Volkswagen / Beetle / 2003
2003 Volkswagen Beetle problems
Owners have filed 405 complaints about the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle with NHTSA. Power train accounts for 33.3% of them — the clear leader, ahead of air bags at 15.3%.
Complaints405
Crashes13
Fires12
Injuries10
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Power train 33.3% · 135
Air bags 15.3% · 62
Visibility 14.3% · 58
Electrical system 8.9% · 36
Structure 4.9% · 20
Engine and engine cooling 4.4% · 18
Seat belts 2.7% · 11
Vehicle speed control 2.5% · 10
Severity
Of those complaints, 13 describe a crash, 12 describe a fire and 10 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 12 model years of the Volkswagen Beetle in this data, 2003 ranks 2nd by complaint volume — 2004 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 11 in the last three years against 27 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 67,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2003 volkwagen Beetle which was purchased in 2008. While driving approximately 45 mph and accelerating or shifting gears, the vehicle would act as if it was going to stall and began to shake violently. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt at a costs of over $6,000 at the owner's expense. No repairs were made to date. The current and failure mileages were under 100,000. Power train · reported at 100,000 miles
2003 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. Car only has 74k miles on it and the transmission is slipping badly. When downshifting it shifts really hard and lunges forward. This also happens when upshifting in the auto trans. This seems to be a big problem with the new beetles. The only fix is replacing the transmission, which cost about 6,000. There is no reason for a transmission failure at 74k miles. Power train · reported at 74,000 miles
2003 Vw Beetle shifts so very hard between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear it feels like the car is going to break. Took to dealership to perform a diagnostic. They said it was the transmission gasket. I replaced it, problem still exists. Driver's side window rolls down on its own. Passenger side window hits the top (when putting it up) then rolls down. Dealership says this is a safety feature. Power train
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…