1998 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE Complaints

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO COLLISION. CONSUMER WAS INJURED. ONE MONTH PRIOR TO THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH BOARD. ALSO, THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. RECALL 98V100000 WAS ISSUED. *AK

1998 BEETLE.*MR AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IT WAS DRIVER 120 MILES TO THE CONSUMER'S HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP BECAUSE THE CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT EH VEHICLE'S BRAKES AND CLUTCH WERE BAD. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER BUT THE REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. *NM

THE ELECTRIC WINDOW WOULD NOT MOVE IN THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURED ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM , HOWEVER THEY REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS ORIGINALLY REGISTERED IN CANADA. THE (THE OWNER BOUGHT THE PARTS AND REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. *JB

MY 1998 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE IS FALLING APART. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE MY HEADLIGHTS 6 TIMES WITHIN THE PAST 4 YEARS THAT I'VE OWNED THIS USED VEHICLE. MY INTERIOR TRIM, WINDOW SWITCHES, GEARSHIFT KNOB & SEVERAL PLASTIC COVERS IN THE CAR HAVE FALLEN NOW FALLEN APART. MY 6 HEADLIGHTS HAVE COST ME APPROX. $600.00 PLUS RENT-A-CAR FEES WHICH MY WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER! PLEASE HELP ME.*AK

WHILE DRIVING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. THEN, VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER TRIED TO RESTART VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. CONSUMER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THAT PROBLEM OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE, AND HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *AK

DRIVE TIME SOLD ME A CAR THAT HAD THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON, AND SAID THEY WERE GOING TO FIX IT, BUT THEY NEVER DID, NOW THEY HAVE CHANGED MANAGEMENT AND THE PERSON WHO PROMISSED TO REPAIR IS NO LONGER THERE, LEAVING ME IN A POSITION WHERE THE NEW MANAGER SAYS THAT THE COST TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS NOT COVERED BY THEIR BUSINESS. THE CAR SPENT A WEEK AND A HALF ON THEIR REPAIR SHOP, AND NOTHING WAS FIXED, MY DASH WAS SCRATCHED FROM THE OUTSIDE AND THEY BROKE A PIECE BETWEEN THE SEATS.*AK

I BOUGHT A 1998 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE FROM TORRANCE NISSAN ON 5 JANUARY, 2003: SINCE THE DATE OF PURCHASE, THIS CAR HAD BEEN OVERHEATING OFF AND ON. I RETURNED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.? THEY WENT AS FAR AS TAKING IT TO A VW SERVICE REP ON 5 AND 6 JANUARY, 2003 FOR CONFIRMATION. I FOUND OUT LATER THAT VW HAS NO RECORD OF EVER SERVICING OR EVEN SEEING THE VW UNTIL 1 APRIL, 2003! DURING THE MONTHS OF FEBRUARY AND MARCH, 2003 I STILL EXPERIENCED THE VEHICLE OVERHEATING AND EACH TIME I CALLED AMIR, I WOULD FOLLOW UP WITH A VISIT TO TORRANCE NISSAN. THEIR REPLIES WERE ALWAYS THE SAME, THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM FOR THE OVERHEATING? THERE WERE MANY TIMES I TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT I NO LONGER WANTED THIS CAR AND EVEN SUBMITTED IT IN WRITING ON 15 APRIL, 2003. ON 1 APRIL, 2003 I TOOK THE BEETLE TO VOLKSWAGEN MYSELF AND HAD IT FIXED, BUT THE WATER PUMP BROKE AGAIN AND WAS REPLACED ON 4-9-03. THREE DAYS LATER, THE CAR WAS GETTING HOT. I TOLD BOTH VOLKSWAGEN AND TORRANCE NISSAN THAT I NO LONGER WANT THIS CAR! I HAVE PROOF OF ALL THE REPAIRS PERFORMED AND STILL IT OVERHEATS! ON 12 APRIL, 2003 I TOOK THE CAR ONCE MORE TO VOLKSWAGEN TO THOROUGHLY CHECK IT OUT AND THEY CALLED THEIR TECHNICAL SUPPORT. A FEW DAYS LATER THEY FOUND A CRACKED HEAD ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. TO TOP IT OFF, I HAD A CAR ACCIDENT ON 28 APRIL, 2003 ON MY WAY TO WORK AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE LONG BEACH HONDA BODY SHOP. LATER THAT NIGHT THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE AND WAS BURNED DOWN WITH 3 OTHER CARS IN THE BODY SHOP. BEFORE THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE, I WAS IN PROCESS OF A VALID CLAIM UNDER THE LEMON LAW & MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY ACT WITH THE ADAM KROHN OF THE CONSUME LAW CENTER. ISSUES: RENTAL CAR $1,607.78 (MY INSURANCE ONLY COVERED $600.00, MY INSURANCE COVERED ONLY ACTUAL VALUE OF $10,788.31; LEAVING ME WITH A BALANCE OF $1,043.00 OUT-OF-POCKET. WHICH MY INSURANCE INFORMS ME MAKE A CLAIM AGAINST THE BODY SHOP FOR DIFFERENCE ON BALANCE AND $ 1007.78 OF THE CAR RENTAL.

HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT WHILE IN USE WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN VEHICLE IS IN CRUISE CONTROL MODE IT WILL EITHER SURGE OR CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE. DEALERSHIP STATED THEY NEED TO SEPARATE THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION IN ORDER TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE MOTOR BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. CONSUMER NOTED HE HAS SEEN A LOT OF ONE HEADLIGHT BEETLES AND THAT THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD. *PH *NM

WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDETERMINED SPEED THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC. PLEASE ADD ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NLM

THE POWER WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN BY THEMSELVES WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB