2012 Volkswagen Beetle Electrical Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE TO RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT HEARD A BEEPING SOUND PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11267292

Incident

Oct 6, 2019

Mileage

60,000 mi

KEY GETS CONSTANTLY GETS STUCK IN THE IGNITION WHEN TURNING THE CAR OFF. THE CAR IS IN PARK AND THE KEY STUCK.

NHTSA ID

11031357

Incident

Sep 10, 2017

KEY GETS STUCK IN IGNITION WHEN TURNING OFF THE ENGINE.

NHTSA ID

11004203

Incident

Jul 10, 2017

Mileage

13,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND PLACING THE VEHICLE INTO PARK, THE IGNITION AND STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO START THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION AND STEERING TUMBLER LOCK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

NHTSA ID

10763949

Incident

Sep 5, 2012

Mileage

88,000 mi

DRIVER SIDE WINDOW WOULD DROP ABOUT 1.5 CM WHEN EXIT THE VEHICLE BUT WOULD NOT GO BACK UP. WAS ALLOWING WATER AND OUTSIDE DEBRIS TO ENTER THE VEHICLE. WHEN I NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND MY SALESPERSON THEY SAID THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF IT AND CALL VW ON MY BEHALF. IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN A MONTH AND I HAVE HEARD NOTHING. SOME REVIEWS ONLINE SAID THEY WERE ABLE TO HAVE VW TAKE IT BACK/ BUY IT BACK. FRANKLY THIS WOULD BE THE BEST SOLUTION AS IN VA THE RAIN AND COLD WINDS IS JUST UNBEARABLE IN THE WINTER WITH THE WINDOW UNABLE TO OPERATE AS IT WAS DESIGNED TO. *TR

NHTSA ID

10482930

Incident

Sep 22, 2012

Mileage

809 mi

I HAVE THREE CONCERNS ABOUT MY NEW CAR. FIRST AND FOREMOST IS THE WINDOW ISSUE. I HAD THE VX BEETLE FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS WHEN THE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS ON BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDES EITHER DO NOT GO UP OR DOWN ALL THE WAY AS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO. THEY STOP INTERMITTENTLY AND TAKE SEVERAL TRIES TO EITHER CLOSE OR OPEN. SAFETY ISSUE. DEALER SAYS VX KNOWS AND IS WORKING ON FIX. VX SAYS THE SAME BUT I HAVE HAD THE CAR THREE MONTHS NOW AND NO FIX (AND NO FIX IN SIGHT IT SEEMS). ALSO, FUEL GAUGE WOULD NOT REGISTER AS FULL. A PART FOR THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ORDERED AND IS IN. IT WILL BE INSTALLED IN A FEW DAYS AND HOPEFULLY ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM ALTHOUGH OTHER CONSUMERS HAVE POSTED THAT THIS DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK. LASTLY, MY AIR CONDITIONER BLOWS WARM AIR UNLESS YOU TURN THE DIAL COMPLETELY TO MAX. ANY ADJUSTMENT BACKWARD FEELS LIKE THE HEATER IS ON. WHEN I TURN OFF THE AC AND PUT ON THE FAN WITH VENTS OPEN WANTING TO GET FRESH AIR (55 DEGREES OUT), AIR WARMER THAN OUTSIDE IS BLOWING IN. IT'S DIFFICULT TO ADJUST THE INTERIOR TEMPERATURE WHEN YOU HAVE EITHER ICE COLD OR HEAT AND ARE HESITANT TO MESS WITH THE WINDOWS!!! *TR

NHTSA ID

10477481

Incident

Jul 19, 2012

THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER WINDOWS DO NOT GO UP OR DOWN ON COMMAND WHEN THE BUTTON HAS BEEN PRESSED. ONCE THE WINDOW DOES GO DOWN (USUALLY ON ITS OWN) IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THE WINDOWS BACK UP. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT ALLOWS THE ELEMENTS (IE MOISTURE) TO ENTER THE VEHICLE WHILE IT IS PARKED AND COULD CONTRIBUTE TO FURTHER MALFUNCTIONS OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS THAT CONTROL OTHER ASPECTS OF THE CAR (ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION, PUSH BUTTON START, TRACTION CONTROL, ETC). VW HAS BEEN UNRESPONSIVE TO OWNERS COMPLAINTS TO THIS ISSUE (CHECK YOUTUBE, TWITTER, AND FORUMS). THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10476927

Incident

Aug 28, 2012

Mileage

60 mi

MY DRIVER'S WINDOW WON'T GO ALL THE WAY UP AFTER PARKING. IT IS SUPPOSED TO LOWER JUST A HAIR WHEN OPENED AND CLOSE AGAIN ONCE THE DOOR IS SHUT. THIS LETS RAIN IN. ALSO WHEN ROLLING UP THE DRIVER'S WINDOW YOU MUST INCH IT UP IN INCREMENTS INSTEAD OF ALL AT ONCE. IT GOES UP ABOUT HALF WAY THEN SENDS ITSELF BACK DOWN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10473856

Incident

Sep 1, 2012

Mileage

174 mi

RECURRING ISSUES WITH DOOR POWER WINDOWS. TAKES APPROXIMATELY 6-7 ATTEMPTS TO SECURE OR ROLL THEM UP AFTER OPENING; UNSURE IF THEY WILL COMPLETELY FAIL AND EVENTUALLY NOT ROLL UP AT ALL. SAFETY ISSUE CONCERNS: UNABLE TO ROLL UP WINDOWS AGAINST ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND FREEWAY DEBRIS, (RAIN AND DEBRIS CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY LOCATED NEXT TO DOOR AND DEBRIS CAN INJURE DRIVER; RAIN/WIND/DEBRIS CAN IMPAIR DRIVERS VISIBILITY IF WINDOW CANNOT BE ROLLED UP PROPERLY); IN ADDITION, IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE SHELTERING IN PLACE IN THIS VEHICLE; SUCH AS AN ASSAULT, ROBBERY ETC. THE INABILITY FOR THE CONSUMER TO ROLL UP THEIR WINDOWS PRESENTS A REAL LIFE-SAFETY THREAT. AFTER HAVING RESEARCHED ON-LINE AND SPOKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE FROM, THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR APPROXIMATELY A YEAR, AND I WAS TOLD (4 MONTHS AGO) THAT I WOULD BE PLACED ON A BACK-STOCK ORDER LIST FOR THE REVISED ELECTRICAL MODEM THAT WOULD RESOLVED THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE CALLED FOR FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION AND AN ETA ON THE PART. THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDED ME WITH NEW INFORMATION OR AN ETA. THIS IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM THAT 1) THEY (MANUFACTURE AND DEALERSHIP) CANNOT FIX 2) HAVE NOT FOUND A FIX FOR (MANUFACTURER) AND HAVE BEEN LYING TO THE CONSUMER ABOUT (MANUFACTURER/DEALERSHIP) 3) HAVE NOT ELEVATED TO THE PROPER PRIORITY LEVEL TO FIND A FIX FOR (MANUFACTURER). *TR

NHTSA ID

10472557

Incident

May 18, 2012

Mileage

140 mi

DRIVER AND PASSENGER WINDOWS REQUIRE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CLOSE COMPLETELY. SEVERAL PROBLEMS EXIST---FIRST IS THAT AS THE WINDOWS ARE RAISED, THEY TRAVEL UPWARDS, STOP, THEN RETRACT SEVERAL INCHES. ON SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO RAISE THE WINDOW, THEY CONTINUE TO BIND WITHIN THE DOOR MECHANISM, REQUIRING ADDITIONAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE WINDOW TO CLOSE. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH OPENING/CLOSING DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE DOORS. THE WINDOW IS DESIGNED TO DROP ROUGHLY ONE QUARTER TO THREE EIGHTH'S OF AN INCH WHILE THE DOOR IS BEING OPENED (OR CLOSED). ONCE THE DOOR IS CLOSED OR LOCKED, THE WINDOW IS DESIGNED TO RETURN TO THE CLOSED POSITION. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW DOES NOT CLOSE COMPLETELY AFTER LOCKING THE CAR, LEAVING THE CAR OPEN TO THE ELEMENTS AND VULNERABLE TO BREAK IN. THE SAME PROBLEM HAS APPEARED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, ALTHOUGH IT ONLY HAPPENS MUCH LESS FREQUENTLY. LOCAL DEALER AND VWOA TOLD ME THERE IS NO FIX FOR THE 2012 BEETLE WINDOW PROBLEMS, AND THAT I WILL BE CALLED ONCE THERE IS A SOLUTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10467808

Incident

Jul 17, 2012

Mileage

4,500 mi

DRIVERS WINDOW DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. WILL AT TIMES NOT GO UP OR DOWN. DEALER STATES THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY NO FIX FOR THE ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10465316

Incident

Jul 10, 2012

Mileage

500 mi

CPSC#I1220269A. 2012 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN THE DRIVER CAN NOT READ THE SPEED OR FUEL GAUGES THAT IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE.. *LN THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE BACK LIT MARKS AND NUMERALS ON THE DASH CLUSTER FOR THE GAS, TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER. THE CONSUMER STATED THEY WOULD NOT COME ON UNLESS HE TURNED THE HEAD LIGHT SWITCH ON OR, IF HE WERE DRIVING DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN. THE CONSUMER STATED 90% OF THE TIME, HE WAS UNABLE TO READ THE GAUGES. *JB

NHTSA ID

10449872

Incident

Feb 7, 2012