Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 02/19/2013 | 80000 | ||
| On the soft top convertable the windows drop when the door is opened and raised when the door is closed. window still rolls up and down however the window doesn't respond to the door opening or closing anymore. this is a common and popular problem that needs to be addressed! expensive defect for unsuspecting owners. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 10/08/2012 | |||
| The window regulator has failed. when i roll the window up it starts going slowly when it's almost all the way up and then it makes a squealing noise and then once it reaches the top it rolls back down by itself without me touching anything. this is a safety hazard because if there is inclement weather, i cannot get my window to stay rolled up. my car is not safe left with the window rolled all the way down. this is not just an issue that i am having. there a forums filled with people experiencing the same problems all with 2003 vw beetles. it is a cheaply made part that has to be replaced professionally. it is not fair that everyone has to pay $300+ for repair that shouldn't happen this often in the first place. | |||
| 01/05/2013 | 83000 | ||
| I bought my 2003 vw beetle a few months ago from a private seller. in the past week, the shifting has gotten really difficult and it very often will not accelerate easily. my husband drove the car and reported having no problems, so he didn't believe me. yesterday, i was driving on the highway and couldn't get the car to accelerate past 50 mph. it was especially scary when i tried to cross the highway and the car didn't want to accelerate at all. that could have been a horrible accident. after crossing the highway, i was unable to accelerate past 20 mph. i parked the car at a relative's home and had her drive me home as i was afraid to drive the car again. i started doing research and was blown away by the number of people facing the same problems. this is a dangerous situation that needs to be resolved. | |||
| 09/21/2007 | 36000 | ||
| I have had to replace all four power window regulators. i am now having to replace one of the replacements. this vehicle only has 83000 miles on it. the parts to repair this window are extremely expensive - over $500. i've already invested well over $1500 replacing the regulators already. volkswagen is making defective parts and will not stand behind their product. i filed a complaint earlier on this vehicle for a defective airbag. this car has not been abused. i've taken good care of it. the airbag was never deployed or damaged in any way. if the airbag is defective it is because vw puts defective airbags in their vehicles. | |||
| 05/19/2012 | |||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle owner blogs, failed transmission is a common and frequent occurence. *05/31/12*bf | |||
| 07/31/2010 | 99500 | ||
| I have a 2003 vw new beetle convertable and both rear window regulators continually break. i was told that there is an active campaign going on with your agency to get this item covered as a recall by volkswagen. the item or complaint number that was given me is 10282664. these window regulators are of a defective design and should be covered by vw. i don't feel that they should prosper by selling the regulator kits that are necessary due to their faulty design. this will be the second time that i am replacing these items in a 7 year old car. | |||