Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| VWP-10-06 | 12/03/2010 | 10037805 | Volkswagen: warranty information for th e transmission valve body. *rm | 06/06/2011 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 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. sm. | |||
| 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 it 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 diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who 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. pm | |||
| 04/27/2012 | 69000 | ||
| When this car shifts into third gear, it is very hard and violent with an awful lunge, making it difficult to keep the car in control. i am still driving it, but waiting for an accident to happen | |||
| 02/25/2012 | 72000 | ||
| At 70,000 miles, my vw starting shifting hard causing it to be difficult to drive. vw states that this should not happen this early but that they can't do anything about it. | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 71000 | ||
| My 2003 new beetle convertible has been having transmission problems where it will jerk violently when it shifts up or down and sometimes it will not shift at all. it will get stuck in a gear and i have to stop it and turn the engine off and restart it. it will jerk even when stopped at a light. i have to make sure i am far away from the car in front of me. i no longer drive it because i don't know what will happen at any time. my airbag light stays on and will not turn off also, so i'm not sure if it will even work if there was an accident. transmissions should not be jerking that way at all and if someone was to walk in front of my car at a stop light or sign, it could jerk forward and hit them. not a safe car. | |||
| 12/20/2011 | 111225 | ||
| I was driving on the highway and as i was exiting the highway, my car shifted down very hard and the steering wheel jerked causing me to hit a gaurdrail. i took my car to a shop and had the body repairs done ($3910.00), and upon taking my car, it did the same thing again. i had it taken to a mechanic and he stated that it was a known problem with those vw's and they had a recall on it. my local vw dealership stated that they would not do anything for me because the warrantee on the vehicle was up. i was hoping that someone there could help me resolve this issue. the estimated cost of the repair is 5900.00 for the transmission and the body damage was 3910.00. thank you, rossi norris | |||
| 09/19/2011 | 64000 | ||
| I couldn't wait for the new beetle convertible to come out. i bought it brand new from the dealership. now, after only 60,000 miles, i am told i need a new transmission. the car is completely unsafe to drive--it will get stuck in first gear, it will kick between gears one and two, and it will jolt suddenly and without warning. these vehicles are unsafe for the road. | |||
| 08/13/2011 | 123000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. when decelerating to approximately 5 mph, the vehicle would jerk before switching gears. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and after inspection the contact was advised that the transmission failed. the replacement of the transmission would be at the owners expense at a cost of $6,000. in addition, the contact stated that the rear passenger window would open and close independently. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000. | |||
| 08/13/2011 | 123000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. when decelerating to approximately 5 mph, the vehicle would jerk before switching gears. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and after inspection the contact was advised that the transmission failed. the replacement of the transmission would be at the owners expense at a cost of $6,000. in addition, the contact stated that the rear passenger window would open and close independently. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000. kmj | |||
| 08/13/2011 | 123000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. when slowing down about 5 mph at a traffic light the vehicle would jerk before switching gears. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic shop and after inspection informed her the transmission failed. the replacement of the transmission would be at the owners expense at a cost of $6,000. the rear passenger window would go up and down while driving without touching the control knob. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 123,000. mw | |||
| 12/01/2010 | |||
| Vehicle would lurch when down or upshifting between 2nd and 3rd and 3rd to 4th at just over 90,000 miles. it would also stick in neutral for a few seconds before engaging. we took it to our local shop for repair in december 2010. this is a well known issue with the transmission valve body causing a number of accidents. while the our bug was in the shop we received a letter dated november 2010 from vw about extended warranty to 100,000 miles or 7 years from date of purchase. our bug was purchased august 2003 putting it out of warranty. considering the number of incidents vw should have been doing a general service recall on the transmission long before november 2010.. | |||
| 11/23/2009 | 112000 | 1 | |
| I purchased my vw 2003 new beetle convertible new in 2003. i have kept vehicle maintained- mostly at dealership according to the schedule. i have about 115,000 miles. over the past month it has begun revving up or jerking- especially when slowing to a stop or accelerating from stop. this happens very sporadically, but is very scary when it occurs. i am not sure what the problem is, but have an amateur guess that it is transmission related. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 04/08/2011 | 128000 | ||
| While driving at a speed of around 45+ mph my wife's vw beetle randomly downshifted to the point that it squealed the tires and threw her forward. the dealership determined that the transmission will have to be replaced. their estimate is $4900 for a used transmission or $6000+ for a new one from vw. they also said that this is a known problem with this specific transmission. the dealership said we should have received a letter from vw extending the warranty on the transmission to 100,000 miles for this problem. i have the letter but my wife's car has 128,000 miles so vw has refused to help at all with the problem. i also checked with two other vw dealerships in the kc metro and they immediately started nodding their head in agreement about this being a known problem with this transmission. as i was trying to locate a used transmission online at a cheaper price i was absolutely in shock at the volume of people that have had this same problem with this transmission. that random downshift is going to cause a wreck if it hasn't already. if someone is following too close, the pavement is wet, snow on the ground, gravel roads, whatever scenario you can imagine - a downshift of that nature could easily result in a wreck. i also checked with a national transmission company (certified transmission) and they said that due to a design flaw with that transmission they will only warranty their work to 12mos/12,000 miles instead of their normal 3yr/50,000. vw's own letter acknowledging a problem due to customer complaints, 3 dealerships stating this is a known problem, a national transmission company reducing their warranty due to a design flaw and the literally hundreds of discussions with the same problem - it is obvious there is a known issue with vw's ggz transmission. | |||
| 09/20/2009 | 76500 | ||
| Near-miss but no traffic collision due to unexpected jerkiness, loss of power transfer to drive wheels, with associated revving of engine of 2003 vw new beetle convertible with automatic transmission, while i tried entering traffic stream on a busy street. symptoms were intermittent for 9 months; now present whenever vehicle warmed up after 3 miles driving; vehicle not used for past 9 mo. volkwagen dealer advises replace transmission. valve body failure in 6-speed tiptronic (aisin-warner 09g) automatic transmission causes hard upshifts and downshifts and lapses in power transfer, resulting in unsafe situations when merging onto freeway or into heavy traffic, for example. the 6 electrically controlled valves and associated solenoids in this transmission gradually wear out, typically soon after the volkswagen 5-year, 60000-mile powertrain warranty expires. the problem is traceable to defective design of the combination of aluminum valve bores, shift valves which cause wear in the bores, faulty solenoids, and shift programming which relies on frequent electrically activated movement of the valves to modulate and produce smooth shifts between gears. the consequence of continuing to drive the car can be complete transmission failure, which may occur unexpectedly and place the driver in a dangerous situation if unable to pull off the roadway, or if failure occurs while attempting to merge or execute normal driving manuevers. in my case, the transmission operates well for the first 3 miles, but not when warmed up. volkswagen of america announced a warranty extension on the valve body only for the 09g model transmissions, for a specific 7 years from vehicle-in-service date or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. i will have the valve body replaced by an independent transmission shop, using genuine vw parts, as vwofa has declined to repair my transmission or replace it completely unless i am willing to pay for a new transmission. the used parts will be saved. | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 106000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagon beetle convertable..transmission company stating i need a new valve body..very dangerous to drive. received the extension letter but was a little to late. my young daughter was driving has been stranded on the side of the road. something needs to be doen about this.. | |||
| 08/20/2010 | 65000 | ||
| As happened to many other owners of this vehicle, the automatic transmission on my 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible began to bang very hard when shifting and locked up periodically in third gear. when the transmission locked up in third gear while stopped at a light, the car was very slow to move. this left me nearly stranded in the middle of major busy intersections several times. i had to get out of the car to push it to the side of the road with cars whizzing past. this defect is very dangerous and is a known frequent problem with these cars through several year models. it cost me over $3000 to have the transmission fixed. vw is well aware of the problems with the control valve in this defective transmission and has extended the warranty, but has left out cars sold at the time mine was. | |||
| 06/12/2009 | 81009 | ||
| 2003 vw new beetle transmission valve body. rough shifting up and down. 1st and 2nd.. could not be driven safley. i had to have it repaired at aamco. vw is rufusing to reimburse me. 4k +. | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 34636 | ||
| After around 36000 miles we noticed that the car would shift rough. the dealer told us it was not under warranty because it had a leak. the problem has persisted and we were told by a transmission shop that the leak was not severe enough to cause these problems. it now shifts so rough that when it goes into gear it pull hard left or right when it engages. upon downshifting it actually lunges forward and has caused many concerns with me and my wife. | |||
| 06/20/2010 | |||
| Vw beetle 2003, 98,000 miles, started shifting hard about 6 months ago; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, and 4th to 3rd to 2nd to 1st; called vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (dec 11, 2010) but they are unwilling to cover the cost (5 months too old); they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it | |||
| 12/08/2010 | 69000 | ||
| Volkswagon, 2003 new beetle transmission problem | |||
| 06/20/2010 | |||
| Vw beetle 2003, 98,000 miles, started shifting hard about 6 months ago; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, and 4th to 3rd to 2nd to 1st; called vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (dec 11, 2010) but they are unwilling to cover the cost (5 months too old); they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it | |||
| 12/08/2010 | 69000 | ||
| Volkswagon, 2003 new beetle transmission problem | |||
| 06/20/2010 | |||
| Vw beetle 2003, 98,000 miles, started shifting hard about 6 months ago; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, and 4th to 3rd to 2nd to 1st; called vw after i received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (dec 11, 2010) but they are unwilling to cover the cost (5 months too old); they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it | |||
| 12/08/2010 | 69000 | ||
| Volkswagon, 2003 new beetle transmission problem | |||
| 12/07/2010 | 81200 | ||
| Defective valve body for 09g engine that vw corporate has known about and fixed in later models. | |||
| 08/28/2010 | 76100 | ||
| Faulty automatic transmission activity. low mileage transmission failures causing hazardous driving. downshifting causes jolting gear changes, accelerating causes slip into neutral nearly causing rear-end collisions. computer codes fail to correctly diagnose failure, causing dangerous driving hazard. | |||
| 12/07/2010 | 81200 | ||
| Defective valve body for 09g engine that vw corporate has known about and fixed in later models. | |||
| 08/28/2010 | 76100 | ||
| Faulty automatic transmission activity. low mileage transmission failures causing hazardous driving. downshifting causes jolting gear changes, accelerating causes slip into neutral nearly causing rear-end collisions. computer codes fail to correctly diagnose failure, causing dangerous driving hazard. | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 75347 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. the vehicle would jerk while changing gears. the failure progressed over time so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed the transmission was faulty and experienced an internal failure. the transmission was replaced. the failure has not recurred. she also stated both front window regulator motors failed and were repaired at an independent repair shop. the window modules on both front doors were also replaced. the door lock actuators on both doors also failed and were repaired by either an authorized dealer or independent mechanic. the air bag light began to illuminate on the dashboard so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed the air bag sensor failed. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. she also stated the rear windshield was beginning to detach from the structure of the vehicle. the failure mileage was 75,347 and the current mileage was 93,800. sm. | |||
| 11/07/2010 | 40000 | ||
| I bought a brand new vw beetle convertible in 2003. a few years ago, i reported a number of instances of a lurching problem to my service guy at the vw dealership, and he said they couldn't find a problem. a few months ago, the problem came back full force, and he said eventually i would need a new transmission. the car has begun lurching and shuddering violently when shifting, and today, my rpm's were highly elevated, despite my low speed. i pulled over and turned the car off, despite being on the 101 freeway in la. it couldn't drive. it started up again, and this evening the same thing happened. i'm afraid to continue to drive my car. it's seven years old and it only has 40,000 miles on it. there's no reason for this dangerous problem to occur, and there should absolutely be a recall. thank you. | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 75347 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. the vehicle would jerk while changing gears. the failure progressed over time so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed the transmission was faulty and experienced an internal failure. the transmission was replaced. the failure has not recurred. she also stated both front window regulator motors failed and were repaired at an independent repair shop. the window modules on both front doors were also replaced. the door lock actuators on both doors also failed and were repaired by either an authorized dealer or independent mechanic. the air bag light began to illuminate on the dashboard so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed the air bag sensor failed. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. she also stated the rear windshield was beginning to detach from the structure of the vehicle. the failure mileage was 75,347 and the current mileage was 93,800. sm. | |||
| 11/07/2010 | 40000 | ||
| I bought a brand new vw beetle convertible in 2003. a few years ago, i reported a number of instances of a lurching problem to my service guy at the vw dealership, and he said they couldn't find a problem. a few months ago, the problem came back full force, and he said eventually i would need a new transmission. the car has begun lurching and shuddering violently when shifting, and today, my rpm's were highly elevated, despite my low speed. i pulled over and turned the car off, despite being on the 101 freeway in la. it couldn't drive. it started up again, and this evening the same thing happened. i'm afraid to continue to drive my car. it's seven years old and it only has 40,000 miles on it. there's no reason for this dangerous problem to occur, and there should absolutely be a recall. thank you. | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 75347 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. the vehicle would jerk while changing gears. the failure progressed over time so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed the transmission was faulty and experienced an internal failure. the transmission was replaced. the failure has not recurred. she also stated both front window regulator motors failed and were repaired at an independent repair shop. the window modules on both front doors were also replaced. the door lock actuators on both doors also failed and were repaired by either an authorized dealer or independent mechanic. the air bag light began to illuminate on the dashboard so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed the air bag sensor failed. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. she also stated the rear windshield was beginning to detach from the structure of the vehicle. the failure mileage was 75,347 and the current mileage was 93,800. sm. | |||
| 11/07/2010 | 40000 | ||
| I bought a brand new vw beetle convertible in 2003. a few years ago, i reported a number of instances of a lurching problem to my service guy at the vw dealership, and he said they couldn't find a problem. a few months ago, the problem came back full force, and he said eventually i would need a new transmission. the car has begun lurching and shuddering violently when shifting, and today, my rpm's were highly elevated, despite my low speed. i pulled over and turned the car off, despite being on the 101 freeway in la. it couldn't drive. it started up again, and this evening the same thing happened. i'm afraid to continue to drive my car. it's seven years old and it only has 40,000 miles on it. there's no reason for this dangerous problem to occur, and there should absolutely be a recall. thank you. | |||
| 10/16/2010 | 89000 | ||
| I too have fallen victim of the latest transmission problems. i have a 2003 vw beetle with 90,000 miles in immaculate condition and experienced jerkiness in the transmission as well. when i would press on my brakes i noticed that as my automatic transmission was trying to shift itself down, it begin to jerk as it was shifting down. i made sure i maintained this car and was told all was well. then one day i was driving it on the freeway and as i pressed the gas pedal it wouldn | |||
| 02/18/2009 | 74000 | ||
| Vw new beetle,2003, with only 75,000 milies the transmission failed. i was on the highway, ramping up and the car was stuck in 3rd gear. its an automatic. i wasn't able to down shift. i had to coast over to the side of the highway. the dealership decided i needed a new transmission. luckily i was 13 miles under my warrentee and they fixed it without charge. i wanted you to know this because i see many other owners having the same problem. i could have been in an accident because of this problem. | |||
| 09/22/2010 | 75066 | ||
| 2003 vw beetle convertible. automatic transmision began showing signs of trouble well over a year ago. problem starts after 15 minutes of driving. downshifts hard around 30-25 mph. also shows hesitation coming out of 2nd to 3rd gear. car has 75,000 miles. had transmission fluid changed/flushed twice in past 6 months hoping that would help. took to dealership today, quoted me $1900 to replace valve body. are you kidding me? not to mention the fact that this car has had the rear window regulator go out -cost $300 to repair. the glue affixing the rear glass window to convertible top is breaking down. the check engine light comes on and appears to be some sort of malfunction with the gas cap...no matter how often i tighten it. then it mysteriously goes off. oh, and should you ever need a replacement key, good luck. why couldn't vw use normal sized/type keys? vw is making crappy products. nhtsa please do something. this manufacturer should not be permitted to release another vehicle off its assembly line unless it fixes the many problems affecing innocent, unfotunate vw owners like myself. yield your power and enforce some action. vw needs to be responsible for the junk they produce. maybe then they'll think twice before turning out anymore crappy products. i will never own another vw product> | |||
| 04/28/2010 | 68000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convervible transmission problems. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 88000 | ||
| My 2003 vw new beetle convertible has approx 89k miles on it. the automatic transmission shifts hard causing a jerking motion. it has progressed from a mildly noticible to a more obvious jerking upon shifting. after researching this situation online, it seems as if it is a widely reported complaint about these vehicles. i feel like vw should resolve the problem being experienced by such a high number of owners. | |||
| 04/28/2010 | 68000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convervible transmission problems. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 88000 | ||
| My 2003 vw new beetle convertible has approx 89k miles on it. the automatic transmission shifts hard causing a jerking motion. it has progressed from a mildly noticible to a more obvious jerking upon shifting. after researching this situation online, it seems as if it is a widely reported complaint about these vehicles. i feel like vw should resolve the problem being experienced by such a high number of owners. | |||
| 04/28/2010 | 68000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convervible transmission problems. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 88000 | ||
| My 2003 vw new beetle convertible has approx 89k miles on it. the automatic transmission shifts hard causing a jerking motion. it has progressed from a mildly noticible to a more obvious jerking upon shifting. after researching this situation online, it seems as if it is a widely reported complaint about these vehicles. i feel like vw should resolve the problem being experienced by such a high number of owners. | |||
| 09/06/2010 | 78248 | ||
| I've been driving my 2003 beetle convertible for 7.5 yrs. been taking it in for the last 2 yrs about hesitation/grabbing while driving. was told that they couldn't find any problems. this week, the engine light comes on and i get the diagnostics run and found out i have transmission problems. and it's been going on for a while, which is what the grabbing and hesitation is. i only have 78k miles on a nearly 8 year old car (again, only owner) and shouldn't have this issue. found out that vw has known about these issues with the transmission but waited until i was well out of warrenty. now i'm looking at minimum of $5k, most likely $6.5k in repairs. | |||
| 04/28/2010 | 68000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convervible transmission problems. | |||
| 08/01/2010 | 88000 | ||
| My 2003 vw new beetle convertible has approx 89k miles on it. the automatic transmission shifts hard causing a jerking motion. it has progressed from a mildly noticible to a more obvious jerking upon shifting. after researching this situation online, it seems as if it is a widely reported complaint about these vehicles. i feel like vw should resolve the problem being experienced by such a high number of owners. | |||
| 09/06/2010 | 78248 | ||
| I've been driving my 2003 beetle convertible for 7.5 yrs. been taking it in for the last 2 yrs about hesitation/grabbing while driving. was told that they couldn't find any problems. this week, the engine light comes on and i get the diagnostics run and found out i have transmission problems. and it's been going on for a while, which is what the grabbing and hesitation is. i only have 78k miles on a nearly 8 year old car (again, only owner) and shouldn't have this issue. found out that vw has known about these issues with the transmission but waited until i was well out of warrenty. now i'm looking at minimum of $5k, most likely $6.5k in repairs. | |||
| 09/03/2010 | 103600 | ||
| Overheat light remains on after replacing thermostat and cover and timing belt and water pump. the system has been flushed multple times. i took it to the vw dealer that i purchased the car from on 8/25/10 after overheating light. the dealer said it was the engine coolant sensor my previous mechanic had replaced in the car. (a vw factory part). $244.00 repair from cooley-mazda vw dealer. i drove home 10 miles and the overheat sensor was on in my car. i had the car towed back to dealer at my expense that day. rented a car for the weekend. returned on monday 8/30/10. car wasnt worked on. picked up car on wednesday, 9/1/10. paid additional 170.00 for repair, of thermostat cover which was said to be leaking. dealer had said there were no leaks prior to this. system flushed. said there was air in the system. car overheat sensor after driving about 20 miles. car was towed back to dealer. car was picked up on 9/3/10. dealer told me they could not get the overheat light to go on. i drove car home 15 miles. overheat light on. i called dealer. service technician informed me that the increased city driving i was doing was causing car to overheat. informed that the transmission was causing the car to overheat and that i would need a new transmision. he informed me that since i said okay at the shop when they told me that the sensor was not going on and the transmission was slipping. that i knew that the transmission needed to be replaced. that is my fault and my prior mechanics. i had car towed to a recommended independent shop who was going to look at the transmission. i can not drive my car and i still owe money on it. i desperately need a vehicle to drive. | |||
| 08/27/2010 | 56000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle transmission issues. please look into this.... look on the vw forums and edmunds- there are 100s of complaints on this cars issues. i have a 2003 vw beetle convertible and it hard shifts downwards from 3rd to 2nd. i am told by the service advisor off the record that this is a problem with beetles in general, and he has seen over 100 in his one year with the company that need to be replaced. mine has what many people have reported- brackets around all the drives (p,r,n,d,s) so the transmission does not know what gear it is in, it gets stuck in 3rd sometimes and i have to pull over to shut it off and restart it, and when it downshifts, the car jerks and pushes my head forward (this is an automatic, and does not downshift properly). please investigate and recall....please please please. it is a very common problem, and we as consumers should not have to purchase new transmissions when there is obvious faults with these cars. | |||
| 08/25/2010 | 96000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle transmission. the cost to fix this problem with the beetle is way out of line. an volkswagen should have to fix the problem. with all the other hard working people that has had the same part to break. please look at this and do something. | |||
| 08/27/2010 | 56000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle transmission issues. please look into this.... look on the vw forums and edmunds- there are 100s of complaints on this cars issues. i have a 2003 vw beetle convertible and it hard shifts downwards from 3rd to 2nd. i am told by the service advisor off the record that this is a problem with beetles in general, and he has seen over 100 in his one year with the company that need to be replaced. mine has what many people have reported- brackets around all the drives (p,r,n,d,s) so the transmission does not know what gear it is in, it gets stuck in 3rd sometimes and i have to pull over to shut it off and restart it, and when it downshifts, the car jerks and pushes my head forward (this is an automatic, and does not downshift properly). please investigate and recall....please please please. it is a very common problem, and we as consumers should not have to purchase new transmissions when there is obvious faults with these cars. | |||
| 08/25/2010 | 96000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle transmission. the cost to fix this problem with the beetle is way out of line. an volkswagen should have to fix the problem. with all the other hard working people that has had the same part to break. please look at this and do something. | |||
| 08/27/2010 | 56000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle transmission issues. please look into this.... look on the vw forums and edmunds- there are 100s of complaints on this cars issues. i have a 2003 vw beetle convertible and it hard shifts downwards from 3rd to 2nd. i am told by the service advisor off the record that this is a problem with beetles in general, and he has seen over 100 in his one year with the company that need to be replaced. mine has what many people have reported- brackets around all the drives (p,r,n,d,s) so the transmission does not know what gear it is in, it gets stuck in 3rd sometimes and i have to pull over to shut it off and restart it, and when it downshifts, the car jerks and pushes my head forward (this is an automatic, and does not downshift properly). please investigate and recall....please please please. it is a very common problem, and we as consumers should not have to purchase new transmissions when there is obvious faults with these cars. | |||
| 08/25/2010 | 96000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle transmission. the cost to fix this problem with the beetle is way out of line. an volkswagen should have to fix the problem. with all the other hard working people that has had the same part to break. please look at this and do something. | |||
| 08/27/2010 | 56000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle transmission issues. please look into this.... look on the vw forums and edmunds- there are 100s of complaints on this cars issues. i have a 2003 vw beetle convertible and it hard shifts downwards from 3rd to 2nd. i am told by the service advisor off the record that this is a problem with beetles in general, and he has seen over 100 in his one year with the company that need to be replaced. mine has what many people have reported- brackets around all the drives (p,r,n,d,s) so the transmission does not know what gear it is in, it gets stuck in 3rd sometimes and i have to pull over to shut it off and restart it, and when it downshifts, the car jerks and pushes my head forward (this is an automatic, and does not downshift properly). please investigate and recall....please please please. it is a very common problem, and we as consumers should not have to purchase new transmissions when there is obvious faults with these cars. | |||
| 08/25/2010 | 96000 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen beetle transmission. the cost to fix this problem with the beetle is way out of line. an volkswagen should have to fix the problem. with all the other hard working people that has had the same part to break. please look at this and do something. | |||
| 05/10/2010 | 78500 | ||
| 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible 6sp. tiprtonic transmission needs replaced at 78,500 miles. i pulled out of a parking lot and ont o the orad and the car acclereated like it was suppossed, shifter through first, secon, and third, then never shifted to fourth just revved. was told transmission needd to be replaced and quoted $4,800 by mechanic. have been doing research about this topic since and have discovered several others in the smae situation. i feel volkswagen should at least help us out. i contacted volkswagen on may 12th adn was told basically they would do nothing about it. with everything i have seen on discussion forums about this paticular transmission, i feel a recall may be in order to force volkswagen to look at the issue. thanks you for time and conisderation on this matter/ | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 40000 | ||
| Transmission will not shift out third gear, triptrontic automatic, leak in trunk, top will not go up. | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 118000 | ||
| 2003 vw beetle, transmission control module ...original owner, regular servicing,completed. automatic 6 speed sport shift. runs fine when the car is cold. drive 10 miles or so an the car starts to jerk and fails to shift into 4th gear. yesterday got stuck in 3d gear while on hwy, creatd a danger for me and others on the road. took it to a trany place, not the tranmssion, but suggests it is thet ransmission control module, which is located under the dash on passenger side. when the car fails to shift the rpms go to 5k or 6k then the car jerks and tires screech, i called vw and the parts guy said that a new trany runs7 k or so and he is aware fo the problem as i described it above. | |||
| 04/26/2010 | 55000 | ||
| Transmission problem in 2003 vw beetle. while braking car jerks and jumps. car has 56k miles and has been consistently serviced by vw. vw states car needs new valve body and tiptronix switch totaling $2500+ | |||
| 03/08/2010 | 45000 | ||
| Transmission on the vw new beetles are faulty. cars should last more than 45,000 miles before the transmission goes. this has been a documented problem on website forums like newbettle.org and i hope that you can do something about it. | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 70134 | ||
| Normal driving with recommended service intervals. transmission starts hard downshifts. transmission will also wind out and slip or wind out and not shift into 5th and 6th gear. | |||
| 01/08/2010 | 75000 | ||
| My 2003 was serviced at the dealership and certified mechanics. i only have 75,000 miles on my 2003 new beetle conventible and the transmission has failed. i have since found many of the same year car with the identical complaint of the transmission failing. | |||
| 03/10/2010 | 62000 | 1 | |
| 2003 vw beetle convertible has transmission problems that are a safety issue that vw of america does not want to do anything about. car hesitates after stop with transmission jerking and causing cars behind vw to almost rearend vw. transmission jerks when shifting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears causing front drive tires and steering tires to lose grip on pavement. this happens after car warms up (approximately 15 minutes). this is a large safety issue. if the car jerks when in a turn it will crash! my fiancee drives this car and i am concerned for her safety and anyone else driving near this car. this is a common issue with the 6-speed transmission that vw knows about but disavows any responsibility for. can my government help the vw owners? will you do your job and forcee a safety recall onto vw of america or will more owners have to be injured or die for any concern to be shown? vw just says they want to replace transmission at over $6000. the whole car is worth just $8000. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 39000 | 1 | |
| Purchased 2003 new beetle convertible in june 2003. i am the only owner of the vehicle. the car had approx. 69 miles on it when i bought it. the car now has 39,038 miles as of this writing. within the last month (when the car turned over to 39,000), i have been experiencing major transmission issues. starting from a complete stop, accelerating, the car will not shift into 1st gear. instead, the transmission grinds & then jumps (lurches) forward, causing the tires to screech. when the car lurches forward, there have been a few times when it jumped so as to almost hit the car in front of me. the problem is intermittent & seems to occur once i have driven the car for 10 miles or more. there is no rhyme or reason for this problem, & i cannot predict when or where it will happen. i would say that it happens frequently. i have read on line that many people with this make/model/year of car have experienced this problem. some people have indicated that an accident was barely avoided - - same scenario that i am complaining of in this complaint. my question - why is volkswagen not recalling this car for the transmission issues before someone is injured by this unexpected lurching problem. like the toyota accelerator problem of recent weeks, injuries could be prevented if the car manufacturer would take responsibility for this problem. i am unable to afford to repair my car & have an ad on craigs list fully disclosing the problem i am experiencing. hopefully, i will be able to sell the car to someone who can afford the $4,000+ repair to replace/repair the transmission. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 01/14/2010 | 73000 | 1 | |
| The transmission bang into gear sometime and gets stuck in gear between 3th and 4th. you never know when it going to happen, when accelerating on to the interstate it can be dangerous.*tr | |||
| 02/27/2010 | 74000 | 1 | |
| 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. car only has 74k miles on it and the transmission is slipping badly. when downshifting it shifts really hard and lunges forward. this also happens when upshifting in the auto trans. this seems to be a big problem with the new beetles. the only fix is replacing the transmission, which cost about 6,000. there is no reason for a transmission failure at 74k miles. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| I have 2003 volkswagen new beetle and the transmission has gone bad once already and was replaced by a new one...but the tranny has gone bad again just after 35,000 miles after the new tranny was replaced...its really scary driving that car because you never know when its going to skip...it runs well for a while then it just starts skipping gears...we have change the tranny fluid about 3 times and nothing has worked out...its going to cost me $1,700 to fix....i think vw should have a recall on new beetles to replace the transmissions... *tr | |||
| 02/07/2010 | 84335 | 5 | |
| 2003 vw new beetle convertible has a transmission flaw which results in jerky shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear causing whiplash to the driver as well as a hesitation (and high engine revving) shifting into 5th gear. this is an automatic transmission with some kind of shifting control problem. the transmission works fine when it is cool (first start driving) but gets worse as the car warms up. after 15 miles the transmission shifting is very jerky and unsettling. there is a hesitation and then a very hard clanking sound when shifting from park to reverse and neutral to drive. highway driving is very dangerous due to hesitation between gears 4 and 5 at around 60 miles per hour. city street driving is dangerous due to the jerky shift into 3rd gear at around 20 miles per hour. this is happening 1 day after having the car in the vw shop for 4 days having the tiptronic gear shift control module replaced to address the problem. this condition has been happening to a lesser degree for several years. the car has had the transmission checked 4 times in 5 years to address the rough shifting condition. the vw dealersservice people report the transmission is operating as designed. the automatic transmission is not designed to jerk roughly between gears nor to hesitate between upper gears. any hesitation at 55 to 60 mphs shifting from 4th to 5th gear (similar to pushing in the clutch but not shifting gears in a manual tranny) can result in someone running into teh rear end of the car. in a small vehicle like the beetle, a rear end collision at 60 mph can result is flipping the car and deaths. please take action against vw america to address and resolve this unsafe condition. thank you. *tw | |||
| 02/04/2010 | 1 | ||
| I own a 2003 vw new beetle convertible, 4 cyl, 6 sp auto. it has 80,000 miles on it. within the past year, it's started jerking when shifting gears. i've been told by i need a new transmission. after doing some research, i find i'm not alone. there are literally hundreds of others in the same position. according to vw, the transmission is $6,800. wow - i know! you have to use the dealer because the parts aren't available to the after market. in any event, the car hesitates when you attempt to pull out, jerks when you stop. i've narrowly avoided several rear end collisions as well as said several prayers when it didn't accelerate as quickly as it should have. i'm not a mechanic, but i'm not stupid either. the transmission is fine until the engine is warm. i can shift gears with no problem using the tiptronic part of the system - but others have said this only works for a short period. there are no metal sounds when the engine is shifting. there is nothing wrong with the transmission, it is an electrical issue. vw refuses to put the time and effort into determining what the real problem is. they just replace the transmissions and pocket $6,800. by the way, the blue book value of the car is $6,800. ironic, i know. i've read post after post from people who had the entire transmission replaced by vw only to find the problems persist. i understand they don't want to find the issue, but i really love my car and want it fixed. correctly. please, please, please strongly encourage vw to do the right thing, find the problem and fix it. any help you can offer is appreciated. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Like almost all 2005 vw new beetles with automatic transmissions, mine (after warming up) shifts very hard both up and down the gears and revs up between gears. occasionally it hangs up in third gear until it sits and cools down for several hours. i have had it fail on multiple lane highways causing me to become trapped between lanes. this transmission is failing in most if not all vw beetles and is very dangerous. just do an internet search for new beetle transmission failure and you'll see how pervasive it is. my beetle began giving problems at 45,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 60 | 1 | |
| 2003 volkswagen beetle 59,500k miles. in lower gears the car lurches forward, shifts violently and transmission slips. car cannot get enough power in lower gears to move at a safe rate of speed. when going from park to drive or visa versa car violently jerks. there have been loud banging noises when car is shifting in lower gears. many times while driving can cannot move fast enough because of violent shifting to get out of the way of traffic. have almost been in several accidents because of transmission issues. transmission issues happen every time the car is used. not using car much because of the problems and concerned of safety issues. problem has been going on now for approximately 2 yrs and is getting worse over time. taking car to dealership to have estimate on repair. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2009 | 71000 | 1 | |
| The transmission jerks in and out of gear. this happens in stop and go traffic and is very dangerous! i have read from other owners that they are having the same exact issues. my auto repair shop says there is nothing other than replacing the transmission. *tr | |||
| 11/19/2009 | 1 | ||
| Car jerking, lurching, and shifting gears- transmission- as car starts and stops it jerks really bad this make it hard to stop the car...very scared that i will have an incident. *tr | |||
| 11/16/2009 | 77000 | 1 | |
| 2003 volkswagen new beetle. 77315 mi. transmission is faulty. slips in and out of gear...bangs into gear shifting from 3 to 4. engine revs while transmission tries to find the next gear. this is dangerous ! please don't wait until someone is killed before forcing vw to be responsible for their faulty product !! *tr | |||
| 11/09/2009 | 60000 | 1 | |
| I would like to file a complaint regarding my 2003 vw beetle which i purchased brand new in april of 2003. i have just over 60k miles and it appears that my transmission is going out. i have taken it a reputable mechanic who tells me it could be approx $3000 to fix it. i have read on the internet that this seems to be a very common problem with the vw's and i think that volkswagen should recall the transmissions and pay to have them replaced. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2009 | 120000 | 1 | |
| Over the last month or two my wife's 2003 vw beetle convertible has had some issues with the manual transmission that progressively have gotten worse. dealer says trans is bad with only 120k miles. trans is non serviceable and would need to be replaced. when accelerating or decelerating trans slams between gears making car undrivable. dealer wants $6500 to replace. forums on the internet claim this has been an issue for years and vw is not doing squat about it. $6500 to fix a | |||
| 10/17/2008 | 58000 | 1 | |
| Transmission failed to shift into manual from automatic while stopped. it was intermittent and at about 58,000 failure is permanent and no longer is usable. *tr | |||
| 12/09/2008 | 86273 | 1 | |
| Car bough used from vs dealership on 7/31/2006. been in for check engine light 4times, airbag light 3 times, a/c broke once, windows would not roll up once, needed new rotors once, rattling under hood once, battery died two days after i bought it and i had to tow it back to vw. car jerks when going out of first gear-i told vw this repeatedly and they only tried to fix it after the warranty was up. they told me it would be $700 to fix. on 12/9/2008 my car would not go out of first gear while i was driving it. it had to be towed to my house and has not been driven since. i have had nothing but problems out of this car. i can not put anymore money into it. when the warranty went up, all of the sudden everything started going wrong. i requested prior information from the vw dealership about the other owner before me. i feel that this car was doctored so that i would buy it and then it started falling apart. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2008 | 60000 | 1 | |
| I have a transaxel on my 2003 beetle conv. that has a setting for manual shift or auto. i can no longer shift to the manual setting. at first it would allow me to shift into manual if i stopped then, i had to turn the engine off and shift quickly from park to manual. now, nothing. they told me i would have to have a new transaxel installed. i have driven older vw for 20 years, now i will never buy another vw product of any kind. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 11/02/2009 | 64000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible with auto and tipronic transmission. at about 64,000 miles the transmission started slipping. as it would automatically change to a higher gear the change would slip and cause the engine to rev up until it changed into the next gear this would cause the engine to jump or lurch. when in the tiptronic manual mode the gear would slip also. also when put into reverse it jumps in reverse and wants to accelerate back quickly. a few occasions when driving the car and getting into traffic the car would take so long to get into gear that it caused traffic behind to almost rear end me. no crash but almost. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | |||
| 02/24/2010 | 1 | ||
| The epc light comes on all the time, even after being fixed. the window regulators break. the battery has had to be replaced twice. the cv boot broke. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/17/2009 | 64000 | 1 | |
| With only 64000 miles on the car, my 2003 vw new beetle convertible's manual transmission let go and something tore a 3/4 by 2 hole in the bell housing. luckily, this did not happen on the open road. the resulting gush of tranny fluid could have caused major problems. *tr | |||