The car jerks between gears and it is getting worse. The problem is the valve body. It is a known problem. (hundreds of postings on the internet complaining.) vw had an extended warranty up to 100,000 and we are only at 69,000, but it ended in october 2010. We were never notified of the problem nor did the mechanic tell us of the problem. From what I have read the transmission will now suddenly jam up and this has happened in traffic. The vw dealership now wants $2,317 for the repair! Clearly this is a safety issue that should be covered by vw.
2004 Volkswagen Beetle transmission complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 157, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 2004 volkswagen 1.8 turbo convertible beetle. The car is jumping back and forth when it tries to shift gears. I brought it in to the local vw dealer and they told me that they would need to run diagnostics in order to see what the problem was. By looking on line we had a pretty good idea that it was the valve body or the transmission. After they ran the diagnostics they confirmed that it was the valve body. They had extended the warranty from 5 years 70,000 to 7 years 100000 miles. We where then advised that the car had missed the warranty by a few months but that we should still process diagnostics as vw normally assists when so close to warranty expiring. They know these cars have this defect. The dealer contacted vw america and told me that they would not assist with the repair because I was the third owner of the car. I purchased the car in 2007 from a vw dealer and it was a certified vehicle. I am the 2nd owner. I am afraid that I will have an accident the way the car thrashes back and forth when the transmission shifts. I am also very concerned as I am pregnant. It is unacceptable that vw is unwilling to make this repair when they know that they have this problem. This was our third volkswagen. The car only has 72000 miles.
The transmission started out shifting rough. Then it progressed to a point that it will shift so hard that it will throw you forward in you seat. We took it to the dealership and they said the warranty had expired and that we would have to pay for it. Then last year the vw sent us a letter saying the warranty had been extended as the transmission was defective. However, they sent it to us a month after the extension expired. We complained to vw and they said there was nothing they could do about it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen new beetle convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk violently when shifting gears. A local mechanic diagnosed that the vehicle would need a new transmission. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 60,000. The VIN was unavailable.
My problem with the car is the same as everyone else that has complained...identical problems! All told the cost, with a rental car is $6,500.00, so far. The car is in the shop and I am having to wait for the remanufactured transmission to be delivered. This is insanity and I won't even begin with all the other issues the car has had and still has! The transmission is/was a safety hazard. Wake up people! I know a few of us must die for you to wake up...get real... We are mad as [xxx]. I want vw to pay for the transmission. Thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
In city traffic, my vehicle has a violent jerky down-shift when approaching a stop, approximately 25mph to 20 MPH. It feels like the bottom of the car is falling out. When these occurrences first happened, they were occasional. On the highway I believe it slips from one gear to another. Today, a few months later the occurrences are more frequent and I am forced to seek professional care for my vehicle. I have regularly maintained my vehicle with care and attention to the maintenance requirements. My online research has indicated that this event is not an isolated event, but this occurrence describes a typical vw beetle transmission with mileage between 50k and 70k; there are hundreds if not thousands of like complaints. I have found two separate forums online supporting this very complaint. This is very low mileage for a failed transmission, especially when many similar small vehicles are offering warranties for 100k miles or more. The vw customer care has failed to respond to my inquiries. I believe my car has become unsafe to drive and I am fearful that it will break down on the freeway or a potentially dark road or in bad weather. I would ask that the federal safety agency please look into these recurrent issues with volkswagen and make volkswagen accountable for the failing transmission, or, at the very least look into the valve bodies and whether they are up to standards, standards that would prevent this vehicle from failing on the highway and causing potential hazards to drivers and passengers. Thank you,
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen new beetle. The contact was driving 60 MPH when the contact attempted to shift from second gear but the vehicle would not respond. In addition, the vehicle exhibited an abnormally hard shift. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic where the mechanic advised that the valve body in the transmission was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 58,000. The VIN was not available.
At less 60k miles, I've been having transmission problem and was told by 2 repair shops that it need to be replaced . Both repair shops admitted that this is a common problem with vw beetle. I purchase the car new and maintained and service at suggested times at same place of purchase. I purchased extended warranty and have complained in the past. The problem then was intermittent and shop never found the problem until the warranty expired a month later. I have read similar problem from several owners and some were repaired free while other were turned away. Since the problem is inconsistent with many owners at such low mileage, this problem qualifies under lemon law. I request that the federal safety agency investigate this mechanical problem and consider a recall based on many complaints. Even repair shops know this problem existed and we need help form this government body to investigate this problem before it continues to compromised safety.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated while driving the vehicle it would shift into neutral gear and then the brake pedal had to be engaged in order to shift back into drive. The contact spoke with the dealer who was told that the control valves caused the failure. The current mileage was 64,000. The consumer stated the engine would increase in speed and the transmission shifted down to 5th gear. Updated 12/02/11
My 2004 beetle ran fine for the first several months after a purchased it from the dealer, now the car stops running at 65 MPH on the freeway several times a week, during my travel to work. I have read several postings on the internet stating the same issues from thousands of vw owners. This is a serious problem. I have had my car diagnosis stating I need to replace the trans, but theres no indication trans failure. One week there car runs great then, next it stops during travel and has jerky feels during movement. I'm sure there hundred of thousands of complaints of the same issues and that's just one of the many too many to list.
My car is a certified used vw beetle. The transmission started slipping a few months ago, along with other parts of the car. This was after the warranty period on the car, and I know it is used, but I now come to find out that the transmission problems have been documented, in fact are blatantly on this wiki for the car (which unfortunately, either was not up when we bought the car, or I did not read it carefully) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/volkswagen_new_beetle "the automatic transmission, for example, is a well-documented issue, often failing after only a relatively short period of use." there are numerous pages where this is noted now across the web: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f124d77 http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/vw_beetle.html some incidents noted show the danger of this situation. Luckily this has not happened to me, but now I am looking at replacing a whole transmission (along with failed door motors and such). If this is a known problem, how can vw get away with certifying this car, without at least a warning or a longer warranty on parts they know will fail. I consider this a fraud perpetrated on me. Unfortunately this repair is going to cost more than the car is worth, and yet, we still owe money on it to vw for our loan. I am very frustrated here. Thank you.
Purchased my 2004 convertible beetle in may of 2011 with 83,000 miles and within a few days the transmission began slipping and jerking. It started getting worse as time went on, so we had a mechanic put in some lucas trans fix, it helped a little but did not fix the problem. The slipping and jerking is a definite safety issue and has to be recalled. Noticed on edmunds.com that there are numerous complaints regarding the transmission slipping and jerking. Also noticed that vw america has not taken responsibility for this issue. So I am documenting my complaint and I am asking all 2004 beetle owners to do the same in hopes to put pressure on vw to take responsibility. The engineers responsible for the transmission failed this program, I hope you idiots take responsibility for your mistakes.
6 speed automatic transmission began shifting very rough after 45,000 miles. I am concerned the transmission will fail potentially causing a fatal accident, especially if driving on a 4 lane highway. Vw dealer says the car needs a new transmission and it will cost $7200! The transmission valvle body on this model car has already been declared defective by vw.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen new beetle convertible. The contact was driving 50 MPH when the vehicle exhibited a loud, abnormal noise while shifting. In addition, the vehicle would jump gears unexpectedly while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where dealer advised that the valve body was faulty. The dealer replaced the valve body but the failure recurred and had become worse. The dealer replaced the valve body a second time but to no avail. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the dealer re-installed the original valve body, advising that there were no failures with the initial valve body. The dealer also stated that the transmission needs to be replaced. The transmission was not replaced. The failure mileage was 63,000.
2004 vw beetle turbo began jerking, surging, etc, sept/oct of 2010. Took car to dealership twice for transmissions problems, as obvious. Staff said no transmission problems, but paid over $1000 for "other" issues. Dec. 2010 car abruptly stopped running while I was on the interstate. Lost all power! Car will surge unexpectedly while driving or parked. Dangerous to drive. Unable to control as car shifts itself inappropriately. The happens everyday after the car is warmed up. Every time you brake or accelerate, it jerks, surges, stalls, etc. Finally, april 19, 2011, (3 car shops later), another transmission shop confirmed my problems. Only 69,000 miles on my car . . Need new transmission! Vw dealership has turned their back on me and "covered up" the fact that this model car has major transmissions problems and was made defective. I can not believe the number of people that are experiencing this horrific ordeal. A recall is imperative. I could have had two cars for the price that I am still paying for this car. Very unsafe and scary ride. An injustice and insult to the public, hard-working tax-payers!!!
2007 volkswagen beetle convertible transmission, valve body defect. Vehicle will not shift and only solutions is replacing both with a cost of about 6000.00 for transmission and 2000.00 for valve body. Very unsafe condition when you are on the freeway and your car will not shift.
My 2004 vw new beetle with 81,000 miles on it needs a new transmission. Harsh shifting between 1st and 2nd gears; did a trans flush; now it won't come out of 3rd gear. Been sitting since january in my driveway. I was told I need a new transmission which is $5,800 + tax. My daughter was nearly rear-ended several times! Vw has to do something about these failed transmissions. Purchase 2-1/2 years ago - still owe another 2-1/2 years of payments and I thought this car would get my daughter through college and beyond - boy was I wrong. They certainly don't make vws the way they use to. I had a bug when I was in college and the floorboards rusted out before the mechanics of the car!
[xxx] I received a warranty extension letter from volkswagen of america in november 2010 extending the warranty on my 2004 vw beetle for hard shifting caused by the valve body. My beetle experienced the problems described in the letter. I submitted the form for reimbursement for repairs made to the valve body. My claim for reimbursement was refused by martin a. Customer care advocate. He stated that the repair would not be covered because the extension cover repairs to the valve body only. I am seeking reimbursement for the valve body only. When the repair shop inspected my beetle for the hard shifting issue, they also inspected the transmission and found excessive metal debris in the 'pan'. The repair shop told me that they recommended repairing the transmission at the same time as replacing the valve body. I could have elected not to have repaired the transmission at that time. I am being told that my claim is being refused because the replacement of the valve body was related to the repair of the transmission which it clearly was not. Vw offered this extended warranty and I feel as though they are trying to find any excuse to not fulfill this offer. I contacted vw customer care on friday afternoon february 25th to explain that the valve body replacement was not related to the rebuild of the transmission and was very frustrated when the advocate repeatedly interrupted me as I attempted to explain this to her. My daughter and I have purchased multiple vehicles from vw over the years and are trying to understand why vw is denying this valid claim, we would like to be able to continue to be loyal vw owners and are hopeful that vw will do the right thing for us. Please review the documents that I have included and I'm sure you will be in agreement that this claim should be approved. Please contact the responsible parties. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I do not know who to turn to now. I have been experiencing problems with my 2004 volkswagen new beetle. I purchased the car march, 2010 and a few weeks ago it started acting up. The gears have been shifting very violently, so much so that it feels like someone rear ended me every time. Mind you, this only happens after I have driven the car for more than 15 miles, so I figure that it's once the car has completely cooled. I received a letter from volkswagen in november, 2010 for an extended warranty on the transmission valve body because they have noticed that a lot of people have been having problems with this. I have been trying to get this fixed and now they tell me that I was only covered until september, 2010. The letter says it will cover to 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first from the vehicle's original in-service date. This makes no sense to me because technically I'm still on the 7th year and I'm currently at 54k miles. I have been doing a lot of research on this problem and have found that there a lot of beetle owners experiencing the same misfortune and volkswagen is doing nothing of the matter because they know it will cost them millions. This is very upsetting, seeing that I've only had the car less than a year and it's had 2 previous owners. I tried calling voa and the "manager" tells me that they're looking into the matter because they have gotten a high volume call this whole week regarding this. I call 2 days later and they tell me that I am out of luck. It really does seem that this is a designer flaw, and vw is failing to step up to the plate.
Well it has been nothing but trouble. First thing, the transmission went bad and then right after that there was no brake lights. The top will not come down by it self. The dash lights come on ( air bag, brakes, check engine, emissions). Sounds like there are holes in the muffler. Last but not least the right rear window fell down and they won't 800 to fix, there are several complaints about this and nothing is being done.
I have a complaint against volkswagen of america regarding my 2004 volkswagen new beetle convertible automatic transmission. At 71,000 miles, it has had hard shifting issues and has actually jerked forward when I came to a stop at a light, and then has proceeded to get stuck in 3rd gear until it was shut off and restarted. Volkswagen has extended the warranty for the transmission valve body, but they have determined, $300.00 later, that it is not the valve body, but needs the transmission replaced at a cost of $6,300.00. The vehicle is not safe to drive. Volkswagen should replace these defective transmissions!
I have a complaint against volkswagen of america about my 2004 automatic new beetle convertible transmission. I received a warranty extension for a skipping transmission. A year ago the volkswagen dealership recommended that I replace the entire transmission to fix the problem, which I did for $6,500.00. The new extended warranty said I could be reimbursed for work done, I filled out all the paperwork an had copies of the original work requests and receipts and sent them in as instructed. I have since received a letter stating that I do not qualify because I had the entire transmission replaced (as recommended) and not just the valves. It is a catch 22 and unfair as I just followed the dealers recommendation in getting the car repaired.
2004 vw beetle - faulty transmission. The transmission shifts violently into 2nd and 3rd gears causing the car to jolt forward. At other times it becomes stuck in 1st gear so as you accelerate from a stop sign you are not able to increase speed enough to stay out of the way of traffic approaching from behind. A multitude of complaints on line for same problem. Vw admits transmission problems and shifting difficulty on 1998 - 2006 automatic's. They have extended the warranty for repairs, but only cover the valve box, which according to the local vw dealer is not the problem.
2004 volkswagen 'new beetle' has serious design / oem-component flaws in the transmission and/or transmission control module, creating very-dangerous and unpredictable 'stalls' (step on gas, motor revs, but transm. Does not engage immediately) in traffic. Vw is aware of this, because they have sent a 'warranty-extension / replacement offer' letter for the valve-body of the transm., however, dealer 'computer' says it's not the valve-body, but rather a 'mechanical issue due to an incorrect gear ratio' and offers a complete transm. Replacement for $5500. (!) not a very 'helpful' solution for a car worth that or less. It would seem there is a 'control' problem with one of their oem components (ie: transmission control module and/or solenoid-pack) as there are *thousands* of owners with such problems, across this country, and imho, vw needs to recall these cars and fix / replace the transmissions - here is a link to a 20-page thread detailing others' experiences: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f124d77/[email protected]@ - this is *not* a 'single-consumer' or 'personal periodic-maintenance issue', and may have grave consequences for someone / some family(ies) if not recalled by vw -please, help us!
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volkswagen new beetle. The contact noticed a scrapping noise coming from the vehicle intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the vehicle was inspected and the technician discovered a hole in the transmission case caused by the separation of the dual mass flywheel. The technician advised the contact that both the flywheel and transmission would need replacing. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted in regards to the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The current mileage was approximately 118,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
I have a 2004 vw newbeetle. My car was shifting funny and shaking as it drove. I took it to my local dealer and was told it needed a triptonic switch. They replaced it. After test driving the car with this new part they determined this wasn't the problem and that I needed a new transmission at a cost of 5400.00.
Transmission shifts hard and slips in lower gears.
2004 vw beetle transmission slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear. It started around 67000 miles and happens just after the vehicle reaches operating temperature. Dealership says transmission needs to be replaced at $7000. I have also read on the internet and I have noted there have been extensive complaints regarding this particular yr model beetle with the same type transmission problem. Dealer will not help, but stated they know of the issue but are unable to do anything until vw take ownership of the issue, there has been no recall issued yet on this vehicle.
My 2004 vw new beetle convertible with triptonic transmission, with only 55,000 miles, lurches in the lower gears after the car warms up in about 10 minutes. The car will not shift smoothly between the lower gears and often revs up to 5000 RPM before it "clunks" into higher gear. The vw dealer mechanic would like to replace the transmission, at a cost to me of $6800. My research has learned that the first generation of vw?s double clutch transmissions had a chronic weak point. They combine a wet clutch (as in traditional automatic) and a gear part (as in traditional manual transmission), however both are lubricated out of same oil sump. The gear part causes the oil to be more contaminated with wear particles (vs. Traditional automatic transmission). This contaminated oil is used also in the valve body and the wet clutch, and these wear particles can deteriorate the performance of the wet clutch (clutch material, resulting in slippage, or clutch and gear change hydraulic controls, resulting in defective shift strategies). Once that happens, damage is usually irreversible. Vw changed the oil service recommendation recommend from (fill for life) or 100,000 miles to 40,000 miles. Even at this reduced amount, they clearly still had a problem. They probably modified the design since but have not admitted it. Vw has not been ethical in their handling of the defective transmission design. The transmission can fail at anytime creating a dangerous situation on the freeway, turning across traffic, etc. Vw of america acts like this is a new problem they have never seen before. Suggests replacing a pressure sensor and replacing transmission fluid at a cost of $700 plus the $150 for diagnosing. Local european repair (well respected) says pressure sensor and transmission valve casing needs to be replaced together (cost $2000)...if lucky this will delay full blown transmission self destruction. Vw of america is screwing loyal customers by not repairing design flaw.
My vehicle has 75,000 miles on it and is a 2004 new beetle. It is no longer drivable and the car needs a new transmission. I took it to aamco and they have told me it is an unsafe vehicle and will cost anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 to repair. After much research, I can see that this seems to be an ongoing problems with the 2004 new beetles. I am currently not driving it because it actually bucks so badly that it causes my car to jump anywhere from 1 to 5 feet and it could hit a vehicle or a pedestrian.
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