Three problems related to transmission stuck in gear have been reported for the 2004 Volkswagen Beetle. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
2004 vw Beetle - faulty transmission. The transmission shifts violently into 2nd and 3rd gears causing the car to jolt forward. At other times it becomes stuck in 1st gear so as you accelerate from a stop sign you are not able to increase speed enough to stay out of the way of traffic approaching from behind. A multitude of complaints on line for same problem. Vw admits transmission problems and shifting difficulty on 1998 - 2006 automatic's. They have extended the warranty for repairs, but only cover the valve box, which according to the local vw dealer is not the problem.
I have a complaint against Volkswagen of America regarding my 2004 Volkswagen new Beetle convertible automatic transmission. At 71,000 miles, it has had hard shifting issues and has actually jerked forward when I came to a stop at a light, and then has proceeded to get stuck in 3rd gear until it was shut off and restarted. Volkswagen has extended the warranty for the transmission valve body, but they have determined, $300. 00 later, that it is not the valve body, but needs the transmission replaced at a cost of $6,300. 00. The vehicle is not safe to drive. Volkswagen should replace these defective transmissions!.
Bought my vw new. Have had problems with jerky shifting from early on. Took it to the dealer several times, and they "could not duplicate the problem". They acted like they had never heard of the problem, which has to be a lie considering the number of complaints here. I'm now past the warranty, the car is paid for, and I worry every time I get in it that I'll get stuck in a gear. Volkswagen knew the transmissions were bad in these cars and they did nothing about it.