Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| TB-94-10-02 | 08/09/2010 | 10036467 | Volkswagen: headlights may intermittently dim slightly at idle. the headlamps or inside lights intermittently dim slightly at idle speed. at idle speed the alternator voltage can fluctuate, as the alternator cannot fully compensate the f | 03/16/2011 | |
| 0603 | 01/30/2006 | 10019085 | Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1176 is stored in dtc memory (new beetle 1.8t, engine code aph). *nm | 02/10/2006 | |
| 0502 | 01/14/2005 | 10012457 | Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1603 (18011) stored in dtc memory. *tt | 03/02/2005 | |
| 0001 | 03/24/2000 | 9902 | 610584 | Information containing a component ground identification chart which lists ground locations that have been integrated into the repair information system. *tt | 05/08/2000 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||||
| TB-09-10-02 | 08/09/2010 | 10035204 | Volkswagen: headlights may intermittently dim slightly at idle. at idle speed the alternator voltage can fluctuate, as the alternator cannot fully compensate the fluctuations. some electric consumers come on in cycles or have no constant | 02/11/2011 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||||
| TB-09-10-02 | 08/09/2010 | 10035204 | Volkswagen: headlights may intermittently dim slightly at idle. at idle speed the alternator voltage can fluctuate, as the alternator cannot fully compensate the fluctuations. some electric consumers come on in cycles or have no constant | 02/11/2011 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||||
| TB-94-10-02 | 08/09/2010 | 10036467 | Volkswagen: headlights may intermittently dim slightly at idle. the headlamps or inside lights intermittently dim slightly at idle speed. at idle speed the alternator voltage can fluctuate, as the alternator cannot fully compensate the f | 03/16/2011 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||||
| 970102 | 06/25/2007 | 970705 | 10022464 | Wiring harness, coolant contamination at instrument cluster. *kb | 08/15/2007 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||||
| 0103 | 08/15/2001 | 0102 | 626970 | Some vehicles may experience instrument cluster malfunction. *slc | 02/04/2002 |
| 900101 | 06/27/2001 | 621623 | Subject regarding malfunctioning instrument cluster. *tt | 09/27/2001 | |
| 0102 | 05/08/2001 | 621611 | A condition may exist with coolant leaking from the coolant reservoir bottle wiring connector contaminating the wiring harness and / or contamination resulting in various malfunctions of the instrument planel. *tt | 09/27/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 02/18/2011 | 104000 | ||
| Electrical system problem on the 1999 volkswagen beetle: during the last (4) weeks, daughters beetle stopped running on (2) major highways, and one-time a side street near my home. the 1st auto shop stated that i had a bad alternator & a bad battery. than, 1 week later, the new alternator blew and the same mechanic had the original alternator re-built stating it was the harness! than, it stopped running on my road near my home. a 2nd auto shop told me to take it toe vw dealer and that is where it is now! i have paid $640 so-far & have used my aaa for towing 3x's! | |||
| 11/17/2000 | 3 | 12/24/1999 | |
| At various speeds vehicle will stall out and die without warning. dealer has repaired electrical system, and fuel tank. but, problem still exists vehicle experiences oil leaks. air bag light is on, dealer secured loose connector clear codes. passenger seat would not move up or down. trunk very hard to close, dealer adjusted upper and lower trunk lock assembly. *slc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 07/01/2005 | 32400 | 1 | 04/22/2002 |
| I own a 1999 new beetle with the 2.0 engine with 37,000 original miles. the car quit running approx. 2 1/2 yrs ago,approximately two months after i purchased it from a certified volkswagen dealer, used. a few days after delivery there was a rotten egg smell, check engine light on, engine sluggish. after one month the battery went dead completely. replaced the battery, car would not run. battery dead again after four days. i found info on the internet that security system must be set or the battery will last only four days. inspected plugs, found heavy carbon buildup. inspected pre o2 sensor, found same. decided to overhaul eng. found heavy carbon on tops of pistons and valves. machine shop had to replace pistons, rings, all bearings, oil pump, plane the cylinder head, plane the head mating surface, replace seals, turn the flywheel. i had to also replace the water pump, timing belt, clutch, throwout bearing, o2 sensor, plug wires, and the dipstick holder. after considerable money spent, engine would start but not run. i found out from the dealer that if electrical power is lost, vehicle must be towed to a volkswagen dealer and be reprogrammed. it will not run until that is done. the reason given was that volkswagen did not want any owners to fix their own car. this could be a signifigant safety issue in a life threatening situation! there are reports on several internet forums of the original batteries blowing up and even after replacement of the battery the vehicle would not run until it was reprogrammed. volkswagen should be required to fix this problem. i would like to see a full investigation on this model to see if it should be sold in the us. there are too many reported defects on this model to list here, some that apply to this car, that are much more dangerous than i described here. i hope that our government will straighten this company out and that owners will somehow be compensated. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||
| 02/12/2002 | 50421 | 2 | 03/14/1999 |
| Consumer statedthe design of the battery cable assembly could possibly start a fire under the vehicle's hood. the battery cable was situated on top of the battery along with the fuse box. this resulted in the cable being eaten through and drained the battery. consumer had to replace battery, cable twice and fuse box once. ts *tt | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 07/10/2005 | 74105 | 1 | 03/15/2001 |
| Fuse panel located on top of the battery melted in the area of the fuse for the radiator cooling fans. this further damaged the fuses for the brake system and the abs system. this caused power to the abs system to be lost. the dealer diagnosed this problem as shorted cooling fans. however, the wiring to the motors and the fan control unit were not affected. there was also the distinct smell of an electrical fire and melted plastic under the hood. the fuse panel has white deposits under its cover above the area that melted. i asked the dealer to give me the parts after the service. the fan motors appear to operate correctly when connected to a 12v power supply. this is a poor design that subjects the fuse terminals to corrosive fumes from the battery. the insert molded terminals then become corroded with high enough resistance to heat up and cause the fuse panel to melt and or catch fire. i'm glad that the panel was constructed of a flame retardant plastic or it would have certainly burned much more than it did. i am only too happy to furnish pictures if you would prefer to see the damage. *nm | |||
| 06/09/2005 | 89000 | 1 | 05/07/2001 |
| Cooling problems led to overall diagnosis of cooling system. 30 amp fuse located in fuse panel on top of battery was found to be burned and melted. the plastic fuse panel was destroyed and the fuse itself melted into the fuse holder. the contacts in the panel for the remaining fuses appear to be very small (approx 18-gauge wire size) and possibly this extremely small contact area contributed to the overheating, melting and burning observed. this is the exact same problem as detailed in this thread online: http://forums.newbeetle.org/showthread.php?s=e9aee49b8c9fddf9b634388731c5d59a&threadid=26315&perpage=15&highlight=30a%20fuse&pagenumber=1 the fuse box and fuse (original oem green fuse) appeared the same as the pictures presented in the above-linked thread. | |||
| 08/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| My 1999 volkwagen beetle has a melted fuse block on top of the battery. i believe this was caused by the fuses being faulty as one leg of the fuse was completely burned off and the fuse was still not blown. i believe this is a fire hazard that should be looked into. on the website newbeetle.org, there are several more instances of this occurring including photos. *ak | |||
| 05/16/2001 | 1 | 11/01/2000 | |
| Cooling fan fuse holder assembly sit on top of the battery in the engine compartment. this holder has a history of failure (according to the mechanic at the dealership). in many cases the fuse does not make adequate contact and may spark over time. in my case the fuse arched and melted the assembly. this is troublesome given the close proximity to the explosive gases which are generated by the battery. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 11/15/2004 | 1 | ||
| Purchased vehicle new in 1999. was plagued with electrical problems through 2001 such as faulty radio ( 2 occurrences) ,faulty door lock switch and 1 occurrence of non functioning lights( inside and out) , horn, door chime . complained of smoke streaming from steering column in 2004. smoke was consistent with melted plastic odor. dealer was able to locate origin of odor in feb 2006. ignition coil + wiring overheated and melted. relay also overheated. parts were replaced by dealer. defective ignition coil retained. *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 06/28/2000 | 43000 | 1 | 09/04/1999 |
| Defective or incorrect dashboard instrument cluster and repeated failures of sensors and other miscellaneous electrical switches.*ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer states that instrument cluster failed. it does not register readings for the vehicle speed or rpms.*ak | |||
| 08/01/1998 | 1 | 07/01/1998 | |
| Instrument cluster failure. *yc | |||