Transmission on the vw new beetles are faulty. Cars should last more than 45,000 miles before the transmission goes. This has been a documented problem on website forums like newbettle.org and I hope that you can do something about it.
2003 Volkswagen Beetle transmission complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 134, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Normal driving with recommended service intervals. Transmission starts hard downshifts. Transmission will also wind out and slip or wind out and not shift into 5th and 6th gear.
My 2003 was serviced at the dealership and certified mechanics. I only have 75,000 miles on my 2003 new beetle convertible and the transmission has failed. I have since found many of the same year car with the identical complaint of the transmission failing.
The epc light comes on all the time, even after being fixed. The window regulators break. The battery has had to be replaced twice. The cv boot broke.
2003 vw beetle convertible has transmission problems that are a safety issue that vw of america does not want to do anything about. Car hesitates after stop with transmission jerking and causing cars behind vw to almost rearend vw. Transmission jerks when shifting between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears causing front drive tires and steering tires to lose grip on pavement. This happens after car warms up (approximately 15 minutes). This is a large safety issue. If the car jerks when in a turn it will crash! My fiancee drives this car and I am concerned for her safety and anyone else driving near this car. This is a common issue with the 6-speed transmission that vw knows about but disavows any responsibility for. Can my government help the vw owners? Will you do your job and forcee a safety recall onto vw of america or will more owners have to be injured or die for any concern to be shown? Vw just says they want to replace transmission at over $6000. The whole car is worth just $8000.
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).
The transmission bang into gear sometime and gets stuck in gear between 3th and 4th. You never know when it going to happen, when accelerating on to the interstate it can be dangerous.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2003 volkswagen beetle 59,500k miles. In lower gears the car lurches forward, shifts violently and transmission slips. Car cannot get enough power in lower gears to move at a safe rate of speed. When going from park to drive or visa versa car violently jerks. There have been loud banging noises when car is shifting in lower gears. Many times while driving can cannot move fast enough because of violent shifting to get out of the way of traffic. Have almost been in several accidents because of transmission issues. Transmission issues happen every time the car is used. Not using car much because of the problems and concerned of safety issues. Problem has been going on now for approximately 2 yrs and is getting worse over time. Taking car to dealership to have estimate on repair.
The transmission jerks in and out of gear. This happens in stop and go traffic and is very dangerous! I have read from other owners that they are having the same exact issues. My auto repair shop says there is nothing other than replacing the transmission.
I have a 2003 volkswagen beetle convertible with auto and tipronic transmission. At about 64,000 miles the transmission started "slipping". As it would automatically change to a higher gear the change would slip and cause the engine to rev up until it changed into the next gear this would cause the engine to jump or lurch. When in the tiptronic manual mode the gear would slip also. Also when put into reverse it jumps in reverse and wants to accelerate back quickly. A few occasions when driving the car and getting into traffic the car would take so long to get into gear that it caused traffic behind to almost rear end me. No crash but almost.
I purchased my vw 2003 new beetle convertible new in 2003. I have kept vehicle maintained- mostly at dealership according to the schedule. I have about 115,000 miles. Over the past month it has begun "revving up" or "jerking"- especially when slowing to a stop or accelerating from stop. This happens very sporadically, but is very scary when it occurs. I am not sure what the problem is, but have an amateur guess that it is transmission related.
Car jerking, lurching, and shifting gears- transmission- as car starts and stops it jerks really bad this make it hard to stop the car...very scared that I will have an incident.
Vw beetle transmission slips and jerks, may other individuals are complaining also. Very unsafe and the company does not seem to believe it is a defect in their product. Consumers need help.
2003 volkswagen new beetle. 77315 mi. Transmission is faulty. Slips in and out of gear...bangs into gear shifting from 3 to 4. Engine revs while transmission tries to "find" the next gear. This is dangerous ! Please don't wait until someone is killed before forcing vw to be responsible for their faulty product !!
With only 64000 miles on the car, my 2003 vw new beetle convertible's manual transmission let go and something tore a 3/4" by 2" hole in the bell housing. Luckily, this did not happen on the open road. The resulting gush of tranny fluid could have caused major problems.
I would like to file a complaint regarding my 2003 vw beetle which I purchased brand new in april of 2003. I have just over 60k miles and it appears that my transmission is going out. I have taken it a reputable mechanic who tells me it could be approx $3000 to fix it. I have read on the internet that this seems to be a very common problem with the vw's and I think that volkswagen should recall the transmissions and pay to have them replaced.
2003 vw beetle, transmission slips between 2nd and 3rd gear on upshift. Vw 'rebuilt' the transmission last year but problem returned.
Over the last month or two my wife's 2003 vw beetle convertible has had some issues with the manual transmission that progressively have gotten worse. Dealer says trans is bad with only 120k miles. Trans is non serviceable and would need to be replaced. When accelerating or decelerating trans slams between gears making car undrivable. Dealer wants $6500 to replace. Forums on the internet claim this has been an issue for years and vw is not doing squat about it. $6500 to fix a '!@#$% transmission is ridiculous. When will there be a recall. This is unsafe!
Transmission failed to shift into manual from automatic while stopped. It was intermittent and at about 58,000 failure is permanent and no longer is usable.
2003 vw beetle shifts so very hard between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear it feels like the car is going to break. Took to dealership to perform a diagnostic. They said it was the transmission gasket. I replaced it, problem still exists. Driver's side window rolls down on its own. Passenger side window hits the top (when putting it up) then rolls down. Dealership says this is a safety feature.
Car bough used from vs dealership on 7/31/2006. Been in for check engine light 4times, airbag light 3 times, A/C broke once, windows would not roll up once, needed new rotors once, rattling under hood once, battery died two days after I bought it and I had to tow it back to vw. Car jerks when going out of first gear-I told vw this repeatedly and they only tried to fix it after the warranty was up. They told me it would be $700 to fix. On 12/9/2008 my car would not go out of first gear while I was driving it. It had to be towed to my house and has not been driven since. I have had nothing but problems out of this car. I can not put anymore money into it. When the warranty went up, all of the sudden everything started going wrong. I requested prior information from the vw dealership about the other owner before me. I feel that this car was doctored so that I would buy it and then it started falling apart.
I have a transaxel on my 2003 beetle conv. That has a setting for manual shift or auto. I can no longer shift to the manual setting. At first it would allow me to shift into manual if I stopped then, I had to turn the engine off and shift quickly from park to manual. Now, nothing. They told me I would have to have a new transaxel installed. I have driven older vw for 20 years, now I will never buy another vw product of any kind.
I was involved in a crash while driving my 2003 vw beetle convertible. I was unable to brake and avoid a semi-truck that was in directly in front of me. I was traveling at a speed between 30-40 MPH but did lose conscience so am not sure if remember exactly how fast I was going. My airbag did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock causing my face to slam directly into the steering wheel. The passenger side airbag which contained no passengers nor items did deploy. I suffered facial fractures and a broken nose. My fractures have healed but my nose needs to be reconstructed. My car was serviced at a collision center and then sent to the autobarn in countryside, il where the car was bought used in august of 2006. The car was returned to me on dec 27 but no explanation was given for the airbag not deploying. The transmission was also not working properly so I returned the car for additional service a few days later. The car was finally returned to me 2 weeks later with a new transmission but still no explanation for the airbag. Upon leaving the autobarn on january 17 with my car, the air bag light turned on and stayed on while I drove about 10 miles. I returned the car the next day and the service department stated the light did not go on for them and offered again no explanation.
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