2002 Volkswagen Beetle transmission problems

Filed Aug 16, 2013 · Transmission · LA

This is my daughters car and we are concerned about the safety of it with her going to school and work. It has been jerking very hard enough to throw you whole body forward I just can't believe the complaints I've seen with this car I would have never bought it knowing all these problems. Parents concerned please help to get fixed. Vw should be held accountable and fix these dangerous issues I pray everyday she is ok driving, can't afford to get another car let alone fix it!!! Also have had other issues too but this one is the most concerning!!

Filed Jun 24, 2011 · Transmission · 68,543 miles · NM

02m transmission 6 speed; shift fork in 1st and 2nd gear fail, a small rivet is used to secure this fork (brass fork and steel shaft) together. My 1st and 2nd gear were hard to get into and progressively got worse over time; until the shift fork failed and 1st, 2nd gear are nonexistent; all other gears work fine. This is a known issue and widely reported problem on websites such as vwvortex. This particular car; 2002 new beetle turbo s; only has about 70k which is low for a catastrophic failure such as this.

Filed Aug 2, 2010 · Transmission · 100,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated while traveling approximately 75mph, the transmission independently downshifted yet there was an unusual increase in engine rpms. The vehicle abnormally decelerated from 75 to 15 MPH within seconds. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was advised that the transmission rear differential gear was defective. The mechanic also advised that the transmission would need to be replaced. The failure and current mileages were approximately 100,000.

Filed Jul 24, 2010 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · NC

Our 2002 vw transmission went out @ 75,000 miles with no notice. Just one day it would not back up. Then it was almost like it jumped into reverse and then when we put it in drive you could just tell it was not right. We limped it around from place to place getting opinions on what was wrong and getting estimates on repair. Had one garage take the cover off side of transmission seeing metal shavings was when we got it replaced. That replacement lasted a total of 3 days, it was used with only 23000 miles on it and only lasted 3 days. It just stopped in the middle of road and would no go into any gear. Replaced that one with another ( both were fdf transmissions) and now the speedometer is off x 8-13 MPH, the RPM are running high around 2800 to 3000 @ 55 -60 MPH. Fuel mileage is down cut in half. Have taken it to a vw dealer and was told there were no codes anywhere and they did not know what was wrong or why these problems were happening. This tells me there is a big problem somewhere with vw transmissions and someone needs to inquire into this. The internet is full of vw transmission problems.

Filed Jun 21, 2010 · Transmission · 220,000 miles · TN

I have a 2002 vw new beetle with an automatic transmission that has failed with 220,000 miles on it. It began to slip and not down shift properly at 170,000 miles. It is a diesel and I expect the engine will continue to perform for another 3 to 400 thousand miles. Has vw been honest with the consumer about its track history of transmission failures in the new beetle? Please add my new beetle to the list of automatic transmission complaints.

Filed Apr 18, 2010 · Electrical, Transmission · 65,234 miles · TX

Over the past two months, I have experienced problems shifting in between gears. The problem began on a road trip to houston, tx and was stuck on a back highway in low gear in the middle on nowhere. After bringing the car to a stop and restarting the vehicle it worked for some time but the issue progressively got worse over the last two months. I live in nacogdoches, tx where there are many hills throughout town, this past friday on my way home from school my car would not shift gears and I could not get over the hills. Another car came over the hill and almost hit me as the speed limit is 55 MPH in that area and my car was not even moving as I hit over 6000 RPM and I could not move forward to climb the hill. Now the vehicle will not even move forward once it was brought to my driveway, no matter how many times I have restarted.

Filed Nov 28, 2009 · Transmission · 104,000 miles · KY

After driving the car for about 20 minutes, I stopped at a redlight. When the light turned green, my car acted like it did not have a lot of power and would not shift into 2nd and 3rd gears without over revving. Whenever I slowed back down, the car abruptly and severely downshifts. The shift is hard enough that it slings me forward. I fear that I will soon be rearended because of this. I do not feel safe to drive my car. This occurrence happens sporadically and I can't get it fixed until a mechanic witnesses it happening.

Filed Nov 9, 2009 · Transmission · 110,000 miles · OH

2002 volkswagen beetle automatic transmission. There is a long hesitation then a violent jerk going into gears. I had stopped at the stop sign at the end of my road, I then proceeded to cross 4 lanes of highway traffic when the transmission decided to do a long hesitation. A multiple car accident was almost the result. I have since parked the car and do not drive it because I cannot afford to fix it and volkswagen told me that the repairs would be $5700.00. This hesitation and jerking happens everytime time now when driven. I believe this is a safety concern and should be looked into. Thank you!

Filed Oct 22, 2009 · Transmission · 31,000 miles · TX

Transmission of 2002 vw beetle needs to be replaced . The car has only 31,000 miles and has been very well cared for. This seems to be a common problem on vw beetles. Could there be a defect in the transmissions of there cars?

Filed Oct 19, 2009 · Engine, Transmission · 70,000 miles · WV

2002 turbo vw beetle. Seems to be jerking when shifting into gear. Last week it jerked me forward quite hard. Scary!! Car has 70,000 miles. I see there is alot of people with this same problem. I've spent 1200.00 in the last year on various repairs. As I saw with other complaints, A/C stops working and then this. Wondering if this is a safety issue with the seriousness of this jerking affect. Jerking now has gotten harder and is everytime it shifts into gear. This is an automatic! When recently taken into a vw shop they did a computer scan on it and nothing comes up. Various hoses, water pump, thermo reader have been replaced.