2003 Volkswagen Beetle: complete transmission failure

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 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 Oct 12, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 114,385 miles · FL

I own a 2003 vw new beetle convertible with an automatic tiptronic transmission. Recently , at random times, when shifting between 3rd and 4th gear the engine would rev up past 4000 RPM and jump into gear. Essentially a very hard shift. With plans to keep this vehicle for many years to come, I immediately took the vehicle to a trusted mechanic. After test driving and experiencing the "hard shift", I was informed that it was most definitely transmission related, however, only vw can access the transmission due to the fact that it is completely sealed. The vehicle was taken to a david maus volkswagen of orlando for the diagnostic. I was informed that the transmission was "coming apart from the inside" and that it was a "ticking time bomb". Because the vehicle is over 100000 miles , it does not fall under the transmission valve body recall. The repair cost for a new transmission is $6000.00. I feel that this is gross negligence on the part of volkswagen of america, to knowingly place this vehicle with such a major defect on the marketplace. I now have an unusable hunk of scrap metal sitting in my garage for fear of the time bomb under the hood. I refuse to drive this car and potentially put others lives at risk. Volkswagen needs to be held responsible for knowingly putting a car with such a major defect on the road.

Filed Jun 27, 2012 · Transmission · 68,000 miles · CA

My vehicle will down shift really hard from 3rd to 2nd with a loud clunk noise. The transmission at times will get stuck in a gear at a intersection and not move at all..then all of a sudden it will take off really fast. It has done this on the freeway as well. I have done some research on this car and found that I am not the only one that has complained about this issue. I have contacted vw and they said I need a new transmission. They know that their is a problem with their transmissions but fail to fix it. They should be recalled. This is a very dangerous situation a lot of these car owners are young (new ) drivers and this is not a safe car!

Filed Sep 19, 2011 · Transmission · 64,000 miles · CA

I couldn't wait for the new beetle convertible to come out. I bought it brand new from the dealership. Now, after only 60,000 miles, I am told I need a new transmission. The car is completely unsafe to drive--it will get stuck in first gear, it will kick between gears one and two, and it will jolt suddenly and without warning. These vehicles are unsafe for the road.

Filed Sep 13, 2011 · Transmission, Visibility · 123,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle convertible. When decelerating to approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle would jerk before switching gears. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and after inspection the contact was advised that the transmission failed. The replacement of the transmission would be at the owners expense at a cost of $6,000. In addition, the contact stated that the rear passenger window would open and close independently. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000.

Filed Sep 10, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · 77,500 miles · CA

My 2003 new beetle convertible with a 2.0 automatic transmission (code: ggz) has a bad transmission that needs to be replaced and I see many other people are having the same problem. I cannot afford $6,000 for a new transmission and $3,500 for used. The used transmissions have more miles than my poor car. I want to file a complaint against vw.

Filed Aug 15, 2011 · Transmission, Visibility · 67,100 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volkswagen new beetle. The contact stated the vehicle would jerk violently when she attempted to shift between gears. She also noticed debris entered the vehicle through the ventilation system which was a greasy substance that caused her eyes to burn and could have obstructed her view. The dealer nor manufacturer were notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was awaiting an appointment with a private mechanic. The current mileage was 67,700. The approximate failure mileage was 67,100. Updated 10/18/11*lj the dealer indicated the debris was a result of the A/C unit protection with a foam substance which was peeling off the A/C unit. The consumer also stated the main valve for the transmission was replaced

Filed Jun 14, 2011 · Transmission · 93,764 miles · CA

2003 beetle conv tiptronic switch failure to down shifts on the beetle leads to false reading as to replacing of the whole transmissions on the beetles. Not safe while driving on freeway up- hill jerks like losing speed in shifting. Transmission should not be going out at 93, 000 miles do to tipronic shifter over $592.00 to fix 6, 792.00 for rebuilt transmission. I was told by vw to replace transmission due totipronic shifter failure est 6,792.00 dollars for transmission 592.00 for tipronic shifter. Replace shifter till have old part.

Filed Apr 26, 2011 · Transmission · 76,500 miles · CA

Near-miss but no traffic collision due to unexpected jerkiness, loss of power transfer to drive wheels, with associated revving of engine of 2003 vw new beetle convertible with automatic transmission, while I tried entering traffic stream on a busy street. Symptoms were intermittent for 9 months; now present whenever vehicle warmed up after 3 miles driving; vehicle not used for past 9 mo. Volkswagen dealer advises "replace transmission". Valve body failure in 6-speed tiptronic (aisin-warner 09g) automatic transmission causes hard upshifts and downshifts and lapses in power transfer, resulting in unsafe situations when merging onto freeway or into heavy traffic, for example. The 6 electrically controlled valves and associated solenoids in this transmission gradually wear out, typically soon after the volkswagen 5-year, 60000-mile powertrain warranty expires. The problem is traceable to defective design of the combination of aluminum valve bores, shift valves which cause wear in the bores, faulty solenoids, and shift programming which relies on frequent electrically activated movement of the valves to modulate and produce smooth shifts between gears. The consequence of continuing to drive the car can be complete transmission failure, which may occur unexpectedly and place the driver in a dangerous situation if unable to pull off the roadway, or if failure occurs while attempting to merge or execute normal driving maneuvers. In my case, the transmission operates well for the first 3 miles, but not when warmed up. Volkswagen of america announced a warranty extension on the "valve body only" for the 09g model transmissions, for a specific 7 years from vehicle-in-service date or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. I will have the valve body replaced by an independent transmission shop, using genuine vw parts, as vwofa has declined to repair my transmission or replace it completely unless I am willing to pay for a new transmission. The used parts will be saved.

Filed Dec 3, 2010 · Transmission · 76,100 miles · NJ

Faulty automatic transmission activity. Low mileage transmission failures causing hazardous driving. Downshifting causes jolting gear changes, accelerating causes slip into neutral nearly causing rear-end collisions. Computer codes fail to correctly diagnose failure, causing dangerous driving hazard.

Filed Nov 17, 2010 · Transmission · 56,375 miles · HI

For the last 6 months my 2003 automatic vw beetle convertible with 56k miles has been shifting hard (lurch feeling) intermittently going up or down hills. When the mechanic inspected it the transmission readout said it was fine and this was normal wear and tear. On november 15, 2010 while driving in traffic at about 15mph, the transmission stopped grabbing and went into neutral. I was able to shift it to the tiptronic system to drive the vehicle safely out of the way. Upon inspection the vw dealer stated that they did not know the exact cause and only direction they got from vw national was to replace the transmission completely for $7k.