Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS - UNDERBODY SHIELDS | |||||
| 2015831 | 08/28/2008 | 10026848 | Volkswagen: exhaust heat shield, replacement guidelines. heat shields are to be inspected after completion o any type of repair to the underbody (exhaust system transmission, etc.), and if damaged, replaced. *pe | 12/29/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 35000 | ||
| While the rear driver's side window was being lowered by the 20 year old female driver it made a horrendous grinding noise which caused the driver to nearly lose control as she tried to stop quickly. she feared something in the rear wheel was breaking. a short time later the pasenger side window ground to a state of disrepair. now the driver's side front window needs to be lowered very carefully to avoid engaging the automatic feature as this causes the window to make a terrible noise. this is very distracting to the driver to have to stop the window just before it reaches the fully open position. the rear windows have to be manually positioned just right to allow the convertible top to be lowered properly. also, when small children are in the back seat they may be able to cause the windows to fall down all the way subjecting them to ejection or the ability to fall out of the vehicle on their own. when it is raining or snowing the elements fly in throught the windows because they won't stay up. this is also very distracting and dangerous especially with small children in the back seat. repair estimates for the rear windows start at $1500.00 which this particular owner/driver cannot begin to afford!. vw refuses to address this problem. | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 40000 | ||
| Transmission will not shift out third gear, triptrontic automatic, leak in trunk, top will not go up. | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. the back window of the convertible top is coming apart from the cloth top. i have read online several posts of many consumers having this same issue in the same make and model vehicle. this may be related to a defect in the glue or sealing they use to hold the window in place.my concern is the back window may fall out while driving or even fall into the backseat onto someone causing sever injuries. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Rear window is detaching from convertible top creating open space into car, rain entry and poor visibility thru rear view mirror when water is coming in. fabric shrinking back from glass. cannot be re glued. we have been advised the entire top must be replaced. researching this on the internet as well as with a company that replaces convertible tops evidently his is common on the 2003 model. the rear convertible top window started falling out late 2008. i bought this car new and the warranty has expired. too many safety concerns driving in bad weather. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 40000 | ||
| 2003 new beetle convertible, rear window separation from convertible top. failure of adhesive. no repair can be made by the dealer, only solution is to replace the entire top! expensive repair! | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 47000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle convertible passenger side rear quarter window. window fails to fully raise and will automatically open when it reaches 2/3 raised position. faulty window regulator. a very expensive repair. | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 40000 | ||
| 2003 new beetle convertible, rear window separation from convertible top. failure of adhesive. no repair can be made by the dealer, only solution is to replace the entire top! expensive repair! | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 47000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle convertible passenger side rear quarter window. window fails to fully raise and will automatically open when it reaches 2/3 raised position. faulty window regulator. a very expensive repair. | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 40000 | ||
| 2003 new beetle convertible, rear window separation from convertible top. failure of adhesive. no repair can be made by the dealer, only solution is to replace the entire top! expensive repair! | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 47000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle convertible passenger side rear quarter window. window fails to fully raise and will automatically open when it reaches 2/3 raised position. faulty window regulator. a very expensive repair. | |||
| 06/15/2010 | 40000 | ||
| 2003 new beetle convertible, rear window separation from convertible top. failure of adhesive. no repair can be made by the dealer, only solution is to replace the entire top! expensive repair! | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 47000 | ||
| 2003 new vw beetle convertible passenger side rear quarter window. window fails to fully raise and will automatically open when it reaches 2/3 raised position. faulty window regulator. a very expensive repair. | |||
| 04/13/2009 | 65000 | ||
| The plastic window is separating from the cloth top of my convertible vw. also, the headlights are constantly blowing bulbs and the sensor light of the passenger side airbag stays on. after fixing the light one time, the dealership mechanics said it was the seatbelt connector problem. they just want money, money , money and i am stuck with a volkswagen that is not functional for daily use. | |||
| 05/27/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Rear window will not open or close. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2003 beetle convertible right side window will not roll up or down. *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | |||
| 06/13/2009 | 62000 | 1 | |
| Something needs to be done asap to make volkswagen responsible for the 2003 beetle convertible doors and window problems. i purchased this vehicle in 2003 with less that 10 miles on it since then i have had nothing but problems with this vehicle with most of the problem being with the doors and windows. the driverside door hinges broke off and all of my windows regulators/motors have been repaired multiple times and have been replaced once. today tops the cake when my passenger side rear window would not roll up!! now with the regulators just being replaced in 2006 this should not happen!!! after reading everyone else's complaints this is obviously an ongoing problem the government needs to step in and hold volkswagen responsible!! i did not pay the amount i did for a new vehicle to have problems like this. i have owned other types of cars and never had problems like this. if there is an attorney reading this i would be happy to file a class action lawsuit and i'm sure there are other owners that feel the same!!! *tr | |||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - ROOF AND PILLARS | |||
| 06/21/2008 | 40000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. after examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear window was separating from the roof. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the roof would need to be replaced. prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the roof would not properly close. the vehicle had not yet been serviced at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 73,000. | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 06/06/2009 | 99000 | 1 | |
| The door hinges on my drivers' side 2003 volkswagen convertible beetle has broken for the second time. volks of america and vw oconnor in augusta maine are very unhelpful. this has been an on going problem since i have had the vehicle four years and turns out before i owned the vehicle. i went to get into my car on sat 6/6/09 and my door hinge snapped and the door is about to fall off. now my alarm system will not go on. someone need to fix my car. *tr | |||