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2005 Volkswagen Beetle Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 261 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Volkswagen Beetle, most often about the transmission (44% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is 4th of 19 Beetle model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2005 Volkswagen Beetle problems
Transmission
116 complaints · 44%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
2005 new Beetle, 79,000 miles needs a brand new transmission. The car shifts hard from gear to gear, down shifts hard, accelerates on it's own, shifts into next gear and just revs up instead of shifting. This is now occurring every time the car is driven. The cost to replace the transmission is $3,00 or more.
I own a 2005 vw convertible Beetle automatic, which I bought new in august of 2005. It only has 64,000 miles on it. I have been having issues with the car lurching forward or shifting very roughly between first, second, and third gears on upshift and downshift. It is extremely scary and gets progressively worse the…
Visibility and wipers
62 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 54,000 miles. Parts named most often: power window devices and controls, glass, side/rear.
Vw rear window regulators in my 2005 new Beetle have broken three times in 5 years/56,000 miles: once under warranty, once we fixed it ourselves with an $80 kit (very, very difficult), and now it's broken again. It costs $400 per side to fix at the dealership. The regulator is made of plastic pieces that are under a…
Rear quarter windows on new Beetle convertible (nbc): failure to properly raise/lower, grinding noise from inside panel behind speakers, disassembly found broken cable retainer component, component made of cheap plastic, known problem among nbc owners, $600+ repair for each side, simple correction would be to make…
Electrical
35 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 73,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring.
Have had issues with the front automatic windows in this car since august 2008. In may 2010 the rear windows would go up part way and then go back down. I had repairs done (reinstalled window seal at a cost of $96.00) then in september of 2011 the other rear window would not go up and the dealer said that I needed a…
* hard gear shifting - LED to a complete inability to shift or break - luckily I was able to "roll" off to the side of the road before being hit. Additionally I have experience the sudden lurching on about 5 occasions. * the car also loves to roll even on flat ground. Need to use the emergency brake always and leave…
Air bags
31 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that the front driver's side air bag failed and the warning indicator was illuminated on the instrument panel. The dealer stated that the entire driver's side air bag was inoperable and the sensor failed. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number…
Airbag light on for second time, vehicle is out of warranty, has cost me so far $110 for a dealer to check and $117 for parts not to count my labor for replacement which would have been an extra $400 or so. I believe vehicle falls under a recall for the same problem and during the replacement of the bad parts I found…
Lights
21 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights.
Rear quarter windows on new Beetle convertible (nbc): failure to properly raise/lower, grinding noise from inside panel behind speakers, disassembly found broken cable retainer component, component made of cheap plastic, known problem among nbc owners, $600+ repair for each side, simple correction would be to make…
I have replaced this same brake light over and over. I just read where this vehicle had a recall for a faulty brake light switch. I called vw of america and they said my vehicle had the switch replaced in 2007 since I bought the vehicle used, I did not know if it had the recall replacement. I asked vw of america since…
Engine
16 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
When gearing down or starting up at redlight, car downshifts and gears-up with a jerk; took to vw dealer; says it is valve body defect which could utimately cause transmission to go bad; was told at dealership vw knows about the problem and extended a warranty on valve cover only which went out last yr on my vehicle.…
Rear window regulator bad - replace $639.00 front regulator bad - $338.23 radio went bad - drains battery - replacement $419.62 airconditioner making loud noise not replacement yet dash light bulb - 100.62 replace crank seal,water pump,thermostat,drive belt $1,094.16 outside temp gauge replace $49.70 .
Body and structure
13 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
Drivers-side back window failed after being let down. Will not return to closed position. Sounded like it was trying at first, but now no sound. Same problem on other side about 18 months ago. An expensive fix that vw said was due to a faulty part that became brittle after some time. I have an eos that vw has put a…
I have a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle convertible, the convertible top has pulled away from the top of the rear glass window and has a gap. The car is 5 years old, but it only has close to 65,000 miles on it.
Other or unspecified
8 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 76,500 miles.
My hard-shifting Beetle's transmission needs replacing! I drove my last Beetle for 10 years! Now this car, only now 6 years old has a failing transmission? This began very slowly. When I had the car at the dealer for the airbag sensor recall I asked about it but we couldn't replicate it. Now they recall the valve…
The left rear driver side window will not raise or lower. I can hear the motor running and the regulator moving but no window movement. Vehicle was stationary when the problem began.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2005 Volkswagen Beetle recalls
Air bags: sensor/control module-inactive
Risk: In low-severity frontal impacts, the front air bags may deploy more forcefully than designed, increasing the possibility of injury to out-of-position front seat occupants.
Fix: Dealers will inspect each vehicle to determine that the specific defect crash sensor is present on one or both sides of the vehicle. All of the defect crash sensors will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before july 31, 2008. Owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
Volkswagen is recalling 76,900 my 2004-2005 new beetle and my 2003-2005 new beetle convertibles equipped with an advanced (dual-stage) air bag system. This system may have air bag frontal crash sensors that contain a solder joint on the circuit board that may crack under certain high temperature conditions. If this occurs, the air bag indicator light will illuminate and the fallback algorithm will ensure that the front air bags always deploy in a frontal crash in which the vehicle's deceleration is high enough to activate the frontal air bags.
Lights: switch
Risk: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on april 27, 2007, and will be conducted in several staggered mailings through september 21, 2007. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the VIN number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.
Fuel system: fuel system, diesel
Risk: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the diesel pump. The recall began on february 8, 2005. Owners should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles, the high pressure diesel pumps were produced with an improper fastener, which could allow diesel fuel to escape from the pump.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2005 Volkswagen Beetle
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Volkswagen Beetle?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (116 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); visibility and wipers (62 complaints, typically around 54,000 miles); electrical (35 complaints, typically around 73,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2005 Volkswagen Beetle have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 17, 2008 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2005 a bad year for the Volkswagen Beetle?
- It is 4th of 19 Beetle model years by number of complaints, with 261 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.