There are 10 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2007 Volkswagen Beetlein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
CAR HESITATED TWO DIFFERENT TIMES WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. THE TRANSMISSION 'GRABBED' WITHIN 3 OR 4 SECONDS. EACH TIME I CAME CLOSE TO HAVING AN ACCIDENT, BUT DIDN'T THANKS TO THE ALERTNESS OF OTHER DRIVERS. *TR
AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES MY DAUGHTER PULL ON TO A MAIN ROAD AND TRANSMISSION SLIPPED CHANGING IN TO SECOND AND OTHER GEARS. VEHICLE WOULD NOT GET UP TO SPEED CAUSING OTHER CARS TO HAVE TO SLOW WAY DOWN BEHIND HER. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 88,000 MILES.
AFTER WARMING UP TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING, BUCKING, AND CLUNKING. HAPPENS AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE (ABOUT 10 MILES).
WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY SWITCHED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT GO BACK INTO DRIVE. THE DRIVER WAS FORCED TO EXIT THE INTERSTATE AND COAST TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER AT THE END OF THE EXIT. THE TRANSMISSION COULD BE PUT INTO SPORT MODE AND WOULD MOVE FORWARD SOMEWHAT IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS FLOORED, BUT DRIVE WOULD NOT ENGAGE. WHEN IN DRIVE, THE CAR WOULD ONLY REV AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED IT AND SAID THE FRONT DRIVE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY FELL APART. THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE TIPTRONIC TRANSMISSION IS A SEALED SYSTEM, MAKING REBUILDING IT OR REPLACING SPECIFIC PARTS VERY DIFFICULT.
WHEN VEHICLE IS SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND FROM 2ND TO 3RD THERE IS A PAUSE BETWEEN GEARS AND THEN IT BANGS WHEN IT FINALLY CATCHES. IT SEEMS THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VW. I'M PICKING MY CAR UP TOMORROW AFTER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS INCLUDING A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT THE VW AGREED TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY TO REPLACE THE VALVE BODY. HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD BY MY DEALER THAT MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND IT WOULD COST $1800 TO REPLACE. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH THIS COMPONENT AND VW NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THESE REPAIRS.
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. *TR
VW HAS A HISTORY OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ISSUES WITH SEVERAL OF THEIR CARS. OUR CAR STARTED EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH SHIFTING UP AND DOWN. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE FOR ABOUT 30K MILES AGO. IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. AS WE STARTING INVESTIGATING IF THERE WERE OTHERS EXPERIENCING THEY SAME ISSUE, WE HAVE LEARNED THAT VW KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAS OFFER TO MANY TO REPLACE THE VALVE BODY OF THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE THE ISSUE. WE CONTACTED VW TODAY TO SEE IF THEY WOULD DO THE SAME FOR OUR VW AND THEY SAID NO. WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOME HELP WITH THIS ISSUE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS THEN STALLED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.
TRANSMISSION IS BAD. HARD SHIFTS BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. ALSO BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. DRIVES FINE UNTIL THE CAR WARMS UP. AFTER ABOUT 20 OR 30 MINUTES IT STARTS THE HARD SHIFT AND JERKING. IT HAS GOTTEN STUCK IN 2ND GEAR AND WILL NOT SHIFT UP OR DOWN, NOTHING, JUST STUCK. *TR
CAR SPORADICALLY LOOSES POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SUDDENLY ACCELERATE AFTER MOMENTARILY LIFTING FOOT OFF GAS PEDDLE. MOST INSTANCES OCCUR WHILE CHANGING LANES ON THE HIGHWAY OR ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A NORMAL LEFT HAND TURN. EXAMPLE: GOING 60 MPH, LIFT FOOT OFF PEDDLE TO SLOW DOWN DUE TO CAR IN FRONT OF ME, SEE OPENING IN THE LANE TO MY RIGHT, TURN WHEEL SLIGHTLY TO CHANGE LANES, FLOOR IT ONLY TO FIND I HAVE NO POWER WITH OTHER CAR BARRELING DOWN ON ME. THIS HAS HAPPENED OVER A DOZEN TIMES BUT I AM UNABLE TO DUPLICATE IT AT WILL.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026