Volkswagen Beetle

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Rick of Plano, TX September 19, 2006

Rick of Plano TX (09/19/06)
My daughter and wife were driving down the highway in her 1999 VW Beetle, when the engine light came on. She pulled over and went through the step-by-step checkup procedure in the owner's manual. Everything checked out fine. After about 1/2 hour with the engine off, the light turned blue. She drove onto the highway. Within five minutes the accelerator quit working and the engine compartment went up in flames while she was driving at 60 mph. She slowed the car down and flames started shooting out of the engine compartment. She was not able to pull off the highway and was stopped in the left hand lane. My wife and daughter jumped out of the car in the middle of busy highway traffic. Thank God neither was hurt or killed.

We had bought the car (10000) from a Used Car dealer about two months before. The car was a total loss.

Lisa of Worden, IL September 1, 2006

Lisa of Worden IL (09/01/06)
I have a 2002 vw beetle TDI with a automatic transmission. The vehicle just reached 63,000 miles. The transmission failed, internally broke apart. WE had the vehicle towed to the dealer. This is a sealed transmission, so there isn't a whole lot that can be done to it. The warranty ends at 60,000. This vehicle was always maintained and well taken care of, never abused in any way. Auffenberg Volkswagen or Volkswagen USA headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan would offer no assistance in repairing or replacing.

The dealer wants 4500 for a remanufactured transmission. I just expected Volkswagen to stand behind their products better than this, being the vehicle only had 63,000 highway miles on it.

Yosmar of Miami, FL August 22, 2006

Yosmar of Miami FL (08/22/06)
I was driving my 98 VW Beetle on SW 137 Ave and 66 Street in Miami on 8/22/06 around 3:30 P.M. I tried to turn on the AC and smoke starting coming out the AC vents. I stopped the car and noticed that a fire had started inside the AC controller panel. Since I was on the side walk with nobody around, I had to run the the nearest condo building and a gentlemam quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. The center of the dashborad is completly burnt including the radio.

I had to get the car towed to my house. and now, I have to take the bus from and to work. There should have been a fuse to prevent that kind of fire due to a short circuit.

Jo of Sonoma, CA August 9, 2006

Jo of Sonoma CA (08/09/06)
The 2000 Turbo New Beetle I purchased brand new at Prestige Imports has been a nightmare, and service from the dealer has been extremely unsatisfactory. To date, I have been stranded on the road six times; the vehicle has had two clutch replacements and two complete replacements of the engine cooling system. The rear center brake light fell off and had to be replaced; the driver's side headlight periodically pops out of place; the coatings on the VW emblem on the hood and all of the interior handles have peeled off; the passneger window will not open all the way; the mirror adjustment knob fell off; the tires wear very unevenly (but no one knows why); the alarm goes off on a whim; and there are on-going problems with opening and closing the fuel door and rear deck lid.

I have the thing serviced regularly, and give it only the best synthetic oil and supreme fuel. These are just a few of the many problems to date. I am currently trying to get the dealer to correctly diagnose and repair the reason the Malfunction Indicator Light (aka check engine light) stays on and occasionally flashes alarmingly, even though they supposedly did this two weeks ago and it costs at least 200 every time they attempt to diagnose anything - and it's usually a lot more than that. Plus, I just found out that they actually WILL provide a loaner car (I bought the car there for cash and have already spent a small fortune on rental cars, but overheard another customer getting a loaner last time, so I insisted on similar treatment). This is my seventh vehicle, and the previous six together caused fewer problems and required less maintenance. It is truly THE infamous Y2K Bug!

I'd sell it, but who would buy it??

Jackie of Sky Valley, CA July 27, 2006

Jackie of Sky Valley CA (07/27/06)
My 2000 Beetle had a fire in it due to bad wiring on the fan switch. I expect a settlement from Volkswagen since they have determined the fire is the fault of the car. I want my new car paid for and Beetle owners warned of the possibility.

If I had been on the freeway in the fast lane I would not have had time to pull over and get out before the flames would of been in my face. I pulled over as soon as I saw and smelled the black smoke, shut the door and the car was engulfed in flames. I had no previous air conditioning problems. I left work and in a matter of 20 minutes this all happened. I continue to have severe headaches and nightmares over this incidence.

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