NHTSA Complaint #10372681 — 2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2005 VW BEETLE WITH 96,000 MILES. BEFORE ME, THE CAR WAS OWNED BY MY PARENTS SINCE IT WAS BOUGHT IN 2005. ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO, IT BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY JERK BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF CITY DRIVING. WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, THE CAR WOULD STALL, THEN BUCK FORWARD AS IF I WAS BEING REAR-ENDED. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO AAMCO, PLUS 3 ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION SPECIALISTS IN THAT TIME. TO DATE, I HAVE SPENT $1,100 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED AND THE SHIFTER REPLACED. THE PROBLEM HAS ONLY GOTTEN WORSE AND THE CAR NOW VIOLENTLY JERKS FROM SECOND GEAR INTO THIRD GEAR AND HESITATES ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN FIFTH AND SIXTH GEAR. IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, I'VE NEARLY BEEN REAR-ENDED TWICE IN 2010 ALONE. THIS IS A DAILY OCCURRENCE. TO DATE, VOLKSWAGEN HAS ESSENTIALLY REFUSED TO STAND BEHIND ITS PRODUCT. THOUGH THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA HAS EXTENDED ME A 7-YEARS OR 100,000-MILES WARRANTY, DOUGLAS VOLKSWAGEN, THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH THE CAR WAS BOUGHT IN NEW JERSEY REFUSES TO REPLACE THE VALVE-BODY (THE PART COVERED UNDER WARRANTY) AND HAS RECOMMENDED I PUT A NEW $8,000 TRANSMISSION IN THE CAR. THEY CLAIM THE TRANSMISSIONS MADE AFTER 2008 DO NOT HAVE THE PROBLEMS 2003 THROUGH 2007 MODELS HAD. REGARDLESS, THEY HAVE NOT TRIED TO REPLACE THE CAR'S VALVE-BODY, WHICH IS A PART OF THE TRANSMISSION. THEY SEEM TO FIND IT APPROPRIATE THAT I REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION OUT OF POCKET AT A COST HIGHER THAN THE CAR IS PRESENTLY WORTH. FOR THAT REASON I HAVE REGISTERED A COMPLAINT WITH VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA. MANY NEW BEETLE OWNERS COMPLAIN THAT THEY HAVE ALSO ENCOUNTERED SIMILAR RESISTANCE FROM VOLKSWAGEN AND HAVE BEEN PUSHED TO PAY FOR NEW TRANSMISSIONS ONLY TO REALIZE THE PROBLEM PERSISTS AFTER THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS HAVE ALREADY BEEN SPENT. THE COMPANY HAS MADE FEEBLE EFFORTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I HOPE NHTSA WILL ASSIST CONSUMERS PRESENTLY BEING POLITICKED BY VW. *TR