2000 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

TWO WIRES ON IGNITION SWITCH MODULE SHORTED. CAUSED FAILURE OF HEADLIGHTS, WIPERS, BRAKE LIGHTS, AIR CONDITIONING, INTERIOR LIGHTING, ETC. IGNITION MODULE WAS REPLACED. PROBLEM REMEDIED.*AK THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. VOLKSWAGEN, AND VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA REFUSE TO RECOGNIZE THIS DEFECT, OR INITIATE A RECALL. HERE IS A LINK TO AN ONLINE FORUM WITH OTHER CONSUMERS THAT HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME SAFETY ISSUE AS I HAVE. HTTP://FORUMS.NEWBEETLE.ORG/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=0667E7E7A9388BFAAA8A71DCDD6574F2&POSTID=499275#POST499275 THIS IS A FIRE HAZARD, AND COULD POTENTIALLY HURT SOMEONE. UPDATED 07/24/2012. *TR

CAR STALLED OUT SEVERAL TIMES RIGHT AFTER STARTING IT. IT WOULD ALWAYS START RIGHT BACK UP NORMALLY, ONCE THE VEHICLE DIED ON THE INTERSTATE AT APPROX. 70MPH ALSO CAME RIGHT BACK ON. TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDANT REPAIR SHOP (GOT NO HELP FROM VW DEALER AT ALL) THEY TOLD ME IT WAS AN IDLE MOTOR WHICH IS CONNECTED TO THE THROTTLE BODY ($700 REPAIR). WE'LL SEE IF IT WORKS OR NOT.*AK

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON REPEATEDLY SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR FROM BURNSVILLE VW, BURNSVILLE, MN. SERVICE DEPT. STATED "IT'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT" AND RESET THE COMPUTER. AFTER PERSISTENT REOCCURANCE, REQUESTED THEY ACTUALLY FIX THE PROBLEM, THAT IS WHEN THEY INFORMED US THE RIVETS TO THE SECONDARY AIR PUMP HAD FAILED AND IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. CALLS TO VW NORTH AMERICA RESULTED IN THE SAME, "NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY", "CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT MATTER", ETC. ESTIMATED $650 TO REPLACE ITEM. WHILE WE ARE BEING TOLD IT IS A "MINOR" FAILURE AND WILL NOT AFFECT THE CAR PERFORMANCE, IT SEEMS THAT IT TRIGGERS AN "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT FOR A REASON. ALSO, WE WERE TOLD TO "IGNORE" THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT. HOWEVER IF WE IGNORE IT THEN WHEN A "SIGNIFICANT" PROBLEM OCCURS, HOW WOULD WE KNOW?! VW NORTH AMERICA CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER ADMITTED THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM BUT UNLESS IT IS REPORTED WITHIN THE FIRST 2 YEARS IT IS NO LONGER COVERED.*AK

CLUTCH SUDDENLY AND COMPLETELY FAILED AT 27,000 MILES. DRIVEN ONLY BY PREVIOUS OWNER OF TWO OTHER VWS. HAVE LEARNED NO REPLACEMENT CLUTCH IS AVAILABLE. WAS ATTEMPTING TO SELL IT SINCE ANOTHER CAR HAS ALREADY BEEN PURCHASED. THIS HAS PRESENTED A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP. I AM LIVID LIVID LIVID. NO MORE VWS FOR ME EVER. *JB

THE IGNITION SWITCH ON THE CAR FAILED SOMETIME BETWEEN 8:00PM MONDAY 8/02 AND 5:30AM ON TUESDAY 8/03. I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AND STARTED IT, ONLY TO NOTICE, I HAD NO FAN, NO A/C, NO DEFROSTER, NO REAR DEFROSTER, NO HEADLIGHTS, NO FOGLIGHTS, NO POWER TO SOME OF MY GAUGES. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND FOUND IT TO BE THE IGNITION SWITCH, WHICH I CALLED MY DEALER FOR AND HAD TO SPEND $90 TO REPLACE. UPON REMOVING THE OLD UNIT, I NOTICED A WIRE THAT CONNECTS TO THE 30 FUSE ON THE UNIT WAS MELTED AND CORRODED, THE PLASTIC HOUSING THAT CONNECTS THE WIRES TO THE SWITCH IT SELF HAD MELTED IN A SMALL PORTION AND THE OLD UNIT HAD VISIBLE BURN MARKS ON IT. THE FAILURE HAS BEEN FIXED, BUT THE POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD STILL EXISTS IN MY OPINION, JUST BASED ON THE NUMEROUS PEOPLE I'VE READ ABOUT WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK