2003 Volkswagen New Beetle Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: September 1, 2004 · Filed: November 24, 2004

THE CAR SLAMS INTO GEAR WHEN STARTING FROM A COLD START. IT WAS IN THE SHOP OVER A MONTH, AND IT WAS GIVEN BACK TO ME WITH "WE CAN FIND NOTHING MECHANICALLY WRONG WITH IT, IT MAY BUCK A BIT, BUT THERE ARE NO SAFETY HAZARDS." LIVE WITH IT BASICALLY. VW THEMSELVES HAVE BEEN OF NO HELP WHATSOEVER IN RESOLVING THIS ISSUE. *NM

Incident: November 22, 2003 · Filed: November 22, 2004

WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILED TO COME ON. ON TWELVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, UNDER VARYING BUT RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING OPERATED BY MYSELF OR MY WIFE, THE WIPERS FAILED TO COME ON WHEN SWITCHED ON. ON FOUR OF THESE OCCASIONS THE RAIN BEGAN TO FALL QUICKLY WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHICH CAUSED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. ON ALL OCCASIONS, WE HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY, AND ONLY AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF REPEATEDLY TURNING THE WIPER SWITCH ON AND OFF AND/OR DOING NOTHING BUT WAITING, THE WIPERS WOULD SUDDENLY COME ON BY THEMSELVES. WE HAVE RETURN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON TWO OCCASIONS (THE THIRD BEING NEXT WEEK) WITH THIS COMPLAINT. THE DEALER REPLACED A RELAY, BUT THIS HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AS SUDDEN RAIN AT 70 MPH LEAVES YOU COMPLETELY BLIND. THE INCIDENT DATE IS TODAY'S DATE AS TODAY IS THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE. *JB

Incident: September 28, 2004 · Filed: September 29, 2004

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT THE EPC LIGHT CAME ON. I WANTED TO PULL OVER SINCE THE CAR IS FAIRLY NEW AND HAD NEVER SEEN THAT LIGHT ON WHILE DRIVING. I PULLED THE CAR OFF THE ROAD TO CHECK THE MANUAL AND SEE WHAT THE LIGHT MEANT. THE CAR WAS IN PARK. I COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK. AFTER CALLING ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE...I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THING IS, ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE HAD HEARD ABOUT THIS BEFORE. THEY HAD ME DO A "PROCEDURE" TO GET THE CAR TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK AND BE ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. ONCE HOME THE CAR GOT STUCK INTO NEUTRAL. I THEN HAD IT TOWED. *AK

Incident: October 14, 2003 · Filed: June 15, 2004

POWERTRAIN PROBLEMS-- VEHICLE HAS TIPTRONIC. INTERMITTENT FAILURE SHIFTING FROM AUTOMATIC TO TIPTRONIC MANUAL FUNCTIONALITY. IN ADDITION, PASSENGER FRONTAL AIRBAG FAILED WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. MULTIPLE SERVICE RELATED COMPLAINTS.*AK

Incident: April 3, 2004 · Filed: May 31, 2004

FROM SEPT 03 THROUGH APRIL 04, I HAD 5 RIGHT REAR BRAKE LIGHTS REPLACED AND 2 LEFT HEADLIGHTS REPLACED ON MY 2003 VW NEW BEETLE. NO REASON WAS EVER GIVEN AS TO WHY THEY KEPT FAILING. THE DEALERSHIP JUST KEPT REPLACING THEM. MY SON WAS STOPPED BY THE STATE PATROL ONCE BECAUSE A REAR LIGHT WAS OUT - I HAD TOTAL STRANGERS TELL ME THAT THE LIGHTS WERE OUT AND MY NEIGHBORS AND I ARE KEEPING TRACK OF HOW MANY VW NEW BEETLES HAVE AT LEAST ONE LIGHT OUT  I COUNT AT LEAST 4 EACH WEEK. I WANT ALL VW NEW BEETLE OWNERS TO KNOW THAT THIS IS A MALFUNCTION OF THEIR CAR AND IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THE DEALER MUST REPAIR IT FOR FREE  VW IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH RECORDING THEIR RECALLS ON THE INTERNET, SO I DID NOT KNOW THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM. I FINALLY GOT SICK AND TIRED OF THIS PROBLEM AND TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM. THE DEALER FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM BY GIVING ME A NEW CAR; HOWEVER I AM NOW HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE DRIVER WINDOW GOING BACK DOWN ON ITS OWN. REFER TO #ODI 10074541 AND #10074539. (I RECORDED THE LAST INCIDENT AS THE INCIDENT DATE)

Incident: November 26, 2003 · Filed: May 31, 2004

REFER TO # 10051120 MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD OPERATE NORMALLY AND THEN JUST STOP IN MID-SWIPE, RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE, WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THEN AFTER CLICKING THE SWITCH BACK AND FORTH, I COULD FINALLY GET THEM TO WORK. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT IT COULD BE THE INTERMITTENT WIPER RELAY, BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ORDERED. I SHOULD DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL THEN, UNLESS IT BECAME A PROBLEM  WELL, DUH! WHEN WOULD IT NOT BE A PROBLEM TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN/SNOW WITH NON-OPERABLE WIPERS? TOOK MY CAR BACK IN, GOT A LOANER AND THE INTERMITTENT WIPER RELAY WAS REPLACED.*AK

Incident: April 22, 2004 · Filed: April 23, 2004

WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT THAT DID NOT LOCK UP. ALSO, PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED, BUT DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT. CONSUMER SUSTAINED MINOR BRUISES TO THE CHEST AND HEAD.*AK

Incident: July 27, 2003 · Filed: March 9, 2004

HARD SHIFTING BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD GEARS OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF 2003 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE

Incident: October 10, 2003 · Filed: February 20, 2004

THE CLUTCH ON MY 2003 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE FAILED AT 2000 MILES, APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. *AK

Incident: January 13, 2004 · Filed: February 18, 2004

WE HAVE A 2002 AND A 2003 VW BEETLE. THE 2002 HAS DOOR LOCKS THAT ONLY LOCK PART OF THE TIME. THE FIRST SEVEN TIMES THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR IT THEY SAID IT WAS AN INTERNAL MALFUNCTION OR THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. ON THE EIGHTH REPAIR ATTEMPT THEY FINALLY DECIDED THAT OUR POWER LOCKS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO LOCK ALL THE TIME BECAUES WE HAVE CRANK WINDOWS!!! THE FIRST FOURTEEN MONTHS (UNTIL THEY REPLACED THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FOR ANOTHER PROBLEM) THE LOCKS WORKED PERFECTLY ALL THE TIME. THEY SAID THAT THE LOCKS MEET VW SPECS BUT REFUSED TO GIVE ME A COPY OF THE SPECS THEY ARE REFERRING TO. VW SAID OUR OWNER'S MANUAL IS OUR VW SPECS AND IT SAYS TO PUSH THE BUTTON AND THE DOORS WILL LOCK. THAT ONLY HAPPENS PART OF THE TIME. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. OUR TEENAGED DAUGHTER DRIVES THIS CAR AND NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO LOCK HER DOORS WHEN SHE GETS IN AND KNOW THAT THEY WILL LOCK. THE LOCKS HAVE DONE MULTIPLE OTHER STRANGE THINGS ALSO BUT THE INCONSISTANT LOCKING IS THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM. OUR 2003 BEETLE HAS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE REAR DEFOGGER. IT TAKES ANYWHERE FROM 9 - 20 MINUTES TO BEGIN TO CLEAR THE REAR WINDOW. THE DEALER SAYS THAT IT CLEARS IN 7 MINUTES AND THAT MEETS "VW SPECS" BUT THE 2002 VW WE HAVE AND THE LOANER BEETLES WE HAVE DRIVEN ALL CLEAR THE WINDOW IN 1-3 MINUTES. THE FACT THAT THE WINDOW DOESN'T BEGIN TO CLEAR, AT TIMES, FOR 20 MINUTES IS A REAL SAFETY HAZARD. THE 2003 ALSO HAS LOCK PROBLEMS. IT LOCKED ITSELF WHILE IN OUR GARAGE AND WOULD NOT UNLOCK FOR TWO DAYS. IF THAT HAD BEEN A DARK PARKING LOT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER.*AK