2002 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE Complaints

2002 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE 1.8 TURBO HAD COILPACK FAIL ALONG WITH TURBO BLOW OFF VALVE. THIS IS A RE-OCURING PROBLEM AMONG THESE VEHICLES AND IT IS INEVITABLE THAT THE OTHER COILPACKS WILL FAIL AT SOME POINT. VW WOULD ONLY REPLACE THE FAILED COILPACK, I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE OTHERS TO FAIL PUTTING MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF MY PASSENGERS IN JEOPARDY

I BOUGHT MY NEW BEETLE BRAND NEW IN AUGUST 2001. THE DAY AFTER I BROUGHT IT HOME (OVER 2 HOURS AWAY), THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING UNLESS IT WAS FLASHING SO I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. 2 MONTHS LATER MY ABS WENT OUT WHILE I WAS AN HOUR FROM MY HOUSE AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED AND REPLACED. THE WINDOWS CONTINUALLY GO UP AND DOWN BY THEMSELF BUT THE DEALER CAN'T FIX IT. I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALER YESTERDAY BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID AND TOLD THEM AGAIN ABOUT THE CEL LIGHT. THEY THEN TOLD ME I NEEDED TO HAVE THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR REPLACE (NEARLY $400) AND THAT IS WHY MY CAR HAS BEEN DOWNSHIFTING BY ITSELF AND LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING. THIS MAKES ME FEEL UNSAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR THAT I HAD WANTED FOR SO LONG. DT

A COMPONENT WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO EITHER NOT COME OUT OF PARK OR WHILE BEING DRIVEN THE VEHICLE DROPS DOWN TO 20 MPH AND SPEED CANNOT BE REGAINED. NLM

TRANSMISSION NOTED TO BE DOWNSHIFTED VERY HARD WHEN COMING TO A SLOW STOP. WHEN SLOWING TO A STOP AND REACHING THE 15-20 MPH AREA CAR WILL JERK HARD. TOOK BACK TO TONY HONDA FOR SERVICE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT EVERYTHING CHECKS OUT TO VOLKSWAGEN SPECS AND THEY WERE NOT GOING TO CHECK INTO IT ANY FURTHER. VOLKWAGEN WAS CONTACTED BY ME AND TOLD TO TAKE CAR FOR SECOND OPINION AT CUTTER VOLKWAGEN HERE IN HONOLULU. STEVE FROM SERVICE DROVE THE CAR AND COULD NOT BELIVE IT WAS DOING THE DOWNSHIFTING. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS IN THE SHOP THEY REPLACED PARTS OF THE TRANSMISSION AND IT WAS STILL DOING IT. THEY WERE AUTHORIZED TO REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION WITH ANOTHER FROM A NEW CAR IN STOCK BUT THEY ALSO DID THE SAME THING. IT TURNS OUT THAT THERE IS A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION IN THE TRANSMISSION AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING THIS IN FROM GERMANY AND SO FAR I HAVE BEEN WAITING 2 WEEKS. DURING THIS TIME I SPILLED HOT COFFE ON MY LEG AND HAVE 2ND DEGREE BURNS DUE TO THIS SHIFTING PROBLEM AND WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH MY SON HE HIT HIS HEAD ON THE DASHBOARD COMING TO A STOP WHEN THIS DEFECT OCCURRED. THEY TOLD ME THIS IS NON-LIFE THREATENING BUT I BEG TO DIFFER. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WILL BE THE FIRST IN HAWAII TO HAVE THIS REPROGRAMMING DONE. I WANT OUT OF THIS CAR, IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND VOLKWAGEN DOESN'T CARE.*AK

CAR DOWNSHIFTS EXTREMELY HARD WHEN COMING TO A STOP, CAUSING DRIVER AND PASSENGERS TO BE LUNGED FORWARD IN THEIR SEAT.. DEALER STATES THAT THIS IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND INCREASES WHEN VEHICLE IS WARMED UP. ON OCCASION DOWNSHIFT OCCURRED SO HARD THAT I THOUGHT I WAS JUST REAR -ENDED BY ANOTHER CAR. I BOUGHT THE CAR FOR MY WIFE AND NOW SHE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT.*AK