general problems of the 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle

The six speed transmission shifts at random I got this car for my 16 year old daughter and im scared to let her drive it. Got a notice in the mail from vw about it they drove it and said it was ok but obviously its not. They need to address this situation before some one gets injured.

While driving one evening the car lost the ability to shift into higher gears on highway, thus limiting the speed to less than 35 miles per hour in a posted zone of 55 mph. Third -sixth gears failed.

Drove 600 miles to purchase this vehicle-my dream car. Had it for 2 days, put the top down twice and the cable to the convertible top snapped. Couldn't afford to have it fixed right away (missed the whole first season of using the convertible). Finally got enough $$ together to have it repaired and found out a piece of something must have fallen down into the channel of the rear window and broke a part inside so added that to the expense, around $800. Replaced the brakes next (o. K. With that, normal repair of any vehicle). But, not too long after, noticed transmission had a tiny "slip". Ignored that since I didn't want to think something else was going wrong already. Progressed to where I am now, slamming down into the lower gears when slowing to a stop. Received a letter from vw stating if any repairs had been incurred during the warranty/extended warranty, it would be covered as 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever came first. Well, as it happens, my car has just under 83,000 miles on it and the warranty had expired in April of 2010. I took it to my local dealership and they quoted me $2490 for repair. The service manager said he had a rep he could call to see if "there was anything they could do" since it was such a short time after my warranty expired. After it was all said and done, they would deduct $750 from the total repair if I would show good faith and purchase new tires ($500), new battery ($195 or $165) and an exhaust clamp ($58) from their dealership. I'm no math wizard, but that put me right back to almost the original repair cost. I am at my wit's end with this car. I don't feel safe driving it but have no choice as it is my only mode of transportation. I have been reading several other comparable complaints, so I know I am not alone. I feel that a 100,00 mile warranty should be just that, not 7 years/or. . . . . . .

The contact owns a 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle. While driving approximately 30 mph, the transmission began to down shift continuously into lower gears. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated to the contact that the transmission valve body was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred two years later. The vehicle had not been repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the defect and was unable to provide further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was unavailable.

2003 Volkswagen jerk when slowing down and accelerating. The consumer was told the transmission would be covered for 60,000 miles.