Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||||
| 0101 | 06/12/2001 | 621613 | Subject regarding latch system lower anchors and tethers for children, installing / retrofitting. *tt | 09/27/2001 | |
| 9801 | 12/02/1998 | 603955 | Procedures on removing the front seats with side airbag. *yc | 03/12/1999 | |
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||||
| 15 | 03/01/2001 | 619541 | Subject regarding heated seat wiring diagram. *tt | 06/14/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 09/20/2009 | 50100 | 1 | |
| My driver seat was dislocated n pushed to the back while the car was in motion. luckily i was driving in the town n the speed was slow n i managed to park my car after much difficulty cos i could not reach the pedal of brake n had to pull myself forward to do it. god blessed me that nothing happened except rushing of adrenaline. later i found out that the dislocation of seat was caused by the loosing screws which secured the seat. the screws are in perfect condition. they certainly cannot come loose cos there is not wear n tear. it much be manufactured defect. i report to vw dealer but they want diagnostic charge. what a joke. i do not send my car for repair cos i want the truth of the matter. i only taped my screws to fix them. still they will come loose after a while. | |||
| 09/20/2009 | 53000 | 1 | |
| My 1998 vw new beetle driver seat dislodged cos screws underneath came out while driving on oakland highway. i was pushed to the back on the seat n i was not able to reach my accelerator n brake pedals. i would have been killed on freeway if it happened five minutes earlier. the screws came loose the second time. the third time i have to use the white tape on the screws to tighten them. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2002 | 1 | 02/01/2099 | |
| While executing a right turn at low speed, the drivers's seat broke loose from the track at the front of the seat. the seat remained attached to the track at the rear of the seat. this caused the seat and me (the driver) to suddenly roll toward the back of the car, almost losing contact with the steering wheel. only by grasping the steering wheel and pulling myself forward was i able to reach the clutch and brake pedals. i then guided the car to a safe stop. this defect could easily have resulted in my death and the death of other drivers. i have never attempted to perform any work on this seat. regardless of the number of miles driven, and regardless of warranty status, the driver's seat should never break loose like that. this is a potentially fatal defect.*ak | |||
| 2 | 07/01/1998 | ||
| The bolts at the bottom front of the driver's seat came loose, allowing the seat to wiggle in its tracks. subsequently, the bolts worked themselves free and allowed the driver's seat to move back and forth in its tracks, thus preventing the setting of a safe, stationary position. also, because the front bolts that hold the seat to the vehicle chassis have failed, vehicle movements allow the front edge of the driver's seat to tip up and down in an arching direction. this means that unless the driver is holding on to the steering wheel firmly, the seat tends to tip back when the vehicle accelerates from a stop or a steady speed. the seat also tends to tip up and down when the vehicle rebounds as it completes a stop. on the first occasion that the seat anchoring system failed (january 2000), the seat moved all the way to the back of its track, breaking through the back end of the left plastic rail cover and allowing the the left side seat roller to jut out in the open. this type of problem was also reported twice to nhtsa in 1999 according to phil edmonston author of lemon-aid car guide 2001. this appears to be a manufactuer defect, as it occurs under normal vehicle operating conditions.*ak | |||
| 04/27/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Driver front seat bracket broke away during acceleration from a stop sign causing me to be forced into a lying down position against the back seat. my hands were pulled from the steering wheel as well as my foot from the brake. i broke a cup holder on the console in order to right myself and just missed a telephone pole. i have digital photos of the bracket and seat and will be glad to email them to you. i am in a pissing match with the dealer as to who gets to keep the defective bracket. i wonder why they do not want me to keep it?*ak | |||