1998 Volkswagen New Beetle

I HAVE A 1998 VW BEETLE. I BOUGHT THE BEETLE NEW. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR HAD 15,000 MILES. THE FIRST TIME I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT GET THE LIGHT TO REMAIN OUT, HOWEVER SINCE I HAD REPORTED IT THEY WOULD HONOR THE WARRANTY ON IT IF IT WENT OUT AGAIN. IT DID THE MONTH THE WARRANTY RAN OUT. THEY REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH VW AND THEY SAID SETTLED IT WITH THE DEALER. AFTER GOING BACK AND FORTH I FINALLY PAID 80.00 TO GET IT REPAIRED. TWO MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST HEADLIGHT WENT OUT THE OTHER HEADLIGHT QUIT COMPLETELY. I TOOK IT BACK WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. THEY TOLD ME THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHTS AND VW WOULD ADDRESS THE PROBLEM LATER. BEING STUBBORN, I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE HEADLIGHT. THE CAR NOW HAS 52000 MILES ON IT. I THINK THEY SHOULD PAY ME FOR THE FIRST REPAIR AND ALSO REPAIR THE SECOND HEADLIGHT. VW IS VERY AWARE OF THE ISSUE AS I HAVE SPOKEN WITH NUMEROUS OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WHO OWN 98'S AND 99'S. *JB

WHILE IN MOTION, THE POWER WINDOWS FAILED. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW FAILED WHEN CONSUMER WAS OPERATING IT AND IT JUST STOPPED MOVING AND THEN FELL DOWN INTO THE CAR DOOR. THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW FAILED IN AUGUST 2002. CONSUMER POWERED THE WINDOW DOWN AND THEN IT WOULD NOT GO BACK UP, LEAVING IT OPEN. THE DRIVER WINDOW WAS FIXED AT THE DEALERSHIP IN VERMONT AND THE PASSENGER WINDOW WAS REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP IN WASHINGTON, DC. A VOLKSWAGEN REPRESENTATIVE INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE POWER WINDOWS WERE A CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES, BUT THAT NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED. CONSUMER REQUESTS REIMBURSEMENT FOR MONIES PAID FOR REPAIRS. *JG *SCC

WHILE EXECUTING A RIGHT TURN AT LOW SPEED, THE DRIVERS'S SEAT BROKE LOOSE FROM THE TRACK AT THE FRONT OF THE SEAT. THE SEAT REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE TRACK AT THE REAR OF THE SEAT. THIS CAUSED THE SEAT AND ME (THE DRIVER) TO SUDDENLY ROLL TOWARD THE BACK OF THE CAR, ALMOST LOSING CONTACT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. ONLY BY GRASPING THE STEERING WHEEL AND PULLING MYSELF FORWARD WAS I ABLE TO REACH THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDALS. I THEN GUIDED THE CAR TO A SAFE STOP. THIS DEFECT COULD EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN MY DEATH AND THE DEATH OF OTHER DRIVERS. I HAVE NEVER ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM ANY WORK ON THIS SEAT. REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN, AND REGARDLESS OF WARRANTY STATUS, THE DRIVER'S SEAT SHOULD NEVER BREAK LOOSE LIKE THAT. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY FATAL DEFECT.*AK

CONSUMER STATES UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, ONE OR BOTH HEADLIGHTS DO NOT ALWAYS TURN ON, CONSUMER HAS REPLACED THE BULBS ABOUT 5 TIMES EACH, CONSUMER CAN LIGHTLY TAP THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND THE LIGHTS WILL TURN ON UNTIL THE NEXT START UP, CONSUMER HAS CHECKED THE CONNECTION AND CLEANED THEM, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS, HE THINKS IT MAY HAVE TO DO WITH THE CURRENT FLOW TO THE BULBS OR BE A GROUNDING PROBLEM, CONSUMER ALSO STATES THAT THE LIGHTS HAVE NEVER GONE OUT OR FLICKERED WHILE DRIVING. *SLC

WE NOTICED THE HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. THE RIGHT SIDE HAD ALREADY GONE OUT AND WE WERE ABLE TO REPLACE THE BULB WITH NO PROBLEMS. WHEN WE TRIED TO REPLACE THE DRIVERS SIDE BULB, THE BULB HAD EXPLODED INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND WE NOTICED THAT THE METAL END OF THE HALOGEN BULB WAS MELTED TO THE CONNECTOR. WE MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE DEALER SHOWED US THE WIRING HARNESS WHICH WAS COMPLETELY MELTED. ADDITIONALLY THEY SAID THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY CONNECTION WAS ALSO MELTED. THE DEALER COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE SURPRISED THERE WAS NOT A FIRE IN THE VEHICLE.*AK

THE BOLTS AT THE BOTTOM FRONT OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT CAME LOOSE, ALLOWING THE SEAT TO "WIGGLE" IN ITS TRACKS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE BOLTS WORKED THEMSELVES FREE AND ALLOWED THE DRIVER'S SEAT TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH IN ITS TRACKS, THUS PREVENTING THE SETTING OF A SAFE, STATIONARY POSITION. ALSO, BECAUSE THE FRONT BOLTS THAT HOLD THE SEAT TO THE VEHICLE CHASSIS HAVE FAILED, VEHICLE MOVEMENTS ALLOW THE FRONT EDGE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT TO TIP UP AND DOWN IN AN ARCHING DIRECTION. THIS MEANS THAT UNLESS THE DRIVER IS HOLDING ON TO THE STEERING WHEEL FIRMLY, THE SEAT TENDS TO TIP BACK WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES FROM A STOP OR A STEADY SPEED. THE SEAT ALSO TENDS TO TIP UP AND DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE REBOUNDS AS IT COMPLETES A STOP. ON THE FIRST OCCASION THAT THE SEAT ANCHORING SYSTEM FAILED (JANUARY 2000), THE SEAT MOVED ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF ITS TRACK, BREAKING THROUGH THE BACK END OF THE LEFT PLASTIC RAIL COVER AND ALLOWING THE THE LEFT SIDE SEAT ROLLER TO JUT OUT IN THE OPEN. THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WAS ALSO REPORTED TWICE TO NHTSA IN 1999 ACCORDING TO PHIL EDMONSTON AUTHOR OF LEMON-AID CAR GUIDE 2001. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTUER DEFECT, AS IT OCCURS UNDER NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATING CONDITIONS.*AK

FIRST BULB OUT ON 10/2000 ON DRIVER'S SIDE, ON 1/17/01 REPLACED WIRE HARNESSES AS RECOMMENDED BY VOLKSWAGON DEALER ON BOTH HEAD LIGHTS. ALSO REPLACED BOTH BULBS AT THIS TIME. ON 6/29/01 BOTH BULBS BURNT OUT AGAIN AND BOTH REPLACED. VOLKSWAGON REFUSES TO REFUND, BECAUSE WORK NOT DONE AT CERTIFIED VW DEALER. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM... ONE WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING IN FOG AND VISIBILITY WAS BAD. I WANTED TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM, TO INFORM OTHERS THAT THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AND MAY NOT BE DESIGNED PROPERLY. I FEEL I SHOULD ALSO BE REFUNDED THE MONEY SPENT ON REPLACING THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE! SINCERELY, [XXX] PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).