NHTSA Complaint #10443442 — 2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE

MY 2005 VW BEETLE IS A TURBO/AUTOMATIC. IT HAS 79,500 MILES ON IT. THE CAR JERKS AND SHAKES WHEN SLOWING DOWN FOR A STOP. IT HAPPENS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, FROM 60 MPH AND LESS. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHECKED AND CHANGED, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. I DON'T FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR ANYMORE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO WHICH MIGHT ENDANGER ME OR OTHER DRIVERS AROUND ME. I'VE READ MANY BEETLE OWNER COMPLAINTS ON-LINE ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM, AND IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE. I AM AWARE THAT A LETTER FROM NHTSA WAS SENT OUT TO SOME VW BEETLE OWNERS TO "EXTEND THE WARRANTY THAT COVERS THE VALVE BODY IN YOUR VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES". I NEVER RECEIVED THAT NOTICE! TO HAVE A NEW "VALVE BODY" INSTALLED WOULD BE AN EXPENSE I CAN'T AFFORD. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN, AND I OCCASIONALLY HAVE MY GRANDCHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH ME. I DON'T FEEL MY CAR IS SAFE ENOUGH TO HAVE THEM IN THE CAR NOW. WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, I EXPECTED IT TO LAST ME LONGER THAN 7 YEARS, ESPECIALLY SINCE VW HAS A GOOD REPUTATION. I CHECKED THE BLUE BOOK VALUE OF MY CAR, AND THE REPAIRS WOULD PROBABLY BE ABOUT HALF OF WHAT THE CAR IS WORTH. I CAN'T SELL IT AND MAKE ANY MONEY ON IT; I CAN'T TRADE IT IN AND GET MUCH FOR IT; AND IF I HAD TO PURCHASE ANOTHER CAR, I'D HAVE CAR PAYMENT THAT I CAN'T AFFORD. I AM NOW "STUCK" WITH A CAR THAT DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY AND POSSIBLY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED. *TR