NHTSA Complaint #10436691 — 2004 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

IN CITY TRAFFIC, MY VEHICLE HAS A VIOLENT JERKY DOWN-SHIFT WHEN APPROACHING A STOP, APPROXIMATELY 25MPH TO 20 MPH. IT FEELS LIKE THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR IS FALLING OUT. WHEN THESE OCCURRENCES FIRST HAPPENED, THEY WERE OCCASIONAL. ON THE HIGHWAY I BELIEVE IT SLIPS FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER. TODAY, A FEW MONTHS LATER THE OCCURRENCES ARE MORE FREQUENT AND I AM FORCED TO SEEK PROFESSIONAL CARE FOR MY VEHICLE. I HAVE REGULARLY MAINTAINED MY VEHICLE WITH CARE AND ATTENTION TO THE MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS. MY ONLINE RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT THIS EVENT IS NOT AN ISOLATED EVENT, BUT THIS OCCURRENCE DESCRIBES A TYPICAL VW BEETLE TRANSMISSION WITH MILEAGE BETWEEN 50K AND 70K; THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF LIKE COMPLAINTS. I HAVE FOUND TWO SEPARATE FORUMS ONLINE SUPPORTING THIS VERY COMPLAINT. THIS IS VERY LOW MILEAGE FOR A FAILED TRANSMISSION, ESPECIALLY WHEN MANY SIMILAR SMALL VEHICLES ARE OFFERING WARRANTIES FOR 100K MILES OR MORE. THE VW CUSTOMER CARE HAS FAILED TO RESPOND TO MY INQUIRIES. I BELIEVE MY CAR HAS BECOME UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND I AM FEARFUL THAT IT WILL BREAK DOWN ON THE FREEWAY OR A POTENTIALLY DARK ROAD OR IN BAD WEATHER. I WOULD ASK THAT THE NHTSA PLEASE LOOK INTO THESE RECURRENT ISSUES WITH VOLKSWAGEN AND MAKE VOLKSWAGEN ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE FAILING TRANSMISSION, OR, AT THE VERY LEAST LOOK INTO THE VALVE BODIES AND WHETHER THEY ARE UP TO STANDARDS, STANDARDS THAT WOULD PREVENT THIS VEHICLE FROM FAILING ON THE HIGHWAY AND CAUSING POTENTIAL HAZARDS TO DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS. THANK YOU, *TR