2004 Volkswagen Beetle

PURCHASED A 2004 VW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE 2 DAYS AGO. DROVE IT HOME, DROVE IT TO AND FROM WORK (FOR ONE DAY), TODAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. TOOK IT TO THE GARAGE AND THEY TELL ME THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR $6500. THE CAR ONLY HAS 57,000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS INSANE. I HAVE A 3 YEAR OLD AND THIS CAR COULD AND PROBABLY WILL LEAVE US STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. *TR

HAVE HAD TRANSMISSION ISSUES WITH MY 2004 NEW BEETLE. ON 5/12/10, I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED IT WAS A FAULTY "TURBO RECIRCULATION VALVE" AND REPLACED THE PART (PICKED UP SAME DAY-$250). ON 5/18/10, I TOLD THEM I WAS STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHERE THE RPMS GOES UP BUT THE SPEED OF THE CAR DOES NOT MOVE..CLOSE TO REDLINE. THIS TIME THE DEALER TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED (PICKED UP ON 5/25/10-$4,269). WHEN I RECEIVED THE CAR I TOLD THEM THE CAR STILL DID NOT PERFORM LIKE IT SHOULD. ON 5/26/10, I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND NOW THEY TELL ME THE TRANSMISSION CONTROLLER UNIT AND CIRCUIT WAS FAULTY AND HAD TO BE REPLACED...THIS TIME IT TOOK A WHILE (PICKED CAR UP ON 6/29/10 - $1,888). AROUND THE WEEK OF JULY 9TH I CALLED THE DEALER AND TOLD THEM THE CAR STILL FELT IT WAS SLIPPING AT TIME WHEN THE WEATHER WAS HOT AND I HAD BEEN DRIVING IN IT. ON, 7/14/10 I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN TO DEALER AND THEY HAD IT FOR A DAY...NOW THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM SO I PICKED UP THE CAR ON 7/15/10...NO COST THIS TIME. THEY MAY HAVE MADE A FEW TWEAKS AS THE CAR LASTED TILL NOW 8/07/10 WHERE I HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR AT A LOCAL POST OFFICE AFTER DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN A 105 DEGREE HEAT IN TEXAS (I DROVE ABOUT 37 MILES). IT IS JUST AS I SUSPECTED I WAS ABLE TO ASK MY BROTHER TO TAKE ME TO THE CAR IN THE EVENING AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME. I LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THE DEALERSHIP IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN I HAD THE PROBLEMS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THIS MATTER TO NOT DEFRAUD THE CONSUMER BY SELLING THEM DEFECTIVE VEHICLES/PARTS. *TR

2004 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE HATCHBACK INTERMITTENTLY LOSES POWER. I WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY WHEN IT LOST POWER. IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE WHEN TRAVELING 60 MPH ON FREEWAY. I BROUGHT CAR TO DEALERSHIP EXPLAINED THE NEAR STALL THAT HAPPENED THAT MORNING AND PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES WHEN MOVING AT HIGH SPEEDS. THEY DID DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. CALLED INDEPENDENT VW SHOP AND THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND HAD REPORTED IT TO VW AND HAVE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. THERE IS NO FIX. THE PROBLEM IS DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE AND WHEN IT IS REPLICATED THE MECHANICS CANNOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE. SITTING ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO POWER IS FRIGHTENING AND COULD PROVE FATAL. *TR

I OWN A 2004 VW NEW BEETLE AND THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO BE GOING BAD. IT IS A SEALED SYSTEM SO NO ONE HAS TAMPERED WITH IT. AT TIMES, THE VEHICLE WILL JERK VERY HARD WHEN TRYING TO DOWNSHIFT FROM A HIGHER SPEED TO A LOWER SPEED (ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO STOP). AT TIMES, IT WILL NOT SHIFT UP WHEN TRYING TO GO FROM A LOWER SPEED TO A HIGHER SPEED, THEREBY CAUSING A JERKING IN THE VEHICLE. THE PEOPLE RIDING IN THE VEHICLE ARE ALSO BEING JERKED FORWARD AND BACKWARD AS IN A WHIPLASH MOTION. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH A VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE THAT CLAIM TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE IS A WEBSITE WHERE PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED/BLOGGED ABOUT THEIR PROBLEMS AND VW IS CLAIMING NO LINKAGE TO ANY OF THE EFFECTED VEHICLES. CAN YOU ASSIST IN THIS MATTER OR TELL ME WHERE I CAN GO TO OBTAIN ASSISTANCE? *TR

2004 VW NEW BEETLE AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT REMAINS ON. SENSOR WAS REPLACED IN NOV. 2004, SEPT. 2006 AND MARCH 2007. VW SAYS THE VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER THE RECALL # 08V178000. DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL VW APPROVES IT AND DEALERSHIP WANTS US TO PAY FOR *ANOTHER* EVALUATION. LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR 1 YEAR, HAD IT EVALUATED JULY 2009. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 80,000. MILEAGE WHEN LIGHT CAME ON WAS 71,000. *TR