2003 Volkswagen Beetle: jerking or lurching

Filed Jan 2, 2019 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · NC

. Gets stuck randomly in 1st gear ... Some of the time it shifts but if I leave it running in park for a few minutes (especially then) or when it warms up nicely and I then have to slow down into 1st like at a light after I exit the highway and then try to drive again it won't shift out of first . And. I know when it's about to start this because it starts shifting so hard the car lurches (sometimes so roughly that if I hadn't made sure to be extra far away from any vehicles in front of me then my car would have leaped right into theirs - even if I am braking) very scary:( and I feel unsafe especially when it lurches badly and also when the car stops gaining speed because it got stuck in 1st and the cars behind me almost run right over me ) from what I've read while researching this, this issue is a well known defect. V w made a minuscule effort to address it ... An extended warranty which is useless because it doesn't cover fixing the damage to the transmission that this defect causes, leaving us owners to have buy a new transmission basically because of this known defect. Vw should fix it since they clearly know about this as a defect. It effects new beetles years 2003 to 2007! And in my research it is clear that many many '03-'07 new beetle owners have very similar problems and most feel like I do...that these cars are scary and unsafe to drive.vw is aware of this but doesn't care so I implore you to please take a deep and serious look into this problem and help make vw take responsibility and fix this dangerous and unpredictable defect. Thank you very much and look forward to hearing from you. Respectfully, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Nov 3, 2018 · Transmission · 96,000 miles · OH

On 11/3/2018 at around 11:00pm, I was driving my 2003 volkswagen beetle on the highway (90e towards cleveland) going 65mph. Suddenly, my automatic transmission popped out of gear and hard downshifted. This caused a drastic reduction in speed, and I was almost hit by a semi-truck which was behind me . Luckily, the driver of the semi was alert and swerved out of the way just in time. This isn't the first time that this auto trans has acted up either. However, this is the first time where I really could have been seriously hurt or killed as a result of it. This transmission is faulty, the symptoms point to a malfunctioning valve body unit, and there needs to be an investigation or a recall. How many people have gotten into accidents,hurt, or even killed because of this bad automatic transmission (jerking/popping out of gear at random) not shifting properly? Enough is enough!

Filed Jan 29, 2018 · Transmission · 97,000 miles · OH

The car runs fine while it is cold but when it warms up then it begins to "jerk", shift up and down "hard". We were told it was a tiptronic switch was bad so we replaced it and now we are told that the valve body transmission is bad. The car has less then 100k miles on it. This is a safety concern as we have almost been rear-ended when the car began jerking.

Filed Dec 1, 2017 · Engine · 140,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle. While driving 35 and depressing the accelerator pedal, a loud noise was heard and the vehicle started jerking. The battery, check engine, and epc warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over to the side of the roadway and, upon opening the hood, noticed that part of the engine had separated from the motor mount as the bolts were cracked and stripped. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The contact stated that he was repairing the vehicle himself. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Filed Apr 18, 2016 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · WI

Once the car warms up, the transmission begins to shift very erratically. This includes while upshifting - the transmission slips causing the engine to rev up and suddenly shift into the next higher gear without warning. Sometimes the upshift is so sudden that it causes the tires to break free. It also occurs when slowing down to come to a stop - the transmission downshifts into low gear unexpectedly at too high of a speed causing everything in the vehicle (including occupants) to lurch forward. The sudden deceleration could cause rear end collisions from following vehicles. Edmunds.com has a forum full of this exact problem - http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/7375/volkswagen/new-beetle/volkswagen-beetle-transmission-problems/p2

Filed Apr 3, 2015 · Transmission · 86,560 miles · VA

We just bought a 2003 beetle bug and only has 86560 and shifting and jerking really hard after driving the car for a couple miles. It shift hard and down shift thru 1, 2, 3 gears. After reading several reports there is a known issue with the transmission for this year and model. Every where I read, they extended the warranty until 2010 and 100,000 miles. We are under the mileage by far. I feel the dealer need to fix this issue since this is a know issue for this year. You don't know you have an issue until you hit around 80,000 miles mark. I need some help and direction what can be done for this car,

Filed Jun 2, 2014 · Transmission · 97,100 miles · AZ

I was out driving my 2003 beetle on the freeway and the vehicle begin to stall and slow down. I pressed the accelerator and the engine just rev very high and started jerking. I immediately got off the freeway as soon as I can. This problem appears to be on going. After driving for approximately 20 to 30 minutes the transmission will rev high as though I put the car in neutral and eventually jerks and lunges. If I stop at a red light the car will stall and lurch forward upon acceleration. I have approximately 106,000 miles on this vehicle. This car is unsafe and should be repaired by volkswagen.

Filed Mar 17, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 118,000 miles · WI

My car was purchased as a used car. I purchased it with 100000 miles (approx.), and I have put on 31000 additional miles since (within 5 years). My car has always been routinely maintained/serviced. I take excellent care of my beetle. In november 2013, my automatic transmission began to slip. It has become worse, and it lurches forward will in drive, and at a controlled intersection my car either hesitates to take off or it rocks back and forth. This is a very expensive fix, having consulted two mechanics and receiving their estimates. I feel that this transmission issue poses a safety hazard for myself, other drivers, and pedestrians who may be crossing in front of my lurching vehicle. I think that with the multitude of 2003 transmission issues/failures, vw needs to stand behind their faulty product with a recall.

Filed Aug 3, 2013 · Acceleration, Transmission · 80,000 miles · VA

Over the last couple of years my 2003 vw beetle has been in and out of the garage. It seems to have trouble changing gears (it's an automatic) and has gotten stuck in 3rd gear. It will jerk and lunge when slowing down. Each time the mechanic has "reset the codes" and the test drive showed no signs of anymore trouble. It has gotten much worse and now after driving for about 25 or 30 minutes it begins the jerking and lunging. After researching, I see that this is a common problem with this car. I love my car, but no longer feel safe driving it and I certainly cannot rely on it. I now feel that I am stuck with a car that I cannot drive nor can I sell.

Filed May 25, 2013 · Transmission · GA

I have a 2003 vw beetle that I purchased on may 18, 2003 off the showroom floor of my local dealership. It currently is sitting in my garage as I have experience issues with the transmssion slipping hard into gear or jerking to a hard stop when slowing down. This started in april, 2012, I took it in to the vw dealership and was told I need a new transmission and I only have 85,000 miles. Well, I took it too several independent repair locations and they said the same with a cost up to around $6,000. I worked hard to pay my car off and now it sits covered in my garage as I have read their are possible class action lawsuits against vw for this issue. I did receive a notice from vw in november of 2010 regarding warranty extension - transmission valve body. It covers the valve body in your vehicle's transmission to 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle's original in-service date. Well, I bought my car in may of 2003, so my 7 years was up in may of 2010...so vw sends out a worthless notice in november 2010 and I am stuck with the bill. I have been getting calls and emails from my vw dealearship that I can trade in my car and they will give me top $$. I don't want another vw car, I just want this one fixed by vw. Please help direct me to the appropriate group, person so that I can be included in any lawsuit or settlement.

Filed Apr 17, 2013 · Transmission · 112,013 miles · GA

Was driving my beetle convertible at around 40mph there was a car that stopped in front of me and I started slowing down as the transmission down shifted it jerked so hard it made me go into oncoming traffic and almost have a head on collision vw is aware of these cars doing this and warrantied the valve body's but when I called and told them about mine they said I was to late that the warranty was over!!! This is a very serious issue and could result in people being killed vw didn't even offer me the part to pay someone to fix my car so now it sits in the yard and I can not drive it due to I have children and I'm scared it will gets us in a very bad accident and harm us! There needs to be a recall for this before so many people are hurt!!!! Step up vw and do what's right!

Filed Aug 1, 2012 · Transmission · 88,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the transmission down shifted automatically and the vehicle decelerated. The contact mentioned that the check engine warning lamp illuminated and the vehicle started to jerk violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.