2006 Volkswagen Beetle: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Jul 30, 2017 · Lights · 62,854 miles · NM

While driving the vehicle going 60mph, the lights turn off. I had to stop and hit the headlights to get the lights to come on. Then they would shut off again. I took it to the dealer. The headlight assembly is made of plastic and broke. It is a matter of time before the assembly breaks again causing the lights to fail.

Filed Jan 25, 2016 · Lights · 30,000 miles · AL

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen beetle. While driving at an unknown rate of speed, the driver side low beam headlamp fractured and detached without notice. The contact took the vehicle to an independent repair shop. The technician replaced the low beam headlamp. The contact later noticed that the low beam headlamp fractured on a roadway. Months later, both low beams fractured and had to be replaced. In addition, the contact mentioned that the low beam lights had been replaced more than twice before the fractures with the part detaching while the vehicle was in motion. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

Filed Jun 22, 2014 · Engine, Lights · 70,000 miles · KY · 1 injury

My beetle smells like melted crayons since the day I bought it. It gives me a major headache on long trips and everything that goes into the car for more than an hour gets contaminated with the crayon smell, hope its not toxic. Google search shows this is a problem in most 2006 beetles made in mexico. I'm not sure what can be done, but I would not have bought the car if I had known. Its the first thing I noticed when I test drove the car but thought maybe a crayon was stuck in the defroster - not the case. Let one of the vw executives take a long road trip and see for themselves. Also the headlights are extremely poorly designed. Bulbs blow regularly and are hard to change and I even had the entire headlight assembly pop out of the car while driving on the highway. It could have killed the people behind me, easily. Apparently the wind/air rushing thru the grill forced the entire assembly to pop out and go bouncing down the highway like a bowling ball. Im sure it had something to do with the difficulty of installing the assembly and it not being secured correctly by the dealership employees. You shouldn't need a phd to change a bulb. Cute will only get you so far vw!

Filed Apr 1, 2014 · Transmission · 99,000 miles · TN

Bought the car brand new.it started first by going from park to drive or reverse it would rev high and lurch forward and I would have to keep a heavy foot on the brake until RPM came back down.on the interstate, repeatedly,the car would hesitate while foot was on gas. I figured out to take foot of gas pedal and reapply and it would fix the deceleration issue.next, my car would bang into 3rd gear so hard I thought I was rear ended.it would occur 15 minutes into driving it.got a letter ,valve body recall,and I called vw,told me it was transmission and would cost 5600. I told them I researched these symptoms and clearly states valve body. 2 weeks of calling and waiting,dealership repaired valve body.less than a year,3rd doing something funny took to transmission shop and stated 3 rd gear is bad and so is valve body.called dealership bc its still under warranty tried to say I couldn't get a new one bc I didn't go to their mechanic.the transmission guy called the parts manager and stated its not the job that's warrantied but the part and after waiting 4 days, got a new valve body. I've also replaced headlights and taillights 5 times,a window regulator,a battery every 2 years,and now a control door module that controls my topside mirrors,driver window and door locks is bad.I've had the AC and heat stop working when foot was off gas.window coming apart from cartop; they clipped it bc it was under warranty.my door lock fell out under warrant.when does an investigation occur? I've written several news investigation shows and heard nothing.I have spent7000 dollars repairing this car and no one is listening to all these complaints out there. Help us get our money back and bf someone dies in this vehicle. I talked to the service manager he has no knowledge of any of these issues; its just my car! Told him to look on the internet.

Filed Feb 8, 2014 · Lights · 10,675 miles · CA

Both headlights turn themselves off while driving, leading to distressing conditions at night. This has been an ongoing problem since I first purchased the vehicle, continuing today.the headlights must be manipulate from inside the engine compartment to 're-lock' them into position for them to work again. Vw offered to sell new headlight assemblies, but offered no reason for them turning themselves off except to say that they see this issue a lot. I have also had tremendous problems with the windows, both front and back windows not operating and not fully moving up to the stop position. Again, volkswagen says they have had a lot of issues with the windows not operating correctly. These have been ongoing problems, first addressed by the dealer under warranty, but not replace, and later after warranty the dealer offered to sell new headlight assemblies and window controllers to me to fix the problem. Why wouldn't they replace them when they were under warranty. This is a very dangerous situation when driving and the headlights shut off.

Filed Jul 29, 2013 · Electrical, Transmission · 92,508 miles · GA

Transmission check for valve assembly body-jerking-instability. Volkswagen won't fix. Airbag light won't go off. Windows don't work. Headlight won't work. Repaired over & over. Please google vw beetle issues or go to edmunds.com and check. Thousands of vw beetle owners have the exact same problems. Vw refuses to acknowledge.

Filed Jun 24, 2012 · Lights · CA

Right side head light electrical connection comes loose and the headlight no longer functions. While under warranty I had six failures of the headlights.

Filed Mar 19, 2012 · Lights · SC

The low beam head lights on the 2006 beetle are tied into the day time running lights. If the day time running lights go out, then there are no low-beam head lights and generally I don't know until I have no headlights but high-beams. If the running lights have to be tied into any headlight then it should be the high-beams. I can drive without them but not without the low-beams. I have had my running lights go out twice since I purchased my car new in 12/2005. Lost the low-beam headlights both times. This is a safety hazard and a bad design.

Filed Feb 3, 2012 · Electrical · 103,000 miles · KY

The ignition switch (electrical part, not locking cylinder) after time got very hot, melted some of wires connecting to the switch and shorted the switch out, causing the vehicle to lose the headlights, tail lights (not brake lights), turn signals, and wipers. Also a few non safety related times as in the heater. If this would happened at night, you couldn't see where you are going to come to a safe stop or worse if going around a curve. Would also not allow driver to signal to other drivers of a lane change. Also, no wipers would impair the driver even more with not being able to see in rain/snow conditions. We were in a parking lot and in the middle of the day when it happened to us. This being my wife's car, if this would have happened during her trip home at night from work. I just don't even want to think about it. Vw will charge you to replace this part if not under warranty. I have researched this and am not the only one with this problem. Many others with the same part including different vw models (jetta, golf, etc.) have experienced the same issue with this switch failure. Some of the pictures that were taken are pretty bad and could also pose as a fire hazard. This needs to be dealt with asap.

Filed Feb 10, 2011 · Electrical, Lights · 54,000 miles · CA

Head lamp assembly does not fully engage with headlight connector (socket) when replacing head lamps and re-installing assembly. Head light can go off unexpectedly due to road vibration. We had drivers side repaired under warranty (6/24/09, 37,779 miles). Passenger side failed after I replaced low beam lamp (1/15/11, 54,000 +/- miles). I had (have to- depending on timing and my ability-) to replace the "retainer", the device that secures the head light module/assembly within the fender.

Filed Oct 21, 2010 · Lights · OH

06 vw beetle headlights have gone out so many times and the cost to repair each time is around $100. After each repair it could be a day a week or two before the headlight goes out again. I have been told by 2 different dealerships that it is a design flaw. I now drive with the high beams so that I am visible at night.

Filed May 3, 2010 · Transmission · 87,000 miles · NJ

I bought a 2006 new beetle convertible. It is a 5 speed. At approx. 10,000 miles it jerked, wouldn't shift and then was disabled in the fast lane of traffic. It was pushed onto the shoulder, towed back to dealer. I was then given instructions on how to drive a 5 speed (after approx. 35 year of it). I was also told that you cannot drive this 5 speed in traffic - you cannot let it get hot. I was also told I must be "driving my clutch". All in all - it was my fault it became a bucking bronco out there. Thank god I'm a driver. Vw has a wonderful 100,000 warranty on their drive train but they do not consider the clutch a part of the drive train. I have always said "go ahead - drive your car without your clutch fellas". At any rate - I have been painfully loyal to vw all my life. This was and is my first dog. I was told to give them $3,500 to fix my faulty flywheel assembly. I said no. Took it to 3 other places and they said "drive it". I did. I totally changed my driving habits to accommodate the car. No hills - no traffic. God forbid I was in traffic. Got off the road - on the shoulder. Stopped the car. Mind you - this is right from the beginning of my ownership. Everyone is all owner the consumer websites about this problem. I am so insulted by what vw did to us. In the meantime they quietly stopped making 5 speeds. Oh no kidding? Why do you think that was?? So - no traffic, no hills - no hot days. It finally took it's last breath last week. And that $3000 is now due plus the $150 to tow it from where I was stranded. Little did I know everyone also had the headlight issues - sometimes yes. Sometimes no. The car is a death trap. For someone as ethnocentric as me the car is quite a disappointment. But far more disappointing is the way vw treated me. It had a manufacturing defect. Thousands have had it. I don't have the money for this. It is disgraceful. There should have been a recall. They knew all about it.