Six problems related to engine cooling system have been reported for the 2000 Volkswagen Beetle. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
On April 4, 2008, our 2000vw GLS Beetle caught fire as it was being driven on the interstate. Car had been hesitating and the check engine light would come on, so we had it serviced at our local vw dealership on March 28. Diagnostics did not find anything wrong. We went ahead as asked for fuel filter and the coolant sensor to be replaced. For the next week, the car continued to hesitate, especially after being driven for more that 20 minutes. We made another appointment with the service department to have it repaired and as my daughter was driving to this appointment she noticed the hesitation again, and about 10 miles later, noticed smoke in the rear view mirror. She pulled off the highway and smoke started pouring inside the car. All of the dashboard lights clicked on, then off. Within 2 minutes, the car was completely engulfed in flames. My daughter was able to get out of the car and was not physically harmed. The car was a total loss.
Airbag short to ground coolant system short to ground.
Cooling system failed causing the original overheating. The car has continued to peridodically overheat since. The car was fully repaired from the first incident and has been in for repair many times since. Now there are several failures with the car.
The dealer replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat.
The dealer replaced the radiator, water pump and thermostat.
Temperature gauge warning light broke and reservoir tank sensor failed causing vehicle to overheat. Nlm.