Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 04/24/2012 | |||
| Automatic transmission has problem and sometimes while driving does not advances, this could be a saftey issue. | |||
| 03/07/2012 | 131033 | ||
| After only having this car for one year, this is the fifth time i have had this issue. the car is running fine, then all of a sudden, the transmission downshifts and jerks terribly. on two separate occassions, this has happened in intersections and i was almost t boned in the drivers side door the last time. i have contacted vw and am told we have had no complaints or issues with the transmission on these cars. yet, a simple google search finds hundreds of similar complaints regarding the new vw beetle transmission issues. more people end up getting killed if vw is not held responsible. corrective actions that include acknowledging they have a problem and publicly issuing a fix and contacting all owners should be at a minumum. i can tell you that my car is now worthless, no repair shops will work on it, and vw wont' admit to a problem. i am thinking of contacting a lawyer. | |||
| 04/24/2012 | |||
| Automatic transmission has problem and sometimes while driving does not advances, this could be a saftey issue. | |||
| 03/07/2012 | 131033 | ||
| After only having this car for one year, this is the fifth time i have had this issue. the car is running fine, then all of a sudden, the transmission downshifts and jerks terribly. on two separate occassions, this has happened in intersections and i was almost t boned in the drivers side door the last time. i have contacted vw and am told we have had no complaints or issues with the transmission on these cars. yet, a simple google search finds hundreds of similar complaints regarding the new vw beetle transmission issues. more people end up getting killed if vw is not held responsible. corrective actions that include acknowledging they have a problem and publicly issuing a fix and contacting all owners should be at a minumum. i can tell you that my car is now worthless, no repair shops will work on it, and vw wont' admit to a problem. i am thinking of contacting a lawyer. | |||
| 04/24/2012 | |||
| Automatic transmission has problem and sometimes while driving does not advances, this could be a saftey issue. | |||
| 03/07/2012 | 131033 | ||
| After only having this car for one year, this is the fifth time i have had this issue. the car is running fine, then all of a sudden, the transmission downshifts and jerks terribly. on two separate occassions, this has happened in intersections and i was almost t boned in the drivers side door the last time. i have contacted vw and am told we have had no complaints or issues with the transmission on these cars. yet, a simple google search finds hundreds of similar complaints regarding the new vw beetle transmission issues. more people end up getting killed if vw is not held responsible. corrective actions that include acknowledging they have a problem and publicly issuing a fix and contacting all owners should be at a minumum. i can tell you that my car is now worthless, no repair shops will work on it, and vw wont' admit to a problem. i am thinking of contacting a lawyer. | |||
| 04/24/2012 | |||
| Automatic transmission has problem and sometimes while driving does not advances, this could be a saftey issue. | |||
| 03/07/2012 | 131033 | ||
| After only having this car for one year, this is the fifth time i have had this issue. the car is running fine, then all of a sudden, the transmission downshifts and jerks terribly. on two separate occassions, this has happened in intersections and i was almost t boned in the drivers side door the last time. i have contacted vw and am told we have had no complaints or issues with the transmission on these cars. yet, a simple google search finds hundreds of similar complaints regarding the new vw beetle transmission issues. more people end up getting killed if vw is not held responsible. corrective actions that include acknowledging they have a problem and publicly issuing a fix and contacting all owners should be at a minumum. i can tell you that my car is now worthless, no repair shops will work on it, and vw wont' admit to a problem. i am thinking of contacting a lawyer. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 40750 | ||
| Approximately one week ago i noted that when i put my 2001 beetle into drive, the transmission did not catch. as i pushed the gas peddle down, it was necessary to rev the engine and then it would finally catch. the problem has gotten worse over the course of the week and will go into the shop this week. the safety issue is that it is necessary to rev the engine to get it into gear. i have almost hit the car in front of me on 2 occasions, but was able to hit the brake in time. i now push the brake and accelerator at the same time to avoid this possibility. i have read of similar transmission problems on the new beetle and want to add my experience at a paltry 41,000 miles to the list. i have not had the problems described in other postings such as difficulty shifting from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd. i also have not had the car downshift or shift to neutral as others have described. the major reason for posting this is the two episodes of almost hitting the car in front of me when the transmission engaged. | |||
| 09/24/2009 | 75000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen beetle. the contact stated intermittently when down shifting, the vehicle would jerk excessively and would also hesitate when the contact was attempting to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop on two occasions where unknown repairs were made to the vehicle yet the failure persisted. the failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 81,000. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 24000 | ||
| I purchased a certified preowned 2001 vw bettle on 7/9/03. on 8/14/03 the vehicle suffered catastrophic failure of the clutch at highway speed after around 1,000 miles after the purchase. on 8/18/03 the selling dealer (bill barry volkswagen, west hartford, ct) refused to honor the manufacturer's and connecticut state mandated warranties. a complaint was filed with volkswagen of america. vw corporate has taken no action to remediate. it has become clear based on my research that this is a common problem with the vehicle. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 08/01/2009 | 75000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen bettle. the contact stated that the vehicle would downshift abnormally between gears and he would have to manually shift from fourth into third. the vehicle would then roar loudly and lose all power. the failure recurred intermittently. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, did not offer any assistance. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 86,000. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000. kmj | |||
| 08/01/2009 | 75000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen bettle. the contact stated the vehicle would down shift between gears and he would have to manually place the gear from fourth into third. then the vehicle would roar and lose all power. the failure occurred intermittently. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was aware of the failure; however, did not offer any assistance. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 86,000. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000. bw | |||
| 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. | |||
| 11/04/2007 | 137520 | ||
| I have a 2001 vw new beetle. the transmission keeps failing, lurching, skidding, & the dealer & mechanics have done/found out nothing about it. i am one of thousands experiencing this problem with no reply from vw. i have never received anything about the recalls they order. my car is totally unsafe & i have put $5,500 in it to be told i need more work. they are taking no responsibility & we that own these cars are forced to drive them unsafely. my car jumps & skids forward from a stop. it goes so slow before the skidding that cars almost rear end me. the car cannot be traded in broken & vw refuses to address any problems we all have. my mom has a 2005 new beetle that is beginning to lurch and stall out on the freeway & during regular driving. we own 2 of these cars and never receive any recall info and we are forced to pay $5,700 each to fix the faulty transmission, $900 each for sensors, who know what for computers that all fail and cause our vehicles to be extremely unsafe. my car right now will not reverse, it only drives forward. vw needs to be forced to recall there faulty unsafe cars for not only those that drive them but for others on the road. this is a huge safety issue for drivers and anyone on the road. i should not have to fear for my life when driving a vehicle i have maintained and the maker will not recall the problems it knows these vehicles have. they are not safe and all of us that own them are stuck paying thousands of dollars to fix a problem vw is aware of and will do nothing about. it is scary and dangerous to be a vw new beetle owner. | |||
| 12/19/2009 | 100000 | ||
| I have a 2001 vw beetle transmission slips in 1st and 2nd gear and took to a shop and they said i need a new transmission | |||
| 01/17/2010 | 120 | 1 | |
| 2001 volkswagen beetle transmission problems!!!!!! *tr | |||
| 03/14/2006 | 56920 | 4 | 03/21/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park intermittently. there is recall, #03v265000, concerning the brake light switch. the recall did not correct the problem. the vehicle is having the same problems again. the dealership has been contacted. four brake switches have been replaced. the contact had to pay for all of them. vehicle has been a problem since day one. the contact purchased extended warranty, but it did not help. it cost the contact over $3,000 in repairs. updated on 05/16/2006. *ak *nm | |||
| 02/20/2006 | 65000 | 2 | 07/09/2001 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle would not shift out of park and the dealer replaced the shift interlock system solenoid. the replacement only remedied the problem for a two year period and it has now returned, but the vehicle has not been repaired. the shift interlock solenoid, the safety feature that requires the brake to be depressed in order for the vehicle to be taken out of park failed twice. *ak | |||
| 11/19/2005 | 4 | 09/10/2005 | |
| 2001 beetle gets stuck in park. when the car is off, it will move freely into any other gear. when i start the car, the gear shift will not move out of park. *nm | |||
| 1 | |||
| When shifting from drive to reverse the vehicle did not move. *nlm | |||
| 12/02/2000 | 0 | ||
| Consumer was traveling about 10mph on a side street at a traffic stop, and when light turned green, he applied gas and steering wheel column locked up. he couldn't turn steering left or right. dealership was aware of problem. also, transmission leaks coolant, and wheels locked up. *ak | |||