One problem related to transmission shudder has been reported for the 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Purchased 2003 New Beetle Convertible in June 2003. I am the only owner of the vehicle. The car had approx. 69 miles on it when I bought it. The car now has 39,038 miles as of this writing. Within the last month (when the car turned over to 39,000), I have been experiencing major transmission issues. Starting from a complete stop, accelerating, the car will not shift into 1st gear. Instead, the transmission grinds & then jumps (lurches) forward, causing the tires to screech. When the car lurches forward, there have been a few times when it jumped so as to almost hit the car in front of me. The problem is intermittent & seems to occur once I have driven the car for 10 miles or more. There is no rhyme or reason for this problem, & I cannot predict when or where it will happen. I would say that it happens frequently. I have read on line that many people with this make/model/year of car have experienced this problem. Some people have indicated that an accident was barely avoided - - same scenario that I am complaining of in this complaint. My question - why is Volkswagen not recalling this car for the transmission issues before someone is injured by this unexpected lurching problem. Like the Toyota accelerator problem of recent weeks, injuries could be prevented if the car manufacturer would take responsibility for this problem. I am unable to afford to repair my car & have an ad on craigs list fully disclosing the problem I am experiencing. Hopefully, I will be able to sell the car to someone who can afford the $4,000+ repair to replace/repair the transmission. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).