2005 Volkswagen Beetle

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH THE VEHICLE VIOLENTLY LUNGED FORWARD AS IT ABRUPTLY DOWNSHIFTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY HESITATE WHILE ACCELERATING AT A STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TIPTRONIC SWITCH WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO RECUR SO THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE HE WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

I HAVE A 2005 BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, NEVER IN AN ACCIDENT - UP TO DATE ON ALL MAINTENANCE WITH ONLY 64,450 MILES ON IT. A WEEK OR SO THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING SO I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC. HE WAS HOPING IT WAS A SOLENOID, AND AN EASY FIX BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS A REBUILD. HE CALLED HIS TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST WHO SAID - 'I WON'T EVEN TOUCH A BEETLE, IT'S LIKE PUTTING ON ANOTHER WEDDING RING. YOU GET TIED TO THESE CARS' I HAVE HAD SEVERAL SMALL ISSUES WITH THE CAR, AND ONE BIG ISSUE WHICH MY DEALERSHIP TOOK CARE OF DURING MY WARRANTY PERIOD SO I HAD BEEN SATISFIED WITH VW'S RESPONSE AT LEAST IN THE PAST, BUT A LIGHTLY DRIVEN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT BE FAILING 4500 MILES OUTSIDE THE CARS WARRANTY..AND THE FACT THAT TRANSMISSION SPECIALISTS RECOGNIZE THIS AS A FREQUENT AND RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE MODEL MAKES ME THINK THERE IS CAUSE FOR RECALL. SEARCHING FOR BEETLE TRANSMISSION PROMPTS MESSAGE BOARDS WITH HUNDREDS OF ENTRIES ON THE TOPIC AND IN MANY CASES, PEOPLE ARE IN THE 'JUST OVER 60,000 MILE' CATEGORY I FALL UNDER. SOME EXAMPLES: HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F124D77 (33 PAGES OF OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE) HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/VW_BEETLE.HTML (2004-2005 BEETLE OWNERS WHO DESCRIBE THE SAME EXACT ISSUE AS I'M HAVING). *TR

TRANSMISSION IN 2005 VW BEETLE WITH 60,000 MILES ON IT IS SUDDENLY FAILING TO SHIFT. RESEARCH INDICATES THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE YET VW REFUSES TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. I EXPLAINED THAT THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THIS WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THEIR RESPONSE WAS TO OVER TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF MORE THAN THE CURRENT VALUE OF THE CAR. *TR

2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING - LESS THAN 85,000 MILES. AT APPROXIMATELY 60K MILES I NOTICED A JERKING WHEN I WOULD SLOW. THE JERKING WOULD OCCUR WHILE THE CAR WAS SLOWING BETWEEN 3RD AND 2ND GEAR. THAT SEEMED TO IRON ITSELF OUT, BUT THEN A NEW PROBLEM SURFACED - THE CAR WILL SLIP INTO NEUTRAL BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR SPORADICALLY. AT 80K MILES, I TOOK MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC - HE TOLD ME IT COULD BE DUE TO LOW TRANSMISSION FLUID. HE CHECKED MY LEVELS AND SAID ALL SEEMED TO BE IN ORDER. NOW (A MONTH LATER) IT OCCURS MORE RECENTLY (DAILY AND MORE THAN ONCE A DAY), MY CAR WILL TRANSITION SMOOTHLY BETWEEN GEARS UNTIL TRANSMISSION WARMS UP. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 10 - 15 MINUTES WORTH OF DRIVING, ACCELERATING BETWEEN 2 AND 3RD GEAR, THE CAR REVS LIKE IT HAS SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL AND WILL JERK VIOLENTLY INTO 3RD GEAR. WHEN I CAN TELL THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING, I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE GAS, ALLOW THE RPMS TO RETURN TO NORMAL AND THEN TRY ACCELERATING AGAIN, NORMALLY THIS WILL ALLOW THE CAR TO SMOOTHLY TRANSITION TO 3RD GEAR. TODAY, HOWEVER, THE CAR REMAINED IN NEUTRAL AND ALTHOUGH I TOOK MY FOOT FROM THE GAS, THE ENGINE SEEMED TO CONTINUE TO REV AS IF MY FOOT WAS STILL PRESSING ON THE GAS. I PRESSED THE BREAK TO STOP THE RPMS FROM CLIMBING HIGHER AND THEN THE CAR JERKED INTO 3RD - THIS WAS BY FAR THE SCARIEST BECAUSE I HAD A CAR RIGHT BEHIND ME. IMPROMPTU BREAKING AND LURCHING COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAD I BEEN IN TIGHTER TRAFFIC. I WAS ONLY GOING 25 MILES PER HOUR. I CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN AND FORMALLY SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT. I'VE ALSO GONE ON SEVERAL VEHICLE FORUMS AND FOUND I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF VW BEETLE THAT IS EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. I TOOK MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC TODAY TO FIND OUT A DIAGNOSIS. HOPING SOMEONE ELSE HAS HEARD OF THIS AND FOUND A MORE VIABLE SOLUTION OTHER THAN SOAKING $6K INTO A 5-YEAR OLD CAR. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 75K MILES, 2005 VW BEETLE BEGAN VIOLENT LURCHING UPON SLOWING DOWN, RESULTING IN UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION. READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRANSMISSION ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL/YEAR - LOCAL DEALER DENIED KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM. VEHICLE TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND IS UNDERGOING A TRANSMISSION REBUILD QUOTED AT APPROXIMATELY $3,500.00. *TR

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2005 VW BEETLE. AT APPROXIMATELY 89,000 MILES I NOTICED A LURCHING BETWEEN GEARS. THIS WOULD OCCUR ONLY AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING. I AM NOT A MECHANIC BUT SUSPECTED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN MY CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A FEE OF $95.00 I WAS TOLD THAT A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS NEEDED. SINCE THE 2005 BEETLE CONVERTIBLE WAS BUILT WITH A NON-SERVICEABLE TRANSMISSION THE VW MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THE TRANSMISSION FROM 'GOING UP' EARLY. THE MECHANIC ALSO SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD HAVE LASTED SEVERAL MORE YEARS BEFORE HAVING ANY ISSUES. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN APRIL 2005, AND I DO NOT HAVE THE $6,000.00 IT WILL COST TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS OUT THERE FOR THE SAME ISSUE ON THE SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR SHOULDN'T THIS BE SOMETHING THAT VW IS REQUIRED TO FIX? ONE OTHER INCIDENT I WANT TO MENTION IS THAT WITHIN THE FIRST 2 YEARS OF OWNING MY 2005 VW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. SINCE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND HAD THEM LOOK AT IT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SWITCH HAD TO BE RESET AND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR. HOWEVER, THEY NEVER DOCUMENTED THIS COMPLAINT AT ALL SO WHEN I WENT BACK WITH THE SAME PROBLEM JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER MY WARRANTY EXPIRED. I WAS TOLD THEY HAD NO RECORD OF THE COMPLAINT AND THEY WOULD CHARGE ME OVER $100.00 JUST TO LOOK AT IT. NOW THAT I AM RESEARCHING THE TRANSMISSION I SEE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VERY THING AND I WAS NEVER INFORMED, NOR WAS THE LIGHT EVER FIXED. AFTER ALL THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS JUST A TRIPPED SWITCH AND THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN SO I DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT IT ' UNTIL NOW. *TR