Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | |||
| 01/15/2011 | 14000 | ||
| Vehicle is a 2004 vw new beetle - problem is airbag lights are on due to a broken wire in the wiring that leads into the driver's side seat belt latch. i had the code diagnosed by a mechanic and i visually inspected the 4 wires under the seat belt buckle and the yellow wire is broken. an obvious manufacturing flaw as this part gets a tremendous amount of movement due to the seatback moving forward and backward when putting the seat up to get into the back seat. my car only has 14,000 miles on it so it has not been driven very much in the 7 years we have had it. i contacted the dealer where i purchased the vehicle and their response was - we sell alot of those driver's side seat belt latch assemblies due to the same problem. they would not repair for free as there is no recall and no bulletin on the issue. read numerous sites and entries all over the web and it appears many owners of these cars (many different model years) are all having the same problem. called vw america to see if they would at least provide me with a free part as i would do the replacement myself. they checked and denied my request. as the airbags will not work when the airbag light is on, this is a dangerous situation. a recall should be placed on the seatbelt latches as the wiring used and the design are not at all industrial enough to hold up over time. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| This vehicle was subject to a recall for the air bag sensors. we had previously had the sensors replaced (the vehicle was just out of warranty based on time). vw refused ultimately reimbursed us for the repairs and replacement of the sensors. in january of 2011 the air bag light came on. the dealer charged a fee to do a diagnostic test. they determined that the light was due to the failure of the driver side seat belt buckle, and the fact that the battery was discharged and needed to be repaired. they wanted approximately $480 to replace the seat belt buckle, and $245 to replace the battery. i called vw customer service and they agreed to replace the buckle for no charge, but would do nothing about the battery. vw opened a case # 110006836 and regional manager lisa was the contact. we had aaa come to do a test on the battery. the battery and charging system both passed the test. they recommended that a trickle charge would bring the battery to a full charge. in addition, vw agreed to do a one time courtesy replacement of the convertible roof since the fabric had separated from the rear window. a clip recall had already been performed, but the headliner was hanging down and had separated from the rear window. we feared that the window could separate from the roof at highway speeds. statement indicates that vw performed 61.07-02 tech bulletin to perform modifications to the rear window. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| The air bag warning light came on. this was the subject of an earlier recall due to sensors. we were told that this was due to a faulty seat belt buckle and not due to sensors. we were also originally told it was due to a faulty battery. however, the battery was checked by aaa and was not faulty. eventually vw agreed to replace the seat belt buckle on the drivers side. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| This vehicle was subject to a recall for the air bag sensors. we had previously had the sensors replaced (the vehicle was just out of warranty based on time). vw refused ultimately reimbursed us for the repairs and replacement of the sensors. in january of 2011 the air bag light came on. the dealer charged a fee to do a diagnostic test. they determined that the light was due to the failure of the driver side seat belt buckle, and the fact that the battery was discharged and needed to be repaired. they wanted approximately $480 to replace the seat belt buckle, and $245 to replace the battery. i called vw customer service and they agreed to replace the buckle for no charge, but would do nothing about the battery. vw opened a case # 110006836 and regional manager lisa was the contact. we had aaa come to do a test on the battery. the battery and charging system both passed the test. they recommended that a trickle charge would bring the battery to a full charge. in addition, vw agreed to do a one time courtesy replacement of the convertible roof since the fabric had separated from the rear window. a clip recall had already been performed, but the headliner was hanging down and had separated from the rear window. we feared that the window could separate from the roof at highway speeds. statement indicates that vw performed 61.07-02 tech bulletin to perform modifications to the rear window. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| The air bag warning light came on. this was the subject of an earlier recall due to sensors. we were told that this was due to a faulty seat belt buckle and not due to sensors. we were also originally told it was due to a faulty battery. however, the battery was checked by aaa and was not faulty. eventually vw agreed to replace the seat belt buckle on the drivers side. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| This vehicle was subject to a recall for the air bag sensors. we had previously had the sensors replaced (the vehicle was just out of warranty based on time). vw refused ultimately reimbursed us for the repairs and replacement of the sensors. in january of 2011 the air bag light came on. the dealer charged a fee to do a diagnostic test. they determined that the light was due to the failure of the driver side seat belt buckle, and the fact that the battery was discharged and needed to be repaired. they wanted approximately $480 to replace the seat belt buckle, and $245 to replace the battery. i called vw customer service and they agreed to replace the buckle for no charge, but would do nothing about the battery. vw opened a case # 110006836 and regional manager lisa was the contact. we had aaa come to do a test on the battery. the battery and charging system both passed the test. they recommended that a trickle charge would bring the battery to a full charge. in addition, vw agreed to do a one time courtesy replacement of the convertible roof since the fabric had separated from the rear window. a clip recall had already been performed, but the headliner was hanging down and had separated from the rear window. we feared that the window could separate from the roof at highway speeds. statement indicates that vw performed 61.07-02 tech bulletin to perform modifications to the rear window. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| The air bag warning light came on. this was the subject of an earlier recall due to sensors. we were told that this was due to a faulty seat belt buckle and not due to sensors. we were also originally told it was due to a faulty battery. however, the battery was checked by aaa and was not faulty. eventually vw agreed to replace the seat belt buckle on the drivers side. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| This vehicle was subject to a recall for the air bag sensors. we had previously had the sensors replaced (the vehicle was just out of warranty based on time). vw refused ultimately reimbursed us for the repairs and replacement of the sensors. in january of 2011 the air bag light came on. the dealer charged a fee to do a diagnostic test. they determined that the light was due to the failure of the driver side seat belt buckle, and the fact that the battery was discharged and needed to be repaired. they wanted approximately $480 to replace the seat belt buckle, and $245 to replace the battery. i called vw customer service and they agreed to replace the buckle for no charge, but would do nothing about the battery. vw opened a case # 110006836 and regional manager lisa was the contact. we had aaa come to do a test on the battery. the battery and charging system both passed the test. they recommended that a trickle charge would bring the battery to a full charge. in addition, vw agreed to do a one time courtesy replacement of the convertible roof since the fabric had separated from the rear window. a clip recall had already been performed, but the headliner was hanging down and had separated from the rear window. we feared that the window could separate from the roof at highway speeds. statement indicates that vw performed 61.07-02 tech bulletin to perform modifications to the rear window. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 34000 | ||
| The air bag warning light came on. this was the subject of an earlier recall due to sensors. we were told that this was due to a faulty seat belt buckle and not due to sensors. we were also originally told it was due to a faulty battery. however, the battery was checked by aaa and was not faulty. eventually vw agreed to replace the seat belt buckle on the drivers side. | |||
| 05/28/2009 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Vw beetle convertible '04 (approx. 80k miles) - slipping and banging transmission. slams and bangs hard with each downshift (automatic) after about 15 miles or driving. slips or will not move when accelerating after slamming and banging begins. cannot drive car in traffic for fear or being rear ended or broadsided, therefore, cannot safely or dependably drive the car. expected thousands to repair if a mechanic who understands the problem can be found. many of the know issues with car have also occurred; broken plastic water pump, rear window seal broken, passenger side window will not go all the way down, passenger side seat belt light malfunction, headlights uneven brightness, short in dash, heated seat too hot to use (fear of fire) and incredible door rattles. *tr | |||