Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 04/15/2005 | 1 | ||
| Purchased 2005 vw beetle with 7,300 miles assured full warranty....guaranteed paint on front bumper would be corrected...did it twice still peeling off....electric windows repaired twice....began making noises when weather was damp...took it to be checked out and was assured it would not always happen but normal...told them transmission seemed to be slipping....one headlight had a short, and then recall on brakelight...they did repair that...but informed me that was all they had time to do that do due to recall...gas cap cover was sticking as well...didn't fix it either....then my air bag light came on...took it in for recall on that ...after it was supposedly fixed airbag light did not go off, insisted it had nothing to do with sensor that was recalled...noise in front end began and floorboard flooded during heavy rain....with no obvious entry point....did search for problems with vw beetles and there are thousands having the very same problems i have been experiencing....now heat gauge light comes off and on, alarm randomly sounds.....but noise in front end concerns me greatly...would not even diagnose car without $98 bucks an hour labor charge to find problems.... this car only has 34,952 miles on it and it is falling apart...no way can all these problems be fixed and me make payments....but thousands are having these very same problems...why has our government not insisted on a recall..... *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||
| 11/14/2012 | 1 | ||
| There seems to be an issue with the rear windows and rear window regulators in the new beetles from 2003-2010. i have experienced and read numerous testimonials that indicate this is a design flaw that vw is making money repairing. *tr | |||
| 07/11/2012 | 75000 | 1 | |
| Left rear window regulator stopped working in july 2012. in october 2012 the right rear window regulator stopped working. both have to be replaced. car is very well maintained but was bought used. vw dealer covers nothing but charges an enormous amount to fix. reading other blogs there are many, many with the same issue. there should be a recall and vw should be responsible for replacing the rear window regulators. the rear windows not working means you can not put the convertible top down without risking further damage to the car. *tr | |||
| 07/12/2012 | 68000 | 1 | |
| Both rear window regulators have become defective. do not work. *tr | |||
| 08/30/2012 | 65000 | 1 | |
| 2005 vw beetle convertible. rear windows regulator/motors broke. vw issued an extended warranty for front windows (7 years) rear windows have the same problem. dealer wants $700.00 per side to fix. windows do not roll down on command. often fall on their own after a bump in the road. *tr | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 32000 | 1 | |
| The car is convertible and both rear windows stopped operating normally and there was a window-crunching sound and the windows were stuck, had to move them in the upright position by hand and put some kinds of rubber door stops to keep them in the up position. it is funny how both stopped working around the same time (probably a week apart) literally right after the warranty expired. it seems from what i have seen to be a standard problem in these cars and i just wanted to share my experience as well. also the front window regulator started acting up and you could feel something was not properly aligned because when you move the window you could feel like it was not moving as smoothly as the passenger's door. it would not go all the way down and it would be sticking up like an inch or so, then other times it will go down all the way but it will make this funny sound like it is stuck on something. i tried opening the door cover and before even got to disassembling of the inner panel and realized the cable had broken. i don't know what is the reasoning for all this but it looks that because of the fact that the windows will travel a bit down everytime you have to put the roof up or down it might put extra strain and wear that was not planned for initially. in my honest opinion if you get 3 out of 4 window regulator problems in less than the cars first 4-5years, there has got to be something wrong or flaws with the design thanks *tr | |||
| 09/20/2006 | 1 | ||
| The window regulators on the vehicle are predictably failing approximately every 2 years without much use at all. the part is poorly engineered and expensive to replace. it is a known issue that vw refuses to fix. i have had my window regulators replaced on each of my 4 windows twice: september 30, 2006right rear window regulator replacement july 18, 2007left rear window regulator replacement april 29, 2009left front regulator replacement august 15, 2009right front window replaced (shattered when a friend closed, not slammed, the door) july 21, 2010left rear window regulator ? repaired by vw october 31, 2010right rear window regulator july 20, 2012 left rear window regulator failed (not yet repaired) this is unacceptable for a company that claims to have exceptional engineering. web searches have revealed that countless customers have this same complaint and that the issue is also with jetta, passat and other vw vehicles. they should be made to manufacture a better part and fix the issue free of charge for all customers. *tr | |||
| 09/03/2012 | 90000 | 1 | |
| The drivers rear window went down and would not come back up. *tr | |||
| 11/25/2011 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Rear window regulators went out. *tr | |||
| 08/30/2012 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Driver side rear window dropped and could not be raised. about 2 years ago the driver front window did the same thing. *tr | |||
| 08/12/2012 | 1 | ||
| According to all the info i have gathered. it seems my car ,along with so many others have this same problem. it happens way too often for it not to be a major problem for the owners to pay for the repair. when it is a fault of the vw makers. my rear passenger window regulator is broken. something should be addressed about this issue. vw is responsible for the bad mechanical design of the windows in these vehicles. why should we (as consumers)have to pay for their screw up?[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 07/02/2012 | 83808 | 1 | |
| Left rear window lifter does not close completely. only goes up 2/3 of the way. reference odi complaint 10282664. *tr | |||
| 09/20/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| My drivers side rear window will not move up or down anymore. the first time it happened i was putting the top down on my convertible and when you press the button for the top to come down the rear windows come down a little to allow for the top to move. it made a grinding noise then the window went all the way down, which has never happened and did not happen on the other side. i put the top back up but the window would not roll back up. i could hear the motor for the window working to pull it up. i ended up having to pull the window up manually while pressing the window up button so my car wasn't exposed to the weather or broken into. i have been told it is the regulator that is out and don't have the $ to fix it. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 50624 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 volkswagen super beetle convertible. the contact stated that the adhesive around the rear window failed as the window began to separate. there was only a piece of cloth that was holding the window in place. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the part could not be repaired and the entire convertible top would need to be replaced. the vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics for diagnosis however none could repair the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 50,624. kmj | |||
| 11/01/2012 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 volkswagen super beetle convertible. the contact stated that the adhesive around the rear window failed and the window began to separate. only cloth was holding the window in place. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and was informed the part could not be repaired and the convertible top would need to be replaced. the vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics for diagnosis however none could repair the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 50,624. dt | |||
| 11/25/2011 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Rear window regulators went out. *tr | |||
| 11/25/2011 | 55000 | ||
| Rear window regulators went out | |||