NHTSA Complaint #10433023 — 2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

HAD A VERY HARD TIME GETTING THE TOP TO COME UP ENOUGH TO LATCH NUMEROUS TIMES ON A ROAD TRIP. AS SUDDENLY AS THE PROBLEM STARTED IT WENT AWAY. BUT WHEN THAT PROBLEM STOPPED, I WAS LEFT WITH A SEVERE RATTLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND A QUARTER BACK WINDOW ON THE SAME SIDE THAT LOOKS MIS-ALIGNED WITH THE FRONT WINDOW AND LEAVES A GAP, LETS WIND IN AND QUITE OFTEN DOESN'T COME COMPLETELY SHUT. ON OCTOBER 6, I PUT MY TOP DOWN TO DRIVE ABOUT 5 MILES HOME. WHEN I GOT HOME, THE TOP WOULDN'T COME UP. I GOT OUT AND GENTLY PULLED ON THE TOP, GOT BACK IN AND EVENTUALLY IT CAME UP. EXACTLY ONE WEEK LATER, I PUT THE TOP DOWN AND I NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE BACK 1/4 WINDOW WAS STUCK HALFWAY DOWN. TRIED TO PUT IT UP AND HEARD A NASTY LITTLE SOUND WHICH CONTINUED WHENEVER I PRESSED THE BUTTON FOR THAT WINDOW. I HAD TO FINALLY GET A GENTLEMAN TO HELP ME PULL IT UP. IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS I REPLACED THE BATTERY (A REAL WHIPPING TO GET IN AND OUT) FOLLOWED A WEEK LATER BY A DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT LIGHT BULB FOR WHICH I WAS CHARGED $100 AND THE MECHANIC DID THE CHANGE IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES. I'VE REPLACED BACK-UP LIGHTS SO MANY TIMES I'VE ACTUALLY LEARNED HOW TO DO IT MYSELF. VW OF AMERICA NEEDS TO BE FORCED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE WINDOW REGULATORS, TOP PROBLEMS, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ETC. ETC. I AM A SINGLE FEMALE WITH NO GARAGE TO PARK IN IF THE QUIRKY TOP AND WINDOWS DECIDE NOT TO COME UP. I AM ALSO LIMITED ON BUDGET AND THE DESIGN OF THIS CAR CAUSES LABOR CHARGES THAT ARE ASTRONOMICAL TO DO THE SIMPLIST OF THINGS. PRETTY SURE I HAVE THE WINDOW REGULATOR PROBLEM WHERE THEY WANT TO CHARGE $900 PER SIDE. THE LABOR CHARGE TO REPLACE A BATTER IS OVER $100. THE WINDOW PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN GOING ON WITH VW FOR A VERY LONG TIME. I'VE HAD 3 AND HAD NUMEROUS WINDOW PROBLEMS IN EVERY ONE OF THEM. *TT