Automatic Transmission problems of the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle

2003 Beetle conv tiptronic swtich failure to down shifts on the Beetle leads to false reading as to replacing of the whole trnasmissions on the Beetles. Not safe while driving on freeway up- hill jerks like losing speed in shifting. Tranmission should not be going out at 93, 000 miles do to tipronic shifter over $592. 00 to fix 6, 792. 00 for rebuit tranmission. I was told by vw to replace transmission due totipronic shifter failure est 6,792. 00 dollars for transmission 592. 00 for tipronic shifter. Replace shifter till have old part.

2003 vw Beetle. . . Transmission "lurches" forward. . . Not safe. Vw extended warranty by only 7 years. That excluded any 2003's sold during normal model year. Only had 54,ooo miles. Cost over $3,000. 00 to fix. How can Volkswagen know there is a problem and then exclude vehicles like this?.

Bought car for daughter Feb. 2011. The gear seems to get hung up between 2nd and 3rd then the car will barely move. Sometimes when it goes in to gear it lunges forward. My daughter almost had a wreck trying to turn and the gear got hung up and stalled in traffic.

I had previously complained about my 2003 Beetle on this website. Somehow my car seems to have somehow repaired it self !! it is no longer shifting hard when it shifts and its no longer lurching or pausing as it shifts. Im not sure why, im just really relieved!.

Transmission shifts very hard from 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 4th. Has even stalled on occasion. Has less than 70,000 miles. Transmission hits so hard it feels as though it will fall out of the car. I have stopped driving it due to this dangerous situation. Can not afford the 4,000 - 7000 dollars quoted to replace.

Vw Beetle 2003, 61,000 miles, I noticed it shifted hard shortly after I purchased it this past April; jerks while shifting between first and second, second and third, etc; went to vw after I received the warranty extension - transmission valve body letter (received in December 2010, but they are unwilling to cover the cost because the extension is to cover 7 years, and my car is 6 months too old; they've admitted the problem but refuse to fix it.

After warming up, the car's transmission jerks very badly, and runs wildly before shifting. The mileage is just 75k. It is really dangerous especially driving on the highway due to the hard shift. Many other owners have similar experience. Vw must be responsible for this horrible defect.

For the last 6 months my 2003 automatic vw Beetle convertible with 56k miles has been shifting hard (lurch feeling) intermittently going up or down hills. When the mechanic inspected it the transmission readout said it was fine and this was normal wear and tear. On November 15, 2010 while driving in traffic at about 15mph, the transmission stopped grabbing and went into neutral. I was able to shift it to the tiptronic system to drive the vehicle safely out of the way. Upon inspection the vw dealer stated that they did not know the exact cause and only direction they got from vw national was to replace the transmission completely for $7k.

I bought a used 2003 vw Beetle conv. In 2006. I immediately reported to the service dept. That it there was some jerking happening when the car changed gears and they told me that this was normal for vw. Recently the jerking got really bad, and almost caused an accident because the transmission hesitated in the middle of an intersection and then I could not regain any speed. I was very close to being hit by an oncoming car. The replacement cost will be around 5800. My mechanic talked to vw and they told him they were aware of the problem and have fixed it in the newer models.

2003 vw bug stalls when hitting around 35 miles per hour, almost was rear ended - takes a while to start back moving but is sluggish. Took it to the mechanic and he said it was the transmission. I only have 80,000 miles on this car - how could this be the transmission.

Transmission bad.

Occaisional violent shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to third gear - automatic transmission. Very dangerous in intersections. Vw had a recall to fix this problem, I was notified by them last month- vw said my car was 1 year too old - can't afford to fix on my own - car is worthless with thiis problem.

Occaisional violent shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to third gear - automatic transmission. Very dangerous in intersections. Vw had a recall to fix this problem, I was notified by them last month- vw said my car was 1 year too old - can't afford to fix on my own - car is worthless with thiis problem.

The car surges when shifting causing the wheels to spin out on wet surfaces.

Vw bug 2003, 87,000 miles, original owner. Transmission shifting rough. Dealer said we needed to have the "valve body" checked ($1413). If this wasn't the problem would need to replace the transmission ($5761). I do not understand why it costs so much before we even know if the transmission is bad, or why the transmission is going on such a relatively young car.

2003 Volkswagen Beetle convertible automatic was "hard shifting" after warming up for 15-20 minutes from 1st to 2nd gear, and down from 4th all the way to 1st. This issue started after 75,000 miles. Fix = replace valve body. . . Around $2000. I was told that this is a very common issue, and that vw has addressed this defect in newer models. This seems to be a manufacturer defect if it is a known, common, and fixed problem by vw.

I have vw 03' Beetle and transmission is going out early. Jerks between gears, and feels unsafe to drive on road.

2003 vw new Beetle has a faulty transmission which is presenting a safety concern as the vehicle is driven on roads and highways. Car does not shift right, hard shifts, bucking, etc. And now stalling, probably a totally failed transmission for which vw is taking no responsibility.

The contact owns a 2003 volkwagen Beetle which was purchased in 2008. While driving approximately 45 mph and accelerating or shifting gears, the vehicle would act as if it was going to stall and began to shake violently. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt at a costs of over $6,000 at the owner's expense. No repairs were made to date. The current and failure mileages were under 100,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen Beetle. While driving at any speed, the contact noticed that the vehicle would surge and jerk forward and shift hard between gears. The dealer advised the contact to have the transmission replaced. The manufacturer did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic; however, he was unable to duplicate the failure. The current mileage is 79,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 65,000. Updated 05/05/lj updated 05/13/11.

2003 vw Beetle shifts so very hard between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear it feels like the car is going to break. Took to dealership to perform a diagnostic. They said it was the transmission gasket. I replaced it, problem still exists. Driver's side window rolls down on its own. Passenger side window hits the top (when putting it up) then rolls down. Dealership says this is a safety feature.

My 2003 Volkswagen Beetle, with under 50,000 miles on it will shift dangerously hard. When it shifts into 1st or 2nd gear, it shifts with a slam and lurches forward. There is a pause before it shifts which makes it very dangerous due to oncoming traffic, instead of moving forward when it should there is that pause while it lurches down and slams into gear. It does this on a regualr basis.

When attempting to put car into reverse brake switch does not respond. This has happened numerous times. Driver side window goes back down by itself. Also car shifts real hard in second and third gear. Sounds like transmission will break.