2007 Beetle convertible shifts hard (violently) from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gear in standard mode and sport mode. This has been an ongoing problem while the vehicle is warm. Contacted local dealer and was told since there weren't any codes present, that I did not have a problem. Last week the car stalled while trying to accelerate onto the highway. I managed to steer off the highway onto the shoulder to avoid a collision. VW of America is aware of this problem but will not resolve their manufacturing issues. This issue poses a serious threat to occupant safety.

- Arlington, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact applied the brakes and the vehicle was brought to a stop. Two months later while parking in a residential garage, the failure recurred and the contact crashed into and rolled over a cement chock followed by a storage unit that fractured the windshield. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis but no cause for the failure was determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 37,387.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

I have a 2007 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. When slowing down, not to a complete stop, and I try to accelerate and go again, the car totally stalls (stops). This happens even when making turns- you can press on the accelerator and nothing happens and then in a couple of minutes it races forward. I called the local service department to be told it was a "bypass wire" problem, that nothing could be done, they all did that and Volkswagen was aware of the situation. There are so many times this has happened that I was almost in an accident because of the car stalling. It happens everytime, I slow down, but do not completely stop. To me there should be some kind of recall, that is extremely dangerous. I am surprised there have not been numerous accidents of deaths because of this. Even when you are sitting there pumping the gas peddle, it just sits there, and then flies off in a hurry.

- Spartanburg, SC, USA