Cracking windshield and annoying rattle on 2012 Beetle

[Babie]

I bought the 2012 beetle one month ago and had the same thing happen to my windshield. I took it to the dealer and called customer care. I was told by both by both the dealer and customer care that I was responsible for the windshield.

Bs I bet an auto gass shop could tell a stress crack or other means. I would get a third party involved and ask for a letter to the effect.

[the beet]

I bought the 2012 beetle one month ago and had the same thing happen to my windshield. I took it to the dealer and called customer care. I was told by both by both the dealer and customer care that I was responsible for the windshield.

So now there are a few more of us w/the windshield cracking issue...

1) a6m5zerosen
2) OTAMYWY
3) a6m5zerosen
4) Throttlechop
5) js1818
6) redbeetle12
7) the beet (me)

Assuming everyone on this list did not have a stone or other debris hit their windshield, I think this is a strange coincidence...

Anyone else who has experienced the windshield crack should file a report on the NHTSA Web site and also call VW Customer Care so we can get this on the radar.

1-800-822-8987

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time in the contiguous United States

Additionally, you can file a report on NHTSA's Web site at:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/Vehicl...nt/index.xhtml

[Babie]

So now there are a few more of us w/the windshield cracking issue...

1) a6m5zerosen
2) OTAMYWY
3) a6m5zerosen
4) Throttlechop
5) js1818
6) redbeetle12
7) the beet (me)

Assuming everyone on this list did not have a stone or other debris hit their windshield, I think this is a strange coincidence...

Anyone else who has experienced the windshield crack should file a report on the NHTSA Web site and also call VW Customer Care so we can get this on the radar.

1-800-822-8987

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time in the contiguous United States

Additionally, you can file a report on NHTSA's Web site at:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/Vehicl...nt/index.xhtml

How many above owners have a sun roof, maybe we can see a pattern.

[the beet]

How many above owners have a sun roof, maybe we can see a pattern.

I believe this has been asked before. No sunroof for me...

[IHC]

The crack shown in the picture of the yellow Beetle is 100%identical to the one in my wife's yellow Beetle.We will point that out to the dealer Monday with a link to this post. Her car was in the lot at work when the crack developed.

[the beet]

The crack shown in the picture of the yellow Beetle is 100%identical to the one in my wife's yellow Beetle.We will point that out to the dealer Monday with a link to this post. Her car was in the lot at work when the crack developed.

Unfortunately the powers that be ruled it a stone crack on mine and made my insurance pay for it. VW did eventually send me a check for $200.

[IHC]

Wife took her car to the dealer yesterday and the service dept. had no issue with the stress crack , but they also told her they would have to forward pictures to the VW rep for final approval. Told her they would call. The cracks are now spreading. Hope they arrive at a decision soon.

[the beet]

Wife took her car to the dealer yesterday and the service dept. had no issue with the stress crack , but they also told her they would have to forward pictures to the VW rep for final approval. Told her they would call. The cracks are now spreading. Hope they arrive at a decision soon.

That is exactly the reason to report it to NHTSA. It is for safety of other (future owners).

[IHC]

Update on my wifes stress cracked windshield. No word from the dealer yet. She took her car in l that last Wednesday and they were going to forward pictures to the rep. The cracks are spreading and she could be cited for defective equipment if stopped. This being a saftey issue I am surprised VW does not respond quicker. A paint or cosmetic problem I could understand but not something that affects your vision. The cracks are fairly high but do reflect sunlight and are a distraction. Please note that the integrity of the glass is not affected. I have been in the auto glass business for over 25 years and understand that.

[IHC]

Good news on the wifes car. Dealer e mailed her to let her know that VW has agreed to replace the stress cracked windshield . Since it will take a good part of the day , they will give her a loaner car. Hope they use a installer that knows the proper way to replace. Since there is no molding around the windshield it is easy to damage the paint in the recess around the edge of the windshield. When that happens it is almost impossible to repair. Some installers will then fill the gap with the urethane to hide this but it does not look right. Will post update after the replacement.

[jorgeecolina]

I was thinking in trade my wife Tiguan for a New Beetle Turbo....
But after read this thread... HELL NO!!!!!!!! Such a shame because we really like the Beetle...(The white one with the red interior)

[drtechy]

I was thinking in trade my wife Tiguan for a New Beetle Turbo....
But after read this thread... HELL NO!!!!!!!! Such a shame because we really like the Beetle...(The white one with the red interior)

This is what's bad about these threads. Personally I'm fully satisfied with my turbo. Its not every car that's bad

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[the beet]

I was thinking in trade my wife Tiguan for a New Beetle Turbo....
But after read this thread... HELL NO!!!!!!!! Such a shame because we really like the Beetle...(The white one with the red interior)

Before I trade you a Turbo Beetle, I wanna' see your Wife!

[jorgeecolina]

Before I trade you a Turbo Beetle, I wanna' see your Wife!

Of course!, give me your e-mail address...

[commander919]

This is what's bad about these threads. Personally I'm fully satisfied with my turbo. Its not every car that's bad

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Uh...that's what's GOOD about these threads....to help people avoid purchasing a vehicle with a ton of known problems. I only wish there were all these threads when I was looking at buying mine.

[drtechy]

Uh...that's what's GOOD about these threads....to help people avoid purchasing a vehicle with a ton of known problems. I only wish there were all these threads when I was looking at buying mine.

Yea but its not the majority of people's experiences. Or else it would be a much more publicized issue. IMO

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[commander919]

Yea but its not the majority of people's experiences. Or else it would be a much more publicized issue. IMO

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Well, seems enough people have problems to keep making threads about their negative experiences. It'd be different if VW cared about the customer who's dealing with the faulty cars...but in my experience VW has got to be the WORST manufacturer when it comes to customer service, which is why I had mine lemon law'd. Toyota/Honda didn't get where they are by building a faulty product and leaving their customer helpless...yet that's what VW is doing all while claiming they want to be as big as Toyota.

Anytime anyone asked about how I liked my bug, I told them flat out to avoid VW as the cars aren't worth the sheetmetal they're made of...and anytime anyone ever asks my opinion on purchasing a vehicle, I will steer them as far away from VW as possible. In the age of social media, VW should be putting a major emphasis on making the customer happy...they have a lot to learn.

[drtechy]

Well, seems enough people have problems to keep making threads about their negative experiences. It'd be different if VW cared about the customer who's dealing with the faulty cars...but in my experience VW has got to be the WORST manufacturer when it comes to customer service, which is why I had mine lemon law'd. Toyota/Honda didn't get where they are by building a faulty product and leaving their customer helpless...yet that's what VW is doing all while claiming they want to be as big as Toyota.

Anytime anyone asked about how I liked my bug, I told them flat out to avoid VW as the cars aren't worth the sheetmetal they're made of...and anytime anyone ever asks my opinion on purchasing a vehicle, I will steer them as far away from VW as possible. In the age of social media, VW should be putting a major emphasis on making the customer happy...they have a lot to learn.

That's just sad to hear you make an assumption like that about an entire company from owning one bad vehicle. Good luck with whatever you buy/bought

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[Derby Herbie]

Add me to the list of cracked windshields....ON THE INSIDE PANE. Car is 2 weeks old, less than 700 miles on it, and when I got home tonight, noticed hairline crack running horizontally approx 14" on the inside pane. Outside pane has no sign of crack. I will be calling right away in AM, and demand VW take care of it....Clearly a defective windshield. They cannot explain it away with a rock, when the outside is crack-free....Just concerned when I drive it to the dealership, outside pane will start to crack too, letting them off the hook.

[the beet]

They cannot explain it away with a rock, when the outside is crack-free....Just concerned when I drive it to the dealership, outside pane will start to crack too, letting them off the hook.

Oh, they may suggest something tugged or banged into the mounted rear view mirror, like they did mine, but I told them "no such thing occurred..."

Keep us posted, and don't forget to report it to NHTSA

[Derby Herbie]

Oh, they may suggest something tugged or banged into the mounted rear view mirror, like they did mine, but I told them "no such thing occurred..."

Keep us posted, and don't forget to report it to NHTSA

Hope they took care of you.

My apologies to all. Was a false alarm. What looked like a hairline crack, felt like one with fingernail, was some kind of chemical residue that came of with some elbow grease and glass cleaner this morning....a big sigh of relief.

[the beet]

Hope they took care of you.

My apologies to all. Was a false alarm. What looked like a hairline crack, felt like one with fingernail, was some kind of chemical residue that came of with some elbow grease and glass cleaner this morning....a big sigh of relief.

LOL! Kinda' reminds me of those who claim to have paint issues...

Well, as mentioned earlier. I got the window fixed. My insurance payed for it.

[eunos94]

I do not own a Turbo Beetle so how much for the children?

[Babie]

I bought the 2012 beetle one month ago and had the same thing happen to my windshield. I took it to the dealer and called customer care. I was told by both by both the dealer and customer care that I was responsible for the windshield.

Tell them you are willing to arbitrate with your state regulatory board on motor vehicle safety. If the windshield shows no signs of a rock, and you can get a letter from a glass shop that clearly states, a stress crack for sure. Fax that to VWoA and they will call you with all OK to fix, It worked for someone that knows my BF

[Derby Herbie]

LOL! Kinda' reminds me of those who claim to have paint issues...

Well, as mentioned earlier. I got the window fixed. My insurance payed for it.

Yep, my bad Overall, love the Beetle so far!

[kitteeq]

Just got 2013 Beetle turbo and my windshield just cracked today. Just contemplating how to go about this... do I go thru dealer or vw customer service or insurance?? Anyone had any more recent issues with 2013 model?? I was driving the car when it happened but did not hit anything. I do not see any impact and it split from passenger side in...

Never had to replace a windshield EVER..only ever had very minor pits.

[stainlineho]

Just got 2013 Beetle turbo and my windshield just cracked today. Just contemplating how to go about this... do I go thru dealer or vw customer service or insurance?? Anyone had any more recent issues with 2013 model?? I was driving the car when it happened but did not hit anything. I do not see any impact and it split from passenger side in...

Never had to replace a windshield EVER..only ever had very minor pits.

You need to post pics bro so we can see how it cracked

[the beet]

Bs I bet an auto gass shop could tell a stress crack or other means. I would get a third party involved and ask for a letter to the effect.

Agreed. However, I too had to use my insurance to cover the damage. Unfortunately this can be a difficult thing to prove. The fact that 8 or more of us have reported the same thing appears to be a bit more than a coincidence though.

[kitteeq]

Here is a pic



Image by littlelaurel1, on Flickr




Oh and BTW... only had the car 3 days... less than 300 miles on the car.

[stainlineho]

Here is a pic



Image by littlelaurel1, on Flickr




Oh and BTW... only had the car 3 days... less than 300 miles on the car.

Just for the fact the car is 3 days old VW should take care of. Return the car if they don't....72 hours.

That crack doesn't look like the others but I have no doubt their is an issue with VW windshields.

[the beet]

Looks similar to mine (see previous post) with no evidence of a stone or other impact.

Has anyone else taken the time to post this information on NHTSA, like I did? This is a safety hazard.

Perhaps we can do something as a group to communicate this to VW.

Has anyone ever thought of that?

VW Vortex is a large group...

[the beet]

... also, I made sure to have mine replaced at the dealership with the VW factory OEM windshield (with the VW logo in the corner) as the car was still very new and I wanted to maintain it to as original as I could.

I'm suspect that it's a factory install issue, that results in a stress fracture, not from an impact...

[Anthony_A]

... also, I made sure to have mine replaced at the dealership with the VW factory OEM windshield (with the VW logo in the corner) as the car was still very new and I wanted to maintain it to as original as I could.

I'm suspect that it's a factory install issue, that results in a stress fracture, not from an impact...

wow, yea, the way it cracked and others reporting the same thing smells of stress fracture.

[Dvdmoviemike]

I had my rear passenger window shatter when my wife shut the door. Dealer covered it, the service manager took one look and said replace it. Your dealer should cover (IMO) unless they can prove it was a rock or something, esp at 3 days old.

[-Sm00th-]

I got same windshield crack as described. I live in Sweden. The crack comes down from the top and goes over the rain sensor or whatever..