Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 10/23/2010 | 61500 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle gls . while parked the contact placed the key in the ignition and heard a clicking sound but the vehicle would not start. the contact stated the vehicle had to be jump started. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics. the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. the failure occurred a second time and was towed to the independent mechanic. the mechanic stated the alternator needed to be replaced. the alternator was replaced but the failure continued. the mechanic advised the vehicle be taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the failure continued and the check engine warning light was illuminated on the dash board. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technicians stated the alternator needed to be replaced a second time. the failure continued after the replacement of the alternator. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 61,500. ds | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 67860 | ||
| I have a 2001 vw beetle. from the very beginning, it has been nothing but problems. for the first few years it was covered under the warranty, free of charge repairs. i have low mileage so i thought that by the time these items were repaired it would be fine when the warranty expired. there is always something wrong with the car and in particular the electrical system. the check engine light is always going off. the safety issue comes in with its current problem. i had a fuel injection flush which included the carbon deposits removal known as induction, air filter replaced, engine fuel filter replaced, and a brake fluid flush plus 4 new spark plugs. prior to this service, my car was having difficulty starting with major shaking. i had to put my foot on the accelerator to get it going while starting. now after the service it runs much better but the problem is that now stalls when i come to a traffic light and stop for a period of time. this is extremely dangerous. the other malfunctions that have happened over the years are an expense but it was something that i could somehow manage. this is incredibly dangerous. i have no control over traffic lights and the generator comes on when i stop, it is worse when the light changes fast and then i have to stop even more suddenly. imagine if i am on the highway and it stops. this has happened once, a few weeks prior to the cleaning service. now, i am afraid to drive that vehicle. i have looked online at message boards from other vw beetle owners and had read similar stories of such disatisfaction, incredible financial expense with the electrical system and other components of cars. i have even read that these cars can become inflamed , necessitating the fire dept. to put it out. this is a lemon and so many other vw owners have written similar account message boards. i am deeply concerned for my safety as well as the safety of other motorists if this issue keeps occurring for me. | |||
| 06/28/2011 | 81000 | ||
| Car is stalling, sputtering, but not dying completely. coil packs have been determined to be the issue. there is an open recall on the coil packs, but i never received the recall notice. the coil packs on this car need to be replaced, free of charge, free labor and diagnostic services. please send details on how to accomplish this for my 2001 vw new beetle glx 1.8t | |||
| 10/23/2010 | 61500 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle gls . while parked the contact placed the key in the ignition and heard a clicking sound but the vehicle would not start. the contact stated the vehicle had to be jump started. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostics. the mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. the failure occurred a second time and was towed to the independent mechanic. the mechanic stated the alternator needed to be replaced. the alternator was replaced but the failure continued. the mechanic advised the vehicle be taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the failure continued and the check engine warning light was illuminated on the dash board. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technicians stated the alternator needed to be replaced a second time. the failure continued after the replacement of the alternator. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 61,500. ds | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 67860 | ||
| I have a 2001 vw beetle. from the very beginning, it has been nothing but problems. for the first few years it was covered under the warranty, free of charge repairs. i have low mileage so i thought that by the time these items were repaired it would be fine when the warranty expired. there is always something wrong with the car and in particular the electrical system. the check engine light is always going off. the safety issue comes in with its current problem. i had a fuel injection flush which included the carbon deposits removal known as induction, air filter replaced, engine fuel filter replaced, and a brake fluid flush plus 4 new spark plugs. prior to this service, my car was having difficulty starting with major shaking. i had to put my foot on the accelerator to get it going while starting. now after the service it runs much better but the problem is that now stalls when i come to a traffic light and stop for a period of time. this is extremely dangerous. the other malfunctions that have happened over the years are an expense but it was something that i could somehow manage. this is incredibly dangerous. i have no control over traffic lights and the generator comes on when i stop, it is worse when the light changes fast and then i have to stop even more suddenly. imagine if i am on the highway and it stops. this has happened once, a few weeks prior to the cleaning service. now, i am afraid to drive that vehicle. i have looked online at message boards from other vw beetle owners and had read similar stories of such disatisfaction, incredible financial expense with the electrical system and other components of cars. i have even read that these cars can become inflamed , necessitating the fire dept. to put it out. this is a lemon and so many other vw owners have written similar account message boards. i am deeply concerned for my safety as well as the safety of other motorists if this issue keeps occurring for me. | |||
| 06/28/2011 | 81000 | ||
| Car is stalling, sputtering, but not dying completely. coil packs have been determined to be the issue. there is an open recall on the coil packs, but i never received the recall notice. the coil packs on this car need to be replaced, free of charge, free labor and diagnostic services. please send details on how to accomplish this for my 2001 vw new beetle glx 1.8t | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 67860 | ||
| I have a 2001 vw beetle. from the very beginning, it has been nothing but problems. for the first few years it was covered under the warranty, free of charge repairs. i have low mileage so i thought that by the time these items were repaired it would be fine when the warranty expired. there is always something wrong with the car and in particular the electrical system. the check engine light is always going off. the safety issue comes in with its current problem. i had a fuel injection flush which included the carbon deposits removal known as induction, air filter replaced, engine fuel filter replaced, and a brake fluid flush plus 4 new spark plugs. prior to this service, my car was having difficulty starting with major shaking. i had to put my foot on the accelerator to get it going while starting. now after the service it runs much better but the problem is that now stalls when i come to a traffic light and stop for a period of time. this is extremely dangerous. the other malfunctions that have happened over the years are an expense but it was something that i could somehow manage. this is incredibly dangerous. i have no control over traffic lights and the generator comes on when i stop, it is worse when the light changes fast and then i have to stop even more suddenly. imagine if i am on the highway and it stops. this has happened once, a few weeks prior to the cleaning service. now, i am afraid to drive that vehicle. i have looked online at message boards from other vw beetle owners and had read similar stories of such disatisfaction, incredible financial expense with the electrical system and other components of cars. i have even read that these cars can become inflamed , necessitating the fire dept. to put it out. this is a lemon and so many other vw owners have written similar account message boards. i am deeply concerned for my safety as well as the safety of other motorists if this issue keeps occurring for me. | |||
| 06/28/2011 | 81000 | ||
| Car is stalling, sputtering, but not dying completely. coil packs have been determined to be the issue. there is an open recall on the coil packs, but i never received the recall notice. the coil packs on this car need to be replaced, free of charge, free labor and diagnostic services. please send details on how to accomplish this for my 2001 vw new beetle glx 1.8t | |||
| 12/20/2010 | 64300 | ||
| The headlamps have been replaced four times. according to a vw dealership who serviced the vehicle, i was informed that the vehicle's wiring harness is defective, causing the headlights and instrumentation cluster to fail. the dealership informed me that they are aware of the wireing harness problem, but are not aware of any service recalls. | |||
| 08/07/2010 | 148000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated that while driving at high speeds or idling, the vehicle would suddenly hesitate and seem as if it would stall. the digital clock would reset to 12 and the fuel needle would drop. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the ignition switch was replaced. the failure occurred again; the fuel needle had not moved back up so the contact was unaware of how much fuel was in the tank. the contact scheduled another appointment with the dealer at the time of the complaint. the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. the vin was unavailable when the complaint was filed. the current and failure mileages were approximately 148,000-bk | |||
| 08/20/2010 | 104000 | ||
| Sudden failure of all pointer guages in the instrument cluster (speedometer, tachometer and fuel guage. i have been given an estimate of $550 to replace the entire instrument cluster, but so far have not followed through. | |||
| 08/07/2010 | 148000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated that while driving at high speeds or idling, the vehicle would suddenly hesitate and seem as if it would stall. the digital clock would reset to 12 and the fuel needle would drop. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the ignition switch was replaced. the failure occurred again; the fuel needle had not moved back up so the contact was unaware of how much fuel was in the tank. the contact scheduled another appointment with the dealer at the time of the complaint. the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. the vin was unavailable when the complaint was filed. the current and failure mileages were approximately 148,000-bk | |||
| 08/20/2010 | 104000 | ||
| Sudden failure of all pointer guages in the instrument cluster (speedometer, tachometer and fuel guage. i have been given an estimate of $550 to replace the entire instrument cluster, but so far have not followed through. | |||
| 08/07/2010 | 148000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated that while driving at high speeds or idling, the vehicle would suddenly hesitate and seem as if it would stall. the digital clock would reset to 12 and the fuel needle would drop. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the ignition switch was replaced. the failure occurred again; the fuel needle had not moved back up so the contact was unaware of how much fuel was in the tank. the contact scheduled another appointment with the dealer at the time of the complaint. the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. the vin was unavailable when the complaint was filed. the current and failure mileages were approximately 148,000-bk | |||
| 08/20/2010 | 104000 | ||
| Sudden failure of all pointer guages in the instrument cluster (speedometer, tachometer and fuel guage. i have been given an estimate of $550 to replace the entire instrument cluster, but so far have not followed through. | |||
| 08/07/2010 | 148000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated that while driving at high speeds or idling, the vehicle would suddenly hesitate and seem as if it would stall. the digital clock would reset to 12 and the fuel needle would drop. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the ignition switch was replaced. the failure occurred again; the fuel needle had not moved back up so the contact was unaware of how much fuel was in the tank. the contact scheduled another appointment with the dealer at the time of the complaint. the contact had not spoken with the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. the vin was unavailable when the complaint was filed. the current and failure mileages were approximately 148,000-bk | |||
| 08/20/2010 | 104000 | ||
| Sudden failure of all pointer guages in the instrument cluster (speedometer, tachometer and fuel guage. i have been given an estimate of $550 to replace the entire instrument cluster, but so far have not followed through. | |||
| 04/26/2010 | 78000 | ||
| Sudden permanent failure of speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauges | |||
| 11/06/2006 | |||
| Engine and transmission overheating just a terrible car. wax material interior removes easily with nails children can eat it has crayola smell.should have been made of plastic or vinyl. this whole car should be recall. epc brake switch always on had it repaired 3 times engine light is always on. bad electrical. interior ac light is always off. in and out of mechanic. | |||
| 09/30/2006 | 12 | ||
| Since the purchase of my vehicle 2001 vw beetle, i have had a continuous beeping and illumination of various crazy lights in my dashboard. i have continually taken my car to vw, at the rate of $350+ each time, i am at my wits end...these electrical issues cannot be found or fixed by a vw rep, and are a danger to myself, my passengers, and surrounding cars. i have contacted vw america, and have been treated like i was bothering them. i had one shop in springfield, mo fix the constant mind boggling beep that i've had to listen to for years now...this repair of the beep lasted the longest of all...(1year)...but the only way to fix it made the brake light illuminate continually, so that i never could tell if i had brake issues or not. then when my vehicle needed to have a smog test for registration back in ca...the vw shop in ca said they would not smog the vehicle unless of course i paid another $350 to fix the brake light, and while they fixed it, they brought back the beep and the various other dashboard illuminations...i am sick of this company (vw america)...i am disappointed in their service, and lack of consumer welfare. i request that you have them replenish our drained savings accounts and return all monies spent on these types of flaws. we as consumers thought we were getting a good little gas saving car...it's a nightmare!!! there are 110 complaints so far...on this site...how many does it take for us all to get our money back, and the repair moneys as well. i'm willing to try a class action suit at this point...anyone with me can reach me at www.myspace.com/diamondblue777 please let me know...please help us all, these electrical problems are a hazard to myself, my son, my passengers, and the people driving next to me. please order volkswagen to refund our moneys for repairs. i have read over 500 complaints in the last 24 hours...that should be enough for you to order it to stop. *jb | |||
| 02/17/2006 | 2 | ||
| I own a 2001 beetle. it has only 50,000 miles on it. the other day the check engine light came on. i just took it in to the dealer, and they told me they have to replace a coil and an o2 sensor. all this is going to cost me close to $1000! after doing some research online, i found that this is a very common complaint for vw beetles. vw needs to issue a recall since this is a problem for so many people. i read of people having the car stop running while they were driving. this could cause accidents. *nm | |||
| 10/08/2005 | 2 | 09/10/2005 | |
| The power shuts down in my 2001 beetle turbo while i am driving. i have to pull off the road, kill the car, and then start it back up. after that, it seems fine. *nm | |||
| 01/10/2002 | 34337 | 2 | 08/14/2001 |
| I have a 2001 beetle with the 1.8t engine. my car has been disabled twice due to defective coil packs. research on the vwvortex.com website revealed there is a large history of problems with these coil packs which can fail at any time rendering the vehicle undriveable. there is currently a shortage of this part (part # 06b-905-115-j coil) due to the volume of vehicles that have had this problem. vwvortex is recommending owners contact nhtsa to facilitate a recall of coil packs as vw is unwilling to address the issue at this time. it is a safety issue because they can fail while driving resulting in loss of control of the vehicle. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 06/20/2004 | 10000 | 1 | 02/02/2001 |
| Electrical problem with 2001 volkswagen beetle. *mr the consumer was driving on the highway when the vehicle lost power and shut down with no warning. the diagnosis was that the vehicle needed a new alternator. *sc *jb | |||
| 06/20/2004 | 1 | 02/02/2001 | |
| 2001 vw beetle, 10,000, well maintained mechanically/garage parking - alternator shut down on i-66 in virginia with no previous warning; number of lights on the panel lite up on the morning of june 20, 2004 on a trip to tennessee and car just shut down, lost power. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 01/23/2003 | 3 | 10/07/2001 | |
| It could potentially effect your abs system and could start a fire. the 3 green fuses on top of the battery. there in a small cover. open the cover and check the fuse located to the passenger side. this is the fuse for the ac compressor and fans. i saw 3 cars with severely melted and burned connectors. the fuses don't blow, or they melt into the connector allowing current to continue to flow. this is a huge hazard and i want to voice my concerns before anyone looses a car to this. the cars that i checked were all 1999-2001 cars and all use the ac pretty frequently. i had to replace the part since i was out of warranty. see here for more cases over 26 documented. http://forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26315&perpage=40&pagenumber=1. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 09/03/2002 | 15000 | 9 | 02/18/2001 |
| I bought a vw new beetle in feb 2001. after a year and half, the car began to start roughly and shaky, and with the check engine light flashing at the same time. this phenomenon happened more requently and was getting worse later. the car lost most of it power while driving. so i drove to vw/audi bernadi dealer in natick, ma in september 2002 to have it fixed. it was found out it was caused by an ignition coil failure and it is a known defect. they replaced the bad coil but left the other three untouched. i am very worried about this. i drive through highway to my office everyday. i don't want to stuck in the hightway in the cold wind waiting for a towl truck. my warranty is going to expire soon, and i don't know whether the vw dealer will fix the possible next failure of ignition coil free of charge. seeing an article from boston globe, i know that i am not alone. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/026/auto/no_easy_fix_for_failing_ignition_coils_in_audis_vws+.shtml would you please order vw to recall all the defective ignition coils? thanks a lot for your time. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 01/04/2006 | 48000 | 1 | 11/15/2003 |
| Daughter's 2001 vw new beetle, purchased pre-owned odometer reading 34908 with highest level extended warranty available. electrical circuitry (igniter of air bag) had sporadic voltage reading. pre-emptying warnings of air bag malfunction. the actual problem was in the electrical circuitry, however since the bottom line to correcting the electrical circuitry would rely on replacing the air bag, the warranty refuses to cover the charge. service technician insists it is an electrical problem, which warranty does cover...warranty insists the correcting of electrical circuit results in air bag replacement...warranty does not state air bag coverage-therefore we will not cover expense. *jb | |||
| 09/15/2005 | 70706 | 1 | 02/15/2004 |
| I own a new vw beetle and the instrument cluster has been giving displays that come on and off concerning the abs system, air bag and engine. i had the car looked at and was told that there is corrosion of the terminal strip from the coolant tank that is causing the problem. i was further told that and given a field service technical bulletin that outlined the problem due to a design flaw. this can be a problem as the instrument panel is unreliable and the safety systems cannot be sure to be working. i contacted volkswagen to no avail. i would like to know what recourse i have to have a design flaw corrected? *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 06/11/2006 | 71300 | 1 | 04/14/2006 |
| Dt*: the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked the dashboard caught on fire setting off and freezing the alarm. the fire also caused damage to the front interior. the police and fire department were on the scene and a police report was filed. the vehicle was unable to be driven. the closest dealers were contacted and refused to service the vehicle. however, they were willing to have vehicle towed to the original dealers for a fee. prior to the dash board catching on fire, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer on several occasions because of a burning smell coming from the engine. the dealer determined that the engine detailer spray was causing the smell but there were no repairs made. *ak | |||
| 10/16/2003 | 1 | ||
| After vehicle was parked for a period of one hour driver tried to start it but vehicle would not start. also, smoke was seen coming from the dash. vehicle did not catch on fire. dealer found that there was a malfunction in the wiring under the dash, but was unable to determine the cause. *ak | |||