While driving the vehicle unexpectedly and erratically down shifts or hard up shifts, creating an unsafe condition.

- Redmond, WA, USA

Was driving my Beetle convertible at around 40mph there was a car that stopped in front of me and I started slowing down as the transmission down shifted it jerked so hard it made me go into oncoming traffic and almost have a head on collision VW is aware of these cars doing this and warrantied the valve body's but when I called and told them about mine they said I was to late that the warranty was over!!! this is a very serious issue and could result in people being killed VW didn't even offer me the part to pay someone to fix my car so now it sits in the yard and I can not drive it due to I have children and I'm scared it will gets us in a very bad accident and harm us! there needs to be a recall for this before so many people are hurt!!!! step up VW and do what's right!

- Silvercreek, GA, USA

Transmission suddenly failed!

- Durham, CT, USA

The vehicle starts up fine and accelerates normal at first. Just before the vehicle switches to second gear it gets stuck. The only way to get it to properly shift to second gear is to give it more gas, which makes the rpms go up to 7,000. At this point the vehicle changes to second gear and lunges forward. I have almost rear ended multiple people do this problem. Once the vehicle gets into second gear it accelerates normally again, just until it changes to third gear and does the same problem that I described above. This problem is not only dangerous, but also financial hurtful. I have read hundreds of reviews on this problem and they all describe the same thing, along with their vehicles being very low in mileage.

- Tampa, FL, USA

I own a 2003 VW new Beetle convertible with an automatic tiptronic transmission. Recently, at random times, when shifting between 3rd and 4th gear the engine would rev up past 4000 RPM and jump into gear. Essentially a very hard shift. With plans to keep this vehicle for many years to come, I immediately took the vehicle to a trusted mechanic. After test driving and experiencing the "hard shift", I was informed that it was most definitely transmission related, however, only VW can access the transmission due to the fact that it is completely sealed. The vehicle was taken to a david maus Volkswagen of orlando for the diagnostic. I was informed that the transmission was "coming apart from the inside" and that it was a "ticking time bomb". because the vehicle is over 100000 miles, it does not fall under the transmission valve body recall. The repair cost for a new transmission is $6000. I feel that this is gross negligence on the part of Volkswagen of America, to knowingly place this vehicle with such a major defect on the marketplace. I now have an unusable hunk of scrap metal sitting in my garage for fear of the time bomb under the hood. I refuse to drive this car and potentially put others lives at risk. Volkswagen needs to be held responsible for knowingly putting a car with such a major defect on the road.

- Orlando, FL, USA

The 2003 VW Beetle has started to slip at 96,500 miles going from 2nd to 3rd gear. I have done alot of online research and there are several forums and thousands of similar cases as the one I am having. I called VW of America customer care and talked to tim and he said because the car was out of warranty they could not do anything. I mentioned that the problem seems to be the valve body and he agreed but still could not help me. Further research led to me finding a class action suit agains VW America for exactly this problem. Since there are so many documented cases, I feel there should be a recall immediately as this can lead to a serious safety issue on the road. Worse yet, VW knows about it and is not doing anything! please help.

- Davie, FL, USA

The transmission downshifts on its own at any giving time. Was close to getting rear ended several times..

- Canton, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the transmission down shifted automatically and the vehicle decelerated. The contact mentioned that the check engine warning lamp illuminated and the vehicle started to jerk violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

- Petaluma, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked when there was a shift of gear. The contact also stated that the vehicle slid out of gears by itself. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop, where it was inspected and it was determined that the transmission was faulty. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, however no assistance was provided. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 108,000 and the current mileage was 109,000.

- Jensen Beach , FL, USA

When this car shifts into third gear, it is very hard and violent with an awful lunge, making it difficult to keep the car in control. I am still driving it, but waiting for an accident to happen.

- Saginaw, MI, USA

My vehicle will down shift really hard from 3rd to 2nd with a loud clunk noise. The transmission at times will get stuck in a gear at a intersection and not move at all..then all of a sudden it will take off really fast. It has done this on the freeway as well. I have done some research on this car and found that I am not the only one that has complained about this issue. I have contacted VW and they said I need a new transmission. They know that their is a problem with their transmissions but fail to fix it. They should be recalled. This is a very dangerous situation a lot of these car owners are young (new ) drivers and this is not a safe car!

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

2003 Volkswagen Beetle owner blogs, failed transmission is a common and frequent occurrence./31/12 the consumer stated that upon starting the car and shifting it moved forward for a few seconds and then stopped. The engine still ran fine but, the transmission did not shift to higher gears. The transmission slipped and the car would not move forward. Updated 06/06/12

- Grand Central Station, NY, USA

At 70,000 miles, my VW starting shifting hard causing it to be difficult to drive. VW states that this should not happen this early but that they can't do anything about it.

- Hemet, CA, USA

My transmission valve body is faulty, but VW's extended warranty only covers vehicles after 7 years or 100,000 miles. My car was just 4 months too old to qualify and they refused to replace anything, despite it being a major issue affecting drive performance. Other cars in my same model year qualified, but mine did not. How is this fair?

- Perrysburg, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen new Beetle. While driving approximately 30 mph, the transmission began to down shift continuously into lower gears. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated to the contact that the transmission valve body was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred two years later. The vehicle had not been repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the defect and was unable to provide further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Randleman, NC, USA

My 2003 Beetle has been violently jerking after about 10-15 minutes of driving (when it warms up). If I'm at a stop sign or red light and accelerate - it violently jerks into gear !! if I baby it and barely move (where traffic is practically running into me from behind), it is not soooo bad, but still bad and it is very dangerous. VW also extended the warranty until 2010 or 100,000 which ever came first, and unfortunately 2010 came first and they refuse to extend the warranty to be used under the 100,000 miles rule. This is extremely expensive to fix, I've read thousands of the same exact complaints in this car -- thousands, the very same thing and VW will not take responsibility to change it to 100,000 miles and not just 2010 (which obviously has past 2 years ago). This is dangerous and expensive. It is a defect and VW should pay for this. Do people have to get killed before they offer the extension up to 100,000 miles"?" thank you

- Lambertville, NJ, USA

I was driving on the highway and as I was exiting the highway, my car shifted down very hard and the steering wheel jerked causing me to hit a guardrail. I took my car to a shop and had the body repairs done ($3910), and upon taking my car, it did the same thing again. I had it taken to a mechanic and he stated that it was a known problem with those VW's and they had a recall on it. My local VW dealership stated that they would not do anything for me because the warranty on the vehicle was up. I was hoping that someone there could help me resolve this issue. The estimated cost of the repair is $5900 for the transmission and the body damage was $3910. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Cleveland, OH, USA

From day one this car had transmission problems which were denied by the dealer on 5 visits, after I sold the car I received a recall from VW, now that I am looking at blogs they have apparently recalled this recall to suit them. Other complaints with this vehicle are window troubles, convertible roof troubles, electronic troubles, seatbelt troubles, airbag troubles. I can't believe anyone will allow this car to still be sold or on the road. It is a safety hazard on wheels.

- Alta Loma, CA, USA

This car was purchased new and within three months had to have the transmission replaced under warranty. Recently it started to lurch at stops and starts, and the diagnosis was a failed valve body on the transmission. The transition company referred me to websites where there are multiple complaints for this exact problem with this model. I called Volkswagen in mi and was told there had been a warranty extension, of which I was not informed, but that it would not apply to me now. It appears to me that the frequency of this problem warrants a look at this model and its transmission. The dealer warned my transition specialist that the repair which has been frequent only works about 50% of the time. I asked if it is safe to drive as is and was warned only for short distances. It appears to E that this should have triggered a recall or a class action suit.

- Randolph, NJ, USA

I purchased my 2003 new Beetle convertible brand spanking new in Dec 2002. The car had 32 miles on it when I bought it; the car now has 77K miles as of today. I have been experiencing a major transmission problems that VW is acutely aware of. The car is a 6 speed auto transmission with trip tronic. The car hesitates upon acceleration and before shifting into 2nd gear. Instead, the transmission lurches from 1st into 2nd, causing the tires to screech. When the car lurches forward it causes the front drive/steering tires to lose grip on the pavement which is a safety issue. There have been a few times when it jumped so hard it almost hit the car in front of me and sometimes the lurch is so strong it feels like another car hit me from behind. The transmission works fine when it is cool but gets worse as the car warms up - after about 5 miles. The other gears have shifting problems too; just not as harsh as going into 2nd. This happens when the car is downshifting as well. I have also experienced the car getting stuck in 2nd gear while traveling in traffic which created a danger for me and others on the road. The only way to cure the problem is to safely make my way to the side of the road, turn the engine off, wait a few minutes, then turn it back on. This doesn't completely make the lurching go away but it gives me several travel miles before getting stuck in gear again. I contacted my local dealership who looked up my VIN. They told me I was over my years for the recall on the valve body which is what should correct my transmission problem. I have lived at the same address since I purchased the vehicle in 2002 and never received a recall notice for this item. I am very disappointed in VW of America! I waited several years for the convertible version to come out and this was a birthday present to myself (this is how much I love this car!)

- Long Beach, CA, USA