2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE Complaints

CAR JOLTS INTO GEAR BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR; ALSO PROBLEMS BETWEEN 3RD AND 4TH GEAR ON AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. BROUGHT CAR INTO LOCAL VW DEALER IMMEDIATELY, TO HAVE REPAIRED. DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS NEEDING A NEW VALVE BODY FOR TRANSMISSION. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN SO WIDESPREAD THAT VW ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 7 YEARS 100,000 MI. PROBLEM...REPAIR IS $1,800. VW WILL NOT COVER THIS AND HONOR THE WARRANTY FOR MY VEHICLE WHICH ONLY HAS 49,000 MI. ON IT. THEY SAID I AM 6 MONTH OUTSIDE OF THE TIME WARRANTY (EXPIRED 6/18/12). THEY WILL NOT AUTHORIZE AN EXCEPTION EVEN THOUGH MY CAR ONLY HAS 49,000 MI.. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS IT LUNGES FORWARD AND ALSO GETS STUCK IN GEAR. *TR

LEFT REAR WINDOW REGULATOR STOPPED WORKING IN JULY 2012. IN OCTOBER 2012 THE RIGHT REAR WINDOW REGULATOR STOPPED WORKING. BOTH HAVE TO BE REPLACED. CAR IS VERY WELL MAINTAINED BUT WAS BOUGHT USED. VW DEALER COVERS NOTHING BUT CHARGES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT TO FIX. READING OTHER BLOGS THERE ARE MANY, MANY WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AND VW SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPLACING THE REAR WINDOW REGULATORS. THE REAR WINDOWS NOT WORKING MEANS YOU CAN NOT PUT THE CONVERTIBLE TOP DOWN WITHOUT RISKING FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT MERGED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS POWERED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE RECURRED APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES AFTER RESTARTING. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 96,534.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN SUPER BEETLE CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ADHESIVE AROUND THE REAR WINDOW FAILED AS THE WINDOW BEGAN TO SEPARATE. THERE WAS ONLY A PIECE OF CLOTH THAT WAS HOLDING THE WINDOW IN PLACE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART COULD NOT BE REPAIRED AND THE ENTIRE CONVERTIBLE TOP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL INDEPENDENT MECHANICS FOR DIAGNOSIS HOWEVER NONE COULD REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,624.

THE AIRBAG LIGHT REMAINS ON THE DASHBOARD, MECHANICS HAVE SAID THEY CANNOT FIX IT, MAKES ME CONCERNED THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. *TR BOTH THE PASSENGER WINDOW AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW REGULATORS ARE BOTH BROKEN. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WILL NOT GO DOWN WHEN YOU PRESS THE WINDOW BUTTON, AND THE PASSENGER DOOR/ WINDOW RATTLES WHEN DRIVING AND WHEN YOU SHUT THE DOOR

THE DRIVER SEAT BELT BUCKLE SHORTS OUT DO TO FAULTY WIRE ROUTING CAUSING THE SEATBELT TENSIONER HARNESS TO GET CUT OR SHORTED BY THE DRIVER SEAT. *TR

2005 VW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE. REAR WINDOWS REGULATOR/MOTORS BROKE. VW ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR FRONT WINDOWS (7 YEARS) REAR WINDOWS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER WANTS $700.00 PER SIDE TO FIX. WINDOWS DO NOT ROLL DOWN ON COMMAND. OFTEN FALL ON THEIR OWN AFTER A BUMP IN THE ROAD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. THE WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS REPLACED. ONE MONTH LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED FIVE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER EACH TIME THE FAILURE RECURRED. IN ADDITION TO THE PREVIOUS REPAIR, THE CV BOOSTER WAS ALSO REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

THE CAR IS CONVERTIBLE AND BOTH REAR WINDOWS STOPPED OPERATING NORMALLY AND THERE WAS A WINDOW-CRUNCHING SOUND AND THE WINDOWS WERE STUCK, HAD TO MOVE THEM IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION BY HAND AND PUT SOME KINDS OF RUBBER DOOR STOPS TO KEEP THEM IN THE UP POSITION. IT IS FUNNY HOW BOTH STOPPED WORKING AROUND THE SAME TIME (PROBABLY A WEEK APART) LITERALLY RIGHT AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. IT SEEMS FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN TO BE A STANDARD PROBLEM IN THESE CARS AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE AS WELL. ALSO THE FRONT WINDOW REGULATOR STARTED ACTING UP AND YOU COULD FEEL SOMETHING WAS NOT PROPERLY ALIGNED BECAUSE WHEN YOU MOVE THE WINDOW YOU COULD FEEL LIKE IT WAS NOT MOVING AS SMOOTHLY AS THE PASSENGER'S DOOR. IT WOULD NOT GO ALL THE WAY DOWN AND IT WOULD BE STICKING UP LIKE AN INCH OR SO, THEN OTHER TIMES IT WILL GO DOWN ALL THE WAY BUT IT WILL MAKE THIS FUNNY SOUND LIKE IT IS STUCK ON SOMETHING. I TRIED OPENING THE DOOR COVER AND BEFORE EVEN GOT TO DISASSEMBLING OF THE INNER PANEL AND REALIZED THE CABLE HAD BROKEN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS THE REASONING FOR ALL THIS BUT IT LOOKS THAT BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE WINDOWS WILL TRAVEL A BIT DOWN EVERYTIME YOU HAVE TO PUT THE ROOF UP OR DOWN IT MIGHT PUT EXTRA STRAIN AND WEAR THAT WAS NOT PLANNED FOR INITIALLY. IN MY HONEST OPINION IF YOU GET 3 OUT OF 4 WINDOW REGULATOR PROBLEMS IN LESS THAN THE CARS FIRST 4-5YEARS, THERE HAS GOT TO BE SOMETHING WRONG OR FLAWS WITH THE DESIGN THANKS *TR

THE FIRST TIME I DROVE MY USED OVER 50 MPH ALONG COASTAL ROAD (WITHIN 24 HOURS OF PURCHASE FROM A TOYOTA DEALER), THE ENGINE CUT POWER AND ROLLED TO A STOP. FROM FIRST GEAR, IT BEGAN TO DRIVE AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE VALVE BODY WAS DEFECTIVE. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR OVER 55 ON THE FREEWAY FOR FEAR OF CUTTING POWER. IN AUGUST 2011, THE SAME CUT OF POWER OCCURRED AFTER DRIVING 4 MILES IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE ON THE 405 FREEWAY. I ROLLED OFF THE FREEWAY OFFRAMP AND CAME TO A STOP. THE TRANSMISSION RESET ITSELF AND DROVE UP TO 40 MPH TO MY DESTINATION ON SIDE STREETS. AGAIN THE DEALER ACCUSED THE VALVE BODY. IN JULY 2012, I DECIDED TO LET THE DEALER CHECK THE CAR OUT AGAIN BECAUSE I HAD A STRANGE CUT IN POWER UPON ACCELERATION FROM A LEFT TURN TRAFFIC LIGHT THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT MY FUEL PUMP WAS DEFECTIVE. AFTER THESE THREE FIXES, I TRUST THE CAR TO DRIVE AROUND TOWN. BUT I SUFFER EXTREME ANXIETY ABOUT DRIVING THE CAR ON A FREEWAY. THIS WEEK, I NEED TO MOVE THE CAR FROM CALIFORNIA 300 MILES TO NEVADA. I AM NOT CERTAIN IF THE TRANSMISSION CAN DRIVE THAT DISTANCE WITHOUT A CUT IN POWER. NOT DEPENDABLE, NOT WORTH $15,000 PRICE TAG. EMBARRASSMENT! *TR