Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - HOSE | |||||
| 010702 | 01/11/2007 | 10021315 | Dtc's p1297 (17705) or p1557 (17965) stored in dtc memory. this may be caused by intake hoses leaking (during boost conditions) due to incorrect torque on clamps or improper placement, worn or torn intake hoses. *kb | 04/03/2007 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| TB-01-12-04 | 02/10/2012 | 10043602 | Volkswagen: gasoline engines have rough idle, have significant loss of power or stalling with reduced performance. *pe | 04/13/2012 | |
| 2010464 | 05/14/2007 | 10021962 | Mil is on and/or catalytic converter is rattling. *kb | 06/27/2007 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 2015831 | 08/28/2008 | 10026848 | Volkswagen: exhaust heat shield, replacement guidelines. heat shields are to be inspected after completion o any type of repair to the underbody (exhaust system transmission, etc.), and if damaged, replaced. *pe | 12/29/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 04/24/2012 | |||
| Automatic transmission has problem and sometimes while driving does not advances, this could be a saftey issue. | |||
| 10/08/2007 | 119268 | 1 | 09/15/2001 |
| The top of the oil dipstick on my 2001 vw beetle is apparently very fragile and could come off by itself, possibly lodging itself into another part of the motor and causing a dangerous situation. it disappeared during preventive maintenance at dover volkswagen, inc. in dover, delaware. they claimed they did not break it. *tr | |||
| 09/26/2006 | 73000 | 1 | 09/22/2004 |
| This is my second vw beetle turbo that has an engine that has died below the recommended mileage for maintenance. both vehicles did the same thing and died while i was driving on a highway at 75 miles per hour. i lost power and was not able to use my breaks to pull over for safety. after contacting vw customer service (800 882 8987 ref# 60353557 9-29-06) i was informed, the vehicle is no longer under warranty even though the damage occurred below the recommended service. my current mileage is 73k and my current mechanic informed me that the usual mileage for this type of problem is 105k. after some research i have found that this is not a unique issue and volkswagen is more than aware of this defect. it is ridiculous that they think they should not be responsible. *jb | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 9 | ||
| The consumer has had to replace the transmission, bearings, axle, cooling system, seat tracks and bolts and window track in her 2001 volkswagen new beetle. *nm the consumer also needed to replace the catalytic converter and the front axle. *sc | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| I have 21,500 miles on my 2001 vw beetle, has been in the shop aprox 6 times for the same problem, car hesitates and stalls out as check engine light is a constant on, dealership cannot find the problem, my wife and i were almost killed in vehicle due to stalling out in front of fast moving traffic, i let them know that this vehicle was an endanger to my and my families life while driving and would like this vehicle towed in, and since was an on going problem also needed a rental car and the dealership and volkswagen of america both refused on both accounts, because of the bitter taste in my mouth for vw. i no longer want this car. | |||
| While driving at 40 mph, consumer states vehicle began to misfire, check engine light started to flash then it stayed on. the vehicle started to ride very rough. took to delaer and dealer stated coil packs had failed. ts | |||
| Consumer states while driving across a bridge, one of his engines died leaving him with very little power. he states that this is the second time this has happened to him. he had it repaired under the warranty, but it may happen again, or with other people, which is a high risk for an accident if the auto stops in heavy traffic. ts | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 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 | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 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. | |||
| 10/20/2008 | 76049 | 1 | 11/09/2001 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated that the drain plug in the oil pan leaks oil. the failure occurred because the plug is hard steel and the pan that holds the oil is aluminum. if the technician tightens the nuts too tightly on the drain pan, all of the oil will leak out. the dealer performed a temporary repair, but it did not work. they had to replace the entire oil pan and plug at the cost of $360.78; the failure mileage was 76,049. updated 11-19-08 *bf updated 11/20/08. *jb | |||
| 01/23/2008 | 100575 | 1 | 06/19/2001 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. while driving approximately 70 mph in dry conditions, the timing belt failed. the contact pulled off the road and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. the owner's manual advises that the timing belt should be replaced at 105,000 miles. the manufacturer would not replace the timing belt because the vehicle was 500 miles outside of the warranty. the contact stated that the vehicle has been well maintained and is below the replacement mileage. the current and failure mileages were 100,575. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 01/05/2003 | 32000 | 2 | 03/20/2001 |
| I own a 2001 vw beetle. bought right off the show room floor. paid a pretty price for it too. my car was running great until january of 2003, less than two years after i bought it. the check engine light came on and i noticed the car was shaking and cutting out really bad. i barely made it home that night. i took it in to be repaired in may of 2003, costing me a hundred dollar bill. it wasn't 6 days later it did it again, same thing. so i called the dealer where i bought it. they told me it was going to cost another hundred dollars to fix it. wasn't happening. i got a hold of the main man in charge of service, told him my problem and he waved the fee. when i got up there the next week, they told me it could be 1-250 different things wrong when the check engine light is flashing. ok, i am starting to do some math here. 250 possible things wrong x $100= $25,000!!!!!!! i could buy a house for that much money. and the car isn't worth anywhere near that much now. it's like i would be paying for it all over again and who's to say the problem would even get fixed? it could just keep going in circles. i don't know about all of you, but i don't have that kind of money. i am making close to $500 payments a month on this car with three years still left to go on it. you would think a car costing that much and all the hype they pushed on it that it would run better than what it does and would have lasted longer than it did. to all the people out there thinking about buying a vw beetle, take it from an owner, don't!!!!!*jb | |||
| 12/14/2001 | 1 | ||
| Also, the belt tensioner malfunctioned. *yh | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 11/15/2007 | 53000 | 2 | 08/15/2005 |
| This problem has been a on going problem for about 2 years now, each time this happens you have to take the car to the vw dealer only to get screwed ,check engine light comes on car starts misfiring has no power uses lots of gas stalls runs ruff . i am afraid to drive this car on the freeway in heavy traffic for fear of it stalling and getting ran into by another car its a public endangerment these cars are. in april of 2007 i had to take it to the dealer they gave it a quick fix costing 450.00 the last time they told me i had a bad fuel injector they replace it . it ran fine for a couple of months then in nov 15 2007 the car stalled again daughter limped it home the check engine light was on the car was missing bad it was night and getting close to zero outside . we parked it this time because we did not have the money to fix the car it has 53,000 miles on it. i refuse to take it to another vw dealer , and all vw of america will say is we are sorry for you trouble but because you are not the first buyer of the car and are the second buyer of this car that was a lease return you are not entitle to the 10 years 100.000 mile powertrain warranty that come with the car. if you are the first buyer of the car. then these repair would be covered . the week of jan 15 2008 we took the car to an independent auto mechanic shop . i took them 2 days to find the problem the mass airflow sensor was bad and the tps sensor is bad in all it will take 1,400.00 dollars to fix this car. we paid for the mass airflow sensor to be replaced and the cost to find the problems. then we took the car home and parked it . it still needs the tps sensor replaced that will cost 1,000.00 and the car will be drivable . *tr | |||
| 08/17/2002 | 1 | 12/01/2000 | |
| Engine quit running while driving at 30 mph. lost all power including power steering and brakes. was able to stop car safely. car would not restart. dealer reports that ecm is being replaced, but blames problem on an aftermarket k&n air filter that was installed 11 months ago. informed dealer and vw customer service of the magnussen-moss warranty act of 1982 which makes it a federal offence to not honor a warranty unless the manufacturer offers free filters. vw is covering ecm under warranty, but is insisting on use of a vw filter at my expense. i consider this to be a serious safety defect and a violation of federal law. the vw reference number for this complaint is #20268678. | |||
| 01/22/2002 | 2 | 03/01/2001 | |
| Most of the engine was replaced during the beginning of january. on jan 22nd, traveling on a highway, engine lost power and was almost involved in a multi-car accident. i was in the middle lane and the power cut from 55 to about 10 miles an hour in the matter of seconds. other cars were swerving around me and i was finally able to pull off the road. car was towed back to dealership and the throttle body was cleaned out. on jan 30th the same thing happened again, only this time i was not on a highway but a side street. car was towed away again andis in the dealership waiting for repairs. during this month not only was an engine replaced but it malfunctioned twice. it is dangerous to travel on any highway with this car. the engine malfunctioned twice in one week. i can not safely return to driving this car. i was almost killed once and was very lucky not to have been involved in a seriuos accident. the beetle has engine problems and very major ones. for a car that is 8 months old, this should not be happening. | |||
| 07/26/2001 | 2 | 02/01/2001 | |
| I received this 2001 beetle after speaking with the dealership and a volkswagen representative, because my 2000 beetle had so many problems which could not be fixed. after about 5 months, this 2001 beetle has had many problems and continues to have many problems. i took it in the first time on july 26, 2001 for engine problems. the dealership that i took it to for service said it was a defect and they ordered meparts to correct the problem. they did also find faults with p1200 and p0411 tech bulletins. it was also discovered that the secondary air injection pump motor was inoperatiuve. they removed and installed an ovverrun cut-off valve. that same day, the window glass was found off track so they removed and installed a front door trim panel and the window glass. the car was back in for the ordered parts for the engine defect on a later date. about 2 months after those repairs, my automobile was in for a faulty trunk latch and motor and a malfunction with the airbags. they had to order parts for that and so my car was in on a later date for that. they replaced the lower trunk latch binding and removed and installed liftgate trim and a rear lock. they also replaced the air bag module, as well as removing and insstalling an air bag control unit. the car has other problems as well. the steering wheel shakes and vibrates the left side of the car. the car has trouble starting. it has a hum sound while driving. the turbo wing light comes on at different times. it's having the almost all the same problems as my last beetle. i'm very angry with this car and i can't seem to get any relief. it's a leased automobile, that's my only thing to look forward to, is getting rid of it.*ak | |||
| 01/21/2001 | 9 | 01/18/2001 | |
| Vehicle will start off okay, but then it would die/stall. problem was intremittent. it shut off for about10 seconds or more. *ak dealer replaced relay, however vehicle has stalled 4 more times, possible engine problems. *slc | |||
| 09/12/2000 | 9 | 09/12/2000 | |
| Vehicle experiences delay in acceleration almost causing several accidents, dealer informed consumer that this vehicle has a design using a stepping motor that can create a lag time during acceleration. *slc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - TURBO-CHARGER | |||
| 08/11/2004 | 22770 | 1 | 05/31/2001 |
| 2001 vw turbo beetle (22,770 mileage) low oil pressure. serviced at dealership. oil sludge cleaned from pan and pickup tube replace, cost $457.53. synthetic oil use vice normal oil to avoid sludge buildup. vw manufacturer was aware of the engine design problem that caused normal oil to break down. owner's manual should state only use synthetic oil. all previous oil changes and servicing were performed at specified mileages at the vw dealership. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 02/19/2008 | 3 | ||
| The car's check engine light comes on variably, local mechanic claims an oxygen sensor is malfunctioning, and able to clear the computer warning check engine light. vw service station claims can't diagnose problem if light is out, have to wait til light is on again. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| I have 21,500 miles on my 2001 vw beetle, has been in the shop aprox 6 times for the same problem, car hesitates and stalls out as check engine light is a constant on, dealership cannot find the problem, my wife and i were almost killed in vehicle due to stalling out in front of fast moving traffic, i let them know that this vehicle was an endanger to my and my families life while driving and would like this vehicle towed in, and since was an on going problem also needed a rental car and the dealership and volkswagen of america both refused on both accounts, because of the bitter taste in my mouth for vw. i no longer want this car. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 07/20/2008 | 68000 | 4 | 10/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. ever since the vehicle was purchased, the mass air flow sensor has been repaired 4 times. when the vehicle was started and placed into first gear, the vehicle would shutter, stall, and then fail. a local technician stated that the mass air flow sensor was failing and the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $350. the mass air flow sensor has been replaced four times since the vehicle was purchased. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 68,000 and current mileage was 69,900. updated 02/05/09 *bf updated 02/06/09. *jb | |||
| 08/21/2007 | 54000 | 1 | 04/21/2001 |
| On 8/21/07 took my vw to dealer due to a recognizable rattling noise coming from under vehicle and the mil light came on. paid $126.94 to remove and replace oil pan shield. eighteen days latter, 9/8/07, i received a catalytic converter warranty extension warning the catalytic converter was susceptible to degraded performance. if this happens, the owner me hear a readily recognizable rattling noise coming from under your vehicle in the area of the converter and/or the mil may illuminate due to the presence of specific fault codes caused by faulty catalytic converter. this i a real coincidence. the dealer claimed i had a cracked oil pan shield and 18 days later the factory states the same symptoms are caused by a faulty catalytic converter!!! i don't believe this. *jb | |||
| 12/01/2000 | 4 | 10/01/2000 | |
| Mass airflow sensor failure. i have had 4 fail, and the dealer has just been replacing these. i have come to the point of just disableing this sensor and running off of the manifold absolute pressure sensor. several cars have had this problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 9 | ||
| The consumer has had to replace the transmission, bearings, axle, cooling system, seat tracks and bolts and window track in her 2001 volkswagen new beetle. *nm the consumer also needed to replace the catalytic converter and the front axle. *sc | |||