Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY | |||
| 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 | |||
| 08/12/2011 | 56560 | ||
| Both rear windows have stopped working. one is all the way down ther other 3/4 the way down. could be up to $2000 to repair both windows. | |||
| 01/08/2011 | 83423 | ||
| Six months ago the left rear window in my vw convertible beetle broke, it would not go up or down. i do not use the rear windows very often so i was quite surprised when the window broke. i took the vehicle to a local dealer to get repaired. it cost me nine hundre and seventy eight dollars out of pocket. close to a thousand dollars to have just the window repaired. i thought this was ridiculous for just one small window. needless to say i was very very upset but i had no alternative i had to have it repaired. now six months later the left rear window has broken. once again i do not use the rear windows very often especially since the thousand dollar charge there is no way i was going to chance that happening. here it is winter time so there is no reason to be using those windows. anyway last week i was on my way to work and i heard a terrible popping sound, one which i have heard before and i thought oh no not again. well once i got to work and checked sure as heck the left window was broken. it is down about eight inches and one go up or down. what a disappointment it will cost me another thousand dollars just to fix a window. i do not have a thousand dollars laying around to get it repaired. my parents also own a vw beetle and they have had several window problems. we have both decided we will never buy another vw because we just cannot afford the repair costs for all the things that have gone wrong with these cars. i cannot believe how much it costs for repairs. i keep checking on the recall list praying that i may get some help but as of yet there has not been any assistance. can vw explain what is happening with these windows??? thank you very much. | |||
| 11/11/2010 | 45020 | ||
| 2003 vw bettle convertible :drivers side windows regulator and motor and broken hinge. also the check engine light says it need coil pack and temperature senson. seat belt light says it need seat belt sensor. also door latch replaced. | |||
| 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. | |||
| 01/13/2004 | 32990 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle. the contact stated that the driver side rear window regulator is broken. she also said that the regulators on the windows have been replaced five times on different windows. volkswagen stated the windows are out of warranty and the repairs would be at her expense. the failure and current mileages were 32,990. rd | |||
| 06/10/2008 | 40000 | ||
| I have a 2003 convertible vw and my back window has come unglued to the canvas. my vw has less than 45k miles.vw should be made responsible for this bad quality in manufactruing this make. i've inquired and it will cost $1300 to replace the entire top. this is ridicules - anyone know of a class action?? | |||
| 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. | |||
| 03/07/2010 | 26577 | 1 | |
| 1) put the convertible top down 2) rear passenger window went 1/2 way up and all the way down three times and then a grinding noise and window would not come back up again 3) took to dealer for repairs, repair to cost about $1000.00 awaiting parts. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 65000 | 1 | |
| The rear windows on my 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible stopped working for no reason. *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 | |||
| 06/16/2009 | 59841 | 1 | |
| Rear window is deattaching from convertible top creating open space into car. fabric shrinking back from glass. headliner deattached from inside windows even though clips had already been replaced. $1850 for new top per dealer plus 6-8 hours for labor at $98 an hour.glass cannot be re glued ..whole top must be replaced. vwoa customer care contacted many times and was told sorry you are over warranty. many many people on line reporting same problem on the 2003 model. vwoa not interested in checking into the problem only repeating that i am out of warranty. what happens if it falls out while driving..or falls in to the backseat and hits passenger or god forbid someone with a babyseat back there. vwoa was not interested in the problem just in letting me know that there was no recall and it is not covered. there is nothing else wrong with the top it is a defect in the heat seal or adhesive holding the window in place. i have also had the same window problems as the other complaints on the site but was still under warranty at the time. however ,from my internet search it seems that the rear convertible top window started falling out starting for most in 2008. i bought this car in 04 and can't believe i cant even drive it safely even though i'm still making payments on it without making a $3000 repair. *tr | |||
| 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 | |||
| 05/27/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Rear window will not open or close. *tr | |||
| 03/29/2009 | 60000 | 1 | |
| My complaint is on the 2003 new beetle convertible rear window regulator. the window is down and will not roll up. i took my car into fix the back drivers side window, and got a quote of $880 for each window. why is vwoa making consumers pay for repairs on their cars when it is obviously a design flaw? i have read numerous websites and they were full of people just like me that get stuck with a bill from vw for something that they should be covering. is there any type of class action happening about this? or possibly a recall? thank you! *tr | |||
| 10/05/2008 | 60000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. when the contact opened the door, the window would not operate correctly and would roll down approximately half an inch. once the window was rolled down, there was no way to roll the window back up. the dealer stated that the electronics that control the window failed and the entire window operating system needed to be replaced, including all four regulators, motor, and all the related components. the dealer stated that the repairs would cost $1,400. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were less than 60,000. | |||
| 10/13/2008 | 36000 | 1 | |
| The passenger side rear window went down 1/2 way then stopped. i tried to role it back up and it dropped down and would not come up or down. then the top would not go down and the right wing flap froze open. i was told that it would cost 300.00 to go in and the part would cost 3-5 hundred for the part. i was told that this happened quit often on the 2003 vw conv. if that is the case, if this is such a wide spread and inherent problem, why has vw not been forced to recall and fix this problem. would this come under the lemon law as it is a recurring problem that cannot be permenantly repaired. i understand that later models were given extended warranties to compensate for the problems. i will never trust vw dealerships or products again. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 23000 | 1 | |
| 2003 vw beetle convertible rear window regulator failure with approx 23,000 miles on car. both rear windows regulators have failed in the past year allowing the rear windows to fall down into the car with a very loud noise which could easily distract the driver. once it has fallen down it cannot be raised and could cause problems in a very cold or hot environment. vw has extended the warranty on the front windows but has done nothing about the rear window failures. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - GLASS, SIDE/REAR | |||
| 05/13/2008 | 33319 | 1 | |
| Rear passenger window went down,but wouldn't come back up. *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | |||
| 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 | |||
| 12/21/2009 | 154000 | 1 | |
| Rolled the back window down on the passenger side, then when i went to roll it back up it failed and the window went down on its own. window is now inoperable. will have to replace back window regulator, new beetle convertible. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 64500 | 1 | |
| 2003 vw new beetle window regulators break and motors go out wayyyy too early. the 2005 and up are designed to pop down when you press the unlock button on the keyless entry but on the previous years, they do not. therefore, this causes stress on the window and will not close properly most of the time. also, since they do not pop down with the keyless entry, when the temp drops below freezing and the car is outside, the windows freeze and will not pop down to close the door until completely thawed out. meaning you get to spend up to 45 mins with the door cracked waiting for the | |||
| 12/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| The window regulator on the 2003 and 2004 volkswagen new beetle convertibles does not work properly. it does not allow the window to go down enough or sometimes not at all. this causes the window to rub against the convertible top. i now have a small tear in my top, which could lead to a larger tear or possible breakdown of my convertible top, rendering the car undriveable in my minnesota climate. this happens all the time with these cars and vw refuses to accept responsibility for their design flaw. this is unacceptable as the regulator can cost up to $700 per side to fix. this is outrageous for something that is happening to virtually every 03, 04 new beetle convertible. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2008 | 138000 | 1 | |
| Window switches/regulators on 2003 new beetle convertible continue to fail which then does not allow the windows to go up or down. one of my rear-seat quarter windows just fell into the window slot and i couldn't get it back up. windows that do not close all the way are safety issues. *tr | |||
| 03/31/2009 | 1 | ||
| The window regulators/motors in my 2003 new beetle convertible have all broken. the front passenger broke twice. the back passenger is now broken and i can't afford to fix it. it is spring in chicago and rainy. now i can't drive the car. the last time, the front and back driver's side windows broke. my dealer helped me with the cost since vwoa would not listen. i think i should be reimbursed for the last repair and get the new repair done and paid for by vwoa. reading the chats and the complaints here tell me this is a known problem. i also was told by vwoa that the recall did not cover the beetle convertibles. what a loophole! if owners drive the cars regularly and don't baby the windows, they break. my kids' friends won't shut the doors because they are afraid the windows will break. please force vwoa to pay for these repairs! *tr | |||
| 04/09/2009 | 1 | ||
| My drivers side window will not go up and to fix it will cost over 800 dollars. several other people have complained about the same thing. please do something because i cannot afford to pay there price again it has happened before. *tr | |||
| 04/13/2009 | 46000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 vw beetle that only has 46,000 miles on it. the passenger side back window will not come up. before i took my beetle to the dealership to be fixed, i researched this problem on the internet and found that this is a known issue with vw beetles. there was a class action suit brought by the law firm of stueve siegel hanson in which vw agreed to (1) reimburse all expenses incurred by vw owners in the past related to replacing the defective window regulators, (2) install a redesigned metal window regulator replacing any failed window regulators (which used plastic components) under an extended warranty, (3) extend the warranty for all four window regulators at issue to 7 years from the date of the car purchase including 1999-2003 model year vw golf, gti and jetta and 1998-2003 model year vw beetle. however, when i spoke with vw about this agreement, they stated that my vw 2003 new beetle was not included in this settlement because it was a convertible. my car's window regulators are demonstrating the exact failure as these vehicles. it is unsettling to drive a car expecting a window to fall down into the tracks at anytime - especially if it is during the winter, raining, etc. this defect, in my opinion, is a safety issue. also it is unsettling that volkswagen of america does not have a company-wide policy concerning the reimbursement for this repair nor has instituted a recall to repair this defect. there are many horror stories of windows failing and cars being out of service for months while backordered parts arrive. i want volkswagen to cover the full cost to repair any defective window regardless of warranty status. additionally, vw should be pro-active and issue a recall. this recall would improve volkswagen's customer service ratings by greatly decreasing the frustration and inconvenience caused by such failures. the lack of a recall gives the impression vw is profiting from the repairs of this defect, instead of taking action. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2003 beetle convertible right side window will not roll up or down. *tr | |||
| 12/09/2008 | 1 | ||
| My complaint is on the 2003 new beetle convertible rear window regulator. i have replaced the rear left, and right window 3 times, all 3 under warranty. now, i took my car into fix the back right, and drivers side window, and got a quote of $480 for each window. why is vwoa making consumers pay for repairs on their cars when it is obviously a design flaw? i have read numerous websites and they were full of people just like me that get stuck with a bill from vw for something that they should be covering. is there any type of class action happening about this? or possibly a recall? thank you! *tr | |||
| 04/10/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a vw new beetle convertible 2003 less than 49,000.00 miles and suddenly both back windows stop working properly. everytime i turn the engine the windows go down and do not want to close with the electric bottom, it is raining and my car is getting damage, i don't have extended warranty. i have called the dealer, i have been told, i have to pay for the repairs . now, i would like to know if there are any complains in regards to this issue, this is a defect, should the company be responsible? thank you, *tr | |||
| VISIBILITY - REAR WINDOW WIPER/WASHER | |||
| 05/16/2010 | 25868 | ||
| Odi number: 10282664 hello, i have a 2003 vw new beetle turbo convertible with only 26,000 miles. i have had at least 5-6 repairs in the last two years. i'm the second owner of the car and purchased the car in 2008 after the warranty was up. like many, i have had two problems with the rear window regulator on the left and right side in the last 6 months. the last repair to replace the right side window regulator was over $1,000 dollars and no the other side has the same problem. this should be a recall! | |||
| 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 | |||