2001 Volkswagen Beetle

I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2001 BEETLE WITH 11,8450 MILES. ON AUG 27, 2014, THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT SUDDENLY LOSS TENSION AND WENT LIMP WHILE I WAS DRIVING! THE SEAT BELT CAN NOT BE RETRACTED. THE VW SERVICE THE WAY THE SEAT BELT BECAME LOOSE IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD, AND IT SHOULD BE ON OFFICIAL RECORD. VW DENIED RESPONSIBILITY AND MY REQUEST FOR THE REPAIR COST. *TR

THE LIGHT ON MY DASH CAME ON FOR THE DRIVERS AIRBAG AND HAD IT CHECKED BY THE DEALER MARCH, 2010 FOR MY 2001 VW BEETLE 1.9 DIESEL. I WAS TOLD THE CHIP IN THE SEAT BELT HAD GONE BAD NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. APPROX. $175.00 THE SERVICE DEPT. CALLED VW AND THEY COULD NOT TELL ME IF MY DEFECTIVE CHIP IN THE SEATBELT WILL DEPLOY UPON IMPACT. 50% CHANCE IT MIGHT. I HAVE NOTICED ALL THE $ I HAVE PUT INTO THIS CAR VW GENERALLY IS NOT ON THE RECALL LISTS FOR ANYTHING. ALSO, THE HEADLIGHT BULBS GENERALLY BURN OUT EVERY YEAR AND THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED. VW DOESN'T TELL HOW TO CHANGE THE BULBS IN THE MANUAL. HAD TO GO TO THE DEALER TO SHOW HOW TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB WHICH I FEEL IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER VW BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BACK UP THEIR PRODUCT. ALSO I KNOW THIS MY BE OLD INFORMATION BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE I COULD REPORT THIS UNTIL I SAW SOMETHING IN THE PAPER. I DON'T KNOW MANY OTHER VW'S OUT THERE ARE WITH THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM BUT I HAVE TALKED TO VW COMPLAINT DEPT. AND ALL THEY TOLD ME IS THAT THEY GO OFF OF DEALERS RECORDS. I REALLY DON'T BELIEVE IT BECAUSE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD EITHER DOES N'T CHANGE FOR FIXING OR VW FIXES SOME OF THE PROBLEMS IN THE NEXT MODELS COMING OUT OF WHICH I AM STUCK WITH THE PROBLEM. NO HELP FROM VW. *TR

FIRST NOTICED IT WHEN STARTING IT UP IN THE MORNING.ROUGH AND STALLING WHEN PUTTING IT IN REVERSE. NEVER DID THAT BEFORE. IT HAS TO WARM UP BEFORE I CAN DRIVE IT BECAUSE IT WILL EITHER STALL IN REVERSE, OR IN DRIVE THE CAR WILL SHUDDER AND TAKE OFF, IT WILL NOT IDLE.WHEN IN PARK IT IS FINE WHEN IN DRIVE AT STOPLIGHTS IT WILL SURGE FORWARD. I HAVE TO EITHER PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS I CAN AND THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK,OR PUT IT IN PARK OR NEUTRAL!!!! THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY TROUBLES.IT GRADUALLY OVER TIME STOPPED SHIFTING EITHER BEFORE IT REACHES 3RD GEAR OR AFTER. I ONLY HAVE 60,000 PLUS MILES ON IT AND IT STILL SHOULD BE IN THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. THAT IT IS 2013 IT IS 12 YEARS AFTER I PURCHASED IT !! THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF 5,000 MILES A YEAR DRIVING! AND IT STILL HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION!! I CANNOT BELIEVE THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS! THEY SAY IT IS THE VALVE BODY THAT IS THE CULPRIT! THEN VW BETTER ISSUE ME A FREE REPLACEMENT! I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAVE TO SHELL OUT MY HARD EARNED MONEY FOR THEIR SCREW UP! IF THIS VALVE BODY HAS DONE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO MY TRANNY THEY WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION AS WELL! LESS THAN 65,000 MILES AND HAVING A DEFECTIVE PART THEY KNOW ABOUT THEY HAVE TO HONOR THAT POWERTRAIN WARRANTY! I WILL NEED SAFERCAR.GOV AND OR NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE INOPERATIVE, REMAIN OFF. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING. PREVIOUS RECALL 06V183000: BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH DEFECT MAKE/MODELS: MODEL/BUILD YEARS:VOLKSWAGEN/JETTA 1999-2002VOLKSWAGEN/NEW BEETLE 1998-2002MANUFACTURER: VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC.NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 06V183000 MFG'S REPORT DATE: MAY 24, 2006COMPONENT: EXTERIOR LIGHTING: BRAKE LIGHTS: SWITCH. VW IS NOT INTERESTED TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM SAYING THAT HAVE COMPLETED THE RECALL AND THIS IS MY PROBLEM NOT THEIRS EVEN THOUGH BRAKE LIGHT PROBLEM IS BACK. *TR

FIRST OF ALL< YOUR FORM WON"T LET ME SELECT TRANSMISSION< THAT IS WHY I SELECTED ENGINE> THE PROBLEM IS THE TRANSMISSION>>>>> I WAS DRIVING AT 45 MPH, SUDDENLY TRANSMISSION SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL. PRESSING ACCELERATOR DID NOT HELP. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD. MOVED TRANSMISSION SELECTOR THRU GEARS INCLUDING REVERSE. CAR DID NOT MOVE, THEN SUDDENLY THE TRANSMISSION JUMPED INTO GEAR AND LURCHED FORWARD. VERY SCARY! I WAS POINTING TOWARDS THE ROAD WHEN THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD FROM A STOP, MY QUICK RESPONSE AVOIDED ME LURCHING INTO PASSING TRAFFIC. I KEPT MOVING,ALONG THE SHOULDER, BUT THE CAR WASN'T UPSHIFTING UNTIL I REACHED APPROX 45 MPH, THEN IT SLAMMED INTO THE NEXT GEAR. JUMPED BACK INTO NEUTRAL, THEN SLAMMED INTO NEXT GEAR. *TR

AFTER ONLY HAVING THIS CAR FOR ONE YEAR, THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS AND JERKS TERRIBLY. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THIS HAS HAPPENED IN INTERSECTIONS AND I WAS ALMOST T BONED IN THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR THE LAST TIME. I HAVE CONTACTED VW AND AM TOLD "WE HAVE HAD NO COMPLAINTS OR ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION ON THESE CARS". YET, A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH FINDS HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE "NEW" VW BEETLE TRANSMISSION ISSUES. MORE PEOPLE END UP GETTING KILLED IF VW IS NOT HELD RESPONSIBLE. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS THAT INCLUDE ACKNOWLEDGING THEY HAVE A PROBLEM AND PUBLICLY ISSUING A FIX AND CONTACTING ALL OWNERS SHOULD BE AT A MINIMUM. I CAN TELL YOU THAT MY CAR IS NOW WORTHLESS, NO REPAIR SHOPS WILL WORK ON IT, AND VW WONT' ADMIT TO A PROBLEM. I AM THINKING OF CONTACTING A LAWYER. *TR