Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 11/12/2012 | 55000 | ||
| The vehicle starts up fine and accelerates normal at first. just before the vehicle switches to second gear it gets stuck. the only way to get it to properly shit to second gear is to give it more gas, which makes the rpms go up to 7,000. at this point the vehicle changes to second gear and lunges forward. i have almost rear ended multiple people do this this problem. once the vehicle gets into second gear it accelerates normally again, just until it changes to third gear and does the same problem that i described above. this problem is not only dangerous, but also financial hurtful. i have read hundreds of reviews on this problem and they all describe the same thing, along with their vehicles being very low in mileage. | |||
| 08/16/2012 | 96503 | 1 | |
| The 2003 vw beetle has started to slip at 96,500 miles going from 2nd to 3rd gear. i have done alot of online research and there are several forums and thousands of similar cases as the one i am having. i called vw of america customer care and talked to tim and he said because the car was out of warranty they could not do anything. i mentioned that the problem seems to be the valve body and he agreed but still could not help me. further research led to me finding a class action suit agains vw america for exactly this problem. since there are so many documented cases, i feel there should be a recall immediately as this can lead to a serious safety issue on the road. worse yet, vw knows about it and is not doing anything! please help. ## vin passed ## vw beetle 2003 ## *tr | |||
| 08/09/2012 | 60000 | 1 | |
| The transmission downshifts on its own at any giving time. was close to getting rear ended several times.. *tr | |||
| 08/09/2012 | 60000 | ||
| The transmission downshifts on its own at any giving time. was close to getting rear ended several times.. | |||
| 08/03/2011 | 88000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the transmission down shifted automatically and the vehicle decelerated. the contact mentioned that the check engine warning lamp illuminated and the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 98,000. | |||
| 06/18/2012 | 108000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked when there was a shift of gear. the contact also stated that the vehicle slid out of gears by itself. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop, where it was inspected and it was determined that the transmission was faulty. the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, however no assistance was provided. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 108,000 and the current mileage was 109,000. | |||
| 06/18/2012 | 108000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked when there was a shift of gear. the contact also stated that the vehicle slid out of gears by itself. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop, where it was inspected and it was determined that the transmission was faulty. the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, however no assistance was provided. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 108,000 and the current mileage was 109,000. sm. | |||
| 06/18/2012 | 108000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. the contact stated that the vehicle jolted when there was a shift of gear. the contact stated vehicle also slid out of gears by itself. the vehicle was taken to the repair shop, where it was inspected and determined that the transmission was faulty. the repair necessary for vehicle was to replace the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware; however no assistance was provided.the vin was unavailable. the current mileage was 109,000. the failure mileage was 108,000.yn | |||
| 06/01/2011 | 68000 | ||
| My vehicle will down shift really hard from 3rd to 2nd with a loud clunk noise.the transmission at times will get stuck in a gear at a intersection and not move at all..then all of a sudden it will take off really fast.it has done this on the freeway as well.i have done some research on this car and found that i am not the only one that has complained about this issue.i have contacted vw and they said i need a new transmission.they know that their is a problem with their transmissions but fail to fix it.they should be recalled. this is a very dangerous situation a lot of these car owners are young (new ) drivers and this is not a safe car! | |||
| 03/15/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen bettle. while driving approximately 25 mph the vehicle began to decelerate and there was an increase in the rpms. the failure occurred constantly after driving the vehicle for approximately ten minutes. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated the transmission had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000. | |||
| 03/15/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen bettle. while driving approximately 25 mph the vehicle began to decelerate and there was an increase in the rpms. the failure occurred constantly after driving the vehicle for approximately ten minutes. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated the transmission had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000. rvk | |||
| 03/15/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen bettle. while driving at approximately 25 mph the vehicle began to decelerate and there was an increase in the rpm reading. the failure occurs constantly after driving the vehicle for approximately 10 minutes. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated the transmission would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 71,000. ds | |||
| 09/06/2011 | 60 | ||
| Recall on airbag crash sensor back in 2008, which we had replace . however this problem constantley happen were the air bag creash sensor lights comes on and stays on. when you call the dearlship they wants to charge the consumer. there is always a jerking in the power transmission while driving . this is dangerous you would think the car is going to stop going up hill. i made a complaint back in 2009 complaint #102868 never received a response. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 93764 | ||
| 2003 beetle conv tiptronic swtich failure to down shifts on the beetle leads to false reading as to replacing of the whole trnasmissions on the beetles. not safe while driving on freeway up- hill jerks like losing speed in shifting. tranmission should not be going out at 93, 000 miles do to tipronic shifter over $592.00 to fix 6, 792.00 for rebuit tranmission. i was told by vw to replace transmission due totipronic shifter failure est 6,792.00 dollars for transmission 592.00 for tipronic shifter. replace shifter till have old part. | |||
| 04/14/2011 | 80000 | ||
| Bought car for daughter feb.2011. the gear seems to get hung up between 2nd and 3rd then the car will barely move. sometimes when it goes in to gear it lunges forward. my daughter almost had a wreck trying to turn and the gear got hung up and stalled in traffic. | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 93764 | ||
| 2003 beetle conv tiptronic swtich failure to down shifts on the beetle leads to false reading as to replacing of the whole trnasmissions on the beetles. not safe while driving on freeway up- hill jerks like losing speed in shifting. tranmission should not be going out at 93, 000 miles do to tipronic shifter over $592.00 to fix 6, 792.00 for rebuit tranmission. i was told by vw to replace transmission due totipronic shifter failure est 6,792.00 dollars for transmission 592.00 for tipronic shifter. replace shifter till have old part. | |||
| 04/14/2011 | 80000 | ||
| Bought car for daughter feb.2011. the gear seems to get hung up between 2nd and 3rd then the car will barely move. sometimes when it goes in to gear it lunges forward. my daughter almost had a wreck trying to turn and the gear got hung up and stalled in traffic. | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 93764 | ||
| 2003 beetle conv tiptronic swtich failure to down shifts on the beetle leads to false reading as to replacing of the whole trnasmissions on the beetles. not safe while driving on freeway up- hill jerks like losing speed in shifting. tranmission should not be going out at 93, 000 miles do to tipronic shifter over $592.00 to fix 6, 792.00 for rebuit tranmission. i was told by vw to replace transmission due totipronic shifter failure est 6,792.00 dollars for transmission 592.00 for tipronic shifter. replace shifter till have old part. | |||
| 04/14/2011 | 80000 | ||
| Bought car for daughter feb.2011. the gear seems to get hung up between 2nd and 3rd then the car will barely move. sometimes when it goes in to gear it lunges forward. my daughter almost had a wreck trying to turn and the gear got hung up and stalled in traffic. | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 93764 | ||
| 2003 beetle conv tiptronic swtich failure to down shifts on the beetle leads to false reading as to replacing of the whole trnasmissions on the beetles. not safe while driving on freeway up- hill jerks like losing speed in shifting. tranmission should not be going out at 93, 000 miles do to tipronic shifter over $592.00 to fix 6, 792.00 for rebuit tranmission. i was told by vw to replace transmission due totipronic shifter failure est 6,792.00 dollars for transmission 592.00 for tipronic shifter. replace shifter till have old part. | |||
| 04/14/2011 | 80000 | ||
| Bought car for daughter feb.2011. the gear seems to get hung up between 2nd and 3rd then the car will barely move. sometimes when it goes in to gear it lunges forward. my daughter almost had a wreck trying to turn and the gear got hung up and stalled in traffic. | |||
| 05/06/2011 | 54000 | ||
| 2003 vw beetle... transmission lurches forward... not safe. vw extended warranty by only 7 years. that excluded any 2003's sold during normal model year. only had 54,ooo miles. cost over $3,000.00 to fix. how can volkswagen know there is a problem and then exclude vehicles like this? | |||
| 04/01/2009 | 65000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. while driving at any speed, the contact noticed that the vehicle would surge and jerk forward and shift hard between gears. the dealer advised the contact to have the transmission replaced. the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic; however, he was unable to duplicate the failure. the current mileages were 79,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 65,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 04/01/2009 | 65000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. while driving at any speed, the contact noticed that the vehicle would surge and jerk forward and shift hard between gears. the dealer advised the contact to have the transmission replaced. the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic; however, he was unable to duplicate the failure. the current mileages were 79,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 65,000. the vin was unavailable. bw | |||
| 03/01/2011 | |||
| I had previously complained about my 2003 beetle on this website. somehow my car seems to have somehow repaired it self !! it is no longer shifting hard when it shifts and its no longer lurching or pausing as it shifts. im not sure why, im just really relieved! | |||
| 01/13/2011 | 50000 | ||
| Transmission shifts very hard from 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 4th. has even stalled on occasion. has less than 70,000 miles. transmission hits so hard it feels as though it will fall out of the car. i have stopped driving it due to this dangerous situation. can not afford the 4,000 - 7000 dollars quoted to replace. | |||
| 08/14/2010 | 98000 | ||
| Occaisional violent shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to third gear - automatic transmission. very dangerous in intersections. vw had a recall to fix this problem, i was notified by them last month- vw said my car was 1 year too old - can't afford to fix on my own - car is worthless with thiis problem. | |||
| 01/06/2008 | 35000 | ||
| My 2003 volkswagen beetle, with under 50,000 miles on it will shift dangerously hard. when it shifts into 1st or 2nd gear, it shifts with a slam and lurches forward. there is a pause before it shifts which makes it very dangerous due to oncoming traffic, instead of moving forward when it should there is that pause while it lurches down and slams into gear. it does this on a regualr basis. | |||
| 02/11/2010 | 82000 | ||
| 2003 vw new beetle has a faulty transmission which is presenting a safety concern as the vehicle is driven on roads and highways. car does not shift right, hard shifts, bucking, etc. and now stalling, probably a totally failed transmission for which vw is taking no responsibility. | |||
| 12/18/2010 | |||
| Vw beetle 2003, 61,000 miles, i noticed it shifted hard shortly after i purchased it this past april; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, etc; went to vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (received in december 2010, but they are unwilling to cover the cost because the extension is to cover 7 years, and my car is 6 months too old; they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it | |||
| 02/11/2010 | 82000 | ||
| 2003 vw new beetle has a faulty transmission which is presenting a safety concern as the vehicle is driven on roads and highways. car does not shift right, hard shifts, bucking, etc. and now stalling, probably a totally failed transmission for which vw is taking no responsibility. | |||
| 12/18/2010 | |||
| Vw beetle 2003, 61,000 miles, i noticed it shifted hard shortly after i purchased it this past april; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, etc; went to vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (received in december 2010, but they are unwilling to cover the cost because the extension is to cover 7 years, and my car is 6 months too old; they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it | |||
| 02/11/2010 | 82000 | ||
| 2003 vw new beetle has a faulty transmission which is presenting a safety concern as the vehicle is driven on roads and highways. car does not shift right, hard shifts, bucking, etc. and now stalling, probably a totally failed transmission for which vw is taking no responsibility. | |||
| 12/18/2010 | |||
| Vw beetle 2003, 61,000 miles, i noticed it shifted hard shortly after i purchased it this past april; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, etc; went to vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (received in december 2010, but they are unwilling to cover the cost because the extension is to cover 7 years, and my car is 6 months too old; they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it | |||
| 12/11/2010 | 70000 | ||
| After warming up, the car's transmission jerks very badly, and runs wildly before shifting. the mileage is just 75k. it is really dangerous especially driving on the highway due to the hard shift. many other owners have similar experience. vw must be responsible for this horrible defect. | |||
| 11/15/2010 | 56375 | ||
| For the last 6 months my 2003 automatic vw beetle convertible with 56k miles has been shifting hard (lurch feeling) intermittently going up or down hills. when the mechanic inspected it the transmission readout said it was fine and this was normal wear and tear. on november 15, 2010 while driving in traffic at about 15mph, the transmission stopped grabbing and went into neutral. i was able to shift it to the tiptronic system to drive the vehicle safely out of the way. upon inspection the vw dealer stated that they did not know the exact cause and only direction they got from vw national was to replace the transmission completely for $7k. | |||
| 07/01/2010 | 75000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible automatic was hard shifting after warming up for 15-20 minutes from 1st to 2nd gear, and down from 4th all the way to 1st. this issue started after 75,000 miles. fix = replace valve body...around $2000. i was told that this is a very common issue, and that vw has addressed this defect in newer models. this seems to be a manufacturer defect if it is a known, common, and fixed problem by vw. | |||
| 07/23/2010 | 60000 | ||
| The car surges when shifting causing the wheels to spin out on wet surfaces | |||
| 07/01/2010 | 75000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible automatic was hard shifting after warming up for 15-20 minutes from 1st to 2nd gear, and down from 4th all the way to 1st. this issue started after 75,000 miles. fix = replace valve body...around $2000. i was told that this is a very common issue, and that vw has addressed this defect in newer models. this seems to be a manufacturer defect if it is a known, common, and fixed problem by vw. | |||
| 07/23/2010 | 60000 | ||
| The car surges when shifting causing the wheels to spin out on wet surfaces | |||
| 07/01/2010 | 75000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible automatic was hard shifting after warming up for 15-20 minutes from 1st to 2nd gear, and down from 4th all the way to 1st. this issue started after 75,000 miles. fix = replace valve body...around $2000. i was told that this is a very common issue, and that vw has addressed this defect in newer models. this seems to be a manufacturer defect if it is a known, common, and fixed problem by vw. | |||
| 07/23/2010 | 60000 | ||
| The car surges when shifting causing the wheels to spin out on wet surfaces | |||
| 07/01/2010 | 95000 | ||
| I have vw 03' beetle and transmission is goint out early. jerks between gears, and feels unsafe to drive on road. | |||
| 09/06/2010 | 65955 | ||
| Near collision caused by defective automatic transmission selinoid valve body produced and installed on the volkswagen beetle and cabrio convertible models. the transmission is a 6 speed automatic tip-tronic shift style specifically used between 2001 - 2004 model years. the defective part causes a sudden jump or jerking motion between gear shifting. in our instance the car jerked and stopped in the middle of an intersection which nearly caused a vehicle collision. this has happened on more than on one occassion. further research discovered that vw has known about the defective part and that it has caused or been the possible cause of accidents involving these vehicles as well as numerous and constant complaints to vw dealers and on line complaint forums. a replacement of the defective designed internal selinoid valve body is needed to avoid further damage to the transmissions and make the vehicle safe to drive. this is espescially an issue for lessor experienced drivers and whent he vehciles are ingaged in heav traffic conditions. | |||
| 08/15/2010 | 95000 | ||
| Transmission bad | |||
| 09/06/2010 | 65955 | ||
| Near collision caused by defective automatic transmission selinoid valve body produced and installed on the volkswagen beetle and cabrio convertible models. the transmission is a 6 speed automatic tip-tronic shift style specifically used between 2001 - 2004 model years. the defective part causes a sudden jump or jerking motion between gear shifting. in our instance the car jerked and stopped in the middle of an intersection which nearly caused a vehicle collision. this has happened on more than on one occassion. further research discovered that vw has known about the defective part and that it has caused or been the possible cause of accidents involving these vehicles as well as numerous and constant complaints to vw dealers and on line complaint forums. a replacement of the defective designed internal selinoid valve body is needed to avoid further damage to the transmissions and make the vehicle safe to drive. this is espescially an issue for lessor experienced drivers and whent he vehciles are ingaged in heav traffic conditions. | |||
| 08/15/2010 | 95000 | ||
| Transmission bad | |||
| 09/15/2010 | 91000 | ||
| I bought a used 2003 vw beetle conv. in 2006. i immediately reported to the service dept. that it there was some jerking happening when the car changed gears and they told me that this was normal for vw. recently the jerking got really bad, and almost caused an accident because the transmission hesitated in the middle of an intersection and then i could not regain any speed. i was very close to being hit by an oncoming car. the replacement cost will be around 5800. my mechanic talked to vw and they told him they were aware of the problem and have fixed it in the newer models. | |||
| 08/15/2010 | 95000 | ||
| Transmission bad | |||
| 09/15/2010 | 91000 | ||
| I bought a used 2003 vw beetle conv. in 2006. i immediately reported to the service dept. that it there was some jerking happening when the car changed gears and they told me that this was normal for vw. recently the jerking got really bad, and almost caused an accident because the transmission hesitated in the middle of an intersection and then i could not regain any speed. i was very close to being hit by an oncoming car. the replacement cost will be around 5800. my mechanic talked to vw and they told him they were aware of the problem and have fixed it in the newer models. | |||
| 09/07/2010 | 83000 | ||
| 2003 vw bug stalls when hitting around 35 miles per hour, almost was rear ended - takes a while to start back moving but is sluggish. took it to the mechanic and he said it was the transmission. i only have 80,000 miles on this car - how could this be the transmission. | |||
| 10/20/2009 | 100000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkwagen beetle which was purchased in 2008. while driving approximately 45 mph and accelerating or shifting gears, the vehicle would act as if it was going to stall and began to shake violently. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt at a costs of over $6,000 at the owner's expense. no repairs were made to date. the current and failure mileages were under 100,000. | |||
| 11/10/2009 | 1 | ||
| Vw beetle transmission slips and jerks, may other individuals are complaining also. very unsafe and the company does not seem to believe it is a defect in their product. consumers need help. *tr | |||
| 11/08/2009 | 53000 | 1 | |
| 2003 vw beetle, transmission slips between 2nd and 3rd gear on upshift. vw 'rebuilt' the transmission last year but problem returned. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2003 vw beetle shifts so very hard between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear it feels like the car is going to break. took to dealership to perform a diagnostic. they said it was the transmission gasket. i replaced it, problem still exists. driver's side window rolls down on its own. passenger side window hits the top (when putting it up) then rolls down. dealership says this is a safety feature. *tr | |||
| 06/22/2006 | 56000 | 30 | 03/22/2006 |
| When attempting to put car into reverse brake switch does not respond. this has happened numerous times. driver side window goes back down by itself. also car shifts real hard in second and third gear. sounds like transmission will break. *ak | |||