into effect until November 2010.

Still bewildered by all this double-talk, I proceeded to ask then if that was the case. It's clear that VW is acknowledging they are responsible for the defective transmission valve body, regardless of whether we did not have it replaced at the time while we were technically still under warranty. Why then are you excluding us from legitimately having this repair covered at all now, now that we have finally found out there was an extended warranty issued? Leslie said their decision was final and there was nothing more that could be done. The claim and case were closed!

Afterwards, I thought how convenient for Volkswagen of America, Inc. to wait so long to finally issue a bogus "extended warranty" on this obvious defective valve body repair seven years plus, after it started to show up on 2003-2005 VW Beetles. I believe VW intentionally and deceptively knew that it could disqualify thousands of other Beetle owners. It could disqualify those who legitimately experienced these same transmission problems, without any recourse from VW. This would happen once their original 7-yr. or 100,000 mile in-service warranties ran out by waiting years to announce this extension.

Much to my added annoyance and disturbance over this decision, I received a VW customer care survey questionnaire the very next day via email. Here is what I wrote as my final response: "If you offer a recall or extended warranty on defective parts that potentially may result in a serious or fatal injury to the owner of a VW vehicle, then I would suggest you take the ethical and moral responsibility of replacing the parts and or correcting the issue without excuse, additional cost, or inconvenience to the vehicle owner. We are appalled and now even more disgruntled by what VW's final decision and reasoning was regarding the extended transmission warranty on our 2004 new Beetle convertible. We will never consider purchasing or leasing a VW or Audi vehicle in the future. And we will not hesitate describing to others what exactly led us to making this decision.

I then decided as a local recourse to write directly to the owner of the VW dealership. Two days later on 9/9 at 2:03 pm, I received a call from the service manager at the local VW dealership. Apparently, my letter was forwarded on to him. He wanted to know what he could do whatever it takes! This was to make amends and resolve the extreme disappointment and disgruntlement my wife and I have had back then, and now over this matter. I suggested to him to simply convince Volkswagen of America, Inc. to stand behind their extended warranty on the valve body and repair our cars transmission as intended. He stated it was more complicated and quite difficult to get them to do that. But he suggested I bring the car in for an inspection to determine what a trade in value would be, and then he would pull out all the stops to get us into a different car. That is your typical mantra from a typical car salesperson/service manager!

Nothing in our lengthy telephone conversation was ever mentioned or even suggested by him as to how to get our vehicle properly repaired. He also informed me that the "extended warranty" was not announced to them until February 2011. Thus, it's giving VW even more time for original in-service 7-year or 100,000 mile warranties to expire.

Since I had nothing better to do at this point, I drove the car to the dealership to meet face to face with the service manager. I handed him the follow-up response letter I requested and recently received from VW customer care. This was from a person named Ross **, who I had no prior direct conversation with throughout all this. After reading the letter, he appeared to be just as confused over VW's convoluted reasoning for their decision to not repair our vehicle as we have been made aware these past few weeks. When asked, he couldn't even answer me truthfully what he would have done if he received such a non-sensible letter. It became quite clear as I suspected all along. All this service manager wanted to do was get us to purchase another vehicle, whether it was another VW, or Chevrolet, or Toyota from one of their other dealerships.

I was about to leave. I realized that he did not have any interest to repair our vehicle, nor attempt to convince Volkswagen of America, Inc. to repair it. Then, he presented me with a laughable wholesale trade-in value on our car of $4,000, providing we were to consider trading with them. At this juncture, we are not, nor ever will. Also, the fine print of accepting VW's paltry offer of $1,500 (5%) loyalty voucher, offered on another VW as stated in their response letter, is for purchasing a new VW vehicle only. At this juncture, we will not!

We have meticulously maintained this vehicle inside and out. And we would want nothing more than to have it repaired properly and get it back on the road in a safe condition. That didn't seem to make much of a difference with their insulting trade-in offer, nor their non-interest to simply repair the vehicle and allow us to continue to. "Enjoy the unique driving experience your New Beetle was built to provide" as sarcastically and insultingly stated in their standard form letter response.

2003 Volkswagen Beetle Transmission

It costs $2700.00 to replace a defective valve body in my recently purchased, used 2003 Beetle. I had it checked over (specifically the transmission) at Joe Pecheles in Greenville, NC which is an authorized dealer/repair center for VW. I was told there was nothing wrong with it. 2000 miles later, it started acting up and now will not shift any higher than 3rd gear. I called VW USA headquarters and they told me, "sorry for the inconvenience, but there was nothing they could do". I have checked on line and there are tons of complaints about the transmission in this vehicle. VW knew they were defective and extended the warranty, but it is only good for 100K or 10 years. Mine expired in May 2010. The vehicle has 92K miles. This is going to be a major hardship for my family. We purchased this vehicle for our niece who is in college, working 2 jobs. She needed good, reliable transportation so we dipped into retirement to buy this $8000.00 dollar lemon. We have not even had it for a full 3 months. Volkswagen doesn't care.

The basic description is that I have owned a 2004 VW Beetle for about 3 weeks now. The first week, the car was great. The guy I got it from informed me that the airbag light was a recall so I didn't worry. I took my car to VW and they replaced the recalls (there was actually two) and checked over the car because I told them sometimes when I put it into drive, it didn't go. It came down to I wasn't putting it all the way in drive? Anyways a week later, I left for work and turned on my car, I was looking for a CD and then my car just turned off. I looked on the dash and my battery symbol was on and so I was like "so, my battery died".

What the **. I got a jump and made it home. I pulled in the parking lot and my check engine light came on. I went inside and came back out. I turned the car on and the lights were gone. I drove two hours with no problems. Next day, I got the battery tested and it was fine. Few hours later, I turned on my car and it shut off. I couldn't get into VW for two days so I had to deal with my car starting, then randomly shutting off. I had to drive two hours freaking out to get home, worried that my car was going to randomly shut of.

Next morning, I am leaving to go to Volkswagen and my car keeps shutting off. I have a check engine light on so I went to auto zone and they got a code for a crank shift position sensor. I told VW and they said they are going to look at it. I made it to work and I have it towed there. They had it for four hours and finally told me I have to spend $800 to fix some coils. I also need to fix my thermostat which is another $300. I almost had a heart attack but I had to do it. They fixed it, I left. The next morning, it did it again. I made my car made it to Volkswagen (missing work) and I am pretty ticked at this point. They basically were acting all calm. I found out they didn't even fix the sensor I mentioned, but they ended up fixing a lot for me. It has been a week since then and I didn't have any problems until yesterday. As of today, my car has been at VW for 8 hours with no idea what is wrong with it.

I just bought the car the past month, a 2006 New Beetle Convertible. The edges of the convertible top have peeled away from the back window. This car has a little over 18K miles on it and a "clean" car fax report.

They wanted me to pay almost $900 in repairs to replace the top. I've only dropped the top a couple of times--too hot in South Florida during summer to do that.

I went to this dealership, Coral Group Inc, on the last week of june 2011 to try to purchase a vehicle. This gentleman, named Gus, was my sales representative. He showed me the car that I was looking for which was a 2004 Volkswagen Beetle. I fell in love with it. So a week later, I purchased it with a loan I had gotten from a bank. The total for the car was $9000 which included one year warranty on engine, electrical and transmission. About three days after I purchased the car, I noticed that the roof was leaking; pieces were detaching. I took the car back and they said that they would order the pieces and fix the problem.

I drove to Tallahassee to visit my parents. On the first week of July, when I arrived at my parents' house, the car started to act weird and it was not accelerating and the breaks were giving out on me. I called the dealership and they said that the car has a warranty in Miami, FL not Tallahassee, FL.

The car was not driveable so I took it to an advance auto parts and in their diagnosis computer, it stated that there are four sensors wrong with the vehicle. I went to my mechanic in Tallahassee and he showed me that there was a hole on the engine and it was cracked and the dealership had just put black tape electric tape over it. The other hole next to it was broken. My mechanic said to just keep and eye out on the car and that I can make it to Miami.

I went to the dealership when I arrived in Miami on July 6th. Their mechanic told me that it's the weekend and that they don't look or work on cars on Friday, Saturday or Sunday and to come back on Tuesday. The car was in bad shape and as we were driving home, the engine blew up and it did not wanna move.

On the following Tuesday, my mechanic drove it to the dealership and at this point, the car was smoking bad and shaking. As soon as we got there, the car took the last breath it had and died. I left the car to them for about three weeks and a half. When I got my vehicle back, the owner stated that he put in a used engine and that the holes were fixed. We asked for documentation of the used engine but he gave me nothing at all. As I was driving home, the temperature light came on stating that the car was heating up. I barely made it home and the car was acting up again.

On August 5th, I called them and they told me to bring it back in, but the car does not start or nothing at all. I finally was able to start the car, on August 22nd, with the help of my mechanic and today I'm taking it back.

I am seriously concerned with the safety of people driving Beetles. I have a 2004 Beetle automatic transmission bought in 2006. I bought it when it was around 30K miles and still under warranty. From the very beginning, lights would constantly go out. Windows electronically failed and my airbag malfunctioned. I had to get all of these items fixed around 2008 (at this point, it was maybe 40K miles because I worked from home!). Around 07- 08, I was on a CA Freeway (scary!), just driving along at a highway speed. And all of a sudden, it would grind and almost downshift to a lower gear. I would push my foot on the gas pedal strongly. It would slowdown to almost a stall, then jerk really bad and kick in, and finally go back to acceleration. I was almost killed not just once but several times, when this happened on freeways and side roads. It was very scary.

I took it in to VW soon after. And because I still had my powertrain warranty left, they replaced the transmission with a "refurbished factory transmission". They acted like they had never heard of such a problem. I then looked online and saw hundreds of customers had the same problem. What was even stranger was when they hooked it up to diagnostics, nothing was wrong with my car. They also drove it around the block. And of course, it didn't do for them. But finally, they decided to fix it. I could not begin to understand why the transmission needed to be replaced. The car did not have much wear and tear or miles for that matter. I had worked from home for years and had no commute. Not to mention, I live in a warm climate.

They replaced it. Over a year later, it started doing it again occasionally. It was convenient for them considering I was past the 12 months work guarantee! It started doing the weird thing where you are driving along and it suddenly slows down out of nowhere. Then, you can't get it to go and someone is behind you and almost rear ends you! And then, it jerks and finally kicks in. At this point, I already pushed my hazards and I was panic stricken I'm going to get hit. I took it in to a VW dealer. They did a computer diagnostic and found nothing wrong with my car! Seriously? Yesterday, I was going up a Canyon road in major LA traffic and it did the weird sudden downshift thing again. The guy behind me laid on the horn and almost hit me. I was so scared.

Online, I saw that other customers had received letters regarding the valve body getting replaced. I never got a letter about them replacing a valve for free. I heard this doesn't solve the problem of the transmissions. And I heard that it's probably just a company cover up, so they don't look like they are not taking care of the problem, when the real problem is the whole transmission and everything connected to it. There should be a massive recall. Anyway, I finally got them to give me the valve, but that still did not solve the problem.

The next week, it did the same jerking problem all over again. So, I brought it back in again. They now say it's my wires connected to something or other causing the transmission to jerk. So, I paid for them to do that. And guess what? It's still doing the same problem! Oh, and the best part was when I left the dealer. He said, "Well it's probably a bad transmission, so we are probably going to have to replace it again! It's hilarious - two transmissions in an automatic in 3 years, with hardly any miles added to it. Oh, and ever since I left the dealer, there is some weird fan noise coming on inside my engine area. And now, the check engine light is on! It makes me wonder if they did that to me. At this point, I find them to be the shadiest company I have ever dealt with I guess. Anything is possible.

I just don't get why VW is not addressing this issue. It reminds me of the Ford Pinto. All those people were killed, even though Ford knew there was a defect in the engine that if hit, would cause a fire or explosion. This went on for a while. Several people were killed in the process before Ford got busted. This is very similar, because it is such a serious problem that can occur at a high speed. I am wondering why nobody is doing anything about this. Toyota's recent problems that caused serious accidents were immediately addressed. I could hurt myself or someone else especially on the freeway!

I am going to try to bring it to the dealer again. But honestly, if giving me a brand new transmission didn't fix it, then what on earth will? I'm sure, this time they will tell me I have to pay for it again. Ugh. I can't wait to get rid of this car. I will never buy a VW again. There should be a rule against them continuously misdiagnosing the same problem over and over and not fixing it properly. If they would just be honest and deal with things, then in the long run people will not have a bad image of them. But when they lie and are dishonest, it leaves such a bad taste in everyone's mouth, especially when dealing with major safety issues! What car company ignores such a dangerous issue?

**

I bought a 2005 VW New Beetle in November 2010, right before Thanksgiving. I was so happy because it was shiny, clean with leather heated seats and has a sun roof that was awesome. I'd owned a Jetta prior, but lost my job. So, I lost the car, as well. I absolutely loved that car, so when I came across the Beetle (the one I always thought was cool), I jumped at the chance.

I test drove it on the highway about two miles out and back, and everything was fine. When I finished the purchase, my boyfriend, at the time, asked to drive it home since he'd fill it up with gas, so I agreed. When he got home, he said that it seemed as if there was a transmission problem because the tail end was delayed in catching up while braking. I thought he'd drive the standard option wrong, and it would be fine. When I began driving myself, I noticed the same thing. Sudden jerking and shifting from second into third and back down from third to second. This only happened about five minutes after driving it, and until I shut the car off. When I started it again after about five minutes, it would begin jerking me while shifting up and down. I told the salesman about it, and he told me to take it to their mechanic. They gave me the runaround for a month, and then finally settling on getting the transmission replaced after I pay the $200 warranty deductible.

Of course, I was upset. I decided to take it to a real VW mechanic. In the meantime, I noticed that the car was driving rough, and it was guzzling gas. After $89 and three days for diagnostics, I was told that not only does my transmission needed to be replaced, but the Tiptronic switch (which was causing the jerking) ($700), fuel tank (because there was a leak in it and poorly patched) ($1200), two front tires ($120 each plus labor), two front brake pads ($500), driver's side CV boot (this was covered in my warranty after the $200 deductible, but it costs $200 anyway) and the driver's side brake, tail light switch ($30 plus labor) needed to be replaced too. The passenger air bag is also faulty, and last week the check engine light came on.

The jerking is worse than ever now, and even if I drive it in the standard, it still will stall in switching gears. The driver's side automatic window switch is all but fallen out. There's a piece between the seat warmer switched that keeps popping out. The driver's side door handle is loose, and I swear will rip off any day now. You would never know any of this from the outside, but I'm so embarrassed when it happens.I try not to be first at the light (Laughing Out Loud). I don't allow my three year old to ride with me anymore either. After trying to find out what was wrong with this thing, I've discovered that many people are describing very similar things also.

VW should be ashamed of themselves for producing and allowing such a product to stay on the roads. Families are riding in these vehicles, and they buy them in good faith that VW is supposed to be a reputable company with good quality means of transportation, or so I thought. I for one is very disappointed and sad, that I will never own or allow any member of my family to own a Volkswagen. It's a terrible shame. I feel bad for those Oprah viewers who received the 2012 Beetle. It's only a matter of time that they will be writing a complaint too.

I bought a 2005 VW special slate gray GLS convertible with all clean records from the carfax from a very trusted dealer here in Nashville,Tn. I bought this ** in the end of September last year. It is July and I have not even had it for a year. I have put about $4,000 into it since then and got into an argument with the morons who work at the VW dealer in ** about the warranty with the ** transmission. The ** convertible top sensor and bolts holding my engine, fell out leaving my engine hanging out of my car. The ** windows that squeal when you roll them up, gets stuck over the convertible top. The ** suspension, not to mention the ** inside squeaks as well. The ** headlights, tail lights, turn signals and backlights, ALL have to be replaced every single month pretty much.

This car is a ** joke. VW is a ** JOKE. There are MILLIONS of complaints just like mine. I guess I should have read them before I got ** in the **

Feb1 2011 purchased a used 2003 Volkswagen Beetle for my teenage daughter. 80,000 miles on the car. Thought I was getting a good deal but it really was a nightmare deal. The car transmission started slipping and getting stuck in a gear. The car would lunge forward with no warning and sometimes it would barely move when starting to move after you have stopped at a redlight etc...

Google 2003 VW Beetle Convertible transmission problems. VW has a transmission that is in a variety of VW models but has a ton of them in this particular car.

The short of it is that this transmission has known issues and at any speed can go out and in the case of my wife it was while she was driving and her tires squealed and it threw her forward. Luckily she wasn't hurt but this is not an isolated case.

VW knows they have a design flaw in the transmission as acknowledged by their letter to all the affected owners which extended their warranty to 100k. However, they are offering to replace them until your car has too many miles on it (leaving you with a defective transmission).

2002 VW beetle, had my seat belt switch need to get replaced. The air bag warning light is still on and I have had to replace, wheel bearings(both rear), windshield wiper motor and many other things. I would understand this if the car had tonnes of miles on it, but it actually has 80000 kms. That is not bad. But I have to get the air conditioner engagement clutch replaced and the door latches need to be replaced since it alarms itself.

I bought a 2001 1.8L Turbo Volkswagen Beetle in 2007 and since the day I bought it, I have had nothing but problems with it. It was the worst investment I've ever made. I'll never buy a Volkswagen again. I bought it at 60,000 miles only to find out that's when they start falling apart. I have had my car for four years. Out of those four years, it has managed to run a total of one. Right after I bought it, I already had it in the shop for a check engine light and an air bag light. I loved how it looked and figured it would be a quick fix and I'd have my pretty little 5 speed back.

The check engine light alone cost me $700.00 to repair an O2 sensor since my car was slurping gas. It has also had the temp-sender, a seal and LX air meter replaced. I didn't' have the air bag light replaced because I am a broke college kid and it was going to cost me another couple hundred for them to remove the seat to fix it. On November of 2008, I didn't even have the car for a year when it hit 92,000 miles. All the sudden, I was driving down the highway and it stopped running. My timing belt had the teeth eaten off of it. My head contacted the pistons and the top half of my motor was destroyed. I had the car fixed. Not even a month later, Volkswagen told me I needed a complete new engine, which is another $3,000 out of my pocket. I've replaced the starter twice, the alternator, the battery three times, my driver side window regulator, the ground cable, my coolant tank and a hose that went to it.

Even after the new engine was in, I've continued to have nothing but trouble. I already had it in the shop for another check engine light. I had the coils and plugs changed. I had them run a fuel injector flush on it because it was also showing on the scan tool there may be something wrong. This was a month ago. Since this just in the last two weeks, my car has not wanted to start. After replacing the starter, alternator and the battery, it's still not starting. It goes into Volkswagen again on Tuesday. It's pretty bad when the people at Volkswagen and Autozone know me by name because I'm in there so much which crap wrong with my car.

Not to mention, when I stuck my key in the ignition 5 mins ago to try to get it to start, the ignition broke. It now spins in circles and doesn't do anything. I've spent 7,000 fixing the piece and I haven't been able to pay off because it keeps breaking down every other week. I drive for my job and this car is a huge stress. I hate it. Don't' buy one. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to buy mine. I should paint my black bug bright yellow because the piece of crap is a lemon!

Not to mention, the inside is falling apart. It's a 5 speed and the button for the e-brake came off, both the automatic window clips have broken on both the passenger and driver side doors and the plastic on the side of the center console pops off all the time. It literally sits more than I get to drive it. The only good thing about it is its light enough for a 110 pound girl to push by herself. I still owe $3,000 on it. The only thing I want is my money back and to never look at it again. I've never hated something so much. The worse part is I don't want to sell it to someone else because I would feel awful that they're stuck with such a piece of junk.

My 2005 VW Beetle convertible makes me want to cry. I adore my car and in return it is sucking me dry. It has 45k and has required a rear window regulator, broken ashtray (I have never even used it), water pump, timing belt, fan, battery, alternator, finicky convertible retractor, tires and the front driver window does not seal. I want to cry now after thinking that I have put the same amount as I purchased the car for in repairs, only to read that I have a transmission failure to look forward to. I am going to have to sell my baby!

I almost got $4500 in repairs and counting!

I bought my wife a cyber green 2005 Beetle convertible for her 40th birthday. She loves it, but it has been a nightmare. So many things have gone wrong with the car, it would take me an hour to detail them. We actually filed a lemon law suit against VW of America and lost on a technicality! They spent at least 3 times to proposed settlement in attorney fees because they are arrogant fools. Or are they smart? Depends on your view of customer satisfaction.

2004 Beetle Convertible had to have transmission rebuilt, back windows do not roll up or down. It seems that many have had a lot of problems with this model. A new transmission costs $5000 and the car is worth only slightly more. I had to rent a car for 2 months because we did not have the money to fix the car. I have been out of work for 2 years and this was a strain on our family.

I recently purchased a 2005 VW Bug Convertible with 63,000 miles on it. On two occasions, I have started the vehicle and after placing it in gear, it lunges forward four times with my foot on the brake. Has anyone had the same problems? I had the transmission fluid changed and the problem is still occurring.

I bought my 2005 Volkswagen Convertible Beetle, approximately, 6 years ago. I have every receipt of service done by Danbury Volkswagen in Danbury, Ct. During the first year, while the car was under warranty, I experienced several problems with the car. One issue was the car front window on the driver side, did not drop down as it should when closing the door. Problem supposedly fixed.

Over this past winter, I couldn't close the passenger door because the window wouldn't go down. I had to use my electronic key to make it go down quickly and slam the door shut. I assumed it was the extreme cold. Incorrect, problem existed even as the weather warmed up. It cost me $466.06 last week to fix the same problem that supposedly was fixed before. I called Customer Care, spoke to Rasha (very polite). I asked for her supervisor C.Em (unavailable) and Todd **, Regional Manager (who does not take phone calls). Rasha tried to help me, assigned me a case # 1101-70-360. She looked up the info and found that Danbury Volkswagen, Manager, Greg, had requested Volkswagen pay for this. It was denied.

$466.06 later, Now the problem was found but only after the warranty ran out. While the warranty existed, the car was tested diagnostically and nothing was found. They could not duplicate the problem. Rather than taking the door apart (which costs them money and labor) and the problem would've been fixed back then. Re-occurrences of the same problem means it wasn't fixed in the first place.

There is a well documented problem with VW transmissions, but VW has chosen to limit their exposure by only covering certain models. When in fact, the design flaw is present in many of their vehicles. The problem is a slipping transmission that puts the occupants at risk of collision due to unexpected loss of drive at unpredictable times. I bought a 2004 VW New Beetle GLS 2.0L for my daughter to drive. I have since taken her out of the car fearing for her safety. The car only has 70K miles on it and is a danger to anyone who drives it. VW will only replace the entire transmission for over $5000 (approx current worth of the car) even though the problem is a faulty valve inside the transmission. VW should be forced to recall any and all cars with this transmission and replace the faulty parts at their expense. What is it going to take? Will someone have to be killed and sue VW? Probably, but they haven't figured out the likelihood of exposure compared to the cost of repairs to the affected vehicles and decided to take their chances. They should not be allowed to place the driving public at risk.

I purchased a 2003 VW New Beetle with 79,000 miles on it from an individual. I had several issues fixed when I got the auto. I had 85,000 miles checked & asked the mechanic to check the transmission because it was jerking hard when shifting. Making this long story short, I had to replace the entire transmission (cost $6,020.05). This was in July 2010. In Dec. 2010 I rec'd a letter from Volkswagen stating they had had consumer complaints about the transmission jerking & they would extend the warranty & replace out of warranty expenses on the transmission. I sent in all my papers.

In February I received a letter "I'm sorry for your inconvenience but we will not reimburse your money because the warranty is for the valve in the transmission, not the transmission". I have consulted with an attorney & he suggested going online to find class action lawsuit. Well, this is a case for class action since I have read many forums where many other people have had the same problem as I have.

I have had every window in my 2005 New Beetle break. I was one week over warranty and VW said, "No, sorry. We won't honor fixing it for you." So I fixed it and it cost approximately $300 to fix. Three months later, my back window would not roll up. VW mechanics stated that this is a common problem with Beetles. I called again to VW and they would not help and said that it's not a common issue. That back window has remained broken due to huge cost and my own finances. As I see, many people who have Beetles have the same problems. Shame on VW!

My wife and I own a VW Beetle 2004 convertible. The transmission shifts hard and sometimes gets stuck an a low gear. This is a problem numerous others have had, which can be seen from Internet forums. I cannot afford to keep making the payment on the car and replace the transmission so I am dealing with a delinquent payment and creditor phone calls.

I have a 2006 Convertible VW Beetle. Just 3 months after warranty, the rear window broke. I thought it would, at the most, cost $300. Instead, it is $560 for just the part; this does not include the cost of labor. I started doing research and found out that this is a common problem. There needs to be something done about this. The part was obviously not made properly (and cheaply) if this has happened with so many people. I went to a certified VW mechanic and he knew what the problem was without even looking at it, because it happens all the time. When is VW going to step up to the plate and admit that there is a problem!

The 2004 Volkswagen 'New Beetle' has serious design/OEM-component flaws in the transmission and/or transmission control module. These are creating very dangerous and unpredictable 'stalls' (step on gas, motor revs, but transmission does not engage immediately) in traffic. VW is aware of this because they have sent a 'warranty-extension/replacement offer' letter for the valve-body of the transmission. However, dealer 'computer' says it's not the valve-body, but rather a 'mechanical issue due to an incorrect gear ratio' and offers a complete transmission replacement for $5500. It is not a very helpful solution for a car worth that or less. It would seem there is a control problem with one of their OEM components (ie. transmission control module and/or solenoid-pack) as there are thousands of owners with such problems, across this country.

In my honest opinion, VW needs to recall these cars and fix/replace the transmissions. This is not a 'single-consumer' or 'personal periodic-maintenance issue', and may have grave consequences for someone/some family(ies) if not recalled by VW. Please, help us!

Purchased my new beetle in 05. Have had numerous repairs both in and out of warranty: window regulators in all four windows, electrical, headlights, turn signals, batteries, rear window, trunk latch, and transmission repair (hard shifting). Volkswagen denied that there was any other owners with same issues and tough luck. I own the cost of repairs.

Today, I received a letter stating that my warranty on the transmission has been extended due to customer complaints. Big deal as it expires in March 2011 and I've already had to repair the transmission. But how about those window regulators and other parts? My driver's window is going out again! Only have 77,000 miles on the car and keep it garaged. Also find the trunk is full of water after every rain. Can't find a leak anywhere! I will never buy another Volkswagen ever and tell everyone that asks don't buy a VW! Heard that the beetles are manufactured in Mexico. The higher end VW models still made in America or Germany? I guess they got us good!

Have had to pay out to repair broken items repeatedly, purchased an extended warranty because I was told that the convertible top was sure to break and that would cost thousands, just can't put myself through that trauma and instead chose not to use the convertible feature out of fear that it will break and I won't have a car to drive while waiting for the repair. Also cannot open driver side window for fear that it too will break and won't go back up. Won't be able to drive and secure the car. Trunk leaks/fills up with water after each rainstorm. Finally, the transmission is starting to have issues. As you drive all of a sudden, there is a loss of power, no gas. The engine is still on but you experience a loss of power.

Why doesn't someone help us out? It's terrible that VW has sold such shoddy products as the 2004 VW Beetle convertible (mine with a 6 speed automatic transmission). It's been one thing after the other. Windows at approx $1000 per pop, door locks that was approx $1000, tail lights, head lights, blinkers, water pumps at approx $1000, the wings that pop up when the top is let back at approx $650.

Now when the car hit approx 75K miles it starts having transmission problems. The price quoted on that fix is $6742.00. Absolutely ridiculous! They sell these cars, and then won't stand behind their product. If VW were half the company as other car companies they would issue recalls and fix all these shoddy things; instead, they won't do anything and then gouge you again by tripling the prices on the parts and labor to fix the problems that they should be fixing on their own in the first place.

Maybe this is all part of the big plan for them to make more money. Build a shoddy car and reap in the benefits of all these repairs. If so, it's working! Can't someone help us out? Aren't there laws against things like this? These cars are unsafe and my daughter has to drive this. The transmission is horrible. She can be sitting at a red light with her foot on the brake and all of sudden it feels like some other vehicle hits you real hard in the back end and gives the car a big push forward. I'm afraid it's going to push her out into oncoming traffic. Then there are other times that she will be driving along and the car will just quit pulling. Both situations are very dangerous. It's sad to know that with all the complaints on these same things that someone somewhere can't help make them do what's right.

We bought a new '04 VW convertible beetle for our daughter. It has been nothing but one mechanical problem after another. The turn signals keep messing up. The windows keep messing up. The whole rear ashtray assembly keeps falling out. The air bag light and check engine light keeps coming on and now for the past 10K miles (starting at around 75K miles) it's been having serious transmission problems.

You can be sitting still at a red light with your brakes on not even touching the gas and it feels like another vehicle comes up and crashes into the back end of your car and shoves you forward. Sometimes you can just be putting along and feel the same thing, then other times you can start to take off and it will just start to slip (stall transmission wise) and not go at all and then all of a sudden, pop like someone has hit you and go on.

We have contacted the dealership several times and they say it's not on recall and there's nothing they can do except replace it and we'll have to pay for it at a cost of $6742. It's bad enough that they sold us along with everyone else (as you can read the complaint list) a lemon and won't stand behind their product and fix it but then they try and gouge you on replacing it. Can't someone be held accountable for this shotty product?

I'm concerned about the safety of my daughter. I have it at the shop now during break to have it repaired; however, I think the company should have to reimburse me for this. It's ridiculous that they want more than half what the car is worth to replace something that we've already paid for when we bought the car the first time. Why hasn't someone stepped in and forced them to recall these transmissions?

I have, or should I say, had a 2006 VW Bug Convertible. I traded a hard top 2001 bug in for this one last year. I had little issues with my other on, but attributed it to age. The electronic pressure control light would come on, but immediately go right back off. It would loose speed as it seemed as the gas was no longer being pressed. Immediately, it would pick back up as take off again. Only once did the car not pick back up. I couldn't get it to start after I turned it off so I had it towed. I got the new beetle as was thrilled for a year or so I had no problems other than the same gas pedal issue of the gas cutting out. I took it into the dealer. I bought it from (not a VW dealer) and they said they couldn't find anything. In August, I noticed a water puddle in the driver's side floor boards.

I thought little about it and within a week, I saw a puddle in the seats, both front and back. I tried to get the radio and CD player to play, but they wouldn't. When we ejected the CD thinking it was the disc itself, there was water standing on it, running off! In the next week, there was water in the glove compartment, again in the seats and in the trunk. There was mildew and mold in the trunk area so I knew there was a serious problem. The airbag light was on, the temperature light kept coming on randomly, and the gas was still cutting in and out. A week later, I was coming home from a 6-hour trip and felt water dripping onto my right foot. I called the dealer and told them I would bring it again. They said they won't be able to do anything but a water test and may have to send the car to a dealer to be tested.

I was getting gas and when I got back in the car it would not start. I called a tow truck, they jump started it. It was fine; then four days later, it did it again. I was traveling again at the time and got the car towed to the dealer. They had it for 2 days, told me they've seen evidence of water leaking but couldn't determine the source. Then they told me to get it to a VW dealer. I had to have it towed home as it wouldn't start, to which they said was the battery. I called around and got a price of $300 for a battery, which is ridiculous. The airbag light was still on, they didn't know why, and they said they wouldn't be able to test it as they didn't have the right plug for the computer diagnostic tool.

I had the tow truck take it to a local mechanic who plugged it into his computer system and gave me two codes, one for the airbag, one for the voltage supply system. I called VW customer care and they were not willing to do anything even though the mileage on the car is only at 53,000, which is a mere 3,000 out of the time frame. I do have an extended warranty, but was told that even though it is a platinum warranty, it would not cover the leaking, or the battery (which was supposedly the problem) nor would it cover the diagnostics to determine the cause unless a repair had been authorized.

I cashed my paycheck, preparing to spend the whole thing on the car, and I was upset about it, but willing to do it to get this fixed. I had the towing company pick it up and take it to their lot and park it there till I got back in town. I had it parked on the towing lot (they are friends), and then on a Thursday night then I drove the car home to take it into the dealer the next morning. It started, but it was sluggish and the airbag light was still on.

The car normally sits by my house like 6 feet away, but there was another car parked there, so I left it parked at the foot of my driveway in a cul-de-sac. The car was locked and left all night. The next morning my kids left for school around 7 am, my husband left for work, and my neighbor returned from taking her son to school around 8 am. I was in the rear area of my home getting ready to drive to the dealership two hours from my house to get the car checked, and was happy I was going to get some resolution when suddenly the neighbor is pounding on my door screaming fire, fire! I opened the door thinking it was her house, but instead a horrible smell and smoke filled the air!

My beloved VW Bug was in flames, and smoking horribly! I panicked, we called 911 and they sent the fire department, who had difficulty getting the fire put out! I stood there in tears, shaking uncontrollably, not really believing this was happening. I had the car towed back to the friend's towing lot, where it is still sitting waiting for the insurance company to arrive and make a determination. The car was my pride and joy, and it has now been reduced to a pile of burned metal. The windshield is blown out in the center, the interior looks like stringy gum, and it is more than likely a total loss. I think VW should have listened to my concerns and offered some assistance in getting this fixed. I am also sure that this will probably be my last VW as the closest dealership is like 2 hours away. I have cried almost nonstop over this, I am also aware that this could have turned out much worse!

Ten minutes or so later and I'd have been behind the wheel driving this car! Or worse my daughter who is 16 could have been behind the wheel. I am anxiously waiting to see what is going to be done! I also forgot to mention that I have replaced the headlights twice in this car. Now that I see others are having the same kinds of problems, I would hope VW would step up and do something!

I have a 1999 Volkswagen New Beetle and I bought it new in 1999. The car has been good with respect to the engine never failing or breaking down on the freeway. However, the "cosmetic" parts on this car have been a nightmare. I too have had to deal with the window regulator a couple of times. I've also had to deal with the emergency brake switch, the emergency flasher switch, 2 catalytic converters and broken glove box and stereo. The latest nightmare is my turn signals. Those ** signals have gone out on me 3 times in the last year.

Really? A turn signal? My mechanic has blamed it on fuses, but I know there has to be more of an issue there and nobody is able to find out what the problem really is. I am asking, can Volkswagen please think about a recall regarding this issue? I'm so tired of paying for things that have been fixed in recent prior years. I honestly love my Beetle, but if this continues, I may have to seriously consider buying an American car. Go USA!

I have 2006 New Beetle, 5 Cyl AT, 5k miles. The windows are going haywire. They go up and down on their own. The car leaks oil. The engine codes come on that causes hundreds at the VW dealer to fix. This car is a lemon. I am used to Toyota quality. VW has a long way to go before consumer reports upgrade their reliability rating from a black circle to anything resembling the quality of even a Hyundai.

Our '05 Beetle Convertible has the same transmission problems that probably thousands of other owners have. The hard down shifting and slipping between gears. It is the Tiptronic 6-speed automatic. I am sick now that it is severe and VW does nothing. How can we ban together, as consumers, stuck with known faulty transmissions to take some kind of action? All I want is a transmission that works.

We have a 2005 VW Beetle Convertible with all the standard problems listed here in this site, except, knock on wood, the transmission. We change outside lights regularly. We have had both rear window regulators fail. Just had the drivers window regulator fail. Convertible top, the back window fell out. They wanted $4000 to replace but I figured out how to redo that seal. Top is still good. Has anyone figured out how to do a class action suit against VW for the window regulators? It is our first and last VW.

I own a 2005 VW Beetle convertible which is losing its back window. I have 58,000 miles on the car and an extended warranty. I was informed that the problem was to be dealt with VW who said that I needed a new roof and they would paid for the roof but I was to pay the $600.00 labor fee. Also the insides of my doors are coming loose (the leatherette away from the panel).

VW is not being responsible for manufacturing a shoddy car. I am going to the BBB and further to get this work covered by VW. This is poor car workmanship. Why should I pay for something that is not a normal wear and tear? I seldom put down my top - and they think I should contribute to the cost of this repair. I think there is something wrong with this picture. I am not a complainer, I am a doer and this is not acceptable to me. Poor back window visibility--dangerous to drive.

This is about a 2006 New Beetle Convert. The right rear window regulator has failed and is stuck in the down position. Shortly after we bought it, the right one failed under warranty. From what I've researched, this is an all too common problem. Also the Tiptronic switch has failed. This too, is a common problem. One web site suggested the best solution would be to buy a Toyota, Honda or Mazda. In addition to the current problems, the headliner came loose from the rear glass, three recalls, and switches with minds of their own (no one can figure that out), cracked emission hoses are the other problems.

I contacted VW about a design problem that they have with the window regulators for VW beetles. They want no part of it since the warranty ended at four years and yet the mileage has not expired. I asked for assistance by having them provide the parts and I would have them installed. They emphatically stated no. But from what I read online, all the vehicles have this same problem. They told me that if I bought the parts, they would then warranty them for 12,000 miles but I have 28 and they have all gone or are starting to go.

Very upset that a student purchases a car and the manufacturer does not care that they have a design problem and that it is costing consumers a lot of money. They have nowhere to turn. I can't believe that the gov't does not go after VW because it does not cost people their lives. I am upset that the company feels that if no one goes after them and they can just log the complaint and make believe that it doesn't exist.

The transmission on my 2005 New Beetle GLS TDI failed due to an internal failure of the flywheel that caused the entire transmission to blow apart, even cracking the external case. There were no warnings of the failure (no strange sounds or performance issues) prior to the event. The vehicle has only 86,000 miles on it and is driven almost entirely on the highway.

The repair costs are $6500. Despite numerous complaints from customers over transmission failures on New Beetles, VW will do nothing to help.

I own a 2004 VW Convertible Beetle. It now sits in my driveway and cannot be driven because the transmission jumps and jerks really hard. The last time I drove, it was so scary that I parked it. It all started a few months back when after stopping at a red light, it would not shift out of 3rd gear. I had to pull to the side of the road, turn off the engine and wait at least 15 minutes. Then I could drive it okay. But this is dangerous for a lone woman to have to sit at the side of the road. Needless to say, I refused to drive it in any traffic. After that it started it's jerking and jumping from 2nd to 3rd and to 4th gear. So you never know if it's going to stick in 3rd gear, besides all the jumping and jerking.

It was taken to the VW dealer and I was told that it needs a new $6000 transmission. From what I gather from reading other complaints is that I'm not alone. I've owned the car 2 years this month and have replaced an 0-2 sensor (after taking it to the dealer for an airbag recall). Both the airbag light and the check engine light came on at exactly the same time 5 days after it was supposedly fixed a the dealer. I have also had to replace the water pump just last month. My back windows are sticking when I roll them up, so I won't use them and my driver window falls down into the door.

We bought the car with early withdrawal retirement money because we needed a reliable car. It now just sits there. I hope something can be done, because Volkswagen should not be allowed to ignore faulty parts. I appreciate anything that can be done. Thank you.

I own a 2002 VW Beetle. My grandfather paid cash for it and I drove it out of the showroom a proud new owner of a new bug. I now have approximately 131k miles on it. Since the expiration of my 4yr 40k warranty I have spent over 6000 in repairs. I have had both of the window clamps replaced that were made of plastic originally. My car would start and then die. I had it towed into the dealership and was told that the immobilizer was going out and needed to be replaced and that I would also have to pay for a new laser cut key at a total cost of about 600. My timing belt cost 700 to be replaced. My transmission fuel pump cracked because it is made of plastic too.

This caused all of the transmission fluid to leak out, a cost of 650. My car would not come out of park and my epc light was on. Thank god that was covered under warranty. My fuse panel likes to melt fuses, this cost me 120. My driver side seat belt broke and after that my airbag light is on. I replaced the seat belt myself at a cost of 60. Now the passenger side is breaking. My center console completely broke off. Both of my inside door handles have come off in my hands. The window buttons have broken off so now I stick a toothpick in the holes to roll them down. My trunk randomly opens when I push the button as well as the gas cover, which I end up prying open half of the time. Glove box mechanism is broken so I keep it closed with piece of fishing string, and so is my oil dipstick. I had the tracks on my driver seat replaced.

Now my recent nightmare. My check engine light has been going off and on. It would also die randomly while driving it. I had it towed to the dealership only because no one else could hook it up to their computer. They called and told me that the fuel pump relay, a computer part that controls the fuel pump, is melting. Also that my catalytic convertor is bad and needs to be replaced. Also my left CV boot is going bad and needs to be replaced. I had this part replaced about 4 yrs ago. A total cost of 2053.00. When I asked Jullian at the dealership what I could have done to cause these issues, he told me it was just normal wear and tear. If you think that you have issues now, you just wait!

You will begin seeing your car fall apart left and right! The most expensive stuff happens when the computer parts fail. And they will fail! Sorry to be a "Debbie Downer", but I am at my wits end. When I pick up my car today, I will be sure to warn anyone that is looking at buying a beetle to leave as fast as they can. My car is a lemon and so is every one of the VW beetles out there.

My daughter has a 2004 VW New Beetle convertible. The car only has 48,000 miles on it. On top of other continual issues with the vehicle, not one but both rear windows have failed, one of which failed at 35,000 miles. I could not afford to repair the one until recently. And while waiting for the part to come in, the other one failed. Our mechanic obtained a salvage window. When he installed it, it failed as well! We now have to shell out over $2000.00 to repair both windows.

I went down and saw the parts and could not believe how junky they were. I've seen better materials and craftsmanship on radio operated cars! I cannot believe how many people have had this problem. And further I cannot believe that Volkswagen is not being held responsible and forced to make this issue right! What does it take? I think it is a terrible shame that auto makers can get away with taking our money and then deliver substandard vehicles with cheap parts! As soon as we get this thing fixed, I am selling it! And I will never buy a VW again. I also am telling every soul I know to never buy one. Why buy something from someone who would treat their customers this way? It is just ridiculous that so many people have had this issue and no one is listening. I feel certain it will catch up with them soon enough.

I had a faulty window regulator on the 2005 New Beetle; I read about the extended 7 yr warranty. They replaced it but did not honor the warranty on my convertible which had 46,000 miles (we all know that the regulators are the same plastic mechanisms in all the VW's). I think this is discrimination but I paid bill anyway. When I get home, I realize the window recently repaired did not "jump back up" and seal. Now, the rain will run in. I called VW again and they said this was a different problem, they say I will have to bring car back in before they can tell me what it will cost. I feel that this mechanism was disturbed when the regulator was replaced. There are so many histories of window regulators going bad. VW needs to be made responsible for this kind of problem.

My 2004 VW Beetle was having driving issues. Brought it to a VW dealer and they checked a few things, eventually said it needed a new transmission. Mileage was 83,000. VW would do nothing about this. It is clearly a recall on the design of the transmission. Brought it to a Amco garage and they put a new transmission in and redesigned a few things. Many others have similar problems (edmunds.com). VW will do nothing and barely will listen to me when I have called. The car was not safe to drive. It would suddenly go into "neutral," would drive very rough and would not go into "gear" (an automatic). Lots of other specifics but just want to get this complaint registered. Spent about $5,000.

I own a 2004 VW Beetle Convertible. I purchased it used in October of 2008 used with approx. 43000 miles. LUCKILY I purchased an extended warranty. The repairs I've had made on the car since I've owned it in less than 2 years: New/Rebuilt Transmission ($7000), transmission body($1500), coolant sensors, water pump, regulator, and sensor ($1200) plus I had to have it towed b/c the red coolant light was flashing and car was overheating, and most recently, just a moment ago, my passenger rear window stopped working.

Did the same thing someone else mentioned.. went half way up and then would go back down about 5 times, then I heard a grinding sound and it's stuck at half way. Will need to borrow a car until the dealer looks at it... this is ridiculous! I owned a 2003 Mustang before and had not 1 issue with it and it had over 100,000 miles. My car is at approx 67, 500 miles presently. My extended warranty expires at 72000 miles. I feel so defeated.

It's a 2004 VW New Beetle Convertible with only 8000 miles on car. It is garaged its whole life. The driver side rear window regulator failed. There are so many people with the same problem, why isn't there a recall on this?

The Rear window is separating from convertible top, 3 times dealer fixed? Obviously didn't fix. So many people has this same problem. Why isn't there a recall? They know the rear window falls out, they know the rear regulators have a design flaw and have improved the replacement regulator. Why are they not responsible for the original parts?

My 2004 VW Beetle at 44,000 miles had to have the automatic transmission replaced. I allowed the VW dealer to do all the work. The problem that occurs is it jerks and won't shift gears when on the freeway or in other dangerous situations. Over a year later at 54,000 miles, my same car is now doing the same thing on the freeway. This is extremely dangerous and occurring on a so-called "brand new" transmission VW claims to have put in. My parts warranty from a year ago recently expired. A car should not have two automatic transmissions under 54,000 miles! I found several message boards full of the same complaint, same problem in the Beetles from this time period. The transmission jerks on people when they are driving down a highway or road. There are hundreds of these complaints online. I am filing mine with you in hopes that you will start investigating these complaints before someone gets killed driving from them. I have lost thousands of dollars repairing this vehicle.

I own a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle. On July 10th, 2010 around 1pm while my daughter was making lunch in the kitchen, she heard the sound of a car being started outside. After five minutes the sound didn't stop and she looked out the window to find the source of the sound. She noticed that the starting noise could be coming from her Volkswagen beetle parked on our driveway two feet from the house. She went outside to verify that the sound was indeed coming from the bug and it was. The car was violently shaking on the driveway to the point of the seats moving back and forth. She alerted my wife who called me at work and told me to come home and fix the problem, since she had never seen something like this happen before.

After five more minutes of the car attempting to start itself, the sound stopped and smoke started billowing from the hood. At this point, my daughter called 911 in case a fire started. I came home and opened the hood in order to stop the fire from starting. I had no idea what had gone wrong and couldn't figure out why the smoke had started in the first place. While looking for a solution, the smoke grew thicker and thicker causing me enough alarm to have my wife hold a fire extinguisher at my side, ready for anything.

After a few minutes of struggling to stop the smoke, the engine compartment caught on fire, causing me to use the extinguisher before the fire department arrived at the scene. When they did arrive, they could not believe that such an event had taken place as they hadn't dealt with such a thing before. In order to avoid such a phenomenon from repeating itself, they disconnected the battery and told us to get the car towed.

How can a car that was parked on the driveway for 14 hours suddenly start trying to start itself and then catch itself on fire? Thank goodness my family was home to notice such a freak accident since the car was parked two feet away from the house and two other family cars. If we were not present, we could have lost everything. When we called the Volkswagen Dealership Service Department and notified them of this problem, they did not find it necessary to help us in a timely fashion as the car has been at the dealership, under repairs, for over a month. To this day, they will not tell us the source of the problem or why it happened in the first place. All they say is to wait up to three months since Volkswagen does not have the parts to the car and needs to make them "specifically" for us.

I have a 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle. I purchased this car used and do have a warranty. The vehicle presently has 76,000 miles. I have read over and over on numerous other sites about complaints related to the transmission jerking when the gears are changed. I have the 6 speed manual transmission. The car jumped when I shifted from first to second gear one afternoon at a gas station and then once I drove down the road, there was a horrible metal scraping sound when I was driving. I drove it immediately to a mechanic and left it and it has not been driven since except for being tested. The transmission is gone.

Now, I have learned that numerous complaints have been filed. Volkswagen must know that there is a problem because there are 3 different manual transmissions used in the 2004 New Beetles. If the company is aware that they have sold you a defective product then the product should be recalled and appropriate repairs made. I have two choices essentially because I cannot afford the average cost of $4,000.00 to fix this issue. I can either make payments on a car I cannot drive or I can let the car go back to the creditor. I simply cannot do both. We are in a recession!

I have a 2004 convertible bug I have owned for 2-1/2 years and has put 5,000 miles on it. I barely used it. The auto roof broke, the passenger window mechanism broke, the water pump broke, and the engine block broke. I got no help from Lindsay Volkswagen and many, many complaints of similar problems from other owners. I have car payment for 3 more years, and a broken car that will cost over $4,000 to fix.

I bought a 2004 VW Beetle on April of 2009. I had to take the car to the mechanic several times for the same reason (water pump, timing belt, battery and headlights) every 3 months for the same reasons or sometimes, for other reason I had problems with the passenger window I had fixed already 3 times. I've been reading and other people with the same model of car had experienced the same exact problem. I think the we should be entitled to a lawsuit or do something about it or VW to do a recall on these cars. Many people had the same problem. Please help, it is very stressful. Do I have to take this car to get it fixed? It is not cheap to fix this kind of car. This car is not reliable. I experienced some jerking with this car. I'm scared that it may be the transmission but I'm certain it's going to be the transmission.

I almost got into car accidents because of these problems. It is running fine then all of a sudden, starts going down. For example, I was on the freeway going 65. It started slowing and felt like it got stuck and didn't want to go up. I had to put the emergency lights. It is doing this constantly, causing almost to get into a car accident. Please help. VW should pay for this. This car is a waste of time, money and gives a lot of stress. The worst is, it is a very dangerous car.

Here is yet another sad story about Volkswagen's rear window regulators. Last year my 4-year old 2005 VW Beetle Convertible hit ~ 76K miles and the driver side rear window regulator mechanism went out. At first I wasn't too worried, thinking it's just a small window and it's probably not a big deal. But when the VW dealer told me the repair might cost $1200, I was shocked! I couldn't believe it! $1200 just to fix a little window? The glass isn't even broken? That's more than I paid for my first car!

The VW dealerships service manager explained that it's a very difficult repair. He said, "There is a lot of labor involved, because the entire rear door panel assembly must be taken apart." Wow! I was extremely disappointed. But, since I desperately needed a functioning rear window, I had no other option but to have it fixed. I shopped around for a 2nd opinion and I ended up paying $973.55 at local "non-dealership" VW repair shop. I figured, well, stuff happens. I guess I must have just had some bad luck.

But then, about 7 weeks and 2K miles later, I was horrified to discover that the other side, the passenger side rear window regulator mechanism also failed. My disgust quickly turned to anger and outrage when I came to the realization my VW convertible beetle was a lemon. I immediately went back to the VW dealership and pleaded my case and asked them if there is anything they can do to help me. I told them I just paid almost $1000 for the driver side rear window and I can't possibly pay another $1000 again one month later for the passenger side rear window! I said, There just has to be some sort of a recall for this defective VW rear window regulator. I said, "This same problem must be happening to VW convertible beetles all across the nation." But the VW service manager said, he hasn't seen this problem before and unfortunately it's just a very unlucky situation.

I asked, "You really haven't seen this problem before? That's amazing! I cant be this unlucky! I then phoned VW customer care and asked them if they could help me. After a number of phone calls back and forth, VW customer care agreed to pay only 25% of the cost of the repair for the 2nd defective window regulator. Once again, I had no choice because I needed to be able to close the rear window. This time, since VW customer care was involved, I had to have the work done at the more expensive VW dealership, so even with the 25% discount, my final bill for this 2nd defective rear window regulator mechanism was $842.23. So within two months, I spent a grand total of $1815.78 for both of my defective rear window regulator mechanisms.

Can you believe I spent $1815.78 this past year to have use of my rear windows? That works out to $151.31 per month. I think its absolutely not worth it. In fact, I think it's a complete rip off. Especially since this whole year Ive hardly used the rear windows. In fact, Ive been terrified to use the windows. God forbid they break again! But that's not all! My story continues.

Just last week, 10.5 months and 15K miles later, just as my now 5-year old VW beetle convertible hit 93K miles, the passenger side rear window mechanism failed again! I couldn't believe it! Am I the unluckiest person on the planet or are these window regulator mechanisms defective? This was the 2nd rear window regulator mechanism that the VW dealerships service department repaired. I immediately went back to the VW service manager and he told me that the good news is this time it's not the whole mechanism but just the motor that went out. This time it will only cost $800 for the repair. Well, I suppose that is good news since $800 for the motor is less than $1200 for then entire regulator mechanism.

And, continuing with my unlucky situation I again phoned VW customer care. This time they were kind enough to tell me they would love to help me, but unfortunately there is nothing they can do. I said, "Please, I know I'm a little over the mileage but its been less than a year. We've maintained the car impeccably. This window regulator is clearly a defective part and the window is not really a mileage related item. I hardly used the windows this past year! The mechanism is clearly a flawed design.

This is absolutely unacceptable. Ive already spent $1815.78 on these defective window regulators. Based on all of these circumstances, and since its been less than one year, can't you please just waive the additional mileage? Cant you please cover this motor repair under the warranty?" "No, there is nothing we can do." You see, the repair of the rear window regulator mechanism only had a 12 months or 12K miles warranty. We've driven 15K since they repaired the window, so, "No, there is nothing we can do." Unfortunately, it's just more bad luck for me.

The customer care person, however, did say he would be happy to send me a $1500 loyalty certificate, good for 6 months, which I could use towards the purchase of a brand new VW. Gee, Golly, Thanks! A 5% discount on a brand new $30,000 VW Beetle Convertible. Its been over a week but I haven't received it yet. But I don't know. I don't have a lot of faith in VW quality anyway. I cant see myself purchasing a brand new VW in light of the shoddy and defective parts I've experienced with my 2005 Beetle.

I was thinking though, wouldn't it make better business sense for VW to treat their customers well so that VW wouldn't have to pay their customers to be loyal customers? For example, instead of telling their customers that they've never seen this rear window problem before (when the internet is replete with stories of VW rear window regulator failures), wouldn't it make better business sense for VW to stand behind their product? I mean, wouldn't it be better business for VW to take care of their loyal customers? I don't understand. How can the service manager at the VW dealership tell me with a straight face that hes never seen this rear window problem before? Doesn't Volkswagen or Volkswagen Customer Care own any computers? If Volkswagen would just treat their customers right they'd be loyal for free.

Anyway, the way I see it, I have 2 options. 1. ) I can either now pay another $800 (for a total of $2600) to operate my rear windows for awhile, (Of course, I can't really say for how long). I guess at least until they fail again, or I can try to open up the side panels, disconnect the wiring, and stick 2X4 pieces of wood under each side window in a way that the rear windows stay up and stay closed at all times. I suppose it wouldn't look very good when the convertible roof is down but I believe the two well-positioned 2X4s would be the cheapest and most reliable solution.

I regret very much not thinking of my 2X4 solution before I spent $1815.78 last year on the rear windows. But who could have known they would fail again so soon? I guess what I really regret the most is buying my 2005 Volkswagen Beetle convertible lemon in the first place

I have a 2005 Convertible VW Beetle that I bought new. It has only 50,000 miles. I haven't had any major problems with it until this week. I was rolling my window up and the window dropped down to the bottom of the door. The mechanic had to take my back seat out and the back side panel out to get to this window. I am waiting for a new window regulator to come in because it is back-ordered. I am without a car and this window regulator will cost an arm and a leg! I think VW should recall this part and fix this free of charge! If another one of my windows break, I don't know what I will do. Please help.

I have a 2005 VW New Beetle Convertible with 90k miles. Last year, I paid nearly $800 for a window mechanism replacement. There's currently another (small) window mechanism going bad. And yesterday, a third window mechanism suddenly broke. What is going on with these windows? I use a/c a lot and the windows are up; I rarely put the convertible top down. I'm usually the only person in the car. These windows are not overused/abused!

VW needs to be aware of this problem. I need my windows to roll up and close. This is a basic function! My expectation is reasonable! Local dealership staff have told me they've not heard of a lot of these problems. But I don't think they'd admit it if they did. It is embarrassing to have a vehicle start to fall apart after 5 years. It's ridiculous that I'm paying $1600 to fix three windows in a five year old car. I can't afford these repairs but I have no choice!

I am just sick with regret after reading all of these complaints about the issue found with my Beetle last week. I got the news of a $6000 transmission replacement when I had the lurching shifting into 3rd gear...just like so many others on here. I filed a complaint on the USDOT Office of Defects website, and now I am doing the same here...but do I have any other options? I am at a loss.

The next occurrence happened while I was driving down the road and noticed that my interior driver door was on while I was driving. Thinking I hadn't gotten the door closed, I opened and closed it. It did not help. This continued to get worse as my car would light up all the interior lights blinking and the door chime chiming. It felt like I was in the cash cab. Took it to the dealership and found out this is another "common" $450 problem that the driver door switch had failed.

I also had problems with headlights burning out about every week. I tried to change them myself, and since the VW is such a well made car with a plastic lever to get the headlight housing out, wound up breaking both of them off and having them replaced with metal levers.

Then the fun began. Again, the Beetle is such a sturdy car, when I hit a raccoon at 50 mph, it dented the transmission plate and the transmission was stuck in 3rd gear (auto) and I was without my car for 30 days due to the fact that the dealership tried to "fix" my transmission and then a new transmission had to be found and shipped in from Texas, which took another ten days. Luckily my insurance paid for this.

Most recently, I was told that the oil plug had been stripped, which is also SO COMMON with the BEETLE and had a $420 oil change, where lucky me, the mechanic failed to torque the new oil plug and in three weeks the plug had worked it way out enough to drain the oil from my car in the garage over the weekend and I had to have it towed back to them. Of course, they won't pay for the towing unless it was the mechanic's fault and then they will pass the tow bill onto that poor sucker. I'm so glad that the car was parked when the oil came out and that I didn't drive it and have the motor lock up on me, because I'm sure I would have had to get a lawyer on that one.

And that's the story of my lemon/lime (cyber green) 2005 Beetle.

Purchased a 2005 VW Beetle new in 2005 and in that time I've had both rear window motors fail, the convertible top never worked right, I always had to raise it manually so I quit using it and now at 97,700 the transmission went out and they want $7,500 to replace AND I was told this is done on purpose so you have to buy a new car. Started looking online and there are thousands of complaints but it appears that no one is looking into this. I did file a complaint with the NTSB where there are about 28 complaints just on the 2005 and they won't say what they found. I know it doesn't seem like a lot but not everyone knows about this site yet.

I have a 2006 VW Beetle (Diesel) and have replaced the headlights and tail lights numerous times, and had the air bag light and seat belt light replaced. Now it's the engine. The car keeps stalling while I'm idling. I took it into the dealership (because no one else seems to be able to work on these things) and was told they checked everything and it all tested "ok." The very next day..it stalls out again. Now today I'm on the interstate and suddenly the car won't go over 40mph. Luckily I was close to home and managed to turn around but not before it stalled once again. It does eventually start again after stalling, but I still have no confidence in the car. I bought the car brand new and for 3.5 years it was a dream car...now it's a nightmare. I'm taking it back to the shop one more time and if they tell me nothing is wrong with it, or worse, the transmission needs to be replaced (I have 57K miles on it) I'm trading it in.

First, I want to start out by saying that I plan on writing to my congress person with copies of all my work orders when I had to take my car in for constant repair on the same problems and I will also send copies of all the correspondence from all the others that share the same problems. I'm also contacting my local police department to find out about the laws of picketing an establishment and plan on picketing on the week-ends. If we hit them in their wallets they might do something.

I bought a 2004 Volkswagen beetle, new in 2004 and had problems ever since. Every one of my windows broke one at a time when they would roll down and not come back up. When I tried to roll them back up they would shatter in the inside of the door panel. I was told that it was a window mechanism that was made of plastic. Now that they are all replaced with ones that are not plastic I thought my problem was over, not! They are doing it again. One window after the other. After fighting with Volkswagen of America (Stefan **) they told me that all they can do is give me a coupon for $250.00. The windows cost me a lot more than that. They told me that Volkswagen of America would not take responsibility anymore for this problem, even though it's an on going problem since day one. They said that there was nothing they can do for me. They are not standing by their product. I feel like once they get their money, screw the customers. I feel that if it is an ongoing problem that can not get resolved before the warranty is up, they should continue to fix it after the warranty is up.

I am also having a problem with my check engine light going on and off. I would take it in and pay a large amount of money for them to tell me that nothing is wrong. My cars headlight and now, the tail lights keep going out. I was just told today that the light on the passenger side back is out. I just can't afford this car anymore and the funny thing is, It's paid off. I am so tired of having to drive over 30 miles to take it in to get the same problems fixed.I also would like to add that I took it in one day for the electrical box (or ashtray) in the back wouldn't close and noticed that 30 miles was put on my car. I was told that they test drove it. Why would they have to test drive it 30 miles because of an ash tray not closing. I must of had stupid written on my forehead that day for them to say that. It is my opinion that they took my car home so they could save on their gas. Some of my friend suggested going to the media. I feel all of us should do this. I'm hoping all of you that are having the same problems write to your congress person and picket the dealership. I had to fight the dealership (Paradise Volkswagen in California) when I bought the car because they promised me things that they were going to fix and didn't follow through. I even had it in writing and they still wouldn't fix my problems. I had to take my car to another Volkswagen dealership.

Do they all attend meetings telling them that once you sell the car don't do anything else for the customer? I am afraid to drive my car now in fear that something else is going to happen. The car also shifts very hard and the airbag light was always on. I was told that the sensor is faulty. My seat belts were installed backwards. A car shouldn't give a person so much grief. Especially a new car. I will never purchase a Volkswagen again and I will go out of my way to tell the people that ask me how I like the car about all that is happening to not only me but all the other people that are writing their complaints on here. I never had this problem with any other car that I bought in the past.

I am only just finding out that the VW 2006 Beetle Convertible was quite a dog. When mine had about 10,000 miles on it, I found out that I could not drive it in traffic at all or the clutch would burn up and the car would need to be towed. Of course, the dealer blamed me. I was always given lessons on how to drive a 5 speed. I went to other VW dealers and there was a debate about whether I needed to replace my flywheel, at an expense of about $3,000.

As the car was new and VW always was so proud of its 100,000 drive train warranty, which does not include a clutch (try to operate a vehicle without a clutch). I told them to go you know where. That was several years ago. I avoided all traffic congestion, all hills and if indeed I was stuck in traffic I died a thousand deaths. I had never had a VW that was not only unreliable but dangerous as well. Whatever the "issue" was it finally has worked itself out. I couldn't drive it at all yesterday and it was towed to an honest dealer who is looking at it now. Ironically, he is thinking "flywheel and assembly", funny thing about that.

Sadly, I have been unemployed for almost a year and am wondering how to come up with both the towing charge of $145 and the repair of $2,000. He just might have to eat the car. VW should be ashamed of themselves, nothing ironic in the notion that they stopped making 5 speeds after my year. Isn't that something? After I've spent most of my four years on the shoulder of the road they horrify me. I bought VW exclusively for over 30 years. I would ride a bicycle before I bought another one. All of my Germanic ancestors are spinning in their graves. What a horrible, horrible experience!

Purchased a used 2003 New Beetle convertible 6 months ago. Car had complete service records from VW dealership. Car has 56K miles and jumps and jerks while braking. Needs $2500 in transmission work. Volkswagen, both locally and nationally, doesn't seem to think there is a problem with needing transmission work at 56K miles. This was an impulse buy for a cute convertible. Had I read what other unhappy customers wrote, I never would have purchased this car. First and last VW for me for sure.

I have had many, many, many problems with my 2004 Volkswagen Beetle. To start off, I bought an extended warranty, which is the best thing I have ever done; otherwise, I would have been forking out hundreds, even thousands of dollars on repairs. I bought my 2004 Beetle used in the Winter of 2007 in Minnesota. It was regularly serviced and had been well-taken care of.

My first problem arose when my father and I were driving to Texas, as that is where I now live. I brought it to the dealership immediately and they informed me that there was a problem with the airbags. Next, common problems arose, like headlights and taillights constantly going out, window sensors not working properly, and much more. The problem that frustrates me the most, would be the transmission going out at 65,800 miles.

My father has a Ford truck with 165,000 and nothing's wrong with his. I brought my car into the dealership in November 2009 for the transmission shifting hard in 2nd gear and for a check up because my warranty was up in 1,000 miles, they told me nothing was wrong. Five months, warranty expired, and 4,000 miles later, the same thing is happening. Now they tell me the transmission is shot and I need to replace it. This is absolutely absurd.

Wow, let me begin by saying that I am glad I am not the only one experiencing all the problems with my car. It is sad to know that VW makes terrible cars for everyone but at least we are not alone. I got my car brand new. Lucky me (or so I thought). Looking back, I really wish I would have gone for something else but at 16, you don't know these things. First of all, within the first 3 months, I was having trouble with tires and going through them left and right. In the 7 years I have had the car, I have replaced more tires than I care to remember. Thankfully, I still had the financial support of my parents. Then came the last 4 years in which the headlights seem to go out every 3 months, only one of my windows rolls down, my back passenger window is stuck down (my car is constantly rained and or snowed in), the driver window is stuck up, and the back passenger window is now manual - as in push it down pull it up.

The top stopped working 3 years ago, the blinker lights go out every 6 months, when it rains my car doesn't always like to start or keep running, in the summer the car overheats and will stop running, and the check engine light has been on for 3 years and counting (every time I take it in, they "fix" it and by the next day it's right back on). Oh and the power steering? Yeah, that's gone too. All these things didn't happen over years as a result of bad upkeep. No, these things all happened within months of each other and just piled up. I would doll out $600-1000 and everything would be fine for a month then something else would happen.

Due to family circumstances, I have been putting myself through college for the last 4 years. I can't afford an extra $500 a month. I loved this car when I first got her, she was fantastic and you know what? She still runs and I really hope she makes it until I graduate, but I wish that there weren't all these freaking problems every time I turn around. And I wish that VW wouldn't charge thousands of dollars to fix things or make it to where it is nearly impossible to fix by yourself. My advice, don't get a VW unless you can pay for the same repairs to be done every 3 months, repairs that will cost you thousands of dollars. For now, I am stuck in a car that rains on me, overheats, alternates which headlight/blinker is working, is really hard to turn and sometimes jerks when you slow down. But it gets me where I need to be and for that, I am thankful.

I own a 2005 convertible turbo bug. I had it about 1 month when the check engine light came on the first time. It went into the shop and they claimed to fix the problem, but 2 months later it was on again. It went in several times to the point where I was told they were "aware of the problem and did not have a fix for it". About a year later, they claimed to have it fixed, but I did not even get out of the parking lot before it came back on, I got to the point I just drove with it on cause the frustration over the light and dealing with the dealer was more than I could handle.

When the car was 3 years old the window stopped rolling down/up, which I found out is "common" for this car. They fixed that and turned off the check engine light (yet again) and of course it came back on after some time. The air bag sensor light has come on, I have no idea why but it won't go off, and now of course when it shifts to second gear, it jerks hard.

Took it to the dealership and was told that I needed a new transmission, and that it's a "dealer only" type of work. I have 53,000 miles on the car and have replaced headlights, tail lights, blinkers, batteries (make that 2 of them), and the window mechanism. I did call the customer service line once (about a year after I bought the car) to complain about my frustrations and was told they stand behind their dealers not their customers! The transmission going out, and it's not just my car? Come on there is obviously some serious issues that the company has chosen to bury!

I have had countless electrical problems with my 2004 Beetle convertible since day one. I had to replace sockets in head and tail lights. I have had window motors and regulators replaced up to 4 times. I have been told "the part was bad" several times. I also had the water pump replaced twice because the first one "was bad". My car has been at the dealer a total of 90 days in the past three years. Here's the best part: it has less than 40,000 miles on it and I have spent close to $7,000 on repairs!

Needless to say these repairs have affected me financially. I have paid to have some of the same parts replaced two and three times. I have spent hours driving back and forth to the dealer (40-minute drive) because the problem wasn't fixed and I had to bring the car back because, wait for it"the part was bad." I am emotionally drained. This car has caused me stress beyond belief. Speaking to the people to the dealer, mechanics, "customer care", and even writing the CEO, Stefan Jacoby, has gotten me nothing but a headache. I've been told over and over that my warranty is up (aka, they don't care). A lackey for Jacoby offered to give me $1,000 off a new VW. I'm stressed as I write this because the dealer has had my car two weeks and it is still not finished. Thank goodness I have a second car. I don't know how VW can get away with this. I haven't ever spent $7,000 on a car with over 100,000 miles. I can't afford this car, and I can't afford to buy a new one. Help!

2004 Volkswagen New Beetle convertible.

This is our third New Beetle. We have replaced 7 window regulators on the 3 of them. The bottom pulley for the cable on regulator has a plastic mount (dumb); once it breaks the cable comes loose and your window will cost you between $350-$600 to be able to go up and down again. They paid out a $3.5 million class action suit for this but only to those that knew about it to get on the list. I'm guessing it was cheaper for these crooks to pay $3.5 million rather than do the right thing and do a complete recall.

The consequence is over $5000 spent on a bad design flaw. Never again!

Let me join the list of disgruntled VW Beetle owners because my 2004 Beetle convertible with only 40,000 miles had its transmission go out. The estimated repair cost is $6,400. Add this to the approximate $3,000 that I have already put in this vehicle for unexpected repairs. Thus, I will never purchase a VW again.

My wife's 2004 Beetle convertible started hard shifting and jerking between the first and second gear over the last 4 months. We took it into the dealer to have them look at it, and they said they could not recreate the problem. They did not test the car like I told them to test it. I took it to a transmission shop here to have a look at it, and they could recreate the problem, but they did not have the codes to detect the problem because VW did not release that information for 7 years. I have read lots of complaints about this on the Internet and they all point to a very expensive problem to solve. This is a safety issue that needs to get resolved from VW.

I recently bought a 2003 convertible Volkswagen beetle with about 50k on it. I had the car for about a month when the check engine light came on. I had it tested at Autozone and was told it was the alternator. My fiance goes through all of the trouble to take the alternator out and bring it to another auto parts store just to make sure that was it before having to buy one. Guess what? It wasn't the alternator. Finally we figured out that the battery was corroded and needed to be replaced; the terminals weren't tightened enough and was causing things to short out.

I would just stall going down the interstate. It was very scary. Now, my back window is literally just laying in there and every time it rains, it pours in my car. My right lower corner of my front window shoots water into my face whenever I'm driving. Something is wrong with the transmission because when it shifts gears, it jerks resulting in near whip-lash. The brakes are sometimes touchy or loose. I am a 20 yr old college student and cannot afford Volkswagen parts. I will never buy a Volkswagen again and when I get rid of this one, I will never ride in one again either. Thanks ,Volkswagen for your piece of ** cars!

Wow, where to begin? I own a 2005 Volkswagen Bug Convertible. Shortly after my 36,000 passed and warranty had expired I began having big problems with my Bug. First my cigarette lighter popped out the spring broke and I could not put it back. I'm shocked that broke--I don't even smoke. Next my rear windows do not roll up or down. At around 45,000 miles my air conditioner quit working. When I took it too the dealership they told me the switch from hot to cold air had broke. The cost to replace was $1500 plus another $1000 in labor.

Turns out it's difficult to get under there to fix it. Next my gears are changing very hard that the car jerks and makes me feel like I am getting whip lash. So I gather it needs a new transmission. My trunk will not work. I've tired replacing the fuses and checked so see if anything is broke--nothing. Another thing my head lights constantly go out. I have replaced a new light three times already. Funny thing is I see other bug owners with the same problem. Very disappointed with this car. I feel like little Herbie driving down the road as my car falls apart. Oh, I also had the problem with leaving something cold in my cup holder and the plastic bubbled up and came off. Cute car but way too many problems and not built to last. $2500 to fix the air conditioner and the rest cost too much to afford.

The past several months, my 2004 Volkswagen beetle convertible has been shifting hard, causing my vehicle to jerk forward. I took my car to the dealer and was informed that the 2004 beetle convertible needed a new (rebuilt) transmission, costs $7,000 (+/-). I could not afford this. I then took it to a transmission shop and was told that Volkswagen has not released any codes for the transmission (this would allow a transmission to be rebuilt for cheaper costs) and that my transmission was so specific that my only chances would be from a wrecked 2004 beetle convertible (not regular hard top).

This transmission would work, but then it would still pose the same problem as my current transmission, a defective transmission. Currently, my beetle has been at a transmission shop since December. I am anxiously waiting for someone to wreck a beetle convertible, not get hurt and not have damaged the transmission. What is wrong with this picture? Is this anti-trust? Is this not disclosing to a potential buyer that, "Hey, you buy this car, but if you are out of warranty and it needs repairs, you can only get them from Volkswagen!?" Would I have bought this car? No, I don't think so.

My 2004 VW Beetle Turbo Convertible has been a headache since the beginning. I have replaced many headlights and taillights. Front Window regulators have been replaced and due to this problem the roof had to be replaced. The rear windows have broken at a cost of $800 each. The triconic transmission required the 'valve body' to be replaced at a cost of $3000. The VW dealer advised that they found nothing wrong with the transmission when I brought it in for banging into gear. But the final note was when it caught on fire after leaving work.

As I was preparing to call AAA, smoke poured out of the engine hood. When embers fell to the ground underneath, I proceeded to call 911. Police, Fire Marshall, Fire Dept. and ambulance arrived. Traffic was stopped in both directions. I am now waiting to hear from my insurance co. to assess what my total loss is. This is my first and last Volkswagen.

Did I fail to mention the brake lights which go out spontaneously?

Now that we are on electrical, let's start with the battery. Lucky for me when my car dies, I'm near the dealership here in Mandeville La so I get my uncle to tow my once more broken car in. "No problem," they say. "Its your battery" and while I'm there, I get the belts replaced, one of which has a good crack. So I pay for the items which were wear and tear items, so it is out of pocket charging. Do I go on my merry way. Not even 48 hrs later, I'm crossing the causeway bridge which is 24 miles long.

The car suddenly loses power and to make matters worse, it is nightfall and my ** car is titanium gray. Needless to say, I have no power, nothing at all, no headlights, tail lights, hazard lights nothing to let the people behind me know that I'm coasting right there in front of them as iI become a rolling speed bump for drivers going at least 65mph plus. I make it alive, to a crossover almost get a ticket and finally we are towed again. It turns out it was the alternator, a bad voltage regulator which the tech said he's seen the problem before. Also a new battery has to be installed which they tried to charge me for.

Now i'm horrified thinking I just bought a lemon but, no way this happens to other people. It turns out, no, it's not a lemon, its a Volkswagen. The confirmation engine light comes on and off at will. That turns up to be low coolant level. Oops, no, the light comes back on. The actual coolant sensor itself is bad. By now, it's late 2009. By now I'm pretty familiar with the staff at the VW money grounds. When my ac stops blowing cold air, of course, the warranty is over, the price is 600 plus dollars. ** that. Well, now chunks of foam are blowing out of my vents.

I stopped cleaning the car because it was constantly flaking out on itself. Now, here is the cherry. About mid-January, I get the friendly reminder that my 100000 mile service is due so the timing belt needs to be replaced and other things checked, blah, blah, blah. I have 91000 miles on it. So, I guess it's German engineered, I'm sure it'll make it to 100000 miles so I can at least start saving for the costly service. Nope, wrong again.

Driving on the aforementioned bridge with cruise control on at 65 coming up to mile marker 12 and the number 4 crossover, a sudden heave, then a rainbow of lights go off. For a second, I thought, dude, happy ** birthday. Almost dying again, it stranded on a two lane bridge with cars screeching their brakes. This is not what one usually wishes for in a birthday present. Again a firm scolding from an officer, another tow charge, more loss of income again. The grand total is $4500 for engine rebuild, $4100 for new engine. The mileage on odometer is 94688. I mean, really come on, so now I have 1 lawn ornament that I'm still paying on by the way. This is total garbage. How does a company get away with all of this? This car is not dependable or economic by any means. I'm going too definitely go back to my straight 6 iron hide jeep. I should've never strayed away from jeep and for that I apologize.

I purchased a vehicle January 2010 from Hoselton Toyota in East Rochester NY. This vehicle while being cleaned to deliver to me had the sensor go on for the airbag. Hoselton had the car taken to Dorschel Auto who determined that it needed to be replaced. It was ordered January 22, 2010. It is currently March 25th and this part has been given 3 estimated delivery dates since Jan. and the current estimated delivery date of the part is March 8th. I am not sure if I should ever trust future repairs since it takes 2 months for a part to come in from what I heard currently is Mexico. I am very disappointed in the delay of this part and would like to know what Volkswagon is going to do about this unacceptable delay and my time as I spend hours every week trying to find out when I will ever see my car again. I am currently scheduled to make my first payment on this vehicle March 7th that I purchased in January and I have not been able to see or drive it since I test drove it in January 14.

My 2004 VW Beetle had a water filter melt and head gasket blow at only 35,000 miles! The car needs a new engine and it is at least a $2-$3k job with a refurbished engine. I was devastated that this happened. The car was stuck in the Northeast blizzard the first week of February at which time the engine was working overtime. The car was awful in the snow. On the drive home the engine light started going on for the first time. Later that week the mechanic tested the car and put in a new sensor.

The problem seemed to be solved as the light stopped going on for a day or two but then it came back. I brought the car to the mechanic prior to leaving for another long trip. He stated that if it was driving ok (which it was) it should be fine. I made an appointment for him to re-assess the engine light after my weekend trip. About 85 miles into my trip, the car started smoking bad and stalled. The engine shot at 35,000 miles! An expensive tow home and car-lessI'm not a happy customer. No more bugs. I'm buying a new car. Selling VW Beetle for a fraction of what it should be worth.

Recently, I bought a 2005 VW beetle with 50,000 miles from a local dealer. While driving it home, the hubcap fell off. Then I discovered the back up light was out. Then I found air conditioning did not work and the driver side window would not roll back up. Driver side windshield wiper fell apart during hard rain. CD player did not work. Driver side headlight fell out while on the interstate and was hanging on by the wiring. I took the first exit and bought duct tape to hold it in until I got home.

So far, it has cost $250 to fix headlight. The biggest consequence is my conviction that this is a car that is not safe to drive. It sheds parts like a molting chicken. I don't know what keeps Volkswagen in business.

I am the owner of a 2005 VW Convertible Beetle. Last spring of 2009, my car began experiencing jerking and hesitation when changing gears. Not knowing what the problem was, I brought it to my local VW dealership to get inspected. They put the car on the computer for a diagnosis and found nothing to be the problem. I drove the car home and still the problem persisted. I later took it to another VW dealership and at length described the problem to the technician. Once again, the car was put on a computer and they found nothing to be the problem. The technician told me that this was a common problem with this make and model. He suggested that I do a transmission fluid flush and maybe that would help the problem. Not knowing what else to do, I did that, and $700 later, I drove home.

Later that day, the problem still existed, but not as bad or as frequent. Over time, the problem got back to its steady jerking and hesitation between gears. I began looking at posts of other VW Beetle owners and just as the technician said, it is a common problem. I am now faced with having to trade my car in for a better car, or spend $5,000 USD for a new transmission. There were even further posts where owners who spent the $5,000 USD for new transmission eventually had the same problem.

Some posts suggested that the engine's size is not correct for the size of this car, which causes so many of the same problems for so many people. This sounds like a recall issue to me. I'm a very frustrated VW owner, VW 2005 (Dead) Beetle owner. I filed a complaint about this before and I am still dealing with this frustrating situation. I have to get rid of this car, the real question is do I give VW another chance a buy another car or are you just as bad as Toyota?

Volkswagen of America. I bought my daughter a 2005 turbo cony beetle in Oct 2008. In Sept 2009, I started experiencing lurching and jumping out of gear, with all gears being highlighted on the dash. I took it to the dealer with less than 60k miles on it and was told it needed a new transmission. They put a rebuilt transmission in and told me the airbag light and engine light that were also on, were sensor issues and would cost approx $400 each to repair. I told them to just replace the transmission because I was getting rid of the car.

I can't believe so many people are complaining about the same dangerous circumstances for the same make and model car, and no one will do anything about it. I am also now having problems with the passenger window not operating properly when the door is opened and then shut again and the back passenger window just quit working completely. What a piece of junk. I will not let my daughter drive her "dream" car because I'm scared something else screwy will happen and she will get hurt.

On November 12, 2009 we sent a complaint about this company, but have heard nothing from you. This is what happened: I installed a Fram #PH8A oil filter on a rebuilt Volkswagen Beetle engine using a commercially made remote oil filter bracket. The filter was defective, that it failed to bypass the oil to engine after it was in service approximately 1500 miles, causing catastrophic engine failure. The company, Honeywell, refuses to honor their warranty after much correspondence. I have all the parts needed for further inspection and all the letters written and received. The engine was destroyed.

I have a 2004 VW Beetle with 60,000 miles on it. My transmission seems to be the issue. My car dangerously jerks from gear to gear (I have automatic) and has almost caused me several accidents. It happened while the car has been running awhile. It always happens upon acceleration and deceleration. Sometimes, all gears are highlighted on my sensor. Sometimes, it gets stuck in sixth gear and even start on that gear after stopping. It makes a horrible noise and it has caused me emotional distress and severe anxiety while driving.

I have severe anxiety while driving most times. I have almost gotten into accidents on the road because the gears were stuck and my car wouldn't do anything except jerk or spin tires. Lokey looked at it during a paid inspection, for which I have retained the receipt and they said there is no jerking and no problem with my transmission at all.

I bought a 2005 Turbo Convertible Beetle used. Since my purchase in 2008, I've had to get something fixed: the driver side window was not closing completely when the door shut, 3 parts replaced that were associated with the turbo, and the passenger airbag light sensor. The economic damage is at least $1,000-$1,500.

I bought my 2006 VW Beetle in late 2005. I ordered it brand new, straight from the factory. I was so excited because it was my very first brand new car and I had always wanted a Beetle. Here we are in 2009 and if my car were stolen, I would not shed a tear. It is a love/hate relationship with this car. While it is fun to drive and gets good gas mileage, the problems, mainly electrical, that I have had with this car have made my VW experience a nightmare. The first car stereo/CD player never really worked right from day one.

The display would go goofy or just wouldn't display anything, CDs were skipping, and getting spit out. I didn't have it checked out because I was happy to have a brand new car and thought that it wasn't a big deal. The under plate under the car that protects the hoses just fell off and was dragged while I drove. There was a recall on a part that had something to do with the engine shutting down if the weather got below 40 degrees. That's also when the stereo display wouldn't work, cold temps. I had that replaced. Window regulator was replaced a few months after I bought it. That seems to be a big problem with Beetles.

I was on vacation in Napa, CA and the engine light came on. I went to the VW dealership there and had some sensor replaced. In October of 2006, almost one year after purchasing it, the temperature light comes on and is beeping. I took it to my local Chapman Volkswagen, Tucson, AZ. They looked at it and I was told "I don't know why it's going off. There is no coolant leak although the coolant was slightly low, so we topped it off." This problem continued for the next 3 years. I stopped taking it to my dealership because they are horrible and my warranty is now expired because of the mileage.

Anyway, in August 2009, the temp. light is still on and beeping; the engine light comes on, it's barely running. I get it towed to a VW specialist in Tucson. It's the water pump which he found has had a small leak in it for quite sometime. How much do you want to bet VW never checked the water pump? Cost of water pump? About $800 bucks. I went ahead, with the generous help of my parents, and had about $2400 worth of work done to it, new fuel filter, rear brakes, alignment, water pump, I could go on. Here it is, January 2010, four months later, I'm putting gas in it, it spits it out.

After filling it up, it won't start. I finally get it started. The next day, the engine light comes on. One week later, the light on dashboard that says my trunk isn't completely closed comes on and off. Next day, the car alarm just randomly keeps going off, armed or not. What else? Oh! In 2007, both headlights just go out at the same time. Luckily the high beams worked. I have replaced the headlight bulbs twice and brake light bulbs twice, turn signal bulbs once. Then my driver's side headlight just stops working. A tiny piece of plastic that plugs into the headlamp is broken. I can't be replaced. I need an entire head lamp! What is the cost? It's about $450. Thank God for zip ties and a husband who can get it to stay in.

Two days later, the passenger side headlamp just pops out and is hanging there. It still does it. On top of all this, the interior is **. There are little plastic pieces just breaking off, coatings are peeling, doors rattle. Oh, and the CD player just stopped working. This was after it went into "safety mode" and VW had to reset it. Now the car stereo display does not work, and the CD player does not work.

My husband bought me a new Alpine car stereo for my birthday, Best Buy wouldn't install it when they found out it was a VW Beetle with the Monsoon system. I called another car stereo specialist, and because of everything they would have to do just to install it including all new speakers, I was looking at $300 to have it installed. I took it to the dealership. They found an internal short that has been there since the car was assembled. A new one costs over $900 and used, $450.

Since it was upon assembly, I think VW should cover the costs of a new Monsoon stereo. I think a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen is necessary, especially among Beetle owners. I will never again by a VW and regret ever selling my Toyota. Please help us Beetle owners! We are being robbed blind. I am taking the Beetle to the VW guy here in Tucson tomorrow. He says it sounds like the fuel system. This car is 4 years old! What a piece of **! I am so stressed about how much this is going to cost.

I bought a 2004 New Beetle Convertible in February of 2009. It had just under 70K miles. Within two weeks, my engine light went on, but they said nothing was wrong with my transmission even though I told him I felt lurching when coming to a stop. I needed a new charging head replaced which cost $600. Then in June, my transmission went out.

After researching on my problem, my father said that my transmission gear had a defect in manufacturing and that the cylinder head was constructed slightly too large. Well, that cost me $5,000. Now, my engine light has come on again. My airbag lights are on and I am just too frustrated to even go get those things checked out.

I wish VW treated me like Honda always did and took care of me and my car! I have just cried over this car too much. It was supposed to be a fun 40th birthday present for me and now I have caused great economic stress on my husband and myself due to spending $6,000 out of our own pocket within 4 months of buying this car!

We bought our daughter a brand-new 2005 VW beetle convertible when she graduated high school. The car squeaks and rattles like a junker. We were told by North Point VW in Sherwood, Arkansas, that it's normal for that engine size. Then in January 2009, the passenger side airbag light came on. We had the passenger side crash sensor replaced under warranty. 2 days later, the driver's side crash sensor had to be replaced. Then, a few months later, the light came on again.

With my daughter now in law school and the VW dealership not conveniently located, she waited, thinking it was the same sensor and that warranty would fix it. Well, now it's the seat belt sensor. The cost will be $355 at VW in Rogers, Ar, and $475 with VW in Sherwood, Ar. As many vehicles as we have owned, we never had an airbag (safety) issue. This makes the 3rd safety feature incident with this car.

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment with Volkswagen of America and your dealer, Fields Volkswagen in Daytona Beach, Florida. Since I have owned my 2006 new beetle, I have had clutch problems with it. The clutch was replaced at 12,000 miles and immediately after had the same acrid "clutch" smell. The clutch has never been proper. You have diagnosed the current problem as normal wear and or driver problem. I could not disagree more. I purchased another new beetle with a diesel, and a manual transmission in 1998 and it now has over 100,000 miles and I never had any clutch problems with it! I had to special order my current bug to get a diesel with a manual transmission. I am a very experienced driver and do not "ride the clutch".

Several items of this saga interest me. The fact that I told my service rep. Jason, I was going to protest this repair, but he did not save the parts to show me is puzzling. I also find it is strange that the clutch was replaced at 12,000 miles, but VW service did not replace the flywheel. Now when the flywheel was replaced along with the other associated parts, the smell has gone away, and the car is performing as it should. I believe the car has had a problem all along, and when it was serviced at 12,000 miles it was never repaired properly.

I am not an experienced mechanic but do understand that a car should not be on a third clutch when it has only 40,000 miles! It also should not give off a foul odor of "clutch" smell! If you have a problem with an automobile, it is your obligation to repair it. An owner with a car under warranty should not be charged $2300.00 to fix a continuing problem!

I have a 2004 VW Beetle Convertible. There have been a few recalls on it which the dealer took care of. The battery went bad within two years but the car was on warranty. I think that the VW bug battery problem is well-known. Right about 50,000 miles I've started having transmission problems. The car jumps very hard at 20 mph, 30 mph, and when you first put it in drive. It jumps so hard that it is almost not drivable, and you can easily get a whiplash. It appears to be getting worse. The VW dealer diagnosed it and recommended replacing the transmission at a cost of $3000. However, just today I found out that the axle is too loose; they are replacing the axle and checking to see if that fixes the problem with the transmission.

the window regulator went out 3 times total in my 2005 vw beetle convertible. one was repaired while under warranty in 2007. in nov. 2009, i now have to replace two of them. the car's warranty expired in july 2009 and i have to pay alot of money to repair it. please help.

i purchase a new beetle convertible for my wife 11 months ago. since then and with only 2500 miles it has been to the dealer 6 times for repairs. these include the popping noises in the body (body shop welded twice) to stop the noise. right side door speakers stop working (speaker replaced). brakes failed while driving (towed to dealer and brake servo motor replaced). noise from back seat area (secure loose bolts in top). had to make numerous trips back because it was not fix right the first time. the service department and its manager do not care. car was at the dealership for a total of 40+ days and the lied on the paperwork saying it was only in for 16 days. CROOKS! one time car was returned dirty with food and trash in the back seat and a part was not put back but was in the back seat. very poor product and customer service. will never buy a vw again and plan on telling my story to anyone who would listen

I have a 2005 Convertible Beetle and have to replace the windows regulators twice! The back window has come unglued and is leaking, and of course none of this covered. I really loved this car when my husband got it for me, but it's been such a disappointment since then. The speakers have been replaced twice also, and many pieces within the car have broken or cracked.

The plastic fractures are not limited to our VW, our Passat also has had many problems, including a huge crack in our dash board, which appeared overnight. What a disappointment, we will NEVER buy a VW again.

Well first of all, the smell was not removed and second of all, who in their right mind is going to drive in 100 degree heat with the heater on. Of course, now that fall has arrived and winter coming, I can test their theory; but what do I do to get rid of the smell completely? I don't want to smell it when I turn the air conditioner on again! Anyone know?

I have a 2004 VW Beetle and since day one i have had numerous problems with it, at first the battery was foul it wouldnt start, i had warranty on it and when i would take it in they would claim to fix the problem and the next day the same thing would happen again. I must have gone 6 times in 3 months for the same thing! I cant roll my front window down because it might not go up, the back window doesnt go down at all, at the back window is peeling off the convertable top.

I am now having trouble with my transmission, it jumps really hard from 3rd to 4th gear and sometimes it will get stuck in a gear and i have to pull over and restart my car! my aliggnment is never right and the headlights and breaklights are constantly having to be changed. I am tired of it and will never in my whole life get another VW!!!!

In March of 2009, the airbag light on my 2002 VW Beetle indicated a problem. The VW dealer said my driver-side seat belt recepticle had a glitch, and needed to be replaced for $300. Seven months later, the airbag light came on again and the dealer said now the passenger-side belt recepticle had malfunctioned. Cost: Another $300. Instead of paying, I contacted VW Customer Relations (800-822-8987) and was told, more or less, tough luck, the car is too old for them to help cover the cost of repair. They did offer to sell or lease me a new car. (Ha!) This is my fifth, and, thanks to the company's attitude, probably my last VW.

In July 2003 I was t-boned in the passenger side by a full sized conversion van going over 40 mph; this shoved the car sideways 50 feet, bent both front wheels, broke the axle and rocked the car almost onto it side before it slammed back down onto it 4 wheels. The top was on, windows rolled up. All 4 headrests deployed, the passenger and driver seat brackets broke off. But not a single airbag deployed. The frame totally bent. The resulting injuries to me have been devastating and life shortening. yet no one from VW ever returned our requests for information, requests fro them to examine the vehicle - and after it was "repaired" the dealership auctioned it off to some poor fool... God forbid they experience any accident in this car.

I have a 2004 convertible Beetle with 50K miles on it. On a recent road trip my passenger side headlight lens fell off. Though it seemed strange considering the age of the car and I've never experienced it on any other car, I figured it would be a simple fix when I returned home. I took it into my dealer who showed me that the driver's side lens was separating in the same way and it would likely soon fall off as well. The quote to replace both was $900. Yes, you read that correctly. Since I am still in the middle of fixing my convertible top and need to spend another $250 to complete that fix you can imagine how angry I was.

I purchased my 2004 VW Beetle Convertible in February of 2004 and within 6 months, it was in the shop because the top would not come back up. The problem was the switch and so it was replaced. By the end of the first year, I had the same problem repaired 2 more times. Since then I've had numerous problems with windows going down on their own, windows not going back up, the top getting stuck halfway, the top not coming back up, the interior peeling off, the headliner coming off.

I've only put 30,000 miles on this car so to say that I'm unhappy is an understatement. I purchased my vehicle this time around because I wanted to finally pay off a car and not have to worry about a car payment. Wow did that bite me in the behind.

Now, I've just found out that my convertible top has shrunk and the heat seal holding it to the back window has come undone. The cost to replace this entire top which cannot be repaired? $3,000 that I don't have and the best part is that the extended warranties don't cover convertible tops. I went to 5 different convertible top specialists who told me they see this a lot with VW Beetle Convertibles and that it happens every 5 to 6 years.

I'm sure that wasn't information passed along to me when I test drove it.

NEVER EVER buy Volkswagon, I have yet to meet a happy VW driver.

A recall on this problem would not only be appreciated, it is warranted.

I also own a 2003 New Beetle Convertible. I had to replace my passenger side rear window regulator. It costs over $400. I thought that it might have just been a freak thing until I saw this website. I am having a huge problem with my back glass having come unsealed from the convertible top. This is what brought me to this website. I was looking for recalls. Apparently there aren't any for this issue.

Obviously there is something wrong with the adhesive they have used. I URGE EVERYONE WITH THIS PROBLEM TO CALL VW CUSTOMER CARE. THE MORE COMPLAINTS THE BETTER CHANCE WE HAVE OF GETTING A RECALL FOR THIS. I called my local dealership. National Volkswagen and was told that I would have to get the entire top replaced. They referred me to an upholstery shop near Richlands.

Everytime it rains, my back glass leaks alot and I'm afraid this is ruining my car. Mold is going to set in where the inside convertible top is constantly wet. I live in Coastal NC and do not have a garage. This is not my fault that the adhesive obviously does not work.

In 2006, I purchased a previously leased 2004 VW New Beetle Convertible from Toyota of Orange. It has been a nightmare ever since. Not even 1 week after the purchase, the airbag sensor warning light came on. It was still under the factory warranty and I thought it should be handled by a VW dealership, so I took it in for repair. This happened 2 more times before the problem went away.

I took my complaints to the sales manager of Toyota of Orange because I felt this was a safety issue of a car they sold me. I got nowhere with that. So much for "you won't get a lemon at Toyota of Orange!" That's just a drop in the bucket.

A couple of valves to the turbo exhaust system needed replacing... the glass windows had to be adjusted to meet the sealing points becuas the front windows were hitting exterior door handle pivots... the cd changer had to be replaced because it had an "error" message and froze...the transmission needed about$3,000 worth of repair.. the car was surging forward when I would slow down preparing to stop. I needed drive shaft, core return, valve body, cv boot, bolts, gasket and a washer.

NOW onto December of 2008 my car was overheating, but wasn't using coolant up. it needed a new water pump and thermostat and since it was over 60,000 miles and the engine was pulled up anyway had the timing belt changed. ($710)

Now just 8 months later the overheat warning came on. this time the coolant was low. I added coolant and got it looked at. the "phalange" that connects the hoses together had a leak which was repaired but the VW dealership said the the low speed fan wasn't coming on. so I needed ANOTHER water pump and thermostat! ($1,100)

Oh by the way they also told me that I needed another timing belt because 8 month old one had ridges in it. To add insult to injury...just yesterday the driver side rear window made some crackling noises and refuses to come out of the panel. Based on what I've read on the complaints I'm thinking it's the regulator.

I called my local VW dealership about the extended window regulator warranty, but they said this didn't apply to the rear windows. Time for a class action lawsuit, guys! I will never purchase another VW even it they are cute. And yes... my rear window is separating from the inner liner too. Repeated repair of the water pump/thermostat system. Excessive cost in upkeep.

VW BUG....same thing. spent fortune in window regulators, and wing replaced on convertible and now the back window pulling away from canvas. I can not WAIT to trade this in and get something reliable. The engine is fine...for now. HEY VW are you listening? probably $3-4 thousand spend on ficing the poor quality of BUG.

I have almost been rear ended 3 times, and have taken my car into the dealer 6 or 7 times and they still can not fix the slipping in the transmission, I have taken pictures of brackets to show the dealer, they said it was a computer fault. My car has gotten stuck in third gear (not changing to 4th) many times. When slowing down to come to a stop it jams between 3rd and 2nd. When taking off after being stopped the car will not move past 2nd gear and sometimes just stops. Since Volkswagon just did a recall on 2009 and 2010 models of the EOS, with the exact same problem I don't understand why they can not recall the 2003 Volkswagon Convertible Beetle. I can deal with the top no longer retracting, and the rear windows tracks broken.. But I feel my life is in danger with the transmission being faulty and the dealership not acknowledging the problem.

I have a 03 VW Beetle Convertible and like many others complaining, all four of my window regulators have have been replaced (luckly under warranty), my carburetor and air bag sensor needs to be replace (both have been recalled but have a $200 fee attached to guarantee this is the only thing wrong with the car), my transmission shifts very hard as i sow down and the dealer says it performs correctly, my "wings" for the convertible have broken and on top of it all my convertible top have lifted off the window allowing water to leak in to the car.

I want to help the other convertibles out there that cannot afford to replace their top. I was told that the top could not be repaired, but i tried anyway and it has worked for the past 4 months. I used Gorilla glue and glued the top in segments (using strips of duct tap to secure it while drying) It looks pretty good and no longer leaks! I am happy and then we topped it off with a black silicon seal and everything looks very good. It was tedious, but it saved me $3000 for now.

I purchased a 2003 VW Beetle in February 2009. On March 11, 2009 I was involved in a major single car accident. My car hit an embankment on a freshly grated gravel road. The car basically did a nose dive into the embankment then launched my car airborne into a pasture. The car flipped end over end, and landed on all 4 wheels, only to burst into flames. Air bags NEVER deployed!!!! Both front seats broke on impact, and I was thrown into the back seat with my seat belt still on.

I own a 2004 convertible Beetle. I have replaced three window regulators. If a part is defective, it should be recalled. The first two window regulators cost about $550 each. The third broke yesterday and the estimate is $850.

I have a 2004 VW Beetle Convertible Turbo with 52,000 miles on it.

Last weekend when I put my top up it made a horrible crunching sound and it turns out that one of the "wings" that retracts during operation has cracked and it is going to cost me nearly $500 to replace it. This car has been meticulously serviced and cared for so this blows my mind. I did some research and found that this has been a very common problem and they abandoned this design on the 2006 model. I asked my dealer to call VW Corporate on this repair since I don't intend to pay for their flawed and abandoned design. No word yet on that but I am furious.

I have already had it in to repair the rear driver's side window which broke and cost me $250. Unfortunate since it is the same problem that VW has lost two class action suits on and my car was two months out of warranty and missed the class action coverage by one year.

I received a recall notice for faulty brake light switch for my 1998 VW Beetle. The auto had to be returned to nearest dealer for repair. The nearest dealer is in Abilene, TX - 90 miles away. They are opened Mon. thru Fri. I work Mon. thru Fri. and could not get there for the repair. The brake light failed. It came on and would not go off. The battery died. I had to get the car jumped off, took it in to Ric Henry Auto Service here in San Angelo. Ric Henry Auto is recommended by Sterling Motors in Abilene for repairs. Ric Henry Auto told me to send the receipt and proof of repair to VW for reimbursement. They said they should take care of reimbursement because there is not an "authorized" dealer in San Angelo.

I mailed in the receipt along with proof of payment, a total of $94.92. VW called me and said they could not reimburse me because an authorized dealer did not do the repair. Ric Henry Auto got the part from Sterling Motors in Abilene. The rep at VW would not let me speak to another person and said their decision was final and could not be reversed. I believe VW should reimburse me for this repair since they are the one's responsible for the faulty brake light. Had I driven to Abilene, I would have lost a day's wages plus gasoline and it would have cost me more to go to Abilene than the repair made here in San Angelo. This is not the first problem I have had with this VW - radiator fans, air conditioning, faulty window, faulty door locks - all of which I have paid for amounting to almose $2,000.00. Now VW will not reimburse me for something that they know is their problem. Your help in getting them to reimburse me for their mistake will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Rear Window detaching from fabric, Will call vw but from what I read here it might be useless. My daughter does not have 3000.00 for a new top sounds like its devestating cant sell would go under in loan dont know what to do

2001 VW 1.8 Turbo Beetle. My elderly relative bought the car new. At about 40K miles, the plastic waterpump failed, timing belt broke, and the car stopped running. He had it towed to VW and was told the engine was sludged, the oil pump had failed, and the car needed a new cylinder head at a cost of $5000. It was under powertrain warranty. They asked for oil change receipts, and these were provided. VW rejected the claim at all levels with no explantion.

The orignal owner died from an extended illness and I inherited the car. It had sat at the VW dealer for 14 months. I recovered the car and had it repaired at a private shop. I researched the problem and found numerous complaints and similar stories from other owners. The car now has 48,000 miles. The engine runs fine now, but I rarely drive it, because it is generally a piece of junk, for a variety of reasons. What's the point of a warranty, when proven maintenance records can be dismissed by VW?

July 2009 - Now the left front regulator is broken again and needs to be replaced

This car has only 32,00 miles on it and has window regulators replaced 5 different times!

I have a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle. I have owned it for almost four years. I bought it used in 2005. I have had many small issues since buying this vehicle. However now there is a big issue. Since early 2008 there has been an issue with the battery. Every time I went to start my Beetle after it had sat for any length of time (maybe one hour or more) it would not start and would need to be jump started. I had it looked at several times; the battery was replaced along with almost every fuse, the starter, and many other options were explored; nothing worked.

Finally in March 2009 I took the car to a Volkswagen dealer service department in Kalamazoo, MI (on west main near US 131). The vehicle was looked at and they replaced something in the driver door along with the recalled break - light switch. This cost me $403.00. I took it home and the next morning it would not start. So I brought it back to them. They then replaced the battery even though the current battery was new and good. This cost me another $150.00.

I then took it home and again it would not start the next day. So, again I brought the car back with agreement from the Service manager that they would now eat the cost of fixing the problem. Now here I am almost four months later. My vehicle is still in the shop, I have paid them $550.00. I have also lost a great deal of money paying to rent a car for this period of time. They never offered me a loner or any assistance for my inconvenience. They still have not fixed the car or discovered the problem and are now looking to my Husband and me for what to do about this.

We are more than angry! I brought a Volkswagen vehicle to a Volkswagen dealer to have it repaired and they cant even fix to me that is absurd. I am being taken advantage of, and it is very upsetting. If "you" Volkswagen cannot even fix a vehicle that "you" built (d) and sell; what good are you? I feel that this is inexcusable. I demand a solution! I want my money back and I want vehicle that I can drive without have to jump the car every time I need to drive it. I don't want the worry of being stranded somewhere because I can't start my car after grocery shopping. This has been more than inconvenient for me and my family. The reputation of your company is at stake, if I am not satisfied with this issue very soon I will be taking this to the next level. Please do not make me have to do so. I would appreciate a response soon! Thank you.

I own a 2004 VW Beetle that has 54,000 miles. In April my passenger rear window would not roll up and I was told it was a regulator, cost $373 which I paid. Now, June 2009 the drivers rear window has the same problem. VW would not respond in April if this was a common problem and was told there is not a recall (not health & safety?). The recall for the air bag was apparently fixed and the next day the air bag light went on and is still on. VW said that it would cost $200 to determine what the problem was.It was not a problem before the recall fix? Who can I call to have this window & sensor fixed without paying again?

I have a 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle convertible. The rear window has detached from the convertible top leaving a big space below the window.It is only a matter of time befor it falls out completely.(hopefully not hittng the car behind me while driving.)All contact with VW Customer Care is answered with "We are sorry but the warranty is expired."

I have researched this particular problem on the internet and have found that this is a common complaint for the 2003 model of this car and started happening in 2008.I believe that the seal holding the window in place is defective and that this is not a warranty issue or a n issue of wear and tear but a defect in manufacturing.The window cannot be fixed as the fabric of the top is actually shrinking away from the window. The dealer says that the only way to fix this is to replace the whole top .

This will cost about $3000.This repair isn't done by the dealer but outsourced to a specialty shop. I contacted the specialty shop directly and was offered the installation of a salvage top for $1850 including labor which I presented to VW Customer Care as an acceptable resolution to this issue but was again denied. No one has examined my car to either confirm or deny a defect.I made an appointment with the dealer who ,once informed that I had been in contact with VW Customer Care,refered me back to them.I have an appointment, arranged through the dealer,with the VWoA representative in 2 weeks,but have already been told by Customer Care that they consider his case closed.

I bougth a 2004 VW Beetle Convertible, and at 40,000 Miles the water broke while I'm on a freeway. I have no idea what was going, except a warning light was flashing that the enigne is heating up. I stopped and added water and kep doing so until the flahing light stopped and the engine trouble light came on. The car finally stalled and I had it towed to a dealer.

I cannot afford the ~$6000 to replace the engine. The car only has 40,000 miles on it the blue book value is around $10,000 to 15,000. It's a total lost for me since I'm selling the car for $2500 just to get rid of the headache. I love driving the car but now i could never buy anothe VW again because ot manufactures irresponsibility. I lossing close to $10,000 and confidence on any VW cars.

I purchased a 2000 Beetle on Valentines Day 2000 for my wife. (I sold her 1996 red Corvette) to buy this thing!!!!

(I had it towed into the dealership!)

Volkswagon said not their problem! My insurance AAA paid the bill.

@ 110,000 mi. The water pump again (FOR THE FOURTH TIME) My mechanic said that it's a design flaw in the pump, the shaft breaks & the impeller comes apart! The radiator split this time causing more problems. (Towed the car from the Sierra's to the shop.

Water pump $625.00 Drivers side headlight $75.00 Rear Brakes $146.00 Water pump $556.00 Passenger side headlight $75.00 Water & oil leaks, & water pump (Again) $1,327.00 Dashboard fire (Insurance paid) over $10,000 to Roseville Volkswagon! Plus a rental car for a month. (Roseville Volkswagon would do nothing to help us out!) Replace radiator & water pump (AGAIN) $1328.00

I purchased a 1998 Beetle in 1998, and since then have had to have the window regulators replaced at least 5 times, at $300-$400 each. I now have duct tape over the window controls so that no one can use them, because I can't afford the repairs if they break again. This has been going on for over 4 years. There are posts all over the Internet from people like me who have had the same problems with their window regulators on their VW Beetles.

I've spent over $1000 replacing window regulators on this car. I currently cannot use the windows. When I'm at a toll booth or bank drive-through, I have to get out of the car to use the machines. I can't re-sell the car because who is going to buy a car that doesn't have windows that work??? Between the costs to fix the regulators and the fact that I can't resell this car, I have lost thousands of dollars.

Wife was driving her 2006 TDI manual transmission beetle on the highway when she had a premature clutch failure at 30,000 miles. Dealer said failure was caused by driver abuse and was a wear and tear issue and would not be covered by warranty. They tried to hide the fact that a service bulletin existed for the same type of clutch installed on the 2005/2006 jetta.Vw customer care office sided with the dealer and did not even want to talk about it.

Car was disabled on the highway and almost caused an accident. Total repair bill came to $2300 for new clutch,flywheel,pressure plate.

I purchased a Volkswagon Beetle Convertible in 2005 from dealer in San Juan Capistrano, Ca. When I purchased the vehicle, the sales team was very high pressure. I tried to leave and they chased me out of the parking lot and made me stop. I went back into the office and made the purchase. After I signed the contract and went to leave in the vehicle, I noticed some items I did not like. I was told by the salesman that since the contract was signed, there was nothing they could do. I drove off with the car and kept it for 3 years 5 months. (Lease was 4 years)

I recently traded in the vehicle and received a final invoice for payment and excessive wear and tear. The invoice total is now $2600. I do not agree with $500 of the wear and tear charges. This $500 charge I am disputing is for Convertible glass motor inoperable. I do not feel this is an excessive wear and tear issue. If I had taken the vehicle in for repair while I was in possesion of the vehicle, this would have been repaired at no cost to me.

This was a manufacturers defect in my opinion. I was unable to take my vehicle in for repair because the dealership shuttle would not take me back to my place of employment while my vehicle was being repaired. VW credit had denied my claim. The personnel, including the dealership has been less than courteous. They will not speak to me regarding this matter and they have been very abrupt when I tried to discuss with them. I have been a loyal VW customer for 9 years. I do not feel their vehicles stand up to the competion and will never purchase another vehicle from them again.

Purchased a 2002 Volkswagen beetle 5 years ago and it has been nothing but problems... the money pit from hell. First of all I had a system in the car that malfunctioned and fried the cars computer which the warrently would not cover= $800. Shortly after the headlight went out=$175 and then the EPC light came on and car completely locked up--couldn't drive it, had to get it towed.

My windows have always rolled down like Herbie the love bug and my blinkers just stopped working. For 2 years my coolants lights have went off and the check engine light has been on for 4 years. My exhaust also sounds like an airboat going down the road. Just recently my water pump and thermastat went bad- car overheated=$1400, spark plugs and coils fried=$270 and 3 weeks later car is back in the shop because the freezer plug is bad=$324. Let's just say while my car is being worked on..yet again I will be searching for something else!

So please if your reading- be smart- buy a honda, toyota..etc and remember VW beetles are like paying for parts for a mercedes!

I have had window problems with my 2003 VW New Beetle convertible - passenger window doesn't track properly; driver's rear quarter window would not go up - cost to repair at dealer >$700. I have been on many web sites containing at least 25-50 posts from owners with various window problems which VW will not acknowledge.

>$700

I purchased a 2006 VW New Beetle TDI new from the dealer just after the warranty expired for milage the transmission went bad and it will cost approx 9000.00 to repair this problem. I have read several cases like this where VW transmissions on new beetles went out just after warranty expired due to milage. VW will not repair any of these cars and will not even diagnose the problem without charging a fortune! Is there any recalls for this problem or class action law suits for this problem?

Since 2001 have purchased 2 VW Beetles from this dealership. Last purchased 6/2004 is VW New Beetle Convertible. Car has been in to the shop multiple times for L tail light malfunction. This was fixed then air bag sensor malfunctioned. They offered to fix this for approx. 500 dollars. I found out later that day there was a recall already on this sensor. I was charged a diagnostic fee for the estimate and even though I told my service representative that there was a recall, nothing was done at this time. I had to wait until the recall was received in the mail to get this fixed.

I live in Tyler which 200 miles from Houston and had to travel both ways twice to finally get this attended to. Now, the air bag sensor is again malfunctioning and I have a rear window regulator malfunctioning which is $800 to fix. I have seen that I am not the only person with this problem from other complaints that I have read.

Actual cost in $ probably diagnostic fees, gas, et amount to about $400. The wear and tear on the car back and forth to Houston and the anxiety of something else electrical going out is the most problematic.

I have a 2005 VW beetle and I have 84000 miles and I need an entire transmission. Per the dealer's in town they can get me a rebuilt one for $5800.0 or a new one for $6500.00. This is just crazy. I am having to go back to my bank that I have the loan with and borrow more money in order to be able to drive my own car. I have called the dealership and have been given the run around and no help at all from any of the dealers. I requested just to check the car and give me a quote for the repairs and I was quoted $250.00 just to check the car and give a written quote. I asked if that would be deducted from my final bill and I was told no. This is insane that a car cannot go 84000 miles and has to have a new transmission.

I own a 2005 VW Beetle. I have repeatedly complained about transmission problems with the car and the way it drives. VW checked my car out repeatedly and assured me it was ok. Now at 60900 miles (Just out of warrany) my transmission has gone completely out. All estimates to fix the problem are over $6000. I tried to take the car to discuss the problem but was given the run aroound and wouldnt return multiple voice mails so I ended up taking the car to another shop for another estimate.

In the mean time I contacted VW customer service to speak with a rep. After the regional case manger investigated the case (Erin) stated that because I have taken the vehicle to another shop to have it looked at the problem is all mine. They will not assist me in any way . However they will acknowledge this was an issue before my warranty went out on several occasions.

I am currently left making a car payment for a vehicle that does not run. And repairs I simply can not afford nor should I have to. I have documentation of all complaints to VW.

03 Volkswagon Beetle Convrt. I recently bought a 2003 Bug. It looks like I seem to have most of the problems everyone else is having. The back window has come detached from the canvas, the air bag light stays on, the driverside door window sounds like it's going to shatter when you close the door. The worst of all is the smell! It has one of the worst smell, it's hard to explain maybe hot burning oil. It makes my hair and clothes smell. I have had this for 1 week and can't drive it because it smells so bad. I am bringing it to a VW dealer on friday and they don't have a clue where the smell is coming from. Any idea's on how to get rid of it?

My 2003 VW Converitble Driver window regulator is broken. According to the Dealership this is known issue and my extended warranty does not cover the upgrade Volkswagen says the car needs to prevent the problem from re-occuring. Many Beetle owners are having this issue apparently and VW ignores the complaints but continues to collect the $900-1500 repairs.

Here's a list of the problems I've encountered since purchasing my 2000 Beetle a couple of years ago Replaced Alternator 3 Times, Interior Fabric Roof Sagging, In order to open the Driver Side Door You have to pull at least 3 Times on the Handle, Electric Key Broken, Replaced Headlights Twice, Interior Rear Plastic Panel above Rear Window Falling Off, Console Broken in 2 Different Places, Too Many Electrical Shorts to count, Alarm Sounds For No Reason, Axles Replaced Twice, Middle Air Vent Roller Broken, Passenger Side Plastic Air Vent no longer holds in place and just tumbles off, Driver Side Window Control Hanging off of the interior of the door, Control for Exterior Side Mirrors broken off, 3 Skid Plates Fell Off, Lower Register of Horn has broken so now horn is only high pitch, Warning Lights on dash go on and off as they please, Tail Pipe is so loud that it sounds as if Ive installed a Flowmaster. Unless you have a death-wish, do not buy a beetle

We purchased a 2004 VW Beetle GLS turbo in may 2007. From the very start we started having problems. The cars battery went dead a month after purchase. Next the car went into limp mode and of course the problem and part was not covered under the existing warranty. Then the window motor went out and of course not covered by warranty. Next the transmission started slipping. The dealers mechanic told me it was a valve in the turbo and charged me $300. of course this did not fix the problem. Again the car went into limp mode and this time the dealership says it needs a new transmission to the tune of $8000. I told the dealer I bought this car from them just over a year ago cant they help out with the cost. Of course no way. They suggested trading it in but want me to roll the diff into a new auto loan. They wont come up on the trade in value or move on sale price of diff car. This an absolute nightmare

My 2007 VW new beetle has terrible a terrible smell that consume the entire car. The best way to describe it is burning wax or burning crayon. VW refused to acknowledge the problem after countless visits to the dealership even though the car is still under warranty. I filed a formal written complaint to Volkswagen of America and after 1 week of research on their end, they called me back and said they were closing my file as the dealership said there was no abnormalities with my car.

The smell is so bad that it makes me sick. I get headaches and often have to pull over because I feel like I am going to pass out. After three months, the service director at my local dealership has finally stepped in to try and help me. My car is now gutted and they still can't figure out what is causing the smell (which the service director admits to smelling.

VW so far has refused to buy back the car even though it is clearly a lemon and meets all criteria. If the service Director can't get VW of America to rectify the situation soon, I will have no choice but to hire an attorney. This is happening to a lot of people and VW of America acts like they don't know what is going on. This is unfair to the consumer.What chemical fumes am I breathing? HELP!

Headaches, Vomiting, Light Headed, smell from the fumes saturate my hair and clothing daily!!!!

I don't feel right trading in the car as I can't pass this problem on to someone else. I think it is dangerous! I don't even know if I could sell the car or trade it in. Anyone who pulls up a carfax report will see how many times the car has been in the shop for this unresolved problem. I have owned the car for 4 months. It has been in the shop countless time for a total of approx. 45 days with no resolution. They are a lot of consumers out on the internet with the same problem as me!

Bought a 2003 VW Beetle for my daughter and from the beginning we had horrible problems. Every sensor on this car went bad and after 1800.00 dollars in repairs over 4 months I decided to trade it in. The last estimate was going to cost me 1500.00 per my mechanic who does imports only. He said these cars are awful and services so many VW's in general that he should call himself VW Affordable Mechanic

I unloaded this onto the dealer lost about 2K on it but so worth it. Honestly BUYER BEWARE of these cars. Yes they are cute but expensive

I own a 2001 VW Beetle, mileage 83,585. In August of 2008 I had a VW dealer repair 2 oil leaks on the engine. Last week the car stopped running; I took it to a local mechanic who told me the timing belt was broken and the engine needed to be replaced. I called the dealer, who explained that they would not have been able to see the timing belt where the leaks were repaired, but he also told me that the timing belt should last to 105,000 miles.

He recommended I call VW Customer Care at the number listed above. I explained everything to Cust. Care and was told that the car was supposed to be checked at 40,000 and 80,000 miles and they couldn't help me. I bought the car used in February of 2006. I've taken the car to the dealer for oil changes and other repairs.

I paid $865 in August of 2008 to repair an engine that now needs to replaced. I paid $120.00 to the local repair shop to diagnose the engine replacement and have been quoted a price of $3600.00 to replace the engine, which is about what I owe in payments on it.

I own a 03 VW new Beetle. Back glass came unglued. Was told by VW dealer it would have to re replaced almost $2200.00! Called VW and was told they have not had any other VW complaints relating to the top (ha ha). Surfed on line and found lots of people with the same problems. Thanks.

I was just told yesterday that my 2004 Covertable Beetle was basicaly dead. I have had several small issues leading up to the past 2 weeks of hell. The fabric holding the rear window glass in place disconnected long ago with no financially reasonable way to correct it. The covertable top itself never worked properly. It would always lock while it was lowering which caused me to wait for 5 minutes every time in order for the circuit to reset.

Shortly after buying it in 2006, I noticed that the dispplay which showed which gear the vehicle was in would select every gear at once. I had a diagnostic run two seperate times and both times I was turned away with no explaination. Also, about a month ago, my left window regulator malfunctioned and I have not been able to raise the window. Luckily, living in Southern California, it does not regularly rain. However, I was quoted a $800 bill in order to replace the regulator. From what I have read, this problem is beyond common, and needs to be recalled.

Like others, I also received a notice stating a recall on airbag sensors. One day later, my airbag warning light came on. Like I said, problem after problem. Within the past 2 weeks, my car began shifting gears jerkily and the engine would rev high prior to shifting. My check engine light also came on. When I took it in, I was told that I needed the following: a new thermometer, new triptronic switch, new range circuitboard, a water pump, a timing belt, and a new transmission. The transmission alone is over $5,100. The total cost for these repairs came to over $9000.

My car hasn't even hit 80,000 and has undergone regular maintanence. I have since been told that VW transmissions are known for breaking down between 60,000 and 75,000 miles. The damages associated with my car greatly outweigh the total value of the car. Due to the many problems that seem extremely common and the outrageous extrense of the parts needed, it is much more affordable to purchase a new car and expend the VW Beetle in my possession.

I purchased a 2003 Beetle convertible in late 2003 from a dealer in San Antonio. The vehicle had about 7,000 miles on it when I purchased it and was under a full factory warranty. About two-three weeks ago, I noticed that the back glass window that is attached to the canvas convertible top has disconnected from the canvas. I contacted the local VW Dealer and was informed that they cannot reattach the window to the canvas and that I will have to purchase an entire new canvas top at a cost of about $2,400.00.

Of course, with the window disconnected from the canvas, I have no way to keep the water out of the car. Currently, the car only has about 21,000 miles on it and, when it has not been driven, has been garaged the entire time I have owned the car. I consider this a design defect that VW should step up to the plate and pay for.

Based on what I've read in these postings, it sounds like our chances of having VW Corporation or a local VW Dealer step up to the plate and fix this problem on their nickel are slim to none, but I guess I'll give it a try . . .

I have a 2003 VW Beetle convertible purchased new. Yesterday (08/31/08) I noticed the adhesive that holds the rear glass window in place has become unattached. Has anyone else had a similar problem with this happening.

I have a 2003 VW Beetle convertible purchased new. Yesterday (08/31/08) I noticed the adhesive that holds the rear glass window in place has become unattached. Has anyone else had a similar problem with this happening.

Purchase VW bug diesel TDI May 5, 2006 from Lithia VW in Medford, OR. Early problems that have not been resolved are: 1. Door windows do not operate properly, touch the button and they all go the way or down. No partial control. 2. Hatch does not release, doesn't seal. 3. Expensive model radio, is scratchy, blurred and difficult to hear.

Serious problems. August 07 engine lite on. I found oil in radiator overflow. They replaced thermostat. Aug. 27th 07 same oil in rad. Ck engine light comes on several times in 08. 6/26/08 they found something loose. Right. 8/28 came on again, Christ & Scott said ok to drive, bring back Tues @ 2pm. I an aware of a oil sludge problem that VW engines have and suspect this, VW's plan seems to be, let it go until out of warranty. See consumer complaints and others.

I have a 2003 VW Beetle convertible that I purchased with 500 miles in February,2004. Recently, the adhesive that holds the rear glass window in place has become unattached. I took it to National Volkswagen in Jacksonville, NC and they said I would have to get a new one. Otherwise, they suggested that I go to a car upholstery shop. No one in town says it can be reglued, it is no longer under warranty and the dealership insists that I purchase a new top. A new top costs around $2300. I have driven other convertibles and you do not have to buy a new top to save your car. I know that I can not be the only one out there that is or will have this problem. The other troubles that you all have mentioned on this website, I have had also. I really feel that this is unfair of Volkswagen to leave us without any other option for repair. I have had other convertibles and even though the top becomes worn and torn, the car can still be used. Once this glass falls out, I am doomed. Please respond to this post and let me know what you have done to save your cars or if you, too are having this problem. Thank you for your time, Karen

I bought a 2001 New Beetle Volkswagon on 7-5-08. There was no warrenty on car we new that. Drove car home to pick up wife 18 miles. The check engin light came on. We called the same day, Elloy assured us it was something minor bring in on Monday leave it they would fix it. Picked up 2 days later they said a hose was off. Drove about 18 miles check engin light came on again.

Called they said bring it in, brought it in and I watched him open only the driver door then 2 guys looked on door a few minutes never opened hood, one of the salesmen came over and said well this time it was a different problem, it was the air intake vaulve. They had to order parts. they would call. I drove off and noticed that check engin light was off, it came back on in about 18 miles. They called about a week later i took it in.

The next day picked up car drove about 18 miles and check engin light came on again. I called the next day and asked if we could put on a scope and find the problem. Eloy said he had to contact the Big boss. Finaly I called him back that day he said he had been so busy but he talked to big boss and he would put it on scope, I asked and then fix it he sad no, I asked why he said it was that way when we bought it. It was not. I ended up taking it myself to a certified mechanic who put it on a scope and the air intake vaulve was never changed It cost me 1400.00 to fix this car. I would of taken this car back the same day but they put me off untill it was to late

Driving home from a nice visit with a friend in my lime green 1999 Volkswagon Beetle I noticed that my air conditioning wasn't working properly- it kept turning itself off and on. I was pushing the button (AC) vigorously because it was super hot outside and I wanted air. I had been having problems similar to this for a couple weeks but I thought- no biggie.

The last time I pushed the AC button I noticed that the button was wicked hot and then I noticed the littlest hint of smoke seeping from the seems of my dash. I was going through the tubes in Pittsburgh so there was nowhere to pull over so at the first emergency pull off I pulled over. I turned off the car and rolled down the windows and called a couple people to see what I should do. No more than 45 seconds later the smoke is barreling out of my middle console.

I was just on a trip and had my suitcase in the front passenger seat- I didn't grab it- instead I grabbed my purse and iPod and a Hostess apple pie I had just bought (haha) and got myself out of the car. By the time I grabbed what I thought was important and called 9-1-1 the flames were eating my dash and steering wheel. Two minutes later the fire department arrived and the black smoke and smell of burning plastic was radiating throughout the air and my prized possession that I have loved since the day I got it was nothing but a skeleton of burnt rubbish. The fire department put out the flames and opened the hood of the car to reveal a perfect engine and whatever else is under the hood. It was clearly an electrical fire. I was devastated since I had just lost about a thousand dollars in clothes in my suitcase and my transportation.

Aside from this FIRE that resulted in a totaled Beetle I have had MANY problems with this car. Headlights have had to be replaced 4 times each side, almost every lever/controller/light/anything powered by electricity has broken off or has been replaced. My Check Engine light has been on my about half the life of the car leading me to spend mounds of money at the dealership for repairs I didn't really need. Have received 2 recalls on my car- sensors and such. My Beetle recently (last 4 months) has had a hard time deciding which gear it wants to be in between 0-40 mph- leading to a jerky transition between gears and high acceleration when I don't want it to.

Gas door, driver's side window clip, and sunroof have all been problem some. Sunroof leaked very badly in first 3 months of ownership. Driver's side window was stuck down during winter because the clip broke- whatever?! Gas door has been stuck MANY times when I absolutely NEEDED to put gas in the car to keep going- ultimately had to break the clip to ensure I wouldn't be stranded in the future.

The list of problems really does go on for a long time. Obviously this Beetle is for show and fashion and not safety. I have always loved my car even though the problems were numerous. The scariest thing is that the death of this car was due to an electrical fire in the dashboard in the middle of a highway. Please be careful if you plan on buying a VW New Beetle.

Totaled car. Not sure about economic- it just happened yesterday and insurance has not estimated yet. And, obviously personal damage to my ego. I have yet to call VW and tell them about this since this just happened yesterday.

Back window dropped, I need a new regulator, which seems like everyone with a beetle has a problem with. My warranty expired last month, when I had just brought my car in for an airbag sensor light, they said they'd order me the part never did, a month later i get a recall letter in the mail for the airbag light so now they have to fix it, but now my back window regulator failed and my warranty is expired so now im quoted over 600 bucks to make my window work. If my volkswagen dealer didnt suck and fixed my airbag light when they were supposed to maybe they could have caught potential other problems such as the regulator. Also when I shut my drivers side door the window always sounds like its going to shatter into a million pieces, does anyone know why that would be that way? Anyways VW should recall window regulators just like they did the airbag sensor because obviously I'm not the only one with these problems.

Back window dropped, I need a new regulator, which seems like everyone with a beetle has a problem with. My warranty expired last month, when I had just brought my car in for an airbag sensor light, they said they'd order me the part never did, a month later i get a recall letter in the mail for the airbag light so now they have to fix it, but now my back window regulator failed and my warranty is expired so now im quoted over 600 bucks to make my window work.

If my volkswagen dealer fixed my airbag light when they were supposed to maybe they could have caught potential other problems such as the regulator. Also when I shut my drivers side door the window always sounds like its going to shatter into a million pieces, does anyone know why that would be that way? Anyways VW should recall window regulators just like they did the airbag sensor because obviously I'm not the only one with these problems.

Oh, and this all happened during a week of crazy rain storms, vw told me they were gunna keep my car in order to fix it but the part wasnt supposed to be in for 3 days so I asked to take my car for the weekend to get to work. I call three days later and the part isn't in, I call 5 days later and the part isnt in, I'm supposed to move out of state in 2 days and all of this was mentioned to my dealer before he ordered the part that should have been in 5 days ago, so now I'm in a jam.

I bought a 2001 Volkswagon Beetle for my 17 year old daughter. From the beginning her friends all called it the crayon car because it smelled like crayons. She is now 19 years old and i finally googled it and found I am not the only one. I called VW and they said they had no complaints on this issue. I am concerned now that it may be hazardous fumes. I am not sure what I need to do next but I feel Volkswagon needs to do test to make sure this smell will not make us sick in the future or either make a recall to have this issue dealt with.

I bought a 2003 Vw New Beetle from Gary Matthews Volkswagon in clarksville,Tn. I have had it for about 3 months and the airbag sensor light has come on i was told by two dealers that they have a really bad problem with one or both front crash sensors being defective. Which keeps the air bag from deploying in a accident why hasnt any one steped in and made Volkswagon do a recall. Also the back seat d/d plug break becuase of a design flaw and they make you pay 50.00 to buy the replacement part. I think these companys are getting over on people and there should be something done about it.

I have a 2003 VW Beetle Convertible, and about three weeks ago, my right quarter window stopped working, after having the top down for the weekend. It was the same thing that I'm reading all over the internet. I called the dealership, and the technician transferred me to the service manager. After I described my car, gave him the VIN, and described the problem I was having, he immediately said, "Oh, I know exactly what that is. I've got 5 or 6 others right now with the same problem. You need a window regulator, and it's going to cost you about $450."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Obviously, this is a defect with the window, whether or not the warranty has expired. I called VW directly, and they opened a case for me. However, they said that they would take only $80 off the price of the repair. The lady I spoke to said that there were recalls on the '98-'02 models only, nothing newer. However, it's very clear that this is a problem with most, if not all, years. By pure coincidence, I was stopped in the parking lot just two days ago by a fellow Beetle owner. She has an '04, and she said that her left quarter window had just flaked out, as well.

I am definitely in on a class action suit. You just tell me where to sign. I expect so much more out of Volkswagen, out of the quality of their products and the quality of their service. I can't believe this is not being taken care of, considering the problem is so well-known. I don't know how I'll be able to afford this repair; I might have to just throw a tarp over my car every time I get out of it for now. However, as soon as I can get rid of this thing, I will, and I will NEVER own a Volkswagen again. This has just been one of many issues I've had with this car (constant 'check engine' light, failing transmission, battery always going dead), but this is definitely the last straw.

Rear window won't go up or down on 2003 convertible Beetle. I'm told the regulator needs to be replaced - about a $900 job. I read about multiple other complaints across the country regarding the same problem and crazy price to fix. http://www.volkswagentalk.com/vw-beetle-window-motor-broken-t2074.html and http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/volkswagen-new-beetle/T0HOIQ206ML2TD6LK. Just wanted to add my concern to the list.

Wow, I found this forum while doing research on the Internet on how to fix various problems with my 2001 VW Beetle. I just had to contribute my experience. I honestly cannot remember every single problem we've had with the car; I had originally made a list and wrote a two page complaint letter I planned on sending to Volkswagen, but it became exhausting after a couple of years. I hate to say it's comforting to know it's not just my Beetle.... My parents purchased the car new after I was rear-ended at 45 MPH, sent to the ER, and had my car totaled. The problems started from day one, literally as we drove out of the lot. The passenger window would not roll down and the a/c was not working. In the sake of saving time and a rise in my blood pressure, here's a laundry list of the inferior manufacturing marvel that is my car: Replaced passenger window twice; replaced driver's side window once; heated seats went out within a month; a/c went out twice; electric sunroof broken twice; temperature sensor no longer working; replaced oxygen sensor; lost track of headlight and tail light replacement; seat belt broken; arm rest broken; cargo lid broken and replaced twice; inner window lining peeled off; electric gas lid sealed shut (that made for some problems); electric key broken, inner consol peeling; interior consul lights out (not a spark plug, estimated $500 repair!!); burns through oil like to car I've ever seen....That's all I can muster to remember, BUT mind you the majority of these problems occurred within six months of purchasing the car. Ahhhh....that feels better.

I own a 2004 VW Beetle Convertible. Two years after purchasing it, the right rear window failed. It was fixed under warranty after 3 days at Clovis VW in Clovis, California. Now my left rear window has failed, and my car is out of warranty. I'm facing an $800+ repair. I'm afraid to roll any of my windows down now. This is interfering with my enjoyment of my convertible, not to mention that the security of my vehicle is compromised. My husband managed to wrestle the window back into the up position, but air is whistling through the car. I'm afraid to take it to a car wash for fear that water will enter the passenger compartment. Believe me, I will tell all my friends never to buy a VW vehicle after finding out that the window regulator problem with all of their models.

I have a 2003 VW Beetle Convertible. This is my 3rd Beetle. My daughter still has a 2005 Beetle. Her airbag light came on in January. She currently lives in California. The dealer there told me there was a problem with the airbag sensors and that the airbag can unexpectidly deploy...and or deploy with excessive force. they replaced her sensor without charge. My 2003 Beetle's sensor light cameon 2 two weeks ago. I brought it in. They reset it and told me if it comes back on to bring it back immediatly. The light came back on and I brought it right back in. They told me the sensor needed to be replaced. They offered to split the cost in 1/2 with me. I checked online and saw your article about the recall. I called VW as you suggest in the article. They have also said they would only be willing to pay half. They are willing to let me drive off of the lot knowing that the recall WILL be in effect. But since it is not YET, they are not willing to pay for it.

I drive a 2000 VW New Beetle. Problems began at 50,000miles, with the catalytic converter breaking twice. I use on average 2 quarts of engine oil every two weeks, an obvious economic strain. At almost 60,000 miles, the car began using much more gasoline than usual, I spent another $2,000 in repairs. 3 months after costly repairs, the check engine light turns on and I find out that the 4th cylinder is misfiring. Apparently Steve's Imports in Portland OR tells me that they had 8 other VWs with 2.0L engines from the years 1999-2002 with similar check engine problems. O2 sensors and catalytic converter broken again.

We own a 2005 Volkswagen beetle that has 25k miles, which is suppose to be still under factory warranty. One day we noticed that the vehicle started to leak transmission fluid, and that same day it started to stall and then became inoperable. The next day we had the beetle towed to Ontario Volkswagen dealership, assuming this would be covered under warranty. We explained the situation to the service advisor and he even thought it was very odd that we were having this transmission problem. The dealership later contacted us, and to our surprise they reported that The vehicle's transmission was tampered with, therefore it was not going to be covered under warranty.? At this point we were completely clueless to how or who would have tampered? with the transmission valve, being that the car only has 25k miles. The dealer then advised us that they would have to perform a transmission fluid change for $680, just to find out if the transmission was still operable. If not operable then we would have to replace the transmission for the price of $5,000. I tried to explain that we have never tampered with our vehicle and always had our service done by a Volkswagen dealership or a certified technician. To note, Ontario Volkswagen was the last service center that fixed this vehicles faulty convertible top. I tried to speak with the service manager to get a further explanation to why this would not be covered under Volkswagens power train warranty. Instead of Bob the service manager giving me a better explanation, he pretty much told me that the transmission was trash.? I decided to get another opinion, so I had the vehicle towed to Corona Volkswagen dealership. The service team was very helpful in trying to get the cars transmission completed under warranty. At this point I had already contacted Volkswagen corporate costumer service, which basically sided with Ontarios findings that the transmission was tampered? with. The corporate office wouldnt even give me the benefit of doing a separate investigation to find out if it was truly tampered with. Since I decided not to get the service done with Ontarios dealership, Ontario noted in their dealer-to-dealer system to not do the work under warranty. In essence singling us out to not get this covered at another dealer. Therefore because I do not know how our vehicles transmission got tampered? with and Volkswagen refuses to fix this problem under warranty, which leaves me with the only option to pay out of pocket. I feel that I am being taken advantage of and Volkswagen is making the excuse to not have to cover their warranty promise. I feel that their warranty serves no purpose, if a vehicle with 25k miles cant even be covered.

I just want to say my window regulator (passenger side) just broke last week (5/16/2008). Apparently to fix this issue, that part will cost me $312.00 plus 2-3hrs labor at my garage! I was shocked to see on this website that VW has had so many complaints about their windows (on many models incli=uding the Cabrio!) & has made no improvements. I have had no real huge issues with my '98 Cabrio (I bought it pre-owned in 2002 w/46K miles--it now has 105K...) but I have been slowly considering a new car, have been pretty much loyal to the idea of buying another VW, until I read these reviews.

When we purchased the car we were told warranty was bumber to bumber, just change oil. After 2 months the A/C didn't work, they charged it then it was OK. The first time we had awarm day this year no A/C. Well now we are told that A/C is a maintainance item it would not fall under warranty. How good is your car if you have to charge your A/C every year. It was charged twice in 14 months. They say there is no leak, so where does it go. The other item is a whistle in the moonroof, you pay extra so you can listen to the whistle. The so called service guy said he could not verify the whistle. I'll bet every VW New Beetle with a moonroof has a whistle. They said maybe we should try a wind deflector & they could sell me one. Well if they say there is no whustle why would I buy a deflector. No more VW no more Clark VW. Thank VW

EPC warning light light comes on at times and Dealer was very clueless about anything about the car. Key want go all the way into the switch and once forced into switch, it just make a complete turn and don't start. Heater knob switch caught dash on fire and destroyed dash and gave me hardship in getting to work and etc. Rear shakes makes a bumpie noise. Fire Dept. just made it worse with foam.

I bought a 2003 new convertible Beetle in 2003.About 15,000 miles into the car, the cables snapped on the top (convertible). I took it to the dealer. The sunvisor on the passenger side as well as the ash-tray were already broken. Problems were fixed. 6 months after that, the passenger side back window snapped. The regulator broke. Also, the top would not go down properly. There ended up being a recall on the top (as well as a brake light switch and a catalytic converter). Both items were fixed. Then, shortly thereafter (Dec, 2003), my back lights burned out. I had my brother replace them. Not even 1 month later, back lights burned out again. A friend replaced them. Within another month, back lights out again. I initally took it to Power VW in Corona in June '04 They claimed the bulbs were bad and replaced them. I tried to explain there had to be an underlying electrical problem. No use. Basically, I drove around with faulty rear running and brake lights. Again, in June 2005, took it to Murrieta VW and complained about the lights. It is stated on the service invoice, Customer reports that the left rear turn signal bulb is inoperable. Customer also states that they have had a number of concerns in the past. Once again, I was told, Oh it is a socket and a bulb. I left. Lights burned out immediatly. I was sick and tired of running back to the dealer. So, I drove around with no working break lights or running lights (at night) Eventually, I did get rear-ended. I did not go after the driver as I knew the lights were burned out and it really wasn't her fault. So, I now had a crease in the bumper. The break light situation continued on..and on...July of '07 (yes, I had no back lights the entire time)I took it in again to Murrieta VW because the regulator (2nd time) on the driver side passenger window broke and none of the back lights worked. They claimed to have fixed the situation but it still cost me money. However, on a side note, I paid to have my windows tinted. The service tech ended up breaking that back window and replaced it with a normal window that had some sort of film on it. Clearly, it wasn't the original window. To this day, Murrieta VW claims that they did not replace that window and because I wasn't diligent in reporting that problem, they refused to fix it. After that, Within one week, first the right break light went out..then the left and once again, no back lights.Please note-blinkers worked intermittenly. I refused to go back to the dealer. My complaints fell on deaf ears and I had no idea what to do. I was stuck. Finally, I took my car in 2 weeks ago. I told them none of the back lights worked and the regulator broke on the back window on the passenger side again. (3rd defective regulator). I was told my car was fixed. I went to pick it up, pulled out of the lot, and when I hit the brakes, the right side had no lights. I turned around and went back into the dealer. Explained again that the problem is not the bulb and socket as that had been replaced 3 times on the right side. Finally, embarrased, Karen (service person) stated we'll have our top mechanics look at it. I went back again to pick it up the next day. Good as gold. However, Karen at Murrieta told me that the Manager stated that they would mail me the invoice reflecting the latest socket and bulb. I never received it and I am sure I never will. Well, as usual, within 3 days the check engine light was back on. There went another few hundred out of my pocket. Seriously, I had to refinance the car because it was a lease. I planned on paying it down and then selling it.But due to mechanical errors, I cannot keep dropping money into it. I have spent more money on that car. I gave up. Yesterday, I had to trade it in because I am not paying for a car that is a defective lemon anymore. I ended up having to roll over 6,000 into my new loan to make up for that horrible car. It is pathetic that VW can treat people horribly and get away with it.They should have taken that car back based on the window regulators and the obvious electrical problem they are not admitting to. I have numerous colleagues, family, and friends that can attest to the defective beetle that I drove around for the last 5+ years.

I

The vehicle,1998 new beetle diesel, was purchased 9-99 as rental return 15800 miles. Needed a road call within 12hrs of purchase. Continued to stall/ hard to start until repaired 6-05. Had it to 2 approved agents and 2 dealers 3 times 2001-2. Sued 2 VW dealers and dismissed with settlement for past inefective repairs and funds for another injection pump. Discontinued driving. Trailered it to a dealer in Van Nuys 4-04 and told them I did'nt want it back until it was fixed. 6-05 called and said it was ready. Paid $2700 and it wouldn't start. Dealer wanted permission to pull fuel tank and it finally started. No additional charge. Older mechanic gave me defective part. Had crack in inlet pickup tube. I recorded conversation. Yellow engine is light on and has been on since purchase to date except for a few minutes after leaving shops. Still didn't license until 07 and drove to my lawer to sue last dealer and VW America and upon returning got a ticket for one headlight which they were supposed to fix. Still has no power up a hill. Once after they changed oil the belly cover was draging down the street. Most bolts missing. Wanted $400 to fix. Just threw it away. BEETLEJUNK. I feel that this VW bunch is not any different than a crook I once worked for until figured him out. He would go to a junkyard and buy all the used transmissions he could. He would steam clean and paint them and put them in stock as rebuilts. When I asked how he could do that he said that They are guarenteed 90 days so if they don't make I just put in another. At least he honored his warrantee!

Ive wanted a beetle since the new ones first came out. At 18 I bought a 99 beetle. Regular oil changes, I took care of it. Ive had the alternator literally FALL APART in my engine and damaged a belt. Ive had the cv joint literally fall out of the engine while backing out of the engine. If you dont know what a cv joint is, its the thing that causes power, when you put the car in drive the car is suppose to go forward. I live in Las Vegas, what if that happened on the freeway? Ive had door problems like none other. And also Ive had headlight problems since I first got it. HEADLIGHTS DO NOT WORK. Than its $150 to put new bulbs in, theres no short or anything. I've replaced these bulbs more than 10 times. What the heck. Now I know Im not the only one with problems. Oh, and the check engine lights comes on periodically. And the piece on the roof, where it shows the time, I tried plugging that in, and it caught on fire. Now Im 21 and broke because of the car I always wanted. A blue 1999 Beetle. Thanx for making a great car Volkswagen!

bought my car used with a three year extended warranty in september of 2005. it is a 2001 vw beetle gls. found out that something was wrong with the coolant light that they just cleared out to avoid fixing. less than a year later, my car wouldn't start out of the blue one morning. had towed to dealer that kept my car for days without contacting me, returning calls, or saying what was wrong with it. finally said catalytic converter, wouldn't tell me when it was going to be done. warranty covered it, but customer service was agonizing to deal with. several months later, car overheated with no warning, dealership had car for months without telling me what was wrong with it. wouldn't return my calls, treated me like crap. dealer put engine together wrong and said it wasn't their problem. warranty sent two inspectors and said faulty workmanship. vw finally replaced engine, so I thought. told me car was ready four different times, and it never was. wrote better business bureau, called vw america at least a dozen times, said not their problem. in the meantime, received recalls for brake lights, cruise control, and catalytic converter. went to pick up my car twice and it wasn't ready. the second time, said it was being washed. when I went into the parking lot, they were trying to jump it, the hub cap was missing, and the passenger mirror shattered. car was disgusting, died in the parking lot after they 'replaced' the battery. car died fifteen minutes later on freeway. dealership said 'they knew it was going to die', said not their problem. vw said not their problem. many things had to be replaced...I have all documentation, too much to list. when I got home, engine light went on ONCE AGAIN. told them something was wrong with acceleration. they said it was nothing, fixed random things. Last week, took car in with brake problems, told 1200 to replace four brake pads and rotors. When I picked up my car, check engine light mysteriously went on. Dealer said not their problem, 79.95 to have them look at it again. took it back in, said bad spark plugs and spark plug wires, 520.00 to have replaced. online, found that this is a common vw problem. I refuse to pay this. I will have it done elsewhere, but at what point does this end?? my car is a lemon...what laws protect used car buyers that bought extended warranties? my warranty company has been very great with all of this, but volkswagen america makes me dread climbing into the car everyday. I can smell a burning smell after my car has been 'fixed'...something tells me it never has. I am at a loss for words at this point and in over my head. vw america acknowledges faulty parts but refuses to fix them. They treat me like crap and I'm sick of it.

CAN YOU SAY LEMON!!!

My husband purchased a 2005 Turbo Beetle in September of 2006, it was practically brand new when we purchased it. The car only had 3,000 miles on it, the car had been driven by the owner of our local dealership.

Two weeks after the purchase of the car the Check Engine Light came on, so my husband called and they told him to come in and they would reset the light, one week later the Check Engine Light came on again, after the second time of taking it to the dealership we were told by the dealership that Volkswagen had a program to correct the problem, that was a year ago and it has still yet to be fixed, after numerous times of taking it to the dealership.

When the Check Engine Light it on my husbands car runs very sluggish, and some times it doesn't start at all. But this is not the only problem we have had with the car on three different occasions in the past year we have had to replace blown headlights, and guess what now the fuses are blowing when you turn the air or heat on, now come on enough is enough.

I have all proper documentation of these events, and at first i really thought our dealership was not really wanting to help with the problems but it is not, it is Volkswagen Corp. that do not want to deal with the situation. They claim there is nothing they can do. But what they don't bother to tell you is all of the times that we have had the problem with the check engine light is that there is no where on the internet or anywhere that these vehicles need to have the so- called fixable program.

I purchased my 2003 Turbo Beetle brand new. It had a recall on the ignition from the very beginning. It has been a total lemon from day one. While the car was still under warranty, the coolant light kept coming on and I took it back to VW 2 or 3 times before they figured out that the coolant sensor and coolant pump were bad and needing replacing. They also replaced the wiring harness.

They had to replace the latch on the trunk lid because it wasn't connecting properly therefore it wasn't telling my trunk light to come on when the trunk was open. After they worked on my car I had to take it back because there was air blowing like a hose was loose. It was the turbo hose. The rubber coating on the interior door handles started coming off within the first couple of years of having the car. The car rattles and squeaks constantly. After the warranty expired, the water pump on the car went down and I had to pay almost $500 to replace that. That was in February 2007.

September 2007 the water pump went down again. They replaced it, no charge, with a refurbished pump. The first time I drive the car after this repair, I have an air blowing noise like my turbo hose it loose again. Then 1 week later my check engine light comes on again. I am so disgusted with VW and have been for quite sometime. I wouldn't buy another VW of any make and wouldn't recommend one to anyone. The Chattanooga office doesn't have a very friendly staff. They just act like they really don't care that you have bought a car from them and it's been nothing but bad.

We purchased a 2003 Volkswagon Bug just over one year ago. In the year that we have had it, all four windows have come off the tracks and broke. The first three were under warranty but the fourth was not. It was about two months out of warranty. The cost for this repair...$1200. In speaking with other Volkswagon owners, this is a common problem. Volkswagon was less than helpful in dealing with the problem. The dealer we took the car to, cut fifty percent off the bill. This action leads me to wonder about one of those secret warranties and that they are trying to do as little as possible.

I have a 2000 VW Passat with the same faulty window regulator clips as the Jetta. Called VW of America to confirm that the extended warranty of 7 years applied but i was told sorry it does not. It seems not enough of the Passats are having window regulator clip problem to justify the repairs to my car. Problem is that both the Passat and Jetta had the same plastic window regulator clips installed.

I own a 2002 VW Passat with 57,000 miles that blew a hole in a high pressure fuel line. Gasoline was being sprayed all over the inside of my engine compartment! I have an excellent photo that I took at the dealership that clearly shows the fuel being sprayed out of the fuel line (I'd be happy to send that in) and on top of the engine. I am very lucky that it did not start a fire especially with my kids strapped into their car seats. When I contacted VW they expressed NO concern at all about the issue. They said they were sorry I had that experience and that they would do nothing about it!

They had no interest in learning about how this fuel line blew out. They did not contact the dealer that did the repair and they did not request to have the failed parts sent back for analysis......this is all to my dismay as I offered to send them back to them. VW seems to have little disregard to the safety concern that I brought up to them, I do not believe that my vehicle is the only one to have this failure. Not when you build millions of these car.....there is never just one. The failure was on a metal fuel line that extends from the tank to the engine compartment.

The leak occurred immediately adjacent to a mounting bracket. I saved all of the failed parts. I have access to a materials engineering laboratory through my employer and I will be having a failure analysis completed on this hose to determine what type of failure mode caused this hose to rupture. I work in a warranty/quality capacity and get involved with similar instances to my own that I am in. If somebody who worked for me handled this situation the way VW has I would fire them on the spot. It is nothing short of negligent for VW to not even investigate how this could happen. (Or maybe they know already)

I purchased a 2004 VW Passat used. The finance manager named Frank, when preparing my paper work inadvertantly left out amount costs when explaining in his words the things that were to my benefit because I was financing. The only thing I recieved was sign here and sign there to inflate the final cost of my vehicle with the financing. When confronted with this practice everyone I spoke about it did not want to aide in customer satisfaction. But only aided in their prospective commission. I feel because I was not familar with this finance procedure, I was duped into the signing of paperwork without full disclosure as to what I was really paying to get.

The economic concern I have is that I do not want to pay for something I don't need. Moreover to be duped into a situation of this magnitude and have to pay almost double for a vehicle. Personally I feel violated and everyone seems to want to pass the buck.

I am sick of replacing my engine coils (four times now on my 2002 Passat Wagon on my dime!) I have 75,000 miles on my car. Not too happy about shelling out $1500 because it rained and ruined my electrical system because of a clog under my battery...an Act of God?

Pa-leeeze! $800 to dry out my carpets? Pa-leeze! Why didn't they even CHECK it or UNCLOG it during my 4 years under warranty? Oh, and now, I am looking at the oil sludge problem, as well.

They only told me (VW repair on my latest visit) that I should have been using Synthetic Oil all along! Huh???? What????? I am so sick of shelling out $$$ for rental cars, dealing with THE SAME RECURRING problems, over and over and over again!!! Why can't they just admit the car is DEFECTIVE! Count me in on any class-action suit!

Too lengthy to list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention all the emotional damage you have to go through dealing with all these nightmares!!!!! Hey, Corporate: Did you know we're not all made of money and that money doesn't grow on trees!!!!!!!!!!!! Have some heart!!!

I experienced an accident on 1/7/07. My Golf of 2003 has the problem with airbags. My side airbags were not opened properly to protect me.

bought 2001 beetle new from this dealership. had to replace motor after 1000 miles, found out my 2001 beetle has 2000 engine in it. dealership ordered engine when we went to put it in didnt fit, had to reorder engine thats how we found out.

it took 4 months to finally get the vw fix, had to pay installment engine twice because dealership had wrong engine delivered. no answer why this could happen

We have had many problems our VW beetle. Had to completely replace the A/C, the check engine light comes on for no reason. We've had it checked and there was nothing wrong. We did not think much about this until the car burst into flames a couple of days ago. Driving down the highway the car starting pouring smoke from under the hood, then the brakes went out, and then the car burst into flames under the hood. WHY CAN'T SOMEONE MAKE VW DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THEY WILL TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY! I am outraged to read the other stories confirming that we are not the only ones that this has happened to. I want to take legal action if it can be done. Thank God my daughter was not injured.

Car was a total loss. We paid 11,000 for it used and will get less than 1/2 of that from insurance.

My parents bought a 2000 VW Beetle new, off the the lot. Numerous problems occurred with the car. A/C went out twice. Had problems opening the fuel door. Check engine light came on. Took it into the dealership at 25,000 miles and had to pay $400 for new o2 censors. Engine light came back on 20 miles later. Took it back in and couldnt figure out what was wrong with the car. I guess VW hires untrained monkeys to fix their crappy cars.

Here is where it gets bad. 60,000 miles on the car, the engine and turbo go out. They need to be replaced at a cost of over $9000!! Not covered under our extended warranty because VW claims car was not properly taken care of due to found sludge in the engine. Oil was changed religiously for over 60,000 every 2500 miles with synthetic oil. How does that happen. Car sits on dealer lot for three weeks fighting with VW. No help from dealer with repairing cost, even though so many other people have had the same problems with oil consumption in these cars.

In the end, we owed $10,000 on a car that doesn't run, with no warranty. Towed it to a Dodge dealership, bought a Ram, was given $2500 for the Beetle, ended up paying sticker for the Ram because they were having a sale. These cars are known nightmares and VW will do absolutely nothing about it because they dont have to. These cars are selling like hotcakes. They take people for suckers and they don't care!!

My daughter and wife were driving down the highway in her 1999 VW Beetle, when the engine light came on. She pulled over and went through the step-by-step checkup procedure in the owner's manual. Everything checked out fine. After about 1/2 hour with the engine off, the light turned blue. She drove onto the highway. Within five minutes the accelerator quit working and the engine compartment went up in flames while she was driving at 60 mph. She slowed the car down and flames started shooting out of the engine compartment. She was not able to pull off the highway and was stopped in the left hand lane. My wife and daughter jumped out of the car in the middle of busy highway traffic. Thank God neither was hurt or killed.

We had bought the car ($10000) from a Used Car dealer about two months before. The car was a total loss.

I have a 2002 vw beetle TDI with a automatic transmission. The vehicle just reached 63,000 miles. The transmission failed, internally broke apart. WE had the vehicle towed to the dealer. This is a sealed transmission, so there isn't a whole lot that can be done to it. The warranty ends at 60,000. This vehicle was always maintained and well taken care of, never abused in any way. Auffenberg Volkswagen or Volkswagen USA headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan would offer no assistance in repairing or replacing.

The dealer wants $4500 for a remanufactured transmission. I just expected Volkswagen to stand behind their products better than this, being the vehicle only had 63,000 highway miles on it.

I was driving my 98 VW Beetle on SW 137 Ave and 66 Street in Miami on 8/22/06 around 3:30 P.M. I tried to turn on the AC and smoke starting coming out the AC vents. I stopped the car and noticed that a fire had started inside the AC controller panel. Since I was on the side walk with nobody around, I had to run the the nearest condo building and a gentlemam quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. The center of the dashborad is completly burnt including the radio.

I had to get the car towed to my house. and now, I have to take the bus from and to work. There should have been a fuse to prevent that kind of fire due to a short circuit.

The 2000 Turbo New Beetle I purchased brand new at Prestige Imports has been a nightmare, and service from the dealer has been extremely unsatisfactory. To date, I have been stranded on the road six times; the vehicle has had two clutch replacements and two complete replacements of the engine cooling system. The rear center brake light fell off and had to be replaced; the driver's side headlight periodically pops out of place; the coatings on the VW emblem on the hood and all of the interior handles have peeled off; the passneger window will not open all the way; the mirror adjustment knob fell off; the tires wear very unevenly (but no one knows why); the alarm goes off on a whim; and there are on-going problems with opening and closing the fuel door and rear deck lid.

I have the thing serviced regularly, and give it only the best synthetic oil and supreme fuel. These are just a few of the many problems to date. I am currently trying to get the dealer to correctly diagnose and repair the reason the Malfunction Indicator Light (aka check engine light) stays on and occasionally flashes alarmingly, even though they supposedly did this two weeks ago and it costs at least $200 every time they attempt to diagnose anything - and it's usually a lot more than that. Plus, I just found out that they actually WILL provide a loaner car (I bought the car there for cash and have already spent a small fortune on rental cars, but overheard another customer getting a loaner last time, so I insisted on similar treatment). This is my seventh vehicle, and the previous six together caused fewer problems and required less maintenance. It is truly THE infamous Y2K Bug!

I'd sell it, but who would buy it??

My wife and I purchased a 2003 diesel New Beetle in 2003. For 31,xxx miles we were very happy with the car, this is my wife’s car and she treats it like a baby. Then one day, out of the blue, it refused to start. We had it towed in and they found the problem to be a carbon problem on the ERG valve. Not bad, the cleaning was $140 something. Although the repairs were not under warranty, I contacted VW and they reimbursed me the amount. Everything went well for another few thousand miles and the engine light goes on. Not bad again, bad injector and it was under warranty.

Another few thousand miles go by and the engine light goes on again. This time it's the injector again and a carbon problem on combustion plenum. Injector was under warranty, carbon removal $600. I tried VW to get reimbursed but no luck this time, seems your service manager said it was because of the fuel I have been using. Ya right, I don't see any diesel pumps at your establishment so we are kind of at the mercy of fleet farm. I wasn't happy about it, but you know 40 some thousand miles and $600 out of pocket, I guess I could live with it.

But here is the kicker, another few thousand miles go by, (we are at just under 45,000 at this point), and the check engine light goes on again. This time, it's a wiring harness of some kind. No problem under warranty, but here is the part the killed me. The service guy says, oh ya some piece of fascia is hanging down from under the car, you must have hit something. Right, we have driven this car on the freeway work and back and we hit something. I got under the car that weekend and it is real tore up. I think we would know if we hit something, and it looks like exactly what would happen if someone drove it over a lift that was up too high. I called Jon in the service department, and he said he would check into it and get back to me. He didn’t, I had to call a week later and all he basically said was our word against yours.

My 2000 Beetle had a fire in it due to bad wiring on the fan switch. I expect a settlement from Volkswagen since they have determined the fire is the fault of the car. I want my new car paid for and Beetle owners warned of the possibility.

If I had been on the freeway in the fast lane I would not have had time to pull over and get out before the flames would of been in my face. I pulled over as soon as I saw and smelled the black smoke, shut the door and the car was engulfed in flames. I had no previous air conditioning problems. I left work and in a matter of 20 minutes this all happened. I continue to have severe headaches and nightmares over this incidence.

Timing belt blew apart at 93,000 on 2002 VW Beetle. Manual says check at 40K and 80K, and recommend replace timing belt and tension roller at 105,000. Had 80K check up at dealership, they did not identify a problem. Are others having timing belt break before 105,000 miles?

I am looking at a repair for $4,500 to replace belt, and 24 valves. I think there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

i've had my 2003 beetle in the shop 6 times over the past 8 months, 3 of which was for a rattling noise i was hearing in the transmission. the first time in they said they replaced the control arm, but the noise was still there when i left. i returned, two more times, on both occasions they told me it was a normal sound due to the cold weather. my vehicle is still under original warranty. i was driving to the movie with my 13 year old last sunday and suddenly i had no transmission past 3rd gear. i took it in on monday and they told me it needs a new transmission however the work will not be covered because the transmission plate is cracked and the subframe mounts are bent, so i must have hit something, causing the damage from the outside in.