Clutch problems of the 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle

Clutch failure (began to slip) on 2002 nb tdi @ 77k mi.

Vw New Beetle - in shop for 3 months out of 24 months owned. Engine trouble, window trouble, starter trouble and now clutch problems.

Problem: very hard to shift gears while driving and almost impossible to shift into reverse. Car only had 35,000 miles. Took car to vw dealership for repair. Repair person knew instantly what problem was. After taking clutch apart, vw dealer said total clutch failure and showed me the clutch parts. Vw dealer replaced clutch and I was billed $1600. Vw said not covered by warranty because wear and tear item. (I even purchased an extended warranty from the same dealer when I purchased the car). This is b. S. A clutch does not fail only after two years of normal driving. This type of clutch is a major defect and vw knows about it. I called vw of America to report problem which was totally useless. I am so disgusted with vw now, I will never buy a vw again and I will always advise my friends and family never to own a vw.

The clutch on 2002 beetle 1. 8 turbo went out on my wife on I-40 in amarillo. The car would not accelerate and she was going 30 miles per hour in heavy traffic on the interstate. She was able to move across two lanes and exit the interstate without incident. The vw clutches in the 1. 8 turbos seem to be having very early failure. The clutch was replaced for $1450. 00 and not covered by warranty. I have requested to see the old parts. I have read that the new clutch and flywheel have different part numbers than original.

Vw 2002 turbo beetle had an epc light come on. The car was loosing power and would cut off at times (in traffic). I took it in and they said that it a problem with the vacuum on the turbo. The receipt shows that they replaced a switch. About a few weeks later, the car started loosing power again. I called the dealership and brought it in. I was told that the car's clutch was out and that I needed a new clutch & flywheel. The estimate was $1800 to repair. The car has about 27,000 miles (probably less). The powertrain warranty does not cover the clutch even at 27,000 miles. I was told that it was only a 12,000 mile warranty for this type of repair. This is a major part of the drive train and should be covered under the drive train warranty for more than 12,000 miles. I have driven standards all my life. There is apparently a problem with the vw clutches.

Vw 2002 turbo beetle suddenly started to lose power, cut out in traffic a couple of times. Took it into the dealership as an emergency. Was told the clutch was bad at less than 25k on the speedometer? part not covered by powertrain warranty - "hidden" warranty, so they wanted $1800 to fix. I have been driving manual transmissions for 30-years, never had a transmission or clutch problem even on cars with over 200k on clock. They charged me $300 to tear down clutch, vw maintained "driver outside influences. " meanwhile I get on the internet and there are pages of web sites and hundreds of letters on vw 2002 turbo beetles with bad clutches, going out at 5k, 11k, 17k 25k, 36k and so on, but very early in he life of the vehicle. After more research, it turns out that the engines are poorly designed and the clutch is too small for the turbo engine and thus burning up at low mileage. Also problems on 2001 vw jetta's where flywheel is cracking and leaking onto clutch and burning up clutch. Vw are very aware of the situation and are now placing larger clutch in newer models. However, they were denying responsibility and placing repair costs onto customers. Vw customer care were the most arrogant and difficult people I've dealt with in 30-years of driving. They messed with my life and the life of others and this is unconscionable. I will never buy another vw or recommend a vw to anyone again. The vehicle is repaired but I am turning it in for a Honda.