1999 Volkswagen New Beetle Owner Complaints

DEFECTIVE OR INCORRECT DASHBOARD INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND REPEATED FAILURES OF SENSORS AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ELECTRICAL SWITCHES.*AK

NHTSA ID

10100651

Incident

Jun 28, 2000

Mileage

43,000 mi

DRIVERS SEAT ADJUSTER BOLTS FELL OUT, RESULTING IN DRIVERS SEAT SILDING FULLY TO REAR AND SEAT COMING OFF TRACKS. THE DRIVERS SEAT SLID ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK SEAT AND I WAS LOOKING AT THE ROOF WITH NO ABILITY TO REACH THE BRAKE, CLUTCH, OR ACCELERATOR PEDALS. MY ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE WAS SEVERLY IMPAIRED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10080515

Incident

Mar 1, 2004

Mileage

34,000 mi

THE ROOF COVER IS FALLING DOWN. THE GLUE THAT IS USE TO KEEP THE CLOTH ATTACHED TO THE ROOF IS VERY POOR AND AFTER 3 YEARS IT WILL START TO FALL DOWN. I HAVE 2 IDENTICAL VW BEETLE'S AND THEY BOTH SUFFER FROM THIS PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10058348

Incident

Jun 1, 2003

Mileage

30,000 mi

REMOTE HATCHBATCH LOCK RELEASE FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10054680

Incident

Jan 1, 2003

AT LESS THAN 27K MILES, I HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. THE DEALER SAID THE ROTORS FOR THE NEW BEETLE ARE NOTORIOUSLY THIN, AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED ALMOST AS OFTEN AS THE BRAKE PADS. THIS REPAIR COST ME $950. MY ROOMMATE, ANOTHER VW NEW BEETLE OWNER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AT 31K, MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS WERE REGISTERED ON BEETLEBUZZ.COM, WHEN IT WAS IN OPERATION. *AK

NHTSA ID

10052746

Incident

Jun 1, 2003

Mileage

26,950 mi

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT ON DRIVERS SIDE NO LONGER FUNCTIONS. DEALER STATES CRACKED HOUSING ALLOWED WATER IN WHICH IN TURN BURNED OUT BULB. JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF NEW BEETLES I SEE WITH ONE HEAD LIGHT OUT THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10039145

Incident

Aug 1, 2003

Mileage

80,000 mi

MY 1999 VOLKWAGEN BEETLE HAS A MELTED FUSE BLOCK ON TOP OF THE BATTERY. I BELIEVE THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE FUSES BEING FAULTY AS ONE LEG OF THE FUSE WAS COMPLETELY BURNED OFF AND THE FUSE WAS STILL NOT BLOWN. I BELIEVE THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. ON THE WEBSITE NEWBEETLE.ORG, THERE ARE SEVERAL MORE INSTANCES OF THIS OCCURRING INCLUDING PHOTOS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10036698

Incident

Aug 1, 2003

CONSUMER STATES THAT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED. IT DOES NOT REGISTER READINGS FOR THE VEHICLE SPEED OR RPMS.*AK

NHTSA ID

10026210

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY AT ABOUT 55 MPH, WHEN MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, AND MY CAR WENT UP ON THE CENTER DIVIDER. I COULD NOT STEER MY CAR OFF THE DIVIDER, AND THE BRAKES WEREN'T WORKING AS WELL EITHER. I IMAGINE WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT THE ENGINE STOPPED AND MY CAR POWERED OFF WITHOUT WARNING (THE CAR HAS A HISTORY OF FAILED WARNING LIGHTS OR WARNING LIGHTS GOING ON FOR NO REASON, HAVING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL REPLACED ONCE, BUT NOT SOLVING THE PROBLEM). MY CAR ENDED UP SPINNING OUT ACROSS THE ROAD AND SLAMMING INTO A TREE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. IF THE TIMING WAS DIFFERENT BY A SPLIT-SECOND, I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY HIT THE TREE WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE, OR SLAMMED HEAD-ON INTO A LIGHT POLE. MY CAR WAS TOTALED AND I SPLIT MY HEAD OPEN AND HAD TO GET STITCHES. I AM VERY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, AND ANOTHER ONE OF IT'S STUPID FAILURES ALMOST KILLED ME. *JB

NHTSA ID

10021316

Incident

May 29, 2003

Mileage

55,000 mi

MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR FAILED. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10010761

Incident

Mar 19, 2003

Mileage

68,319 mi

NAR 02/28/2003 MR THE CONSUMER HAS HAD ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AND THE EMISSIONS CONTROL SYSTEM. *CB

NHTSA ID

10014749

Incident

Feb 3, 2003

Mileage

55,287 mi

REMOTE FUEL DOOR RELEASE FAILURE- 2ND OCCURRENCE. FIRST OCCURRENCE ABOUT A YEAR PREVIOUS AND WAS DEALER REPAIRED. UNABLE TO FUEL VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

10005339

Incident

Jun 9, 2002

REMOTE HATCHBATCH LOCK RELEASE FAILURE- 2ND OCCURRENCE. FIRST OCCURRENCE ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND WAS DEALER REPAIRED.

NHTSA ID

10005338

Incident

Jan 1, 2003

CONSUMER STATEDTHE DESIGN OF THE BATTERY CABLE ASSEMBLY COULD POSSIBLY START A FIRE UNDER THE VEHICLE'S HOOD. THE BATTERY CABLE WAS SITUATED ON TOP OF THE BATTERY ALONG WITH THE FUSE BOX. THIS RESULTED IN THE CABLE BEING "EATEN" THROUGH AND DRAINED THE BATTERY. CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE BATTERY, CABLE TWICE AND FUSE BOX ONCE. TS *TT

NHTSA ID

8023221

Incident

Feb 12, 2002

Mileage

50,421 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON AN ICY ROAD AT 20 MPH MY CAR SKIDDED OF THE ROAD AND HIT A TREE HEAD ON. THE CAR WILL BE MOST LIKELY TOTALED, AND I RECEIVED INJURIES TO MY LEG, BACK, SHOULDER AND NECK. ALTHOUGH MY CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH BOTH FRONT AND SIDE AIR BAGS, NOT ONE OF THEM DEPLOYED. I MENTIONED THE CAR RECEIVED MASSIVE DAMAGE, YET THE AIR BAG SYSTEM DID NOTHING TO LESSEN MY INJURIES BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WORK AS I HOPED. I PURCHASED MY VW BEETLE WITH THE SAFETY FEATURES IN MIND, BUT I NOW HAVE LEARNED THAT NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE NON DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS IS COMMON. I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT MY INJURIES WERE NOT LIFE THREATENING, YET FEEL CHEATED THAT MY VEHILCLE'S SAFETY FEATURES DID NOT WORK WHEN I NEEDED THEM MOST. DT

NHTSA ID

770095

Incident

Nov 24, 2002

THE HOOD LATCH HAS FAILED TWICE, INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL AND A REPLACEMENT. THE HOOD POPS OPEN WHILE DRIVING, ONCE AT 55 MPH AND ANOTHER TIME AT 65 MPH. AFTER THIS OCCURS, THE LATCH WILL NO LONGER WORK, AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CLOSE THE HOOD FULLY. THE SAFETY HOOK ON THE LATCH IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE IS SCHEDULED TO BE TAKEN IN FOR A THIRD LATCH REPLACEMENT ON OCT. 30, 2002, WHICH IS THE EARLIEST DATE THAT THE DEALER CAN SCHEDULE THE REPAIR. MR

NHTSA ID

768460

Incident

Jul 10, 2002

THE 1999 NEW BEETLE HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE (LEMON). ITS RELIABILITY / SAFETY / ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT IS POOR. PLEASE ASSIST NEW BETTLE OWNERS. VW ASSISTANCE / KNOWLEDGEMENT HAS BEEN NON EXISTENT.*AK

NHTSA ID

765686

Incident

Jan 29, 2001

WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE ON THE EXPRESSWAY WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ON, THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED AND THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO DISENGAGE. DRIVER TURNED CRUISE CONTROL OFF MANUALLY TO AVOID ACCIDENT. PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THERE WAS A FAULTY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AND THAT THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD NO BRAKE LIGHT ACTIVATION. THERE IS NO WARNING LIGHT TO ADVISE OF PROBLEM WITH BRAKE SYSTEM. DEALER EMPLOYEE ADVISED THERE ARE NUMEROUS INCIDENTS AND SWITCH HAS BEEN REDESIGNED AT LEAST ONCE. NO RECALL OR NOTICE OF THIS SAFETY PROBLEM HAS BEEN SENT. THIS PROBLEM COULD LEAD TO A SERIOUS HIGH SPEED ACCIDENT, AS CRUISE DOES NOT DISENGAGE WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED TO STOP OR SLOW VEHICLE. UPON RELEASE OF BRAKE VEHICLE SURGED AND ACCELERATED FORWARD TO REGAIN SPEED. VW IS AWARE OF THIS AND IS CONCEALING THIS PROBLEM TO AVOID NOTIFICATION/RECALL.*AK

NHTSA ID

765117

Incident

May 15, 2002

IAM REPORTING THIS BEACUSE THE ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING AT 55 MPH WHILE PASSING ON AN EXPRESS WAY. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. THE CAR RESTSRTED AFTER TEN MINUTES. THIS HAS OCCURRED AGAIN BUT AT LOWER SPEEDS. I HAVE NOT BEEN TO A DEALER WITH THE PROBLEM AS YET. FOR MY OEN CONVIENCE THE CAR WILL BE TAKEN TO NEWTON MOROTSPROTS ROUTE 206 NEWTON, NJ TEL 973-383-2626 THIS AM. *AK

NHTSA ID

756495

Incident

Jan 5, 2002

THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THE WINDOW REGULATOR SYSTEM IS CLEARLY DEFECTIVE AND IS EXPENSIVE TO FIX. TIME-CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE EVEN FOR A DO-IT-YOURSELFER.*AK

NHTSA ID

756090

Incident

Dec 26, 2001

POWER WINDOW SWITCH BREAKS AND MUST BE REPLACED OFTEN. WE KNOW MANY NEW BEETLE OWNWERS - NEARLY ALL HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM. WINDOW CAN STICK DOWN AND NOT BE CLOSEABLE, IN ANY WEATHER, IN ANY AREA - DEFINITE SECURITY PROBLEM IN THE WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD. OURS WAS FIXED ON WARRANTY LESS THAN 10,000 MILES AGO - PROBLEM IS SO COMMON THAT WE ARE BUYING EXTRAS TO CARRY WITH US. VW IS DEFINITELY AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IS SILENT. FOUR YEARS WORTH OF CARS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE SWITCH, AND CURRENT PRODUCTION IS UNCHANGED, TO MY KNOWLEDGE. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. *AK NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID

749207

Incident

Jul 20, 2001

COOLING FAN FUSE HOLDER ASSEMBLY SIT ON TOP OF THE BATTERY IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS HOLDER HAS A HISTORY OF FAILURE (ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP). IN MANY CASES THE FUSE DOES NOT MAKE ADEQUATE CONTACT AND MAY SPARK OVER TIME. IN MY CASE THE FUSE ARCHED AND MELTED THE ASSEMBLY. THIS IS TROUBLESOME GIVEN THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE EXPLOSIVE GASES WHICH ARE GENERATED BY THE BATTERY. *AK

NHTSA ID

745454

Incident

May 16, 2001

RUNAWAY ENGINE - ENGINE SPEEDED, TACHOMETER TO RED LINE. *AK

NHTSA ID

739275

Incident

Jan 8, 2001

AT VARIOUS SPEEDS VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT AND DIE WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER HAS REPAIRED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND FUEL TANK. BUT, PROBLEM STILL EXISTS VEHICLE EXPERIENCES OIL LEAKS. AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON, DEALER SECURED LOOSE CONNECTOR CLEAR CODES. PASSENGER SEAT WOULD NOT MOVE UP OR DOWN. TRUNK VERY HARD TO CLOSE, DEALER ADJUSTED UPPER AND LOWER TRUNK LOCK ASSEMBLY. *SLC

NHTSA ID

875140

Incident

Nov 17, 2000

THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN SUDDENLY WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING AT ABOUT 50 MPH. THE CAR RESTARTED AFTER SITTING MOMENTARILY. THIS HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS RANGING FROM 0-50 MPH. THERE IS A WEBSITE CALLED TDICLUB.COM WITH ENTRIES IN ITS FORUM ABOUT EXACTLY THIS PROBLEM OCCURRING. THE ENTRY I FOUND WAS FROM JULY 1999. IT WAS EXACTLY AS IF I WAS THE RESPONDENT. SO, THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED BEFORE. I SUSPECT THERE ARE A BATCH OF BAD RELAYS AND/OR SOLENOIDS OUT THERE. THIS IS SAFETY RELATED SINCE IN A HIGHWAY SITUATION THE SUDDEN STOPPAGE OF A VEHICLE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE A REAR END COLLISION.

NHTSA ID

733436

Incident

Sep 19, 2000