NHTSA Complaint #10204021 — 2002 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

PASSENGER DOOR HAD BEEN DIFFICULT TO GET CLOSED SINCE ABOUT 9/15/06, BUT ON THIS DATE, ALTHOUGH DOOR HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED AND LOCKED FOR 20 MILES, IT SWUNG OPEN AS I WAS EXITING A US HIGHWAY AND TURNING ONTO A STATE HIGHWAY. FORTUNATELY I WAS ALONE IN THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO A PRIVATE SHOP AND HAD THE DOOR REPAIRED - ALTHOUGH NOW I CAN'T OPEN IT USING THE OUTSIDE HANDLE, THE DOOR HAS NO PROBLEMS LATCHING. PREVIOUS TO THIS ISSUE WITH THE DOOR, MY TRUNK RELEASE BUTTONS ON BOTH MY DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND MY REMOTE WOULDN'T RELEASE MY TRUNK - I WAS ONLY ABLE TO OPEN IT MANUALLY USING THE KEY IN THE LOCK. I REPLACED THE REMOTE BATTERY, BUT THAT HAD NO EFFECT. AFTER MY CAR DOOR WAS REPAIRED, MY TRUNK RELEASES STARTED WORKING AGAIN. HOWEVER, ON OCCASION THE TRUNK HAS HAD THE SAME RELUCTANCE TO LATCH THAT THE PASSENGER DOOR DID. IN THE LAST MONTH, MY WINDOWS HAVE DECIDED TO GO NO FARTHER THAN AN INCH FROM TOP ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND ONLY HALFWAY UP ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND I CAN NEITHER UNLOCK NOR LOCK MY CAR USING THE INTERIOR BUTTONS - I CAN ONLY USE MY REMOTE. *JB