Volkswagen NEW BeetleYears to avoid, problems & recalls
Based on 191 NHTSA owner complaints across 8 model years, no Volkswagen NEW Beetle year stands out as one to avoid, and the strongest years are 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The NEW Beetle has 5 safety recalls on record.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years. Photo: SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Volkswagen NEW Beetle years to avoid
Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the NEW Beetle median. Tap a year for its full report.
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
Most common Volkswagen NEW Beetle problems
All model years combined: 191 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 40 | 6 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 29 | 1 |
| Visibility | 27 | 0 |
| Power train | 23 | 1 |
| Exterior lighting | 22 | 0 |
| Air bags | 16 | 6 |
| Vehicle speed control | 12 | 0 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 11 | 1 |
| Seats | 9 | 1 |
| 13 other systems | 45 | 4 |
Volkswagen NEW Beetle recalls
Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.