1998 Volkswagen Beetle engine problems

Filed Oct 31, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 130,000 miles · KY · fire

Daughter was driving to school, car stalled, restarted car then saw smoke and fire under passenger side dash. Car burnt completely, totaled. Have before and after pictures. ..updated 11/12/14

Filed Jun 18, 2014 · Engine · 85,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to shift into any gear without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 85,000.

Filed Sep 30, 2010 · Engine · 136,000 miles · IL · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the temperature light began beeping, then suddenly stopped beeping and a red light began flashing. The contact noticed a thump under the accelerator pedal so she stopped the vehicle on the left side of the highway. She attempted to drive the vehicle to the right side, but the vehicle would not start, so she coasted over to the right side of the highway. When the hood was opened, there were flames erupting and the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. The vehicle was destroyed. The fire department was called but no report was filed. The manufacturer had not been notified. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 136,000.

Filed Mar 24, 2010 · Electrical, Engine · 106,000 miles · NJ · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 vw beetle diesel. Driver was traveling about 5mph on a clear day when she noticed a squeak in the engine. Took to dealer for a new battery and to check squeak in front end and check air conditioner. The technician discovered fuses were burnt and that both fans were melted. After repairs made contact states that squeak still present and fans still not working. Technician informed contact that repairs made correctly. Contact took vehicle back to dealer and it is still there. Failure mileage was 106,000. Current mileage 106,075.

Filed Sep 18, 2008 · Engine · 77,000 miles · NJ

My car began to over heat in july and I took it to the mechanic. I had to replace the water pump, thermostat and timing belt. @ months pass and again its overheating again now I'm told the head gasket is bad. I fix the head gasket and its overheating. They do not know what is causing it to overheat. $1500 later I'm still in the same boat.

Filed Aug 25, 2007 · Body, Brakes · 50,000 miles · NC

Since I purchased my beetle in 2001, it has been an ongoing money drain. In 6 yrs. I have replaced the manual transmission twice, had the brakes worked on a number of times, been unable to open the gas "door" on the car w/ the gas cap latch, had to replace the hood opening latch, had repeated electrical failures, problems w/ front & rear light wiring, had door locks/alarm fail & subsequently had my laptop stolen from the car, the radio has not worked for 1+ year, & it's cover panel is loose & falling back into the dash, the rear-view mirror switches have failed, the power window switches have had to be replaced, the drivers side door fell off (!) of its top hinge when the hinge broke while opening the door normally at a gas station, the air compressor has failed many times, the A/C is currently not working, the drivers side door lock fell out of the handle(!!!!), the catalytic converter has been replaced twice, & the list goes on. Currently I have not been driving the car for several wks b/c though only a week or two out of the shop, again it is having transmission problems. I am at my wits end with this car & having recently graduated from college, am not in the greatest position to have to buy a new car. Moreover, I am so displeased w/ the car that I would literally feel guilty about trading it in to be sold to some other unsuspecting person. Vw should be so ashamed of themselves, & should be reimbursing owners of the 1998 beetle in full for all of the strife & trouble that they have caused. In fact, after writing this & realizing how many problems this car has had, I may try to take legal action - this is totally unacceptable! Finally, our local vw dealer is terrible, keeping my car for wks. Longer than expected, one time leaving a candy bar stuck to my passenger side seat!!!, and acting like they could care less about the poor quality of their products & labor.

Filed Oct 20, 2005 · Engine · 48,000 miles · CA

While driving at any speed vehicle vibrated and jerked uncontrollably. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection, but mechanic was not able to duplicate the problem. Two weeks later, vehicle was taken back to the dealer for the same problem, and mechanic determined that one motor mount bolt was missing and one needed to be tightened. *ak

Filed Sep 28, 2005 · Engine, Locks · 52,000 miles · WA

The lock mechanism on the passenger side door of my 1998 beetle just fell out without warning. I discovered that it was missing and went to a repair shop to get it replaced, only to learn the this is a common problem with beetles because the lock is held in by only one tiny screw. This defect will cost me $350.00 to repair, in a car that has only 50,000 miles on it. I also recently had to replace a fuse that powered the radiator fan because there is no early warning system in the car to indicate that the fan is not working. I was only aware there was a problem when the check-engine light came on, by which time there could have been extensive damage to the radiator. The fuse itself had gotten so hot it had virtually melted. This problem cost me nearly $370.00 to fix. The mechanic noted that he had seen this happen with beetles several times because there is no temperature indicator on the dash -- you have no idea there is a problem until the check-engine light comes on.

Filed Aug 10, 2005 · Engine · 55,000 miles · NC

I have invested in a 1998 volkswagen beetle I only drove it 3 times it when down on me 6 miles from my house the guy that's working on said my headon motor was crack , then I had ele , problems everyday I call it is something else I pay down to ezway auto 5,000.00 then I pay 383.00 a month I have only had this car for 2 weeks . I ask for my money back they said no .what such I do I am disable on a limit income.

Filed Sep 8, 2004 · Acceleration, Engine · 10,000 miles · VA

When cruise control was engaged vehicle would suddenly accelerate beyond the set speed. The dealer examined the vehicle, and found that the throttle control module was defective. *ak the vehicle's speedometer would not go past 60 MPH. The A/C compressor failed which caused a loud squealing noise when turning the A/C on. The mil light illuminated intermittently. The dealer replaced the air hose , air pump and mass air flow sensor.