2003 Volkswagen Beetle body problems

Filed May 2, 2018 · Body · MA

Inner door handles to close the doors, both left and right, have broken off, snaping. As I did research to find replacement; I contacted over 20 different junk yards in my area and I am being told the same; "all panels have the handle broken". The only way I can repair it is by buying the whole panel from the dealer at an outrage price or buying it from a used seller which is still at least $600.00 for the pair panels. I need these handles to close the doors securely .

Filed Jun 28, 2013 · Body · 113,000 miles · CA

This vehicle permeates an odor of crayon wax in heat or cold. More so in heat and when the heat or A/C is being used. The odor sticks to you hair and clothing and is extremely nauseating. In research it is a wax that coats the underlay of the carpet. If you google "crayon smell in vw or how to remove crayon smell in vw" you will find several forums. I believe it is a health hazard. My daughter drives the vehicle primarily & refuses to use the A/C or heat due to the smell making her sick &sticking to her hair and clothes. I drove it for a weekend and had a nauseating migraine all weekend long. Who knows what long term affect this can have on ones health. I called vw, they said its out of warranty. This isnt due to lack of care or maintenance, this is a poor quality material used to manufacture the vehicle that is causing the odor that is making people sick.

Filed Oct 10, 2012 · Body · 70,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle glx convertible. The contact stated that the rear window separated from the convertible top. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the convertible top needed to be replaced and verified that there was no recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Aug 7, 2012 · Body · 18,452 miles · WI

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. The contact was traveling 50 MPH when the rear convertible window became loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the convertible top needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 18,452.

Filed Mar 15, 2011 · Body · 40,000 miles · VA

2003 new beetle convertible, rear window separation from convertible top. Failure of adhesive. No repair can be made by the dealer, only solution is to replace the entire top! Expensive repair!

Filed Mar 15, 2011 · Body, Visibility · 47,000 miles · VA

2003 new vw beetle convertible passenger side rear quarter window. Window fails to fully raise and will automatically open when it reaches 2/3 raised position. Faulty window regulator. A very expensive repair.

Filed Aug 17, 2010 · Body, Visibility · 35,000 miles · VA

While the rear driver's side window was being lowered by the 20 year old female driver it made a horrendous grinding noise which caused the driver to nearly lose control as she tried to stop quickly. She feared something in the rear wheel was breaking. A short time later the pasenger side window ground to a state of disrepair. Now the driver's side front window needs to be lowered very carefully to avoid engaging the automatic feature as this causes the window to make a terrible noise. This is very distracting to the driver to have to stop the window just before it reaches the fully open position. The rear windows have to be manually positioned just right to allow the convertible top to be lowered properly. Also, when small children are in the back seat they may be able to cause the windows to fall down all the way subjecting them to ejection or the ability to fall out of the vehicle on their own. When it is raining or snowing the elements fly in throught the windows because they won't stay up. This is also very distracting and dangerous especially with small children in the back seat. Repair estimates for the rear windows start at $1500.00 which this particular owner/driver cannot begin to afford!. Vw refuses to address this problem.

Filed May 21, 2010 · Body, Transmission · 40,000 miles · OH

Transmission will not shift out third gear, triptrontic automatic, leak in trunk, top will not go up.

Filed May 10, 2010 · Body · 40,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. After examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear window was separating from the roof. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the roof would need to be replaced. Prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the roof would not properly close. The vehicle had not yet been serviced at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 73,000. Updated 06/06/11 *bf updated 12/29/2011 *ln

Filed Apr 15, 2010 · Airbags, Body · 65,000 miles · AL

The plastic window is separating from the cloth top of my convertible vw. Also, the headlights are constantly blowing bulbs and the sensor light of the passenger side airbag stays on. After fixing the light one time, the dealership mechanics said it was the seatbelt connector problem. They just want money, money , money and I am stuck with a volkswagen that is not functional for daily use.