2006 Volkswagen Beetle Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK WHILE SHIFTING FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE THE VALVE BODY WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

NHTSA ID

10422470

Incident

Feb 28, 2011

Mileage

55,000 mi

2006 NEW BEETLE TDI TRANSMISSION (DSG) FAILURE. CAN SUDDENLY SLOW AND OPERATED AT HIGH REV'S. LUCKY I DID NOT GET REAR ENDED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10386604

Incident

Mar 3, 2011

Mileage

50,399 mi

I TOOK MY VW DIESEL WITH AN AUTOMATIC DSG TRANSMISSION FOR 90,000 MILE SERVICE. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR OVER A MONTH BEING DIAGNOSE WITH A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED SINCE NEW BY AUTO BAHN VW OF FORTH WORTH. THE FIRST INDICATOR OF A PROBLEM WAS THE SPEEDOMETER JUMPING AROUND. *TR

NHTSA ID

10369222

Incident

Nov 8, 2010

Mileage

90,000 mi

2006 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10360410

Incident

Oct 12, 2010

Mileage

63,000 mi

2006 VW BEETLE LOSES POWER WHEN DRIVING. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST FIFTEEN TO TWENTY TIMES. CAR TAKEN TO VW DEALERSHIP SERVICE SIX TIMES FOR REPAIR. TWICE WHILE UNDER THE NEW CAR MANUFACTURES WARRANTY. THEY HAVE TRIED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT HAVE NOT AS IT STILL HAPPENS. WE NO LONGER DRIVE THE CAR. VW OF AMERICA HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. FORTUNATELY NO ONE HAS BEEN INJURED AS WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF ON TO THE SHOULDER. JUST HIRED A LAWYER AS VW'S POSITION IS IT'S MY PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10356351

Incident

Mar 10, 2009

Mileage

31,495 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE TDI. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH THE VEHICLE LOST POWER TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE STARTING SLOWING DOWN, CAUSING HER TO DRIVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE WAITED A FEW MINUTES, PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING TO HER DESTINATION AT A LOWER SPEED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE HAD OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES IN ONE DAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE MECHANTRONIC UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER ORDERED THE PART. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 63,000.

NHTSA ID

10348652

Incident

Jul 7, 2010

Mileage

63,000 mi

TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING CAUSING THE CAR TO JERK FORWARD AND THROW ME FORWARD ON THE HIGHWAY AS IT DOWNSHIFTS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10334134

Incident

Jan 1, 2010

I BOUGHT A 2006 NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE. IT IS A 5 SPEED. AT APPROX. 10,000 MILES IT JERKED, WOULDN'T SHIFT AND THEN WAS DISABLED IN THE FAST LANE OF TRAFFIC. IT WAS PUSHED ONTO THE SHOULDER, TOWED BACK TO DEALER. I WAS THEN GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DRIVE A 5 SPEED (AFTER APPROX. 35 YEAR OF IT). I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT YOU CANNOT DRIVE THIS 5 SPEED IN TRAFFIC - YOU CANNOT LET IT GET HOT. I WAS ALSO TOLD I MUST BE "DRIVING MY CLUTCH". ALL IN ALL - IT WAS MY FAULT IT BECAME A BUCKING BRONCO OUT THERE. THANK GOD I'M A DRIVER. VW HAS A WONDERFUL 100,000 WARRANTY ON THEIR DRIVE TRAIN BUT THEY DO NOT CONSIDER THE CLUTCH A PART OF THE DRIVE TRAIN. I HAVE ALWAYS SAID "GO AHEAD - DRIVE YOUR CAR WITHOUT YOUR CLUTCH FELLAS". AT ANY RATE - I HAVE BEEN PAINFULLY LOYAL TO VW ALL MY LIFE. THIS WAS AND IS MY FIRST DOG. I WAS TOLD TO GIVE THEM $3,500 TO FIX MY FAULTY FLYWHEEL ASSEMBLY. I SAID NO. TOOK IT TO 3 OTHER PLACES AND THEY SAID "DRIVE IT". I DID. I TOTALLY CHANGED MY DRIVING HABITS TO ACCOMMODATE THE CAR. NO HILLS - NO TRAFFIC. GOD FORBID I WAS IN TRAFFIC. GOT OFF THE ROAD - ON THE SHOULDER. STOPPED THE CAR. MIND YOU - THIS IS RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY OWNERSHIP. EVERYONE IS ALL OWNER THE CONSUMER WEBSITES ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I AM SO INSULTED BY WHAT VW DID TO US. IN THE MEANTIME THEY QUIETLY STOPPED MAKING 5 SPEEDS. OH NO KIDDING? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT WAS?? SO - NO TRAFFIC, NO HILLS - NO HOT DAYS. IT FINALLY TOOK IT'S LAST BREATH LAST WEEK. AND THAT $3000 IS NOW DUE PLUS THE $150 TO TOW IT FROM WHERE I WAS STRANDED. LITTLE DID I KNOW EVERYONE ALSO HAD THE HEADLIGHT ISSUES - SOMETIMES YES. SOMETIMES NO. THE CAR IS A DEATH TRAP. FOR SOMEONE AS ETHNOCENTRIC AS ME THE CAR IS QUITE A DISAPPOINTMENT. BUT FAR MORE DISAPPOINTING IS THE WAY VW TREATED ME. IT HAD A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THOUSANDS HAVE HAD IT. I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR THIS. IT IS DISGRACEFUL. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. THEY KNEW ALL ABOUT IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10328584

Incident

Apr 29, 2010

Mileage

87,000 mi

I HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON MY 2006 VW BEETLE WHICH ONLY HAD 90,000 MILES. BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR IT WOULD SLIP AND THEN JUMP INTO THE GEAR. THIS HAPPENED WHEN ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING. I HAD TO STAY AT LEAST A CAR LENGTH BACK WHEN STOPPING AT A SIGNAL LIGHT JUST IN CASE IT JUMPED AND HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD TO SPEND $6000.00 TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10328043

Incident

Apr 2, 2010

Mileage

90,000 mi

FAILING DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL. SYMPTOMS ARE VIBRATION, RATTLING. SYMPTOMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING SINCE VEHICLE WAS DETECTED WITH UNKNOWN VIBRATION AT 17K. DEALERSHIP UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM AFTER REPLACING EGR, MAF, FUEL PUMP AND CHECKING FLYWHEEL FOR GREASE DEPOSITS. RESULTS OF FAILURE ARE IMMEDIATE LOCKUP OF TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE IF OPERATING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DAMAGE TO TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE ARE PROBABLE. WELL KNOWN DOCUMENTED FAILURES HAVE BEEN RECORDED AND FIXED BY VW, BUT MOST FAILURES ON MANUAL CARS HAVE BEEN BLAMED ON DRIVER AGRESSIVENESS EVEN THOUGH DMF MAKERS HAVE RELEASED DOCUMENTATION THAT SHOW THAT FAILING DMF WILL SHOW THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS A FAILURE DUE TO AGRESSIVE DRIVING. VW HAS ACTIVE RECALL CAMPAINS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES FOR THE SAME DMF FAILURES.

NHTSA ID

10322082

Incident

Jun 20, 2007

Mileage

17,000 mi

2006 VW BEETLE, 6-SPD AUTOMATIC WITH 62,000 MILES. CAR BEGAN SLIPPING BETWEEN GEARS ON A TYPICAL TRIP ALONG INTERSTATE 95. CAR WAS TOWED INTO A DEALERSHIP WHERE A TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS MOISTURE IN THE TRANSMISSION AND IT WOULD NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED FOR AN ESTIMATED $7,000. I'VE CALLED SEVERAL PRIVATE TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOPS AND AM TOLD THAT NEITHER VW NOR ANY AFTERMARKET COMPANIES SELL PARTS TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR IS STILL NOT REPAIRED AS THE VALUE OF THE CAR, APPROX $9,000 DOES NOT WARRANTY $7,000 REPAIR. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT VIA ONLINE FORUMS WITH SEVERAL OWNERS FROM 2003 TO 2007 WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO MANY, VW DEALERSHIP TECH'S SEEM TO SYSTEMATICALLY BLAME THESE PROBLEMS ON MINOR DINGS AND DENTS TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THE CARS THAT "MAY" HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10287255

Incident

Sep 15, 2009

Mileage

62,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING AND THE CLUTCH SEEMED TO BE DIFFERENT. IT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN HOW BUT WHEN YOU ARE THE DRIVER 99% OF THE TIME YOU KIND OF KNOW. ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 22 I DEPRESSED TO CLUTCH COMING TO A STOP AND HEARD A DEFINITE NOISE. THEN AS I WAS PULLING OFF FROM THE STOP IN 1ST GEAR THE CAR DID NOT WANT TO MOVE EASY. THERE WAS ANOTHER NOISE AS I WAS RELEASING THE CLUTCH, AS WELL. THERE IS JUST OVER 29000 MILES ON THE 2006 VW NEW BEETLE. I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE WITHOUT CAUSING AN INCIDENT. I THANK GOD FOR HELPING ME TO RECOGNIZE A PROBLEM AND MAKE SLOW EASY MOVES. I HOPE THERE DOES NOT NEED TO BE AN ACCIDENT, DEATH, FIRE TO SUSPECT A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH A CAR TO LODGE A COMPLAINT TO REVIEW THE CAUSE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10266566

Incident

Apr 22, 2009

Mileage

29,000 mi

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER 2006 VW NEW BEETLE ON HIGHWAY, WITHOUT WARNING THE CLUTCH HAD A SUDDEN FAILURE AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS AND ALMOST RESULTED IN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE EXPRESSWAY. VEHICLE HAD 30,000 MILES AND NO PREVIOUS TROUBLE NOTED ON THIS 1,9L TDI MANUAL TRANSMISSION. SAME ENGINE AND CLUTCH AS LISTED IN A VW SERVICE BULLETIN FOR 2005/2006 JETTA. BULLETIN STATES THAT CLUTCH FRICTION MATERIAL MAY HAVE A DEFECT CAUSING PREMATURE WEAR,BURNING,SHREDDING AND BREAKING AND WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED TO 4YR/50,000 MILES ON THE JETTA. DEALER WOULD NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY AND BLAMED THE SUDDEN FAILURE ON A WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE OR DRIVER ABUSE EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A BULLETIN OUT CONCERNING THE SACHS CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. REPAIR WAS OVER $2200. 6 MONTHS REMAINING ON ORIGINAL WARRANTY. THIS CLUTCH SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10264086

Incident

Mar 31, 2009

Mileage

33,414 mi

THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY SHIFTING GEARS. AT TIMES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY GOES INTO 2ND GEAR WHERE IT REMAIN UNTIL THE KEY IS REMOVED. THE DEALER INDICATES THE 'MEGATRONIC' SHIFTING CONTROLLER IS BAD. HOWEVER THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER FROM THE FACTORY AND THERE IS A 7-10 DELAY IN SHIPMENT FROM THE FACTORY. IT SEEMS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PART FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10229941

Incident

May 10, 2008

Mileage

68,000 mi

DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL BLEW APART AT 2200 MILES THEN AT 7,800 MILES ON A 2006 BEETLE TDI. I AM NOW ON BOTH TIMES HAPPENED DOWN SHIFTING FROM 5TH TO 4TH GEAR. HAVE DRIVEN MANUAL SHIFTS ALL MY LIFE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT DMF HAS A HARD TIME HANDLING TORQUE. I WAS STILL LESS THAN 3000 RPM WHEN DROPPING INTO 4TH GEAR WHEN THE FLYWHEEL BROKE. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AS IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS AMOUNT OF TORQUE AS A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS ALL MY TRANSMISSION OPERATION WAS LOST. *NM

NHTSA ID

10161787

Incident

Jun 22, 2006

Mileage

2,200 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO APPLY BRAKE PRESSURE AT ALL SPEEDS, THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT RETURN TO THE NORMAL UP POSITION. THE DRIVER HAD TO PULL UP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO APPLY BRAKE PRESSURE. ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION FAILS TO MAINTAIN ENGAGED WHEN INCLINED. ALTHOUGH THE DEALER WAS ALERTED NO INSPECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE.

NHTSA ID

10156154

Incident

Apr 25, 2006

Mileage

8,800 mi