Clutch needs to be replaced in my 2002 VW new Beetle. I commute 200 miles a day.. all freeway.. and after purchasing the car used and using it for 5 months, the clutch needs replacing already. I have almost always owned manual transmission automobiles and have never had a clutch problem. I do not drive a lot using the clutch seeing as most of my driving is on the highway. I am glad I noticed this problem early and was only driving to the store instead of on the freeway.

- Maricopa, AZ, USA

Clutch failure (began to slip) on 2002 nb tdi @ 77K mi.

- Davidson, NC, USA

VW new Beetle - in shop for 3 months out of 24 months owned. Engine trouble, window trouble, starter trouble and now clutch problems.

- Columbus, GA, USA

Just after reaching 35,800 miles, my 2002 VW nb suddenly and without warning on the freeway lost power and speed. The engine began to rev erratically from a low of 1000 rpms to 6000/7000 rpms while the speed continued to drop below 50 mph. I took the car to a va dealership for the 35,000 mile service and bought the erratic engine behavior to the attention the of service manager. He advised me that he had "no idea what-so-ever" (indicating so on the service papers for the car) about what was causing the cars erratic behavior but would test drive it to troubleshoot the problem. I received a call later that day that they had found the problem with the car. The "fly wheel" was "falling out" of the car and would have to be replaced asap. Furthermore, while troubleshooting the car the mechanics had actually broken the fly wheel (clutch) rendering the car undrivable. The service manager advised me that in the 3 years the service department had serviced my car they had never checked my clutch as it was suppose to be self-regulating and that he found it unusual that the clutch would fall out with so few miles on the car. However, the service manager informed me that the clutch is not under warranty and would cost me approximately $2,000 or more to repair. I contacted va of America to inquiry as to why the clutch is not serviced regularly with the rest of the car and why owners are not advised of the so-called self-regulating clutch which is not mentioned anywhere in the owners manual. The consumer representative stated that even if the part was defective now at 35,000 miles that I should have taken action to have the part replaced when it was under warranty even though she could not specifically state when the fly wheel was under warranty or whether it is still under warranty. As yet the car has not been repaired.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

Problem: Very hard to shift gears while driving and almost impossible to shift into reverse. Car only had 35,000 miles. Took car to VW dealership for repair. Repair person knew instantly what problem was. After taking clutch apart, VW dealer said total clutch failure and showed me the clutch parts. VW dealer replaced clutch and I was billed $1600. VW said not covered by warranty because wear and tear item. (I even purchased an extended warranty from the same dealer when I purchased the car). This is B.S. a clutch does not fail only after two years of normal driving. This type of clutch is a major defect and VW knows about it. I called VW of America to report problem which was totally useless. I am so disgusted with VW now, I will never buy a VW again and I will always advise my friends and family never to own a VW.

- Centreville, VA, USA

The clutch on 2002 beetle 1.8 turbo went out on my wife on I-40 in amarillo. The car would not accelerate and she was going 30 miles per hour in heavy traffic on the interstate. She was able to move across two lanes and exit the interstate without incident. The VW clutches in the 1.8 turbos seem to be having very early failure. The clutch was replaced for $1450 and not covered by warranty. I have requested to see the old parts. I have read that the new clutch and flywheel have different part numbers than original.

- Amarillo, TX, USA

VW 2002 turbo beetle had an epc light come on. The car was loosing power and would cut off at times (in traffic). I took it in and they said that it a problem with the vacuum on the turbo. The receipt shows that they replaced a switch. About a few weeks later, the car started loosing power again. I called the dealership and brought it in. I was told that the car's clutch was out and that I needed a new clutch & flywheel. The estimate was $1800 to repair. The car has about 27,000 miles (probably less). The powertrain warranty does not cover the clutch even at 27,000 miles. I was told that it was only a 12,000 mile warranty for this type of repair. This is a major part of the drive train and should be covered under the drive train warranty for more than 12,000 miles. I have driven standards all my life. There is apparently a problem with the VW clutches.

- Conroe, TX, USA

VW 2002 turbo beetle suddenly started to lose power, cut out in traffic a couple of times. Took it into the dealership as an emergency. Was told the clutch was bad at less than 25K on the speedometer? part not covered by powertrain warranty - "hidden" warranty, so they wanted $1800 to fix. I have been driving manual transmissions for 30-years, never had a transmission or clutch problem even on cars with over 200K on clock. They charged me $300 to tear down clutch, VW maintained "driver outside influences." Meanwhile I get on the internet and there are pages of web sites and hundreds of letters on VW 2002 turbo beetles with bad clutches, going out at 5K, 11K, 17K 25K, 36K and so on, but very early in he life of the vehicle. After more research, it turns out that the engines are poorly designed and the clutch is too small for the turbo engine and thus burning up at low mileage. Also problems on 2001 VW jetta's where flywheel is cracking and leaking onto clutch and burning up clutch. VW are very aware of the situation and are now placing larger clutch in newer models. However, they were denying responsibility and placing repair costs onto customers. VW customer care were the most arrogant and difficult people I've dealt with in 30-years of driving. They messed with my life and the life of others and this is unconscionable. I will never buy another VW or recommend a VW to anyone again. The vehicle is repaired but I am turning it in for a Honda.

- Durham, NC, USA