2003 Volkswagen Beetle

PURCHASED 2003 NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE IN JUNE 2003. I AM THE ONLY OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. THE CAR HAD APPROX. 69 MILES ON IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT. THE CAR NOW HAS 39,038 MILES AS OF THIS WRITING. WITHIN THE LAST MONTH (WHEN THE CAR TURNED OVER TO 39,000), I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING MAJOR TRANSMISSION ISSUES. STARTING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, ACCELERATING, THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT INTO 1ST GEAR. INSTEAD, THE TRANSMISSION GRINDS & THEN JUMPS (LURCHES) FORWARD, CAUSING THE TIRES TO SCREECH. WHEN THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD, THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW TIMES WHEN IT JUMPED SO AS TO ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT & SEEMS TO OCCUR ONCE I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR FOR 10 MILES OR MORE. THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON FOR THIS PROBLEM, & I CANNOT PREDICT WHEN OR WHERE IT WILL HAPPEN. I WOULD SAY THAT IT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. I HAVE READ ON LINE THAT MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR OF CAR HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. SOME PEOPLE HAVE INDICATED THAT AN ACCIDENT WAS BARELY AVOIDED - - SAME SCENARIO THAT I AM COMPLAINING OF IN THIS COMPLAINT. MY QUESTION - WHY IS VOLKSWAGEN NOT RECALLING THIS CAR FOR THE TRANSMISSION ISSUES BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED BY THIS UNEXPECTED LURCHING PROBLEM. LIKE THE TOYOTA ACCELERATOR PROBLEM OF RECENT WEEKS, INJURIES COULD BE PREVENTED IF THE CAR MANUFACTURER WOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. I AM UNABLE TO AFFORD TO REPAIR MY CAR & HAVE AN AD ON CRAIGS LIST FULLY DISCLOSING THE PROBLEM I AM EXPERIENCING. HOPEFULLY, I WILL BE ABLE TO SELL THE CAR TO SOMEONE WHO CAN AFFORD THE $4,000+ REPAIR TO REPLACE/REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

2003 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE. CAR ONLY HAS 74K MILES ON IT AND THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING BADLY. WHEN DOWNSHIFTING IT SHIFTS REALLY HARD AND LUNGES FORWARD. THIS ALSO HAPPENS WHEN UPSHIFTING IN THE AUTO TRANS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A BIG PROBLEM WITH THE NEW BEETLES. THE ONLY FIX IS REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH COST ABOUT 6,000. THERE IS NO REASON FOR A TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 74K MILES. *TR

I HAVE 2003 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS GONE BAD ONCE ALREADY AND WAS REPLACED BY A NEW ONE...BUT THE TRANNY HAS GONE BAD AGAIN JUST AFTER 35,000 MILES AFTER THE NEW TRANNY WAS REPLACED...ITS REALLY SCARY DRIVING THAT CAR BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN ITS GOING TO SKIP...IT RUNS WELL FOR A WHILE THEN IT JUST STARTS SKIPPING GEARS...WE HAVE CHANGE THE TRANNY FLUID ABOUT 3 TIMES AND NOTHING HAS WORKED OUT...ITS GOING TO COST ME $1,700 TO FIX....I THINK VW SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON NEW BEETLES TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSIONS... *TR

2003 VW NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE HAS A TRANSMISSION FLAW WHICH RESULTS IN JERKY SHIFTING BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR CAUSING WHIPLASH TO THE DRIVER AS WELL AS A HESITATION (AND HIGH ENGINE REVVING) SHIFTING INTO 5TH GEAR. THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH SOME KIND OF SHIFTING CONTROL PROBLEM. THE TRANSMISSION WORKS FINE WHEN IT IS COOL (FIRST START DRIVING) BUT GETS WORSE AS THE CAR WARMS UP. AFTER 15 MILES THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING IS VERY JERKY AND UNSETTLING. THERE IS A HESITATION AND THEN A VERY HARD CLANKING SOUND WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE AND NEUTRAL TO DRIVE. HIGHWAY DRIVING IS VERY DANGEROUS DUE TO HESITATION BETWEEN GEARS 4 AND 5 AT AROUND 60 MILES PER HOUR. CITY STREET DRIVING IS DANGEROUS DUE TO THE JERKY SHIFT INTO 3RD GEAR AT AROUND 20 MILES PER HOUR. THIS IS HAPPENING 1 DAY AFTER HAVING THE CAR IN THE VW SHOP FOR 4 DAYS HAVING THE TIPTRONIC GEAR SHIFT CONTROL MODULE REPLACED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THIS CONDITION HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO A LESSER DEGREE FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE CAR HAS HAD THE TRANSMISSION CHECKED 4 TIMES IN 5 YEARS TO ADDRESS THE ROUGH SHIFTING CONDITION. THE VW DEALERS\SERVICE PEOPLE REPORT THE TRANSMISSION IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS NOT DESIGNED TO JERK ROUGHLY BETWEEN GEARS NOR TO HESITATE BETWEEN UPPER GEARS. ANY HESITATION AT 55 TO 60 MPHS SHIFTING FROM 4TH TO 5TH GEAR (SIMILAR TO PUSHING IN THE CLUTCH BUT NOT SHIFTING GEARS IN A MANUAL TRANNY) CAN RESULT IN SOMEONE RUNNING INTO TEH REAR END OF THE CAR. IN A SMALL VEHICLE LIKE THE BEETLE, A REAR END COLLISION AT 60 MPH CAN RESULT IS FLIPPING THE CAR AND DEATHS. PLEASE TAKE ACTION AGAINST VW AMERICA TO ADDRESS AND RESOLVE THIS UNSAFE CONDITION. THANK YOU. *TW

I STARTED EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROBLEMS ON MY '03 VW BEETLE TURBO, JUST AROUND ONE YEAR AFTER PURCHASE FROM A VW DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS PRE-CERTIFIED AT THE TIME, SINCE I COULDN'T AFFORD THE WARRANTY, BUT THE DEALER HAD, I PRESUME, DECLARED IT FREE OF DEFECTS AND PROBLEMS. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER TO CHECK THE PROBLEM, UPON WHICH I WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF $4200. NO FURTHER DETAILS WERE GIVEN AS TO THE REASON OR POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR THE PROBLEM, IN SPITE OF MY REQUESTS FOR A DESCRIPTION. THE SERVICE ADVISOR JUST STATED "IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED". I HAVE SINCE VISITED ONLINE AUTOMOTIVE FORUMS AND FOUND OUT THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH OTHER OWNERS AS WELL. I AM CONCERNED NOW THAT EVEN IF I REPLACE IT, THE REPLACEMENT MAY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. IN THE MEAN TIME THE TRANSMISSION UNPREDICTABLY STARTS SLIPPING, OR MAKING A SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN SLIPPING AND AT OTHER TIMES WON'T EVEN SHIFT FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. *TW

I OWN A 2003 VW NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, 4 CYL, 6 SP AUTO. IT HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT. WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, IT'S STARTED JERKING WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FIND I'M NOT ALONE. THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF OTHERS IN THE SAME POSITION. ACCORDING TO VW, THE TRANSMISSION IS $6,800. WOW - I KNOW! YOU HAVE TO USE THE DEALER BECAUSE THE PARTS AREN'T AVAILABLE TO THE AFTER MARKET. IN ANY EVENT, THE CAR HESITATES WHEN YOU ATTEMPT TO PULL OUT, JERKS WHEN YOU STOP. I'VE NARROWLY AVOIDED SEVERAL REAR END COLLISIONS AS WELL AS SAID SEVERAL PRAYERS WHEN IT DIDN'T ACCELERATE AS QUICKLY AS IT SHOULD HAVE. I'M NOT A MECHANIC, BUT I'M NOT STUPID EITHER. THE TRANSMISSION IS FINE UNTIL THE ENGINE IS WARM. I CAN SHIFT GEARS WITH NO PROBLEM USING THE TIPTRONIC PART OF THE SYSTEM - BUT OTHERS HAVE SAID THIS ONLY WORKS FOR A SHORT PERIOD. THERE ARE NO METAL SOUNDS WHEN THE ENGINE IS SHIFTING. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION, IT IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. VW REFUSES TO PUT THE TIME AND EFFORT INTO DETERMINING WHAT THE REAL PROBLEM IS. THEY JUST REPLACE THE TRANSMISSIONS AND POCKET $6,800. BY THE WAY, THE BLUE BOOK VALUE OF THE CAR IS $6,800. IRONIC, I KNOW. I'VE READ POST AFTER POST FROM PEOPLE WHO HAD THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BY VW ONLY TO FIND THE PROBLEMS PERSIST. I UNDERSTAND THEY DON'T WANT TO FIND THE ISSUE, BUT I REALLY LOVE MY CAR AND WANT IT FIXED. CORRECTLY. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VW TO DO THE RIGHT THING, FIND THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. ANY HELP YOU CAN OFFER IS APPRECIATED. *TR

LIKE ALMOST ALL 2005 VW NEW BEETLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, MINE (AFTER WARMING UP) SHIFTS VERY HARD BOTH UP AND DOWN THE GEARS AND REVS UP BETWEEN GEARS. OCCASIONALLY IT HANGS UP IN THIRD GEAR UNTIL IT SITS AND COOLS DOWN FOR SEVERAL HOURS. I HAVE HAD IT FAIL ON MULTIPLE LANE HIGHWAYS CAUSING ME TO BECOME TRAPPED BETWEEN LANES. THIS TRANSMISSION IS FAILING IN MOST IF NOT ALL VW BEETLES AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. JUST DO AN INTERNET SEARCH FOR "NEW BEETLE TRANSMISSION FAILURE" AND YOU'LL SEE HOW PERVASIVE IT IS. MY BEETLE BEGAN GIVING PROBLEMS AT 45,000 MILES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKWAGEN BEETLE WHICH WAS PURCHASED IN 2008. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND ACCELERATING OR SHIFTING GEARS, THE VEHICLE WOULD ACT AS IF IT WAS GOING TO STALL AND BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT AT A COSTS OF OVER $6,000 AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO DATE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE UNDER 100,000.