This is an online automotive information provider of a detailed information on complaints, defects and recalls for Volkswagen BEETLE 2004 power train automatic transmission. Our users can find data on mass market car models from most popular brands. The service allows to compare and analyze statistics for reported problems, complaints, recalls for various manufacturers. We hope our site will help with selecting of a reliable and safe car. By using this tool, you will be able to get records with description of safety issues for vehicles, equipment, tires and child restraints. These issues include safety recalls for your Volkswagen BEETLE 2004 power train automatic transmission and complaints other owners have filed.

Enter valid VIN:

2004 Volkswagen BEETLE Power Train Automatic Transmission Problems, Complaints and Defects

Issue ID	829593
Internal NHTSA #	10367744
Manufacurer	VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC
Brand	VOLKSWAGEN
Model	BEETLE
Model Year	2004
File date	15/11/10
Component	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Product type code	VEHICLE
Description of the problem	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.
Vehicle Mileage at Failure	55000
Number of Occurences	1
Source of the issue	NHTSA WEB SITE
City and State	SAN JOSE, CA
VIN pattern	3VWCM31YX4MXXXXXX
Was vehicle invloved in a crash?	N
Was vehicle involved in a fire?	N
Was incedent reported to police?	N
Was medical attention required?
Was part original equipment?
No. of injured persons
No. of fatalities
Date of purchase	07/08/26
Was original owner?	N
Anti-lock brakes	N
Cruise control	N
Number of cylinders	4
Drive train type	FWD
Transmission type
Vehicle speed	60
DoT tire identifier
Tire size
Location of tire code
Type of tire failure code
Was defective tire repaired?
Date of manufacture
Type of child seat code
Type of restraint
Dealer's name
Dealer's telephone number
Dealer's city
Dealer's state code
Dealer's ZIP code

What is Recall?
A recall is when a product is removed from the market or a correction is made to the product because it is either defective or potentially harmful.
What is Failure?
Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic engineering.
What is Defect?
Non-conformance of a car component with the specified requirements, or non-fulfillment of user expectations, including the safety aspects.

Last decoded VIN:

KL7CJKSB0MB303016 WDD1770872V023561 JN1TCNS51U0410386 ZFA25000002Z60916 KM8R5DHE3NU358981 5UXKR2C52E0C01294 W1K2060422R254475 LSJW74C9XNZ085437 VF15RB20A56412748 9FBHSRAJ6DM017900 JMZNB186200230588 SALVA2AN0JH268471

Rating: 4.7 from 5 (3783 reviews)

2004 Volkswagen BEETLE Power Train Automatic Transmission Problems, Complaints and Defects, Recalls and Failures

2004 Volkswagen BEETLE Power Train Automatic Transmission Problems, Complaints and Defects

What is Recall?

What is Failure?

What is Defect?