1998 Volkswagen New Beetle Problems

HEADLIGHTS CONSTANTLY GO OUT WHILE DRIVING, HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE MANY TIMES DUE TO NO LIGHTS OR HAVING TO DRIVE WITH HIGH BEAMS ON. THIS PAST TIME HAD TO PARK THE CAR AND HAVE SOMEONE TAKE US HOME, COULD NOT DRIVE CAR UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING. REPAIR BILLS ARE BECOMING REDICULOUS.*AK

HEADLIGHT MALFUNCTIONS, BURNS OUT. UPON REPLACEMENT, WIRING HARNESS MELTED. CAR NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.

PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOW AND DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW MALFUNCTIONED AND DRIVER SIDE PLASTIC SWITCH BROKE OFF.*AK

BOTH PASSANGER AND DRIVE WINDOW MECHINISMS HAD TO BE REPLACED. WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO UP.*AK

TRUNK LATCH DOES NOT CLOSE PROPERLY WHEN TEMPERATURE GOES BELOW 31 DEGREES.*AK

WHILE EXECUTING A RIGHT TURN AT LOW SPEED, THE DRIVERS'S SEAT BROKE LOOSE FROM THE TRACK AT THE FRONT OF THE SEAT. THE SEAT REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE TRACK AT THE REAR OF THE SEAT. THIS CAUSED THE SEAT AND ME (THE DRIVER) TO SUDDENLY ROLL TOWARD THE BACK OF THE CAR, ALMOST LOSING CONTACT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. ONLY BY GRASPING THE STEERING WHEEL AND PULLING MYSELF FORWARD WAS I ABLE TO REACH THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDALS. I THEN GUIDED THE CAR TO A SAFE STOP. THIS DEFECT COULD EASILY HAVE RESULTED IN MY DEATH AND THE DEATH OF OTHER DRIVERS. I HAVE NEVER ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM ANY WORK ON THIS SEAT. REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF MILES DRIVEN, AND REGARDLESS OF WARRANTY STATUS, THE DRIVER'S SEAT SHOULD NEVER BREAK LOOSE LIKE THAT. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY FATAL DEFECT.*AK

TODAY, JULY 27,2004, THE OUTPUT CONNECTION ON MY FUEL PUMP CAME APART (DISCONNECTED) AND WHEN I TRIED TO START MY CAR DUMPED ABOUT A QUART OF GASOLINE ON THE GROUND UNDER THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR. I WAS IN A CROWDED POST OFFICE PARKING LOT AND IT WAS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE FIRE DEPT CAME AND RECONNECTED THE LINE AND I WAS ABLE TO PROCEED TO THE VW DEALORSHIP AND HAVE IT CHECKED AND CERTIFIED SAFE TO CONTINUE OPERATING. THE CAR IS VW NEW BEETLE, 1998 YEAR OF MANUFACTURING. THE DEALORSHIP VW MECHANIC SAID HE HAD HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING SPONTANEOUSLY ON ONE OTHER OCASSION.*AK

CAR STALLED ON BUSY INTERSTATE DUE TO AIR INTAKE FAILURE, BATTERY FAILURE PROMPTED ME TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT FROM MY ASE CERTIFIED MECHANIC. ONCE THE REPLACEMENT WAS INSTALLED, WE DISCOVERED THE DIAGNOSTIC CONNECTOR WAS VW SPECIFIC, NOT OBD II COMPLIANT AS REQUIRED BY LAW. IN ORDER TO RESET THE COMPUTER CODES, I HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO A VW DEALER, THE ONLY PARTY WHO HAS THE VW COMPLIANT CONNECTOR. MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND THE WAY THE CAR JUST DIES AT SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING MAKE IT A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE.

SOME TYPE OF 'CONTROL MODULE' NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, WITHOUT IT THE AIR-BAG SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK. THIS IS A SAFETY FEATURE WHICH HELPED IN THE DECISION TO BUY THE CAR, AND AFTER 5 YEARS IT FAILS RENDERING THE SYSTEM USELESS AND REQUIRING OVER $700 TO REPLACE. THIS IS WRONG!

DRIVER-SIDE SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED ON MY 1998 VW BEETLE FOR NO APPARENT REASON CAUSING LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND ACCIDENT. *LA

WHILE IN MOTION, THE POWER WINDOWS FAILED. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW FAILED WHEN CONSUMER WAS OPERATING IT AND IT JUST STOPPED MOVING AND THEN FELL DOWN INTO THE CAR DOOR. THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW FAILED IN AUGUST 2002. CONSUMER POWERED THE WINDOW DOWN AND THEN IT WOULD NOT GO BACK UP, LEAVING IT OPEN. THE DRIVER WINDOW WAS FIXED AT THE DEALERSHIP IN VERMONT AND THE PASSENGER WINDOW WAS REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP IN WASHINGTON, DC. A VOLKSWAGEN REPRESENTATIVE INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE POWER WINDOWS WERE A CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES, BUT THAT NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED. CONSUMER REQUESTS REIMBURSEMENT FOR MONIES PAID FOR REPAIRS. *JG *SCC

THE VEHICLE HAD INADEQUATE GROUND CLEARANCE. AS A RESULT, THE FRONT PORTION OF THE ENGINE SPLASH SHIELD SCRAPES ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE CONCRETE STOP. *YH

1998 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE SEVERELY OVERHEATED, CHECKING OUT CAUSE FOUND THE FUSE BOX ON TOP OF THE BATTERY HOUSING HAD MELTED. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT! VWOA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM ALTHOUGHT INTERNET SURVEYS SHOW 26% FAILURE IN NEW BEETLES. PLACEMENT OF THE FUSE BOX ON THE BATTERY HOUSING DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A VERY SAFE IDEA!*AK

CAR STALLED ON BUSY INTERSTATE DUE TO AIR INTAKE FAILURE, BATTERY FAILURE PROMPTED ME TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT FROM MY ASE CERTIFIED MECHANIC. ONCE THE REPLACEMENT WAS INSTALLED, WE DISCOVERED THE DIAGNOSTIC CONNECTOR WAS VW SPECIFIC, NOT OBD II COMPLIANT AS REQUIRED BY LAW. IN ORDER TO RESET THE COMPUTER CODES, I HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO A VW DEALER, THE ONLY PARTY WHO HAS THE VW COMPLIANT CONNECTOR. MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS AND THE WAY THE CAR JUST DIES AT SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING MAKE IT A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE.

ONGOING PROBLEM WITH ENGINE CHECK LIGHT KEEP COMING ON. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON NINE OCCASIONS, AND VEHICLE STALLED OUT WHILE TRAVELING AT 40 MPH OR MORE ON TWO OCCASIONS. DEALER UNABLE TO LOCATE CAUSE. *AK CONSUMER STATES OTHER BEETLE VEHICLES HAVE BEEN RECALLED, HOWEVER SHE HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTIFICATION. *SLC

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

RIGHT SIDE AXLE FAILURE SEPT 2000, LEFT SIDE AXLE FAILURE DEC. 2000. SEPT INCIDENTANT JAMMED THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL AND COULD OF CAUSED A ROLL OVER IF THE VEHICLE WAS GOING FASTER

THE WINDOW SWITCHES HAVE BROKEN TWICE. THEY WERE REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY THE FIRST TIME. I HAVE NOT HAD THEM REPLACED A SECOND TIME, AS THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED DUE TO MILEAGE (EVEN THOUGH THE SWITCHES BROKE TWICE WITHIN A YEAR OF PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE). I DO NOT PLAN ON HAVING THE SWITCHES REPLACED AGAIN, AS I AM CONVINCED THAT THEY WILL SIMPLY BREAK AGAIN. I HAVE SEEN SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE, SO I WANTED TO SUBMIT FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE SWITCHES. THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING ABOUT 2 YEARS AFTER PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION BY AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE STATION, A LEAK IN THE AIR COMPRESSOR VALVE WAS DIAGNOSED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THIS WAS UNUSUAL AND THAT THERE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY TRAUMA TO THE UNIT. I HAVE CONTACTED VOLKSWAGEN REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, BUT AM NOT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT A RESOLUTION, DUE TO THEIR RESPONSE TO THE HIGH MILEAGE ON THE CAR WHICH NEGATES THE WARRANTY. AS WITH THE SWITCHES I HAVE SEEN SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE AND WANTED TO OFFER FURTHER EVIDENCE.