One problem related to clutch bell housing has been reported for the 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
With only 64000 miles on the car, my 2003 vw New Beetle Convertible's manual transmission let go and something tore a 3/4" by 2" hole in the bell housing. Luckily, this did not happen on the open road. The resulting gush of tranny fluid could have caused major problems.