Automatic Transmission problems of the 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible - part 1

My 2004 vw new beetle with 81,000 miles on it needs a new transmission. Harsh shifting between 1st and 2nd gears; did a trans flush; now it won't come out of 3rd gear. Been sitting since January in my driveway. I was told I need a new transmission which is $5,800 + tax. My daughter was nearly rear-ended several times! vw has to do something about these failed transmissions. Purchase 2-1/2 years ago - still owe another 2-1/2 years of payments and I thought this car would get my daughter through college and beyond - boy was I wrong. They certainly don't make vws the way they use to. I had a bug when I was in college and the floorboards rusted out before the mechanics of the car!.

2004 vw beetle turbo began jerking, surging, etc, sept/oct of 2010. Took car to dealership twice for transmissions problems, as obvious. Staff said no transmission problems, but paid over $1000 for "other" issues. Dec. 2010 car abruptly stopped running while I was on the interstate. Lost all power! car will surge unexpectedly while driving or parked. Dangerous to drive. Unable to control as car shifts itself inappropriately. The happens everyday after the car is warmed up. Every time you brake or accelerate, it jerks, surges, stalls, etc. Finally, April 19, 2011, (3 car shops later), another transmission shop confirmed my problems. Only 69,000 miles on my car . . Need new transmission! vw dealership has turned their back on me and "covered up" the fact that this model car has major transmissions problems and was made defective. I can not believe the number of people that are experiencing this horrific ordeal. A recall is imperative. I could have had two cars for the price that I am still paying for this car. Very unsafe and scary ride. An injustice and insult to the public, hard-working tax-payers!!!.

I have a 2004 vw newbeetle. My car was shifting funny and shaking as it drove. I took it to my local dealer and was told it needed a triptonic switch. They replaced it. After test driving the car with this new part they determined this wasn't the problem and that I needed a new transmission at a cost of 5400. 00.

I do not know who to turn to now. I have been experiencing problems with my 2004 Volkswagen new beetle. I purchased the car March, 2010 and a few weeks ago it started acting up. The gears have been shifting very violently, so much so that it feels like someone rear ended me every time. Mind you, this only happens after I have driven the car for more than 15 miles, so I figure that it's once the car has completely cooled. I received a letter from Volkswagen in November, 2010 for an extended warranty on the transmission valve body because they have noticed that a lot of people have been having problems with this. I have been trying to get this fixed and now they tell me that I was only covered until September, 2010. The letter says it will cover to 7 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first from the vehicle's original in-service date. This makes no sense to me because technically I'm still on the 7th year and I'm currently at 54k miles. I have been doing a lot of research on this problem and have found that there a lot of beetle owners experiencing the same misfortune and Volkswagen is doing nothing of the matter because they know it will cost them millions. This is very upsetting, seeing that I've only had the car less than a year and it's had 2 previous owners. I tried calling voa and the "manager" tells me that they're looking into the matter because they have gotten a high volume call this whole week regarding this. I call 2 days later and they tell me that I am out of luck. It really does seem that this is a designer flaw, and vw is failing to step up to the plate.

2007 Volkswagen beetle convertable transmission, valve body defect. Vehicle will not shift and only solutions is replaciing both with a cost of about 6000. 00 for transmission and 2000. 00 for valve body. Very unsafe condition when you are on the freeway and your car will not shift.

Transmission shifts hard and slips in lower gears.

At 64,000 miles my 2004 vw , automatic, begin to "jump" gears between the 1st and 2nd gear after it warmed up. It got progressively worse and I took it in to the dealer. After being told that the warranty was out, I was told that they were certain it was the gear box because the transmission did not show up in the diagnostic as the problem. They did not guarantee that the gear box would fix the problem. I did not authorize the work and took it to another vw repair. They told me that it was the transmission, but there was a problem with it not showing up in the diagnostic. I have no confirmation of the problem and the work is expensive, the estimate for the gear box replacement (without guarantee that it would fix the problem was in excess of $2,000. The other gamble was to replace the transmission at the cost of $5,000 plus labor. I still don't have confirmation of what the problem is, but the repair options are costly and a gamble at best.

2004 vw beetle slipping banging transmission 4500-7000 dollar fix seems to be on most cars. Should be a recall from vw.

I own a 2004 Volkswagen beetle that has a tiptronic transmission with almost 69,000 miles. It started jerking when shifting gears, when accelerating and decelerating. I took it to an independent vw/Audi repair shop had diagnostics run and was told the transmission was bad, and that it was a problem frequently seen with 2004 beetles that have the tiptronic transmission. The cost for a new transmission would be $5700. 00 plus tax, and a used transmission would be $4400. 00 plus tax. I called the local vw dealership to ask about the frequency of the problem and whether vw was planning any type of recall due to the large number of complaints with the tiptronic transmission, and was told the problem didn't warrant a recall at this time. I think a $6200. 00 repair for a car that is worth around $10,000. 00 is insane. Given the number of complaints regarding the transmission in the 2004 beetles and the excessive cost of repair, vw should recall these transmissions.

While driving the car, it started to just jerk right around the time I would brake to stop the car. Initially, I thought it was the brakes but had them checked out and that wasn't the problem. Then the car started getting worse. When the car shifts in low gears whether shifting up or down the car jerks and sometimes stalls.

My vehicle has 75,000 miles on it and is a 2004 new beetle. It is no longer drivable and the car needs a new transmission. I took it to aamco and they have told me it is an unsafe vehicle and will cost anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 to repair. After much research, I can see that this seems to be an ongoing problems with the 2004 new beetles. I am currently not driving it because it actually bucks so badly that it causes my car to jump anywhere from 1 to 5 feet and it could hit a vehicle or a pedestrian.

My 2004 vw beetle at 44,000 miles had to have the automatic transmission replaced, I allowed the vw dealer to do all the work. . The problem that occurs is it jerks and won't shift gears when on the freeway or in other dangerous situations. Over a year later at 54,000 miles my same car is now doing the same thing on the freeway. This is extremely dangerous and occurring on a so-called "brand new" transmission vw claims to have put in. My parts warranty from a year ago recently expired. A car should not have two automatic transmissions under 54,000 miles! I found several message boards full of the same complaint, same problem in the beetles from this time period. The transmission jerks on people when they are driving down a highway or road. There are hundreds of these complaints online. I am filing mine with you in hopes you will start investigating these complaints before someone gets killed driving from them.

Transmission problems with 2004 vw beetle turbo, abrupt shifting, and accelerating at low speed to a sudden stop dealership cant find solution it is frustrating might need to replace transmission and the car is only 68000 miles, no warranty for this problem. Already paid vw dealership 500dlls without a diagnose, car is getting worse has engine light on, esp and asr lights on, not safe to drive according to the dealership, yet they cant figure out what is wrong with it!!!!!!!!!!!!.

My 2004 vw New Beetle Convertible with triptonic transmission, only 53,800 miles, lurches in the lower gears after the car warms up in about 10 minutes. The car will not shift smoothly between the lower gears and often revs up to 5000 rpm before it "clunks" into higher gear. The car will not accelerate properly, left turns into oncoming traffic are dangerous. The car may decide to shift into neutral rather than lurch into gear. After stopping at traffic lights, I am often tailgated because the car will not get up to speed quickly. Luckily I have not been rear-ended as some others have. The vw dealer mechanic would like to replace the transmission at a cost to me of $6800. A transmission should not fail at only 53,800 miles unless there is a major design defect. . Read more...

Purchased a 2004 vw beetle convertible 2 days ago. Drove it home, drove it to and from work (for one day), today the check engine light comes on. Took it to the garage and they tell me the transmission needs to be replaced for $6500. The car only has 57,000 miles on it. This is insane. I have a 3 year old and this car could and probably will leave us stranded on the side of the road.

2004 vw convertible beetle needs the valve body replaced. Car only has 61,900 miles on it. Rear windows both have broken air bag switch needs to be replaced.

I bought my daughter a 2004 beetle it has begun shifting hard 1st thru 3rd both up and down shifting. I've had it at the dealer 3 times and am getting the same run around. There's no way vw isn't aware of this issue, I called vw America to complain about the dealership but got nowhere. I'm fed up and tired of being screwed, the car only had 65k miles and I first took it in with 58k miles on it. Today they say I needed a new transmission at a cost of $6500. 00 and is not covered by the warranty so I 'd have to fork over out of my pocket. Looking on the internet there are over 100 people posting the same problem.

Six speed auto trans began slamming downshifting and slipping up at around 75k. Car hung in neutral 3 times on a 20 minute commute nearly causing near rear end collisions as it was necessary to pull off road to stop and restart car. Blogs are filled with many others with the same scary problem. Vw denies. Repair bill $5000.

I have a 2004 beetle convertible w/ 85k miles and the transmission began "clunking" about 3 months ago. I was told I will need a new transmission costing more than $4000. I came to this site and saw time and time again the exact same problem other owners are having. Many have researched further and it appears to be an obvious defect. This is a safety issue and should be a formal recall.

My 2004 vw conv. Beetle recently had to be smogged for the first time,requested by the dmv. I have submitted all dmv fees but was unable to send a smog certificate because the car will not pass smog test due to the check engine light being on. I have had my car smogged two separate times only to be told my catalytic converter needed to be replaced, and my engine light was on. I was told I can only buy a catalytic converter from a vw dealer only for approximately $1000. 00 vw America agreed to extend my emissions control systems warranty for a catalytic converter replacement to 10 years or 120,000 miles. I took it into a v w dealer to have it fixed & replaced but was unable to because the mechanic refused to replace the converter because his diagnosis supposedly found troubles with the transmission to be the problem, and he states that all prior diagnosis are incorrect and that the catalytic converter is testing normal. This diagnosis cost me a fee of 110. 00 because they found there to be no problem with the cat. Conv, and the fee was charged due to them finding a separate problem. Mean while the check engine light is still coming on and the car is running terrible, I am told I have no hope of receiving any extended warranty help from vw , and not to mention there has already been a recall on my transmission back in 2007 which already required major replacements and repairs ,now only 3 years latter and here I am once again with major transmission trouble with no warranty. I find it very hard to believe this year of car is suppose to go through two transmissions in only six years. I also find it hard to believe two prior smog stations and there machines could be wrong about there diagnosis and found there to only be catalytic converter problem and mil light on. The bottom line is I cant get my tags from dmv because the check engine light is on due to emissions(functional) failing. And my car hardly runs.

Under normal use and regular maintenance the automatic transmission shifts hard up and down the gears. It does this under both light and heavy acceleration. Searching your website I see over 20 complaints on this very issue yet, I see no investigation or recalls listed. My local vw dealership says this will cost me around 7000. 00 to replace the transmission, just from calling in and describing the problem. The danger come from unexpected jerks and lags in acceleration. You can not depend on the car to operate normally making it dangerous to make left hand turns and use in heavy traffic. This started off slowly, occurring randomly and now seems to occur no matter how far you drive or how warm the car is.

I am the owner of a 2004 vw beetle convertible and my car has just hit 75,000 miles. A few weeks ago I noticed that when my car would go in or out of 3rd gear, it would jerk. At one point I was stopped at a light and when I went to accelerate it made a huge lurch and sputtered before going forward. I've also had issues shifting from reverse to drive. I took it into the vw dealership yesterday as I received a notification in the mail that I may have a faulty catalytic converter. I spoke with the dealership this afternoon and they are saying I need a new transmission. At only 75,000 miles? I looked this issue up online and have discovered hundreds of people are having the same issue. Some have even had this issue appear at 10,000 miles. From what I've read, most have replaced the transmission only to have it fail again. This sounds like a major defect and am wondering if this shouldn't fall under a recall.

Vw new beetle with transmission issues that are dangerous. It will jump unexpectedly and at one point I actually rear ended another vehicle from the uncontrollable transmission issues. It will also hesitate in an intersection making for a hazardous situation.

I also have the very common problem with the transmission in my 2004 convertible vw beetle. Every time I downshift there's an extremely hard jerk. There should be a recall. There are many many others out there with this same problem!.

I have a 2004 Volkswagen beetle convertible and have had numerous problems with the transmission jerking and shifting hard. The car has 55,000 miles, and the dealership cant tell me nothing only that I need a new transmission for around $7000. I have done research and talked with a lot of people with the very same issues.

I strongly feel that we owners should not have to pay for replacing an expensive transmission which obviously has a recognizable "pre-existing condition" that could very well cause a serious accident. My 2004 beetle convertible 6-speed automatic turbo began shifting gears roughly, jerking and slipping on upshifting and downshifting a few months ago at 52k miles. Only after warming up. Sound familiar? yes, my transmission is going out and needs to be replaced for $6000, according to the dealer and a private auto trans shop. I'm the original owner and the car has always been serviced on time by the same dealer. Never abused. Since many people are reporting these exact same symptoms, and since it might lead to an abrupt gear failure while driving, I strongly recommend the NHTSA investigate. Web searches reveal the problem to be across model years. Wear & tear? no, I live in a small town in no. Cal. And drive mostly freeway miles in light traffic with few gear changes. Please investigate.

There seems to be a problem with the 2004 vw beetle transmission valve body at around 60,000 miles. We have our 04 vw at a transmission shop and I am being told that this seems to be enough of a problem that vw changed the design from 2004 to 2005. Vw does not admit anything and says that the car must be taken to a vw dealership in order that they can address this issue, I do not believe them.

The transmission intermittently has trouble upshifting and downshifting between gears. It jerks, hesitates and then lurches forward. It starts occurring after about 5-10 min drive. It is especially uncontrollable when downshifting. The car slows down, the panel shows downshifted gear, car almost stops, then makes a sharp sudden movement forward. It is especially dangerous at intersections, because of uncontrollable jerks.

Have a 2004 vw beetle with automatic transmission. When the car warms up the transmission sticks for a few seconds and then jerks into gear, causing a dangerous lurch forward. It is my daughters car and she is scared to drive it because she has almost wrecked on a few occasions when this has happened.

I have a 2004 vw beetle convertible. For the last couple of months my car's gears have been acting up, slipping in and out of gear; and in more then 10 cases completely going out of gear and leaving my car in neutral while im driving (in some cases on the freeway). The car jerks when it down shifts, and also jerks when accelerating into certain gears. At first, it was something that happened rarely. Now it happens almost every time I drive my car.

For the past several months, after driving my 2004 beetle convertible for about 15-20 minutes, my car starts to shift (it feels as if I have been rear ended) and my car is jerked forward. I feel that this is a safety risk to me, my passengers and the vehicles around me. I took my car to the dealer and was informed that it need a new transmission ($7,000). After much thought and several weeks, I moved my vehicle to a local transmission shop. I was informed that the beetle convertibles had a special transmission and that replacing one would be extremely expensive and that I should put in a salvaged transmission. Costs between $4000-$5000. This transmission will also have the risk of defection. I voiced my complaint with Volkswagen corp. And they would not help me since my power train warranty has expired. I am extremely upset about this.

I bought a 2004 automatic vw beetle last year from a dealer. The transmission has begun to go into neutral in between shifting, and sometimes locks into 3rd gear until I disconnect the battery. I have read online that almost all the 6 spd. Automatic Volkswagen cars have this problem at 80,000 mile, mine has 84,000 on it now. I have brought it into the dealer, and they say "there are no engine codes, we can't fix it", but it is a hazard to drive because if you need to accelerate quickly, it will slip into neutral sometimes, and the engine just revs until it finally slams into gear. I have had the transmission serviced, but that has no effect.

I own a 2004 vw new beetle and the transmission seems to be going bad. It is a sealed system so no one has tampered with it. At times, the vehicle will jerk very hard when trying to downshift from a higher speed to a lower speed (especially when trying to stop). At times, it will not shift up when trying to go from a lower speed to a higher speed, thereby causing a jerking in the vehicle. The people riding in the vehicle are also being jerked forward and backward as in a whiplash motion. There have been several people with a Volkswagen new beetle that claim to have the same problem. There is a website where people have complained/blogged about their problems and vw is claiming no linkage to any of the effected vehicles. Can you assist in this matter or tell me where I can go to obtain assistance?.

I have a 04 volks. Beetle that has transmission problems. It jerks real hard when you break and switching from 3rd to 4th gear then from 4th to 3rd. This is very dangerous especially when you go to stop and it seems not to catch then jerk. My car has only 53,000 miles and already needs a transmission. I brought it to a mechanic and they quoted me $5000. 00 to rebuild they also said that the transmission does not have a coolant sensor and that's why is jerking cause its hot. The dealership wants $7000. 00. I'm a single parent of 4 who truly cannot afford this.

A few months ago, my 2004 vw beetle conv started experiencing erratic transmission shifting-it would "clunk" into 1st/2nd/3rd gears, sometimes to the point of "screeching" off and almost laying rubber. This happens after engine is warm--after getting off a freeway or driving for a few miles. After several trips to my mechanic, and hundreds of dollars trying to fix problem, I have been told that this is a recurring problem with the vw new beetle after 60,000 miles and that the only fix is a new valve and electronic transmission costing from $4000 to $7000. This info is from my trusted mechanic of over 30 years. Vw will not admit to any engineering flaws and will not pay to fix vehicle. It does this in heavy traffic, at stoplights and intersections and has nearly caused accidents. Please advise if I have any recourse with vw to get this fixed at their expense.