Volkswagen Beetle stalling problems

Filed Jul 9, 2025 · Airbags, Fuel system · 78,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated while driving 40-50 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and an alarm sounded. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road with assistance. The towing agent informed the contact that there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a major fuel leak. The mechanic replaced an unknown part with a part purchased from a Volkswagen dealer. The contact stated that the fuel leak was corrected; however, an unknown repair needed to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The Kia dealer the vehicle was purchased from, was notified of the failure, and informed the contact to tow the vehicle to their location for diagnostic testing and repair. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact became aware that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

Filed Apr 21, 2023 · Airbags · CA

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Aug 6, 2022 · Engine · WI

This vehicle experiences faults with the camshaft advance system randomly. At 70,000 miles this seems to be abnormal. At times upon start up or slow speed operation the vehicle will stumble, misfire and the engine may stall if the rpms arent increased. Fault codes indicate a faulty camshaft sensor or solenoid valve. VW tells me this isn't covered by any emissions warranty and could be caused by dirty oil. My own searches on the internet have found multiple complaints about this issue with the 1.8 and 2.0 engine. Camshaft timing most certainly effects emissions and this part in my opinion would be able to function properly between oil changes. A slow speed engine stall could be dangerous due to the lack of power steering .

Filed Nov 19, 2021 · Engine · AZ

Engine stalled and made jerking movements when coming to a stop and continued. Per mechanic, engine had metal contaminants and cannot be repaired. Needs new engine. Check engine light did not come on until after malfunction. Could have occurred on roadway which would have been hazard to driver and others. Second opinion from another mechanic obtained and confirmed. Not inspected by manufacturer. Oil was changed at VW dealership week before malfunction. No dealership available where malfunction occurred.

Filed Mar 3, 2021 · Engine, Transmission · 91,000 miles · FL

2nd beetle. Same issue. (first one leaked fluid). This one does not leak but has the same horrible shifting issue! I love my car but hear from all the mechanics that this is the norm with these vehicles. So why is it not recalled????? Is it transmission or something else? 2007 automatic transmission. It has 91,000 miles on it. When the car transmission is cold it shifts ok most of the time. But when the transmission has warmed up its a given to jerk and hesitate. Specially when it shift from 1st to 2nd gear I feel a hitting noise. Also facing the same problem when it down shifts but not always. Embarrassing really! Sometimes it shifts hard in higher gear on highway or seems to miss and RPM goes up and it hesitates to shift. It finally does while I am holding my breath and pray it does not stall while I am turning or in the intersection or on the highway. It really is a safety issue! I love my little car though... Gurrrrrrrrr.. So mad. What could be the issue? How could I fix this problem without having to put on a lift to always check transmission fluid. I want to keep the car, its a shame because its in great condition. Triple white convertible and no wear. Am I looking at 3k for a new trans? So I am to give up and sell it to some other poor soul (sucker). That's awful. There is a graveyard full of your cars in the junk yards for parts.. Sickening and sad!

Filed Jul 14, 2020 · Engine · NV

Car stalls while driving. This has happen a total of 4 times over a 10 days.

Filed Sep 9, 2019 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 volkswagen beetle. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and stalled. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the contact was informed that the transmission might need to be reprogrammed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Filed Feb 17, 2019 · Electrical · CA

Vehicle horn does not work. Intermittently works. When horn does not work you can here the relay clicking when horn is pressed but no sound. Send that horn is not receiving current. This is a safety concern, for example I was unable to alert vehicle in front of me that was reversing that was unable to see me. We were in a parking structure waiting for a parking spot. The vehicle in front of me found a parking but required to reverse to pull in to designated stall. The large vehicle could not see my small beetle and reversed into me. I honked the gotten but horn would not honk. I was quick enough to set my vehicle in reverse and avoid any damage. After reviewing similar issues with other 2016 vw beetles, this is not an isolated case.

Filed Dec 2, 2018 · Driver assistance, Engine · 136,000 miles · CO

I bought a beetle (136k m) from an acquaintance for $1600 cash there were some issues I.e. The faulty trunk release didnt work, the driver side door had no power, (turns out the door motor is a common issue beetle has) sunroof was stuck part open, and the key fob to the beetle had been worn/broken. (fun fact: without the key fob, access to the trunk, and no power to the driver side door. The stock alarm is very difficult to disable.) we drove the beetle for about a week when the clutch went out. A transmission specialist quoted us $400 for the hydraulic line, after further examination the entire clutch was out (he charged me $1100) the very next day the oil light was blinking, we checked the oil level and it was full. We continued on our business the car started losing power, stalling and making a horrible tapping/knocking sound. The engine light started blinking. We werent able to pull codes because the odb was disconnected during the expensive clutch repair. At this point we have invested a great deal of money into this used vehicle, we are hesitant to to take it to the crusher. We bought a haynes repair manual and after some luck, common sense, and trouble shooting we were able to diagnose the car with a faulty camshaft timing chain tension guide. The repair seemed easy enough so we enlisted a our family mechanic to perform the repair. After another $575 we discovered that the tension guide was in fact the problem. We were able to get the vehicle all put back together with several new vital parts. It will not turn over. The manual indicates it may still be out of time or we may have a blown fuse. After I replace the fuses and reattempt installing the timing chain, I will have put 3 x as much money into this car than its worth. I feel like volkwagen is producing lemons and ripping off americans!!!

Filed May 18, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 200,000 miles · OH · crash · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2005 volkswagen beetle. While driving 73 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and stalled without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into a ditch and smoke appeared from the front of the vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a towing lot. The contact called bill marine volkswagen at (937) 210-4257 (located at 415 e north st, springfield, oh 45503) and was advised to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was not available.