Owner-reported complaints naming the other system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Volkswagen Beetle submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE WINDOWS ON THE DRIVER SIDE WILL NOT ROLL UP. THEY HAVE BEEN REPAIRED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A VOLKSWAGEN PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE WINDOW SIDE AS OF THIS DATE. IF THERE IS A RECALL, PLEASE ADVISE. I NEED THIS FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE WINDOW REGULATOR. *TR
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A VW BEETLE IN MAY OF 2010, FOR MY BIRTHDAY FROM HOLLYWOOD AUTO BROKERS IN LOS ANGELES, CA. THE CAR RAN SMOOTH FOR ABOUT A COURSE OF FIVE TO SIX MONTHS, I HAD TO RETURN TO THE DEALERSHIP EARLY ON BECAUSE MY HEAD LIGHTS WERE OUT WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR. AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR, A JERKING AND EXTREMELY WEIRD DECELERATION OF THE CAR WOULD BEGIN, BUT IT WOULD "POP BACK TO NORMAL" AFTER A WHILE, MAYBE THREE TO TEN SECONDS. THIS HAD GONE ON AND HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE FIVE MONTHS AFTER I BROUGHT IT. I FINALLY MADE IT BACK INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND HE RODE WITH ME ON A TEST DRIVE AROUND THE CORNER AND OF COURSE IT DIDN'T REPEAT THE PREVIOUS SHOW OF DEFECTS. HE ASSURED ME THE CAR IS JUST BEING BROKEN IN. A YEAR GOES BY AND I DECIDED I WANT TO TRADE IN MY CAR FOR ANOTHER CAR, SO I HEAD TO NISSAN. I TEST DRIVE A CAR AND LOVE IT AND THEN GO IN FOR THE PAPER WORK. THE GUY RUNS MY VIN TO SEE MY CAR VALUE AND COME BACKS AND TELL ME MY CAR TITLE IS SALVAGED. TO MY DISBELIEF AND DISGUST, I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY FINANCIAL COMPANY, AL FINANCIAL OF GLENDALE, CA THAT I AM LEASING THE CAR FROM. THEY GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND AND ASSURE ME THAT THE TITLE IS CLEAN AND NOT A SALVAGE. I CONTINUE ON MY INVESTIGATION AND COME TO A CARFAX WEBSITE TO GET THE REAL FACTS ON MY DEFECTED VEHICLE. THE INFORMATION REVEALS THAT NOT ONLY IS THE TITLE SALVAGE BUT IT HAD BODILY DAMAGE AND HAD BEEN TOTALED OUT FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY FROM IT'S PREVIOUS OWNER. THE CAR HAD BEEN BROUGHT BACK FROM MEXICO AND REGISTERED IN THE STATES AGAIN AS A NEW CAR I BELIEVE. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS SITUATION ASAP AND GET SOME CLOSURE ON A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT IS MESSING WITH MY INCOME AS I AM A TRAVEL NURSE FOR HOSPICE PATIENTS. RECENTLY THE WATER PUMP HAS GONE OUT AND I'M NOT SURE YET IF I NEED TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKETS. I HOPE I CAN HEAR AN RESPONSE IN A GOOD ENOUGH AMOUNT OF TIME SO I CAN WORK OUT AN REIMBURSEMENT OF SOME KIND WITH PAYMENT ON EITHER BEHALF. *TR
NOTHING LED UP TO THE FAILURE. THE WINDOWS IN MY NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE NO LONGER FUNCTION. I HAVE HAD TWO OF THESE FIXED ALREADY, AND NOW ONE OF THE BACK WINDOWS IS BROKEN. I NOTICED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR MANY OTHER NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE OWNERS AS WELL. I AM HOPING THAT THERE IS A RECALL TO THIS ISSUE AS IT EFFECTS SO MANY OTHER OWNERS. *TR
THE REAR WINDOW REGULATORS WENT OUT ON BOTH WINDOWS, CONVERTIBLE TOP WON'T WORK 90% OF THE TIME. REPLACED HEADLIGHT 4 TIMES IN 2 YEARS. *LN
2004 NEW BEETLE CONV TURBO . ALWAYS IN SHOP. ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS. IN THE SHOP MORE THAN AT HOME. ELEC ISSUES,WINDOWS NOT WORKING, AIR BAG LIGHTS FLASHING, TOP STAYING DOWN WONT GO UP ONE REPAIR AFTER ANOTHER. NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS GONE. WHAT A PIECE OF [XXX]. JUST HOPE SOME ONE READS THIS AND TALKS THEIR DAUGHTER OR WIFE OUT OF MAKING A 20,000 DOLLAR MISTAKE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
MY 2004 VW BEETLE AT 44,000 MILES HAD TO HAVE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION REPLACED, I ALLOWED THE VW DEALER TO DO ALL THE WORK.. THE PROBLEM THAT OCCURS IS IT JERKS AND WON'T SHIFT GEARS WHEN ON THE FREEWAY OR IN OTHER DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. OVER A YEAR LATER AT 54,000 MILES MY SAME CAR IS NOW DOING THE SAME THING ON THE FREEWAY. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND OCCURRING ON A SO-CALLED "BRAND NEW" TRANSMISSION VW CLAIMS TO HAVE PUT IN. MY PARTS WARRANTY FROM A YEAR AGO RECENTLY EXPIRED. A CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE TWO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS UNDER 54,000 MILES! I FOUND SEVERAL MESSAGE BOARDS FULL OF THE SAME COMPLAINT, SAME PROBLEM IN THE BEETLES FROM THIS TIME PERIOD. THE TRANSMISSION JERKS ON PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DRIVING DOWN A HIGHWAY OR ROAD. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THESE COMPLAINTS ONLINE. I AM FILING MINE WITH YOU IN HOPES YOU WILL START INVESTIGATING THESE COMPLAINTS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED DRIVING FROM THEM. *TR
MY 2004 VW CONV. BEETLE RECENTLY HAD TO BE SMOGGED FOR THE FIRST TIME,REQUESTED BY THE DMV. I HAVE SUBMITTED ALL DMV FEES BUT WAS UNABLE TO SEND A SMOG CERTIFICATE BECAUSE THE CAR WILL NOT PASS SMOG TEST DUE TO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON. I HAVE HAD MY CAR SMOGGED TWO SEPARATE TIMES ONLY TO BE TOLD MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND MY ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I WAS TOLD I CAN ONLY BUY A CATALYTIC CONVERTER FROM A VW DEALER ONLY FOR APPROXIMATELY $1000.00 VW AMERICA AGREED TO EXTEND MY EMISSIONS CONTROL SYSTEMS WARRANTY FOR A CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT TO 10 YEARS OR 120,000 MILES. I TOOK IT INTO A V W DEALER TO HAVE IT FIXED & REPLACED BUT WAS UNABLE TO BECAUSE THE MECHANIC REFUSED TO REPLACE THE CONVERTER BECAUSE HIS DIAGNOSIS SUPPOSEDLY FOUND TROUBLES WITH THE TRANSMISSION TO BE THE PROBLEM, AND HE STATES THAT ALL PRIOR DIAGNOSIS ARE INCORRECT AND THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS TESTING NORMAL. THIS DIAGNOSIS COST ME A FEE OF 110.00 BECAUSE THEY FOUND THERE TO BE NO PROBLEM WITH THE CAT. CONV, AND THE FEE WAS CHARGED DUE TO THEM FINDING A SEPARATE PROBLEM. MEAN WHILE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL COMING ON AND THE CAR IS RUNNING TERRIBLE, I AM TOLD I HAVE NO HOPE OF RECEIVING ANY EXTENDED WARRANTY HELP FROM VW , AND NOT TO MENTION THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A RECALL ON MY TRANSMISSION BACK IN 2007 WHICH ALREADY REQUIRED MAJOR REPLACEMENTS AND REPAIRS ,NOW ONLY 3 YEARS LATTER AND HERE I AM ONCE AGAIN WITH MAJOR TRANSMISSION TROUBLE WITH NO WARRANTY. I FIND IT VERY HARD TO BELIEVE THIS YEAR OF CAR IS SUPPOSE TO GO THROUGH TWO TRANSMISSIONS IN ONLY SIX YEARS. I ALSO FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE TWO PRIOR SMOG STATIONS AND THERE MACHINES COULD BE WRONG ABOUT THERE DIAGNOSIS AND FOUND THERE TO ONLY BE CATALYTIC CONVERTER PROBLEM AND MIL LIGHT ON. THE BOTTOM LINE IS I CANT GET MY TAGS FROM DMV BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON DUE TO EMISSIONS(FUNCTIONAL) FAILING. AND MY CAR HARDLY RUNS. *TR
MAJOR ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION (SEE 10148507, 10148481) 5TH ELECTRICAL/MECHANICAL SAFETY ISSUES/4TH AIRBAG LIGHT/MALFUNCTIONED. VEHICLE 2ND X TOWED IN 10 DAYS FOR SAME ISSUES FOR FREEWAY BREAKDOWN ELECTRICAL/MECHANICAL MALFUCTION. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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