2004 Volkswagen Beetle

CAR WOULDN'T EXCEL WHILE DRIVING SUDDENLY 1 MILE FROM TOWN SUDDENLY TRAFFIC SLOWED FROM SNOW STORM IN TOWN,THE VEHICLE SMELL WAS FUNNY BLACK SMOKED SLOWLY LEAKED INSIDE THE CAR WINDOWS UP HEARD A MISFIRE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON BLINKED THEN I HEARD LOUD BLAST LIKE I THOUGHT IT WAS A PLOW TRUCKS MUFFLER LOUDNESS REALIZED IR WAS MY VEHICLE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY LESS 1/3 MILE AT BANK. SHUT OFF MOTOR M NOW SEEING SMOKE SLOWLY ENTERED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 2 FRONT SEATSAND CONSOLE. FEELING HOT UNDER BELLY OF FLOORS. ORANGE GLOW THROUGH ELECTRICAL OUTLET IN BACK OF CONSOLE APPEARED TO BE HOTWITH PLASTIC CASING IN AND UNDER FLOORS HOT SIZZLING CRACKLING UNDER CENTER CASING/I TRY TO CALL 911 MISUSED THE CELL WOULDN'T OPERATE EFFECTIVELY FLAGGED DOWN A MAN N WOMAN AT THE CORNER LIGHT OF BANK THEY DECLINED TO HELP SO I WENT TO CAR PUT SNOW ON COMPARTMENT AND WET IT DOWN AND AIRED OUT SMOKE WITH PASSENGER DOOR OPEN .I WENT IN BANK FOR ASSISTANCE .THIS VEHICLE WAS RECALLED FOR SAFETY ISSUES BY MANUFACTURER IN THE PAST .WERE SAID TO BE CORRECTED BY REPAIRMAN ALSO SAID SEATBELT HARNESS WAS A ISSUE HEATED SEATS WERE A ISSUE AND AIRBAGS TRANNY ALSO RECALLED FOR ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND OR TRANSMISSION AND AIR BAGS ON SOME 2004 VW VEHICLE BEETLES RECALLS SO FAR OCCURRED TO THIS VW WERE AIRBAG SENSORS/ ALSO THE SEATBELT HARNESS CASES WERE BREAKING REPEATEDLY ONCE PURCHASED DUE TO PUTTING THE SEATS UP AND BACK TO GET IN THE VEHICLE. NOW THIS MYSTERIOUS FIRE AND HEADLAMP ISSUE.. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE TRAVELING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BECAME RESISTANT TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VALVE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 60 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED SECONDS PRIOR TO THE FIRE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE AND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. THE ENGINE BLEW SHORTLY AFTER THE HOOD WAS OPENED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WATER PUMP, RADIATOR AND VEHICLE REGULATOR SENSOR WAS REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE HEAD GASKETS WERE LEAKING BUT THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD STILL BE DRIVEN. EIGHT MONTHS LATER, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE A SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY THE LEAK FROM THE HEAD GASKET SEALS. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 28,000. UPDATED 5/16/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS OIL IN THE ANTI-FREEZE AND THE SEAL ON THE OVERFLOW TANK WAS LEAKING. UPDATED 05/23/12

VEHICLE IS SEVEN YEARS OLD WITH 59,100 MILES AND ALREADY NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION DUE TO INCORRECT GEAR RATIO FAULT 17114, AND PO330. ALSO, NEEDS A CATALYTIC CONVERTER, HAS AIR LEAK FROM BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM PIPE. VW CORPORATION ADVISED CONVERTER UNDER WARRANTY AND OFFERED $1,000 TOWARD A NEW OR USED VW. THE TRANSMISSION IS APPROXIMATELY $4,000. I DECLINED THEIR OFFER. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THREE WINDOW REGULATORS. ...UPDATED 01/30/12 *BF

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT WOULD SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL GEAR AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD TO BE ENGAGED IN ORDER TO SHIFT BACK INTO DRIVE. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE DEALER WHO WAS TOLD THAT THE CONTROL VALVES CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE WOULD INCREASE IN SPEED AND THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED DOWN TO 5TH GEAR. UPDATED 12/02/11

MY 2004 BEETLE RAN FINE FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER A PURCHASED IT FROM THE DEALER, NOW THE CAR STOPS RUNNING AT 65 MPH ON THE FREEWAY SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK, DURING MY TRAVEL TO WORK. I HAVE READ SEVERAL POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET STATING THE SAME ISSUES FROM THOUSANDS OF VW OWNERS. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD MY CAR DIAGNOSIS STATING I NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANS, BUT THERES NO INDICATION TRANS FAILURE. ONE WEEK THERE CAR RUNS GREAT THEN, NEXT IT STOPS DURING TRAVEL AND HAS JERKY FEELS DURING MOVEMENT. I'M SURE THERE HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUES AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE MANY TOO MANY TO LIST. *KB

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A VW BEETLE IN MAY OF 2010, FOR MY BIRTHDAY FROM HOLLYWOOD AUTO BROKERS IN LOS ANGELES, CA. THE CAR RAN SMOOTH FOR ABOUT A COURSE OF FIVE TO SIX MONTHS, I HAD TO RETURN TO THE DEALERSHIP EARLY ON BECAUSE MY HEAD LIGHTS WERE OUT WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR. AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR, A JERKING AND EXTREMELY WEIRD DECELERATION OF THE CAR WOULD BEGIN, BUT IT WOULD "POP BACK TO NORMAL" AFTER A WHILE, MAYBE THREE TO TEN SECONDS. THIS HAD GONE ON AND HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE FIVE MONTHS AFTER I BROUGHT IT. I FINALLY MADE IT BACK INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND HE RODE WITH ME ON A TEST DRIVE AROUND THE CORNER AND OF COURSE IT DIDN'T REPEAT THE PREVIOUS SHOW OF DEFECTS. HE ASSURED ME THE CAR IS JUST BEING BROKEN IN. A YEAR GOES BY AND I DECIDED I WANT TO TRADE IN MY CAR FOR ANOTHER CAR, SO I HEAD TO NISSAN. I TEST DRIVE A CAR AND LOVE IT AND THEN GO IN FOR THE PAPER WORK. THE GUY RUNS MY VIN TO SEE MY CAR VALUE AND COME BACKS AND TELL ME MY CAR TITLE IS SALVAGED. TO MY DISBELIEF AND DISGUST, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY FINANCIAL COMPANY, AL FINANCIAL OF GLENDALE, CA THAT I AM LEASING THE CAR FROM. THEY GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND AND ASSURE ME THAT THE TITLE IS CLEAN AND NOT A SALVAGE. I CONTINUE ON MY INVESTIGATION AND COME TO A CARFAX WEBSITE TO GET THE REAL FACTS ON MY DEFECTED VEHICLE. THE INFORMATION REVEALS THAT NOT ONLY IS THE TITLE SALVAGE BUT IT HAD BODILY DAMAGE AND HAD BEEN TOTALED OUT FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY FROM IT'S PREVIOUS OWNER. THE CAR HAD BEEN BROUGHT BACK FROM MEXICO AND REGISTERED IN THE STATES AGAIN AS A NEW CAR I BELIEVE. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS SITUATION ASAP AND GET SOME CLOSURE ON A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT IS MESSING WITH MY INCOME AS I AM A TRAVEL NURSE FOR HOSPICE PATIENTS. RECENTLY THE WATER PUMP HAS GONE OUT AND I'M NOT SURE YET IF I NEED TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKETS. I HOPE I CAN HEAR AN RESPONSE IN A GOOD ENOUGH AMOUNT OF TIME SO I CAN WORK OUT AN REIMBURSEMENT OF SOME KIND WITH PAYMENT ON EITHER BEHALF. *TR