Consumer Complaint Detail
VOLKSWAGEN / NEW BEETLE / 2001
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 004255416 | Incident Date: Jan, 14 2004 |
| Consumer's City: WARREN | Consumer's State: MI |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: MAN | Manufacturers Name: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. |
| Model Name: NEW BEETLE | Model Year: 2001 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Tires |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 3VWCB21C01M | Date added to File: May, 25 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Jan, 15 2004 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Nov, 04 2001 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: No |
| Number of Cylinders: 4 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Violent shaking of 2001 new beetle gl (highway speeds) after snow storm. 1/14/04 snow storm hits detroit metro area. the next morning 1/15/04 while going to work my vehicle started to shake/vibrate, starting at 45 mph. i did not take the bug above 55 mph because the shaking was getting worse. after work, i drove to the vw dealer and learned that 16 other new beetle owners brought their car in for the same problem (this was a quote by the service rep. steve)and numerous owners called in for the same problem. apparently the design of the wheel rims allow snow to accumulate causing an imbalance with the wheels. this causes the violent shaking while running at highway speeds (45 mph and above). the only remedy is to remove the snow by hand or melt it away. (dealer is charging about 72 dollars for melting it). i never had a vehicle do this after any snow storm in michigan. but since i was not the only one involved, i felt you should be notified of this issue. i love my bug, but this is not safe. while at the dealership (vyletel buick & vw, sterling heights michigan) i left the vehicle there overnight for 30k maintenance. i figured, while they do the maintenance, the snow would melt off the wheels. given the shaking of the vehicle caused by the imbalance of the wheels, i am concerned the tires will have premature wear or flat spots on the surface. hopefully, this is not the case, since i acted on the same day of the incident. *cb |