The catalytic converter has gone bad in a vehicle that is under 55,000 miles and barely over the 8 year warranty time frame. I wanted to report this issue for a possible extension to the year time frame for VW.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

My Beetle smells like melted crayons since the day I bought it. It gives me a major headache on long trips and everything that goes into the car for more than an hour gets contaminated with the crayon smell, hope its not toxic. Google search shows this is a problem in most 2006 Beetles made in Mexico. I'm not sure what can be done, but I would not have bought the car if I had known. Its the first thing I noticed when I test drove the car but thought maybe a crayon was stuck in the defroster - not the case. Let one of the VW executives take a long road trip and see for themselves. Also the headlights are extremely poorly designed. Bulbs blow regularly and are hard to change and I even had the entire headlight assembly pop out of the car while driving on the highway. It could have killed the people behind me, easily. Apparently the wind/air rushing thru the grill forced the entire assembly to pop out and go bouncing down the highway like a bowling ball. Im sure it had something to do with the difficulty of installing the assembly and it not being secured correctly by the dealership employees. You shouldn't need a phd to change a bulb. Cute will only get you so far VW!

- Elizabethtown, KY, USA

When driving at 65 M/H the vehicle suddenly began to decelerate. Thankfully no one hit the back. It was able to drive at 20-30 M/H. two weeks prior a warning signal went off for the air compressor. When taken to an authorized dealership, I was informed that the transmission was out and it would cost $5,000.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

2006 new Beetle convertible, 5 speed transmission, purchased new by myself as sole owner. Driving down road on 12/4/11 late at night suddenly could not shift gears; car would not go into any gear, causing me to have to coast in neutral through dangerous intersection in a major urban city. Car was disabled and had to be towed to shop. "transmission failure" diagnosed at only 31,800 miles? (damaged transmission parts discovered - but VW denies any responsibility). This problem appears to be widespread in Beetles, has been reported by many owners on public internet message boards, and sooner or later someone is going to be killed in an accident as a result. Personally I was lucky no one was behind me or approaching at a normal speed head on; had that been the case I would clearly have been in a major accident.

- Bayharbor Islands, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that the engine shuts off when the brakes are applied. The failure began on October 8, 2008 and occurs intermittently. The engine indicator illuminated only once prior to the failure. The vehicle has been to the dealer three times and they cleaned the carburetor, checked the fuel line, and power flushed the coolant; however, the failure still persists. The dealer stated that nothing could be done because the diagnostic could not produce a failure code. A report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that they have not received any complaints concerning the failure. The failure mileage was 900 and current mileage was 54,500. Updated 01/08/09. The consumer stated Volvo fixed the problem and no further assistance is needed. Updated 01/12/09.

- Asheville, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. While driving approximately 60 mph in dry conditions, the vehicle would decelerate on its own and then accelerate. The contact pulled to the side of the road and waited for a tow truck. While waiting, the brake lights would not dim. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they were unable to locate the failure. The manufacturer sent an investigator, but they could not provide him with any information. The contact has called the manufacturer several times, but they have not returned any calls. The current and failure mileages were 10,000. Updated 4/23/08 the consumer stated the vehicle stalled on several occasions.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA