Six problems related to transmission failure have been reported for the 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
6 speed automatic transmission began shifting very rough after 45,000 miles. I am concerned the transmission will fail potentially causing a fatal accident, especially if driving on a 4 lane highway. Vw dealer says the car needs a new transmission and it will cost $7200! the transmission valvle body on this model car has already been declared defective by vw.
My 2004 vw New Beetle Convertible with triptonic transmission, with only 55,000 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 vw dealer mechanic would like to replace the transmission, at a cost to me of $6800. My research has learned that the first generation of vw?s double clutch transmissions had a chronic weak point. They combine a wet clutch (as in traditional automatic) and a gear part (as in traditional manual transmission), however both are lubricated out of same oil sump. The gear part causes the oil to be more contaminated with wear particles (vs. Traditional automatic transmission). This contaminated oil is used also in the valve body and the wet clutch, and these wear particles can deteriorate the performance of the wet clutch (clutch material, resulting in slippage, or clutch and gear change hydraulic controls, resulting in defective shift strategies). Once that happens, damage is usually irreversible. Vw changed the oil service recommendation recommend from (fill for life) or 100,000 miles to 40,000 miles. Even at this reduced amount, they clearly still had a problem. They probably modified the design since but have not admitted it. Vw has not been ethical in their handling of the defective transmission design. The transmission can fail at anytime creating a dangerous situation on the freeway, turning across traffic, etc. Vw of America acts like this is a new problem they have never seen before. Suggests replacing a pressure sensor and replacing transmission fluid at a cost of $700 plus the $150 for diagnosing. Local european repair (well respected) says pressure sensor and transmission valve casing needs to be replaced together (cost $2000). . . If lucky this will delay full blown transmission self destruction. Vw of America is screwing loyal customers by not repairing design flaw.
At about 35,000 miles my car started slipping with the transmission. It would jerk forward and sometimes get stuck in between 1, 3, and 4th gears. This was not a huge problem at this point and during my regular check ups, vw dealership always said there was no problem detected. 2. The automatic transmission is now failing at 60,000 miles. It has almost caused me several accidents, especially at intersections. People almost rearend me daily. Not only is the car jerking forward and backward upon gear shifting, but now it gets stuck period and will not move. . The rpm's going all the way to 6-7. The tires spin, the car groans horribly, the gears show up on my dash in brackets. When I had a diagnostic test done at the dealership about four months ago, and I explained in detail the tranny problem, they said nothing was wrong with it. Now, I can tell it is almost undrivable at this pt. On my fifteen mile commute home today, I had to pull over seven times because the transmission failed. I could not get out of first gear then it jumped to six. I was stuck in the middle of an intersection at a red light, almost getting backended. This is terrifying. I had a panic attack. I have an appt. Tomorrow at the dealership to see what the problem is and how much money this will cost me. My car has always been checked up regularly.
Transmission failure in my 2004 vw beetle. Began shifting very hard after engine warmed up. It will shift so hard the tires burn rubber on the pavement between 2nd and 3rd. It also randomly shifts between gears at high speeds.
Transmission failed.
The contact owns a 2004 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked she drove and especially when she was slowing down. The vehicle had previously been taken to an authorized dealership for a transmission recall remedy in April 2007 for this failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealership again and was advised the transmission had failed. The contact called the manufacturer and they advised since the recall remedy was already performed, there was nothing they could do. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000. The current mileage was approximately 83,000.