2003 Volkswagen Beetle

MY VEHICLE WILL DOWN SHIFT REALLY HARD FROM 3RD TO 2ND WITH A LOUD CLUNK NOISE. THE TRANSMISSION AT TIMES WILL GET STUCK IN A GEAR AT A INTERSECTION AND NOT MOVE AT ALL..THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL TAKE OFF REALLY FAST. IT HAS DONE THIS ON THE FREEWAY AS WELL. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THIS CAR AND FOUND THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I HAVE CONTACTED VW AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THEY KNOW THAT THEIR IS A PROBLEM WITH THEIR TRANSMISSIONS BUT FAIL TO FIX IT. THEY SHOULD BE RECALLED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION A LOT OF THESE CAR OWNERS ARE YOUNG (NEW ) DRIVERS AND THIS IS NOT A SAFE CAR! *TR

2003 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE OWNER BLOGS, FAILED TRANSMISSION IS A COMMON AND FREQUENT OCCURRENCE. *05/31/12*BF THE CONSUMER STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE CAR AND SHIFTING IT MOVED FORWARD FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN STOPPED. THE ENGINE STILL RAN FINE BUT, THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT SHIFT TO HIGHER GEARS. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. UPDATED 06/06/12 *JS

MY 2003 NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE HAS BEEN HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WHERE IT WILL JERK VIOLENTLY WHEN IT SHIFTS UP OR DOWN AND SOMETIMES IT WILL NOT SHIFT AT ALL. IT WILL GET STUCK IN A GEAR AND I HAVE TO STOP IT AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTART IT. IT WILL JERK EVEN WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT. I HAVE TO MAKE SURE I AM FAR AWAY FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I NO LONGER DRIVE IT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. MY AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON AND WILL NOT TURN OFF ALSO, SO I'M NOT SURE IF IT WILL EVEN WORK IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT. TRANSMISSIONS SHOULD NOT BE JERKING THAT WAY AT ALL AND IF SOMEONE WAS TO WALK IN FRONT OF MY CAR AT A STOP LIGHT OR SIGN, IT COULD JERK FORWARD AND HIT THEM. NOT A SAFE CAR. *JS

MY TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY IS FAULTY, BUT VW'S EXTENDED WARRANTY ONLY COVERS VEHICLES AFTER 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES. MY CAR WAS JUST 4 MONTHS TOO OLD TO QUALIFY AND THEY REFUSED TO REPLACE ANYTHING, DESPITE IT BEING A MAJOR ISSUE AFFECTING DRIVE PERFORMANCE. OTHER CARS IN MY SAME MODEL YEAR QUALIFIED, BUT MINE DID NOT. HOW IS THIS FAIR? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO DOWN SHIFT CONTINUOUSLY INTO LOWER GEARS. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWO YEARS LATER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

MY 2003 BEETLE HAS BEEN VIOLENTLY JERKING AFTER ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES OF DRIVING (WHEN IT WARMS UP). IF I'M AT A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT AND ACCELERATE - IT VIOLENTLY JERKS INTO GEAR !! IF I BABY IT AND BARELY MOVE (WHERE TRAFFIC IS PRACTICALLY RUNNING INTO ME FROM BEHIND), IT IS NOT SOOOO BAD, BUT STILL BAD AND IT IS VERY DANGEROUS. VW ALSO EXTENDED THE WARRANTY UNTIL 2010 OR 100,000 WHICH EVER CAME FIRST, AND UNFORTUNATELY 2010 CAME FIRST AND THEY REFUSE TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY TO BE USED UNDER THE 100,000 MILES RULE. THIS IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO FIX, I'VE READ THOUSANDS OF THE SAME EXACT COMPLAINTS IN THIS CAR -- THOUSANDS, THE VERY SAME THING AND VW WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE IT TO 100,000 MILES AND NOT JUST 2010 (WHICH OBVIOUSLY HAS PAST 2 YEARS AGO). THIS IS DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE. IT IS A DEFECT AND VW SHOULD PAY FOR THIS. DO PEOPLE HAVE TO GET KILLED BEFORE THEY OFFER THE EXTENSION UP TO 100,000 MILES??? THANK YOU *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND AS I WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY, MY CAR SHIFTED DOWN VERY HARD AND THE STEERING WHEEL JERKED CAUSING ME TO HIT A GUARDRAIL. I TOOK MY CAR TO A SHOP AND HAD THE BODY REPAIRS DONE ($3910.00), AND UPON TAKING MY CAR, IT DID THE SAME THING AGAIN. I HAD IT TAKEN TO A MECHANIC AND HE STATED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THOSE VW'S AND THEY HAD A RECALL ON IT. MY LOCAL VW DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME BECAUSE THE WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE WAS UP. I WAS HOPING THAT SOMEONE THERE COULD HELP ME RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE REPAIR IS 5900.00 FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND THE BODY DAMAGE WAS 3910.00. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

FROM DAY ONE THIS CAR HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WHICH WERE DENIED BY THE DEALER ON 5 VISITS, AFTER I SOLD THE CAR I RECEIVED A RECALL FROM VW, NOW THAT I AM LOOKING AT BLOGS THEY HAVE APPARENTLY RECALLED THIS RECALL TO SUIT THEM. OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH THIS VEHICLE ARE WINDOW TROUBLES, CONVERTIBLE ROOF TROUBLES, ELECTRONIC TROUBLES, SEATBELT TROUBLES, AIRBAG TROUBLES. I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYONE WILL ALLOW THIS CAR TO STILL BE SOLD OR ON THE ROAD. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD ON WHEELS. *TR

THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW AND WITHIN THREE MONTHS HAD TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. RECENTLY IT STARTED TO LURCH AT STOPS AND STARTS, AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A FAILED VALVE BODY ON THE TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSITION COMPANY REFERRED ME TO WEBSITES WHERE THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN IN MI AND WAS TOLD THERE HAD BEEN A WARRANTY EXTENSION, OF WHICH I WAS NOT INFORMED, BUT THAT IT WOULD NOT APPLY TO ME NOW. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE FREQUENCY OF THIS PROBLEM WARRANTS A LOOK AT THIS MODEL AND ITS TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER WARNED MY TRANSITION SPECIALIST THAT THE REPAIR WHICH HAS BEEN FREQUENT ONLY WORKS ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME. I ASKED IF IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE AS IS AND WAS WARNED ONLY FOR SHORT DISTANCES. IT APPEARS TO E THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE TRIGGERED A RECALL OR A CLASS ACTION SUIT. *TR