Dash Wiring Problems of Volkswagen Beetle

Failure of dashboard (airconditioning) controls caused car to catch on fire. Car was completely destroyed. Failure to address this defect could cause injury or death.

See all problems of the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

Since I purchased my Beetle in 2001, it has been an ongoing money drain. In 6 yrs. I have replaced the manual transmission twice, had the brakes worked on a number of times, been unable to open the gas "door" on the car w/ the gas cap latch, had to replace the hood opening latch, had repeated electrical failures, problems w/ front & rear light wiring, had door locks/alarm fail & subsequently had my laptop stolen from the car, the radio has not worked for 1+ year, & it's cover panel is loose & falling back into the dash, the rear-view mirror switches have failed, the power window switches have had to be replaced, the drivers side door fell off (!) of its top hinge when the hinge broke while opening the door normally at a gas station, the air compressor has failed many times, the a/c is currently not working, the drivers side door lock fell out of the handle(!!!!), the catalytic converter has been replaced twice, & the list goes on. Currently I have not been driving the car for several wks b/c though only a week or two out of the shop, again it is having transmission problems. I am at my wits end with this car & having recently graduated from college, am not in the greatest position to have to buy a new car. Moreover, I am so displeased w/ the car that I would literally feel guilty about trading it in to be sold to some other unsuspecting person. Vw should be so ashamed of themselves, & should be reimbursing owners of the 1998 Beetle in full for all of the strife & trouble that they have caused. In fact, after writing this & realizing how many problems this car has had, I may try to take legal action - this is totally unacceptable! finally, our local vw dealer is terrible, keeping my car for wks. Longer than expected, one time leaving a candy bar stuck to my passenger side seat!!!, and acting like they could care less about the poor quality of their products & labor.

See all problems of the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

: the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked the dashboard caught on fire setting off and freezing the alarm. The fire also caused damage to the front interior. The police and fire department were on the scene and a police report was filed. The vehicle was unable to be driven. The closest dealers were contacted and refused to service the vehicle. However, they were willing to have vehicle towed to the original dealers for a fee. Prior to the dash board catching on fire, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer on several occasions because of a burning smell coming from the engine. The dealer determined that the engine detailer spray was causing the smell but there were no repairs made.

See all problems of the 2001 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

While driving between 20-40 mph, suddenly the ventilation panel became hot. When the driver attempted to turn the ventilation system on the knob melted. This was followed by smoke coming out the air vent. Vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes of the consumer exiting the vehicle, and calling the fire department. The insurance company and a factory representative inspected the vehicle. The cause of the fire was reportedly due to interior electrical system. The vehicle was totaled.

See all problems of the 2000 Volkswagen Beetle 🔎.

Fan switch would turn off, then started smoking and caught fire, burning the entire dashboard in a matter of minutes.

After vehicle was parked for a period of one hour driver tried to start it but vehicle would not start. Also, smoke was seen coming from the dash. Vehicle did not catch on fire. Dealer found that there was a malfunction in the wiring under the dash, but was unable to determine the cause.

When jump starting or replacing battery vehicle would run approximately three miles or less before it stalls compeletly out. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer shop to reset all of eletrical components, to get the vehicle to run again. If this occurs in a town or city that does not have a Volkswagen dealer shop what can one do?.

Multiple problems with car since purchase.

Vehicle caught fire on inside of ignition switch box. There was a bad connection in the ignition switch. Fire meleted wires inside the box which caused shutdown in dashboard ie/ headlights/ windshield wipers, and etc. Dealer's remedy was to tighten the wires in ignition box, but the electrical portion of dashboard would periodically go down.

Bad wiring, alarm goes off in the middle og the night, rear hatch light comes on and off, wiring is bad in cold weather, front headlights keep burining out, excessive oil consumption, at about 2000 miles engine will be bone dry, excessive road nosie, radio no longer works, in general the car is in bad shape after two years of use and it seesm to be all factory related type of problems.

Electrical harness behind the dashboard failed resulting in vehicle fire.

Consumer noticed dashboard lights flashed while traveling. Vehicle is now on second repair. Dealer can't duplicate problem.