Cruise Control Problems of Volkswagen Beetle

Bought this vw Beetle used. Had terrible smell, like burnt crayons. Cleaned it intensely, inside and outside. Thorough detail job. Still smells, causing headache. Air bag light and buzzer stayed on even after latching seat belt. Cruise control works erratically, lunging forward suddenly, then chugs, then lunges forward quickly again. Speed works consistently when cruise control is not engaged. Very unsafe with cruise control in use. Lighting issues. Interior lights would not work, unable to see interior gauges in the dark. Turn signals blinking erratically, and not in sync. Took vehicle in for repairs at an authorized vw dealer, paid $1,300. 00. Still not working properly. Took it back in 4 days later because drivers side window almost fell out while driving, and interior lighting issues still did not work. Was charged another $600. 00. Vehicle will not engage into drive position easily, and sometimes not at all unless the steering wheel is jerked on. Dealer said sensors were the problem, and that I will need to bring it back again to have the cruise control fixed at a cost of $250. 00. I am scared to drive this vehicle now. There should be some recalls on the smell issue, and the air bag/seat belt issue. Also cruise control issue, because I have been told it is associated with the electrical problems.

See all problems of the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

Defective plastic speedometer drive gear in transmission. After driving at highway speed for approximately 5 minutes the speedometer gradually drops causing you to think that your driving slower than you actually are. At 65mph the speedometer floats between 45 - 55 mph. At 80mph it reads 60. This problem causes the cruise control to constantly try to speed the car up. I'm afraid to let my teen driver use the car. Cost of repair at private shop is over $1000. Due to intense labor to replace broken gear. Transmission must be taken apart to fix. Dealer wants to replace the entire transmission for $4000. These Beetles are popular with new teen drivers and this is a dangerous defect. An internet search also shows the same problem occurring in the jetta.

See all problems of the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

When cruise control is engaged, suddenly, without warning, the vehicle will accelerate at ever increasing speeds until disengaged. This happens intermittently, without warning and seemingly without a common denominator (such as 30 min after engaged or at a particular speed). It does happen with more regularity exceeding speeds of 70 mph on the highway, but it has also happened at 45-50 mph as well. The dealer was unable to duplicate the problem so subsequently did not repair the problem.

See all problems of the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

- the contact stated that on 12-28-06 vehicle which was parked caught on fire. The contact stated that the fire department came to extinguish the fire and made a report. The fireman said that the battery was completely melted, and could have been the possible reason for the fire. That 15 minutes before the fire she heard whistling noise from under the hood, and saw dark gray smoke coming out. The contact said that the car was in idle at the time she heard the noise and saw the smoke. The contact found recall 98v100000 which the contact felt could be the possible reason for the fire.

See all problems of the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

The epc light comes on the dash. I was told this is due to a brake light switch that will go out. This causes cruise control to go out, brake lights to not work, and difficulty getting your gearshift out of park or neutral.

Problem with the 'engine check light'. First came on at about 3k miles. Dealer spent four hours and made a comment about the fault code being associated with the idle speed (yeah right). They fooled with it , reset the computer and sent me away. Now it's back on again. I have noticed that the light goes out but then re-appears again. It's back to the dealer again. If anyone has an absolute solution, I'd love to know so I can tell the dealer what to look for.

See all problems of the 2000 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

During cruise control operation, cruise control disengages, then reengages when vehicle strikes a ridge or hole in the road. On one occasion, the cruise control failed to reengage when passing through casual water on the highway.

When cruise control was engaged vehicle would suddenly accelerate beyond the set speed. The dealer examined the vehicle, and found that the throttle control module was defective. The vehicle's speedometer would not go past 60 mph. The a/c compressor failed which caused a loud squealing noise when turning the a/c on. The mil light illuminated intermittently. The dealer replaced the air hose , air pump and mass air flow sensor.

While traveling 50mph with the cruise control on, went to apply brakes to release cruise control & failed to release or to slow down vehicle. Instead, vehicle started to increase in speed & hit a concrete barrier. Also had hit or clipped 2 other vheicles. Then the vehicle slid sideways & came to a stop. No injuries.

Headlights will go out while in use without warning. When vehicle is in cruise control mode it will either surge or continue to accelerate. Dealership stated they need to separate the engine and transmission in order to fix the problem. The windshield wiper works intermittently. The dealership replaced the motor but the problem recurred. Consumer noted he has seen a lot of one headlight Beetles and that the problem is widespread.