I own a 2005 VW convertible Beetle turbo automatic. It only has 45,000 miles on it. I have been having issues with the car lurching forward or shifting very roughly between 1,2,3 gears on upshift and downshift. Its very scary and happens only when the car has been driving for about 10-15 minutes. VW seems to be guessing when it comes to a fix for this issue but after reading edmunds and consumer complaints there are loads of owners of the new Beetle (all years) that are having this exact problem. Mine is in the dealer shop now for the 2nd time with this problem, 1st they charged me $766 to service the transmission (which should not have to be done as it is sealed and the fluid should never have to be changed from what I have heard), I still have the problem...now they are saying either a new transmission but they are going to try and put in a new valve body instead to see if that works. Its a crap shoot. I feel unsafe and nervous driving the car as do many, many others and I feel there should be a recall.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

My 2005 VW Beetle transmission began slipping and jerking about 2 months ago. I T has 50+ K miles on it. Finally took it into armstrong VW dealer in gladstone or and was took it was the "transmission valve" and would cost more than $2000 to repair and it was not covered under warranty!! the dealer's service dept now tells me that if I pay $550 for a complete 45K mile tuneup that VW will replace the part for free. Yes, the car has over 50K miles on it! please note that I have the Beetle serviced at a local garage but the dealer tells me that the tuneup must be done by a VW dealer! this is a hostage situation. It appears from internet research that many, many owners of VW Beetles are having the same problem. This lurching has nearly caused an accident on three different occasions.

- Happy Valley, OR, USA

2005 VW Beetle slipping in and out of gears when slowing down.

- Wichita, KS, USA

The automatic transmission always jerks badly, whenever I accelerate and apply the brakes. There is also a loud thumping noise that is heard often from the transmission. I have contacted your phone number twice and left messages, but no one has ever returned my calls or left messages, so I decided to try to contact you all on-line.

- Killeen, TX, USA

I have a 2005 Volkswagen new Beetle. I bought it brand new from the dealership. Between 2005- 2009 I had many repair problems. The first problem was my window regulator which cost me $400 for the part and labor. Then I had all kinds of electrical problems and sensor problems that the dealership claimed they have fixed but it will do the same thing like a week or so later. Now I am having problems with my transmission, which costs thousands of dollars to fix. So far I have been to 5 places trying to get my car fixed. My car is the only transportation that I have to and from school and work. It can go out on me any day. It jerks will hard and often causes my tires to spin from the force of the jerk. This is so dangerous. I have got my window regulator replaced about 3 weeks later the motor in the window went out which cost another $400 to fits.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

I own a 2005 VW Beetle, with a 6 speed automatic transmission. The dealer today told me that the transmission value body in bad after only 67006 miles, costing $2300 dollars. They are aware that this is a common problem. The cars doesn't shift from 1st to 2nd or 3rd to 4th on a irregular basics. Looking a varies web sites. It looks like this is a problem that thousand are having with this car. Please make Volkswagen recall these crappie transmissions. This could cause a accident at any time costing someone's life. The cost to repair is about $2400 dollars.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

I purchased my vehicle from Volkswagen around February of 2008. My car began to show signs of transmission failure shortly after and began to get worse in June of 2008. It began gradually from skipping gears to jumping into neutral and losing power while driving. The failure occurs very often now. I cannot drive my car for more than 15 minutes without being stranded on the side of the road for a short period. I noticed that as soon as the transmission warms up from driving, the transmission goes into neutral, and the dashboard lights turn on. Luckily my job is really close to my house. My boyfriend began doing some research into this problem and noticed that this is common in newer Volkswagen models that involve the dsg transmission, which resulted in a recall. I have a 6 speed techtonic transmission and the same symptoms take place. We have looked for quotes on replacement of sensors, rebuilt transmissions, but we are still trying to figure out what it may be because transmission work is really expensive. This is not normal for a car with way less than 100,000 miles. I do not understand why this would be happening to a car that has been well maintained.

- Highland, CA, USA

2005 VW Beetle transmission slipping---shifting from 2nd to 3rd, engine revs and trans slams into 3rd. Gives no warning. Hasn't developed a noticeable pattern. With just under 47,000 miles there is no maintenance related reason this should be occurring. Add this one to the complaint file along with the similar transmission issues. Awaiting dealer judgment to determine next course of action.

- Sheffield, AL, USA

2005 VW Beetle with 95,000 miles. Been maintained and taken care of. As with many other VW Beetle owners, the transmission is messed up. Doesn't happen all the time but hesitates and bucks when shifting up and down. Very worrisome in heavy traffic.

- Enumclaw, WA, USA

The 2005 Beetle I purchased had 31K miles on it when I bought it. I know have 41 K miles on it and between 2nd and third gear the engine revs then shifts really hard. My girlfriend has almost been involved in several accidents related to this issue. I have read other blogs on edmonds had have talked with other bug owners every chance I get. Some have told me (who don't know about the blog site0 that they have had the same issue. Obviously there is a problem creating a huge safety issue and VW needs to address the issue. There needs to be a recall on the transmissions. And not just my year but 03,02,01,04,05,06,07. From what I understand. A cop would and will eventually pull me over due to the erratic behavior of the car.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

I have a 2005 turbo VW Beetle with 56K miles. The transmission jumps out of gear. Sometimes it sticks in 3rd gear and also sometimes jumps out of gear when driving down the road. I bought this car as my daughter's first car and she is scared to drive it because she was nearly rearended when it jumped out of gear. I also have the brackets around the gears, so it's obvious it doesn't know what gear it's in. The car is at a VW dealership and I was just given a $7100 repair quote. They would not acknowledge the 60K mile drivetrain warranty and after doing research on the web, I have found numerous other 2005 VW Beetle owners experiencing similar problems.

- South Mills, NC, USA

2005 VW Beetle with 86,000 miles diagnosed with internal transmission failure (metal is shearing off internally). I have been advised by two mechanics that this is problem with this model year. II contacted VW and they would not acknowledge the problem. Suggested repairs could total $9,000.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA