This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I bought my 99 Beetle in October of 2007 and the day that I got the car the oil light came on and I took it back they had it for one month they replaced the motor and wire cluster. When I finally got it back about two weeks passed and I was driving on the interstate and my speedometer went from 0 to 120 and then the care lost power on the middle lane of the road. I took it back and they replaced the transmission I have tried numerous times to get them to take the car back and they wont. After I got it back that time the heater stopped working and the speedometer will not go above 40 when I told them this they said they would not fix it that it was my problem. Yesterday my mileage, speedometer, and gas gage stopped working my check engine light came on. And I don't know what to do if you know any one who could help me with these problems please let me know.
Water pump broke, causing the timing belt to break which resulted in all valves bent and an engine rebuild. The car had 69,000 miles...VW manual says manitenance at 120,000 miles.
I own a 1999 new Beetle with the 2.0 engine with 37,000 original miles. The car quit running approx. 2 1/2 yrs ago, approximately two months after I purchased it from a certified Volkswagen dealer, used. A few days after delivery there was a rotten egg smell, check engine light on, engine sluggish. After one month the battery went dead completely. Replaced the battery, car would not run. Battery dead again after four days. I found info on the internet that security system must be set or the battery will last only four days. Inspected plugs, found heavy carbon buildup. Inspected pre O2 sensor, found same. Decided to overhaul eng. Found heavy carbon on tops of pistons and valves. Machine shop had to replace pistons, rings, all bearings, oil pump, plane the cylinder head, plane the head mating surface, replace seals, turn the flywheel. I had to also replace the water pump, timing belt, clutch, throwout bearing, O2 sensor, plug wires, and the dipstick holder. After considerable money spent, engine would start but not run. I found out from the dealer that if electrical power is lost, vehicle must be towed to a Volkswagen dealer and be reprogrammed. It will not run until that is done. The reason given was that Volkswagen did not want any owners to fix their own car. This could be a signifigant safety issue in a life threatening situation! there are reports on several internet forums of the original batteries blowing up and even after replacement of the battery the vehicle would not run until it was reprogrammed. Volkswagen should be required to fix this problem. I would like to see a full investigation on this model to see if it should be sold in the us. There are too many reported defects on this model to list here, some that apply to this car, that are much more dangerous than I described here. I hope that our government will straighten this company out and that owners will somehow be compensated.
The driver was sitting at an intersection another vehicle rear ended the driver. The driver hit the vehicle in front without warning the vehicle caught fire. No injuries to report. The fire department was called out to extinguished out the fire. The vehicle was towed and totaled out by the insurance company. Please provide additional information. Updated 04/19/06.
The water pump has a part that goes into the engine; it's made of plastic and called an impeller. It is part of the water pump. The plastic impeller disintegrated, causing the engine to overheat. The engine light on the dashboard came on just minutes before the engine ceased up. Other than that, there was no warning that the engine was running hot. Normally when a water pump goes out, the water leaks out. In this case, the water remained in and did not circulate. Repairer has asked owner for money to replace the engine entirely. VW will not stand by its manufacturer's warranty, which the owner has. The plastic impeller is a common design defect which VW knows has a short life, but they keep designing their vws with a plastic impeller!
June 2, 2003 the following letter was sent to voa dear Volkswagen of America I have a 1999 Beetle that caught fire on May 4th 2003; as of today May 12, 2003 this is what I was told by [xxx] from your department. He said, corporate Volkswagen will do nothing with the car because it is too old and has too many miles. They will not be sending any kind of paperwork to me, and I will not get any more calls from Volkswagen on this issue, this is an insurance issue" I am not pleased with this answer and this is why: 05/04/03 Sunday smoke then flames came pouring out of the dashboard of our 1999 VW beatle purchased Oct 1998. I was given a case # of [xxx] to refer to. [xxx] said the A/C switch wire caused the fire. He was waiting for a call from Volkswagen of America?S customer relation's person. 05/12/03 Monday 1:38 pm I called Volkswagen of America again because I have not heard from [xxx]. [xxx] got on phone and said that a fire report was sent to their product liaison person. [xxx] said, corporate Volkswagen will do nothing with the car because it's too old and has to many miles. They will not be "sending paperwork" to me and " I will not get any more calls from Volkswagen on this issue, this is an insurance issue. I have a record of all past service receipts (dating back to the purchase date) and have documented proof of recent problems and repairs to the A/C and electrical wiring on this car in the past. My daughter, a current resident of Arizona, currently is employed as a full-time nanny. She has in her care a two month old and will be expected to drive him about. Her past job was caring for a two year old and had this fire? erupted while he was in her care, this would have been a true tragedy. Please send verification of your decision in writing to me by May 30, 2003. Please send all inquiries back to me at [xxx] sincerely [xxx] jelinek builders information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Engine light on, and car running rough, losing power and jerking upon acceleration. Diagnosis was plug wires and plugs are fouled, causing ignition coil to burn out. Warranty covers coil, but I have to pay for new plugs and wires because they are normal wear and tear service item.
At 25,000 miles the car started burning excessive amounts of oil. At 28,516 VW finally agrees the car is burning oil excessively. VW replaced piston rings. But at 35,000 the problem returns! now VW states this is "normal". why is this normal now and the same problem was not normal before? I have recently learned per Volkswagen, is supposed to use a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. I was never informed of this by the dealership. This is totally ridiculous and unacceptable!!! its my opinion, but I suspect that VW is well aware of this problem. They probably don't want to eat the cost of replacing thousands of engines. So....they declared this situation "normal".I am total discussed with VW of America. Because this car burns more oil then the old heap I got tired of. I would like a new engine that does not burn oil!!!! "normal" is just a standard way to weasel out of taking any responsibility for the very real problems that myself and other have with their vehicles!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Leeds, AL, USA