Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | |||
| 02/17/1998 | 10000 | 17 | |
| My 1998 bug has burned approx. 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles, dealership reported this as normal? don't think so. i have also replaced the headlights every six months until the switch on the emergency brake for the daytime runnings lamps broke. i open the car door (still in warranty) and the handle fell off in my hands. fog light had moisture in it, now both have fallen out. both door hinges broke. you cannot open doors and shut them, i had to climb in and out of the windows to get into the car. the trunk latch had to be repaired, it wouldn't open. the gas latch is broken and doesn't hinge, the glove box hinges don't work, the compartment above the clock doesn't hinge properly. the radio turns itself off, the temp read out in the car fades in and out, something on the transmission broke and i only had 2nd and 3rd gear, i have replaced the oxygen sensors twice, my air bag light is on, i have been told i need a new seat to correct this, even though it is due the the electrical problems every bug seems to have. hub cap has fallen off several times. i have lost antifreeze, but no one seems to be able to find out where ii's going. i'm sure there is more, but this car constantly has so many things wrong with it, i can't keep up anymore. unfortunately the dealerships are the only people who can't seem to see all the cronic problems with this vehicle.*ak | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 50000 | 1000 | 05/01/2001 |
| Since i purchased my beetle in 2001, it has been an ongoing money drain. in 6 yrs. i have replaced the manual transmission twice, had the brakes worked on a number of times, been unable to open the gas door on the car w/ the gas cap latch, had to replace the hood opening latch, had repeated electrical failures, problems w/ front & rear light wiring, had door locks/alarm fail & subsequently had my laptop stolen from the car, the radio has not worked for 1+ year, & it's cover panel is loose & falling back into the dash, the rear-view mirror switches have failed, the power window switches have had to be replaced, the drivers side door fell off (!) of its top hinge when the hinge broke while opening the door normally at a gas station, the air compressor has failed many times, the a/c is currently not working, the drivers side door lock fell out of the handle(!!!!), the catalytic converter has been replaced twice, & the list goes on. currently i have not been driving the car for several wks b/c though only a week or two out of the shop, again it is having transmission problems. i am at my wits end with this car & having recently graduated from college, am not in the greatest position to have to buy a new car. moreover, i am so displeased w/ the car that i would literally feel guilty about trading it in to be sold to some other unsuspecting person. vw should be so ashamed of themselves, & should be reimbursing owners of the 1998 beetle in full for all of the strife & trouble that they have caused. in fact, after writing this & realizing how many problems this car has had, i may try to take legal action - this is totally unacceptable! finally, our local vw dealer is terrible, keeping my car for wks. longer than expected, one time leaving a candy bar stuck to my passenger side seat!!!, and acting like they could care less about the poor quality of their products & labor. *tr | |||
| Lock cylinder on door came off. dealer contacted. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2001 | 1 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Car overheats routinely. initially in for repair on 1/25/01 when dealer claimed to have replaced the water pump and thermostat. since then, car has overheated on three occasions, and water leakage has been observed. dealer says they can not replicate the issue. driver's side door does not lock and unlock reliably, forcing me to enter and exit car through passenger door. reported to dealer three times (initially 5/31/00). one time dealer lubricated lock; currently they say they can not replicate the issue and will not fix. after water pump repair in 1/01, car exhibited a whining noise and power steering stiffness at low rpms -- likely due to improper workmanship during that repair. dealer claims power steering fluid was low, and has been topped off to alleviate problem. however, i recently had rountine maintenance at another establishment just 4 days prior to taking into shop; during that service, power steering fluids were indicated as ok. oil consumption is excessive. despite repeated reports to vw (initially 5/00), have received no resoluion or investigation into this issue. through research, i have learned that this is a common beetle problem, and some beetle owners are receiving new engines or valve stem repairs to remedy. transmission jerks severly when shifting from reverse to drive. initially reported 9/29/98 at 9596 miles and not addressed by dealer. recurring problems with headlight sealant leakage and water getting into headlight assembly, causing headlights to be unreliable and potential electrical/fire hazard. have researched vw and learned during initial beetle production in puebla, mexico, they experience an abominal 40% defect rate. from research into other consumer issues with 1998 beetles, i am certain that vw passed these defective vehicles on to consumers. please contact me for further details. i have also experienced window reglator failures, dead battery, interior pieces falling apart and other issues. thank you!*ak | |||
| 08/01/1998 | 1 | 07/25/1998 | |
| Passenger door lock failed. | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE - LOCK | |||
| 08/01/1998 | 1 | 07/28/1998 | |
| Rear hatch lock failed. nlm | |||
| 06/20/1998 | 1 | ||
| Trunk hard to close due to liftgate lock mechanism failure. | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HOOD - LATCH | |||
| 06/01/2001 | 1 | ||
| Hood failed to close completely. dealership has examined vehicle, and determined that hood latch assembly will have to be replaced at consumers expense. *ak consumer states it took five weeks to get an apppointment. *slc | |||
| 11/04/2000 | 1 | ||
| Failure of hood latch assembly. *ak | |||