2000 Volkswagen Beetle

I HAVE A 2000 VOLKSWAGEN BETTLE AND SINCE THE CAR HAS HAD ABOUT 30000 MILES I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. ACCORDING TO VOLKSWAGEN THE PROBLEM IS THE WIRING FOR THE AIR BAGS IS LOCATED UNDER THE SEATS AND BECAUSE OF THIS I HAVE HAD THE AIR BAG LIGHT RESET 2OR 3 TIMES FINALLY THEY SAID I WOULD NEED A WIRE HARNESS INSTALLED SO I PAID A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THAT TO BE DONE IN AUG 2003 NOW THE AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON AGAIN EVERY TIME THE LIGHT COMES ON IT CAUSES THE AIR BAG SYSTME TO SHUTDOWN THIS IS A BIG SAFTEY ISSUE SINCE 2/3 RDS OF THE TIME THE CAR HAS BEEN ON THE ROAD THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON I FOUND OUT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE BEETLE AND THEY INSTALLED THE HARNESS ON THE NEW ONES TO FIX THIS WELL I HAD THAT INSTALLED AND IT IS BROKEN AGAIN I CALLED VW AND THEY WANT ME TO PAY ANOTHER 95 FOR A DIOGNOSTIC PLUS AND THEN THEY WILL DECIDE IF THEY WILL REPAIR IT AT NO COST THIS SHOULD BE A RECALLED ITEM IT PLAGUES THE BEETLE AND IT IS A SAFTEY ISSUE AND I CANT KEEP PAYING FOR THE SAME REPAIR PLEASE HELP ME. *AK

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON MORE OFTEN THAN NOT SINCE 22,000 MILES. ON 8/28/01 O2 SENSOR REPLACED BY DEALER (#1). ON 1/20/03 DEALER (#3) TOLD ME THAT ENGINE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR AN ESTIMATED COST TO OWNER OF $1306.25. CAR BROUGHT TO NONDEALER AND REPAIRED FOR $36.00, ALBEIT TEMPORARILY. INCIDENTALLY DEALER HAD COMPLETELY RUN DOWN BATTERY, REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. ON 5/8/03 CAR BROUGHT TO DEALER (#4) FOR OVERHEATING DUE TO A PUNCTURE IN OIL PAN, THOUGH OWNER WAS NOT AWARE OF HITTING ANYTHING. OF COURSE ENGINE LIGHT HAD BEEN ON AND TEMPERATURE SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT THAT TIME. AGAIN INCIDENTALLY TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON WITHIN 5 MILES OF DEALERSHIP AFTER OIL PAN HAD BEEN "FIXED". ON 1/15/04 OWNER IS NOT ABLE TO PASS EMISSIONS TESTING AND THEREFORE NOT ABLE TO RENEW REGISTRATION OF VEHICLE BECAUSE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. ON THAT DAY, VACUUM LEAK WAS REPAIRED BUT LIGHT RETURNED WITHIN 24 HOURS. ON 1/21/04 A HOSE IN AIR INJECTION SYSTEM WAS REPLACED BUT LIGHT RETURNED WITHIN 24 HOURS. MECHANIC HAS NOW REFUSED TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THE CAR. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR - NEVER EVEN CONSIDER FOR A MOMENT BUYING A VW!! THIS IS THE WORST CAR THAT I OR ANYONE I'VE EVER KNOWN HAS OWNED. VW SERVICE IS ATROCIOUS AS WELL. THEY ARE INCOMPETENT, IRRESPONSIBLE AND RUDE TO BOOT. THE FACT THAT VW WILL NOT PROVIDE A RENTAL CAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRENTY AND PROBLEMS OCCUR THAT HAVE KNOWN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS, IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT THESE CARS POSE. SEE ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS THAT OWNER HAS EXPERIENCED UNDER "OTHER".*AK

I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS CLASSIFIES AS A PROBLEM BUT I WANT TO BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION. I OWN A 2000 VW BETTLE THAT MY DAUGHTER DRIVES. RECENTLY, DURING HER TRIP TO WORK, THE CAR STARTED SPUTTERING AND WOULD NOT GO BEYOND 10 MPH. I NOTICED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS VERY SIMILAR TO MY 1982 FIAT SPYDER WHICH HAD A DEFECTIVE AIRFLOW METER. AFTER CHECKING WITH THE LOCAL DEALER, IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE SAME PROBLEM. I FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM ON ALMOST ALL THEIR MODELS INCLUDING MERCEDES BENZ CARS. THE PRICE OF THIS AIRFLOW METER WAS AROUND $ 60.00 WHICH MADE ME MORE SUSPICIOUS SINCE I PAID WELL OVER $400 FOR THE ONE ON MY FIAT. COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAD OVER 20 ON BACKORDER DURING THE TIME I PURCHASED MINE AND I HAD TO WAIT OVER TWO WEEKS TO GET IT. IF THIS AIRFLOW METERS FAILS DURING TRAVEL ON THE INTERSTATE, IT COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE CAR WILL SLOW DOWN CONSIDERABLY IN HI-SPEED TRAFFIC. THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS COMPONENT IS BOSCH AND ACCORDING TO SERVICE PERSONNEL, THE COST OF THE AIRFLOW METER WAS IN EXCESS OF $250 BUT THEY DROPPED THE PRICE DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF FAILURES. I QUESTIONED WHY THIS WAS NEVER ADDRESSED ON A RECALL FOR THE VEHICLES, AT WHICH TIME THE TECHNICIANS JUST STOPPED TALKING TO ME. *LA

2000 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE LEAKING COOLANT, DEFECTIVE AIRFLOW SENSOR, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND PROBLEMS WITH WINDOW SWITCH. *MR THE WINDOW HAD TO BE OPERATED A CERTAIN WAY IN ORDER TO OPERATE PROPERLY,THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON DUE TO A BAD AIRFLOW SENSOR IN WHICH THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE COOLANT LIGHT HAD COME ON DUE TO THE TUBE THAT HAD RUN FROM THE COOLANT CONTAINER TO THE ENGINE HAD CUT IN IT AND LEAKED COOLANT. *SCC *JB

THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. CAUSE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE LIGHT CONTINUED TO STAY ON WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING. *AK THE DEALER FIXED THE VEHICLE DIFFERENTLY EACH TIME. (AIRBAG, AIR BAG HARNESS, AIR BAG CONNECTOR AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER) WERE ALL REPLACED. *SCC *JB