2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE Complaints

I PURCHASED A 2005 VW NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE IN 10/2009 AS A WAY TO "SAVE MONEY" AND TRADED IN MY SUV. IT HAD 48000 MILES AND NOW HAS 56000. IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD. I TOOK IT IN TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP TO HAVE MY TRANS FLUID CHANGED, THINKING THAT MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. FOUND OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS COMPLETELY RUINED AND NEEDED TO BE REBUILT, WHICH COST $4600+ DOLLARS. MY HUSBAND STARTED LOOKING ONLINE AND THERE ARE PAGES AND PAGES OF TESTIMONIALS REGARDING THE SAME ISSUE. WHEN I TALKED TO THE VW CUSTOMER CARE DEPT, THEY DIDN'T KNOW OF ANY PROBLEMS OR COMPLAINTS AND BECAUSE I DIDN'T GO TO A DEALERSHIP FOR MY REPAIRS, OR PURCHASE THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY, I AM OUT OF LUCK. I'M AFRAID IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. AT LEAST I WENT TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SHOP, BECAUSE LOOKING AT ALL THE COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE THAT HAD THEIR TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED AT THE VW DEALER, LOTS OF THEM ARE NEEDING THEM REPLACED AGAIN. THIS SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE. ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T HAVE AN ACCIDENT, I AM THANKFUL THAT MY TRANSMISSION DIDN'T GO OUT OR ACT UP WHEN I WAS ON THE FREEWAY OR SOMEWHERE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE MAKE VW BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, COME TO FIND OUT, COMMON DEFECT. THE PROBLEMS STARTED PROBABLY IN 1/2010 AND JUST HAD THE TRANS REBUILT 4/2010. *TR

1. CAR IS 5 YEARS OLD / 40K MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING - HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. READ ONLINE THAT OTHER VW HAD SAME ISSUE - CLEARLY MANUFACTURING FAILURE. 2. TRANSMISSION FAILURE 3. VALVE BODY REPLACED. *TR

MY 2005 VW BUG TURBO JERKS SO VIOLENTLY BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS THAT I'VE NEARLY HIT A HANDFUL OF CARS WHEN I'M TRYING TO MOVE SLOWLY AHEAD IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW, HAVE SERVICED IT FAITHFULLY, IT IS A 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC AND IT ONLY JUST TURNED 50K MILES. ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHEN I FIRST NOTICED IT SHIFTING ROUGHLY BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR (BOTH UPSHIFTING AND DOWN SHIFTING) I MENTIONED IT TO MY VW SERVICE CENTER AND THEY SAID "THAT'S WHAT ALL BUGS DO," AND BRUSHED ME OFF. I'M WRITING YOU NOW BECAUSE THE JERKING HAS BECOME SO VIOLENT IT FEELS LIKE I'M BEING REAR ENDED EACH TIME IT MOVES FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. THANK YOU. *TR

2005 VW NEW BEETLE AUTO 6 SPEED 57,000 MILES. HARD DOWNSHIFTING. THIS PROBLEM IS ONGOING. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2005 VW NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE IN 2005 WITH THE OPTIONAL 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE CAR NOW HAS APPROX 80000 MILLES ON THE ODOMETER AND THE TRANSMISSION JERKS AND SLIPS IN ALL GEARS. THE TACHMOMETER WINDS 3000 RPMS ABOVE WHAT THE ENGINE SHOULD RUNNING AT ANY PARTICULAR SPEED WHEN THIS OCCURS. DURING THESE CIRCUMSTANCES IN TRAFFIC I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE CAR WILL NOT RESPOND WHICH PLACES ME AT RISK OF A COLLISION.

TRANSMISSION SLIPPING IN A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE WITH 71,000 MILES, I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS THAT THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THEM BUT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WINDOW REGULATOR BECAME DEFECTIVE AT 59,000 MILES AND WHEN I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER WAS TOLD IN ORDER FOR THEM TO ASSIST WITH PROBLEM IT MUST BE DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER. DROVE 60 MILES AND WAS CHARGED $100 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM (WHICH I ALREADY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS) AND THEN WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF THE MILEAGE THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. MANUFACTURER KNEW THE MILEAGE PRIOR TO REQUESTING ME TO TAKE TO DEALER. COST OF REPLACING A WINDOW REGULATOR $600, THERE IS A KIT THAT CAN BE INSTALLED, BUT OF COURSE THAT INFORMATION IS NOT GIVEN TO THE CUSTOMER.

ISSUE HAS NOT YET CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BUT WILL. VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE, 2005 MODEL WITH FEWER THAN 57,00.00 MILES. TRANSMISSION FAILING CAUSING HARD SHIFTING AND SLIPPING GEARS RESULTING IN CAR LURCHING AND PAUSING UNEXPECTEDLY. FROM MY INVESTIGATION THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE NEW BEETLE, ONE THAT VW WILL NOT ADMIT NOR CORRECT. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE FOR SOME TIME FINDING THAT THERE IS NO QUESTION AS TO WHETHER A NEW BEETLE OWNER WILL HAVE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS RATHER WHEN THE PROBLEM WILL BEGIN. WHILE I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE HOW MANY IF ANY ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THIS ISSUE I DO KNOW THERE IS A GREAT CONCERN AMONGST THESE VEHICLE OWNERS THAT ACCIDENTS WILL OCCUR. VW SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL ALL VEHICLES THAT USE THESE 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS AND CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *DT

OWNER OF A 05 BEETLE. TRANSMISSION ISSUES STARTED AT 60,000 MILES. PUT IN A LOT OF MONEY ON REPAIRS WITHOUT REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION TO BE TOLD AFTERWARDS THE TRANS HAD TO BE REPLACED. LOOKED ONLINE AND A LOT OF 05' BEETLES ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME EFFECTS AS EARLY AS 30,000 MILES!! THE CAR IS FINE FOR THE FIRST 15 MINS THAN IT JERKS VIOLENTLY INTO 3 & 4TH GEAR. THE JERKING GETS SO BAD IT FEELS AS IF I HAD BEEN REAR ENDED. I GET PANIC ATTACKS ESPECIALLY AT STALE GREEN LIGHTS OR INTERSECTIONS IN GENERAL. I NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL EVER ON MY CAR AND NOTICED ONLINE A RECALL ON THE AIRBAGS WENT INTO AFFECT ON APR 08 WHICH MY AIR BAG HAS BEEN OUT. I HAVE PAID $15,000 AND STILL HAVE $14,500 TO PAY OFF IN THE NEXT 3 YEARS WITH A PAYMENT OF $400 A MONTH!!! I CAN NOT AFFORD TO BUY A NEW TRANS FOR MY CAR. ALL THESE 05 BEETLES ARE DEFECTIVE AND VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE DUE TO THEIR TRANS FAILING AND VERY LOW MILEAGE. I HAVE ALWAYS KEPT UP WITH OIL CHANGES, TRANS FLUSHES, NEW FILTERS YOU NAME IT. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT THE "CAR OF MY DREAMS" GIVES ME ANXIETY ATTACKS JUST TO DRIVE IT. DRIVING IS ONE OF MY MANY MODES OF TRANSPORT EVERYDAY! PLEASE HELP VW OWNERS WITH 05' BEETLES GET OUR CARS FIXED, I AM PAYING A LOT OF MONEY FOR A CAR THAT I AM TERRIFIED TO DRIVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2005 NEW BEETLE CONV. IN 12/08 I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR 40K MILE SERVICE AT WHICH TIME THE TRANSMISSION WAS CHECKED FOR LEAKS AND FLUID LEVEL. IN 2/10 MY TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS NO GOOD. MY PROBLEMS STARTED ABOUT LATE NOVEMBER 2009 TO DECEMBER 2009. I STARTED TO HAVE HESITATION PROBLEMS FROM TAKE OFF AND COMING TO A STOP AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING. I FIRST THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS BAD GASOLINE, HOWEVER THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. I WOULD BE GOING ALONG JUST FINE AND THEN THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JERK HARD SOMETIMES TO CHANGE GEARS WHEN COMING TO A STOP. AND WOULD WHINE AND HESITATE AND JERK TO CHANGE GEARS WHEN TAKING OFF. THIS PROBLEM GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN I WAS TOLD @ 55,000 MILES I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. SO A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED TO THE TUNE OF $5,700. THIS IS NOT WAS I BARGAINED FOR. *TR

NEW VW BEETLE HEADLIGHT AND TAILLIGHT FAILURES. THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY DAUGHTERS 2005 BEETLE FAIL BUT CAN BE MADE TO WORK AGAIN BY HITTING THE HEADLIGHT WITH THE PALM OF YOUR HAND. HEADLIGHT/TAILLIGHT FAILURES ARE REPORTED AS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE NEW BEETLE AND VERIFIED BY MY VW DEALER IN METAIRIE, LA. LAST NIGHT WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF EACH OTHER. TODAY I REMOVED THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND INSPECTED THE CONNECTIONS AND WIRING. BOTH ASSEMBLIES HAVE HEAT AND CURRENT RELATED WIRING FAILURES. WHERE THE WIRE IS CRIMPED TO THE BULB FLAG TYPE CONNECTOR THE WIRE IS DISCOLORED AND IS CORRODED. THE INSULATION ON THE WIRE IS ALSO DISCOLORED AND CRACKING FROM HEAT OR OVERCURRENT OR BOTH. THIS APPLIES TO THE LOW BEAM CONNECTORS FOR BOTH LIGHTS. THE BULBS ARE THE ORIGINAL PHILLIPS 55W WHICH IS SPEC FOR THE LOW BEAM. MANY OWNERS THINK THEIR BULBS HAVE FAILED AND THIS IS NOT THE CASE. THERE ARE MANY BLOGS REGARDING EARLY BULB FAILURE IN THE NEW BEETLE AS MOST OWNERS SIMPLY ARE UNABLE TO REMOVE THE ASSEMBLY AS IT REQUIRES MECHANICAL SKILLS AND TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE. I'VE ALSO HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS REGARDING THE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLIES BUT I HAVE NOT THOROUGHLY INSPECTED THEM AS I DID IN THIS CASE. AGAIN THE VW DEALER TOLD ME TAIL LIGHT FAILURES ARE COMMON AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHY VW HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY PROBLEM AND NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. *TR