Two problems related to tail light switch have been reported for the 2005 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My daughter drives a 2005 Volkswagen convertible. It has numerous safety issues: 1. The tail lights cease working although the bulbs are good. The bulb contacts are inadequate for both tail lights. This has occurred four times on her car in the past three years. 2. The convertible headliner pulls away from the rear window and droops in front of the rear window blocking the view in the rear view window. This has occurred 5 times in the past 4 years and she has stopped using the convertible top to prevent her from having a accident. 3. The power windows have failed while she was driving. The windows would not come up. This has happened three times in three years. These problems have been experienced by many vw owners (do a google search). They are all safety issues.
New vw beetle headlight and taillight failures. The headlights on my daughters 2005 beetle fail but can be made to work again by hitting the headlight with the palm of your hand. Headlight/taillight failures are reported as a common problem with the new beetle and verified by my vw dealer in metairie, la. Last night while my daughter was driving both headlights went out within a few minutes of each other. Today I removed the headlight assembly and inspected the connections and wiring. Both assemblies have heat and current related wiring failures. Where the wire is crimped to the bulb flag type connector the wire is discolored and is corroded. The insulation on the wire is also discolored and cracking from heat or overcurrent or both. This applies to the low beam connectors for both lights. The bulbs are the original phillips 55w which is spec for the low beam. Many owners think their bulbs have failed and this is not the case. There are many blogs regarding early bulb failure in the new beetle as most owners simply are unable to remove the assembly as it requires mechanical skills and technical knowledge. I've also had similar problems regarding the tail light assemblies but I have not thoroughly inspected them as I did in this case. Again the vw dealer told me tail light failures are common and they don't know why vw has not issued a recall. This is definitely a safety problem and not an isolated incident.
| Headlights problems | |
| Exterior Lighting problems | |
| Tail Light Switch problems |