Owners filed 91 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags. It has been recalled 7 times.
When it fails
04600046,000 milesMedian miles at failure
50 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 0–10,000 miles.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Air Bags
32
2
0
2
Electrical System
15
0
0
0
Unknown or Other
10
1
0
0
Engine
6
0
0
0
Fuel/Propulsion System
4
0
0
0
Tires
3
0
0
0
Service Brakes
3
1
0
0
Power Train
3
0
0
0
Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly
2
0
0
0
Structure › Body
2
0
0
0
7 safety recalls
Part 573 reports
Air Bags › Frontal20V785000
Filed Dec 16, 2020105,652 vehiclesVolkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Volkswagen Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69BC.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Master Cylinder20E064000
Filed Sep 23, 202038 vehiclesTenneco Automotive
Defect. Tenneco Automotive (Tenneco) is recalling certain Beck/Arnley Master Cylinders, part number 072-9831, sold as aftermarket or replacement parts for 2004-2018 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2012-2019 Volkswagen Beetle vehicles. The fluid seal crimp on the master cylinder may be insufficient, causing brake fluid to leak or the cylinder to come apart.
Risk. If there is a brake fluid leak, it can reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy. Beck/Arnley will notify the distributors that sold the master cylinders and will work with the distributors to notify the end users. Affected master cylinders will be exchanged for a new master cylinder (part number 072-9990), free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2020. Owners may contact Tenneco customer service at 1-800-625-9319.
Unknown or Other19V679000
Filed Sep 25, 2019113 vehiclesVolkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
Risk. If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners and repurchase the affected vehicles. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D7. Note: This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 18V-329.
Electrical System › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control Module19V615000
Filed Aug 22, 2019679,027 vehiclesVolkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmission shift lever is not in "Park."
Risk. Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.
Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly14V658000
Filed Oct 20, 20147,062 vehiclesVolkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Beetle vehicles manufactured June 13, 2013, to July 3, 2014. The glass sunroofs in the affected vehicles may break when the vehicles are operated over a hard road surface or strike a pothole.
Risk. Vehicle occupants could be injured by falling glass. A sunroof break during vehicle operation also increases the risk of driver distraction and a resulting vehicle crash.
Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sunroof, free of charge. The recall began on December 15, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 60B9.
Suspension › Rear14V656000
Filed Oct 20, 2014442,066 vehiclesVolkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
Defect. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Jetta vehicles manufactured March 1, 2010, to November 30, 2012, and 2012-2013 Beetle vehicles manufactured March 1, 2011, to July 31, 2013. The durability of the rear trailing arms may be reduced in vehicles whose rear trailing arms have been previously deformed, such as a result of a rear or side-rear impact crash.
Risk. The reduced durability of the trailing arm may result in its sudden fracture, possibly causing loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a sheet metal inlay on the rear axle trailing arms designed to prevent a sudden loss of control in the event of trailing arm sudden fracture, free of charge. The recall began April 7, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Air Bags › Frontal › Sensor/Control Module-inactive12V540000
Filed Nov 15, 20122,471 vehiclesVolkswagen Of America, Inc
Defect. Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Beetle vehicles, manufactured from February 2012, through August 2012, and equipped with leather sport seats. If the right front passenger seat gets wet, the occupant control module may not properly detect the presence of a child restraint installed in the seat.
Risk. If the control module does not detect a child seat installed, the airbag will not turn off. If the airbag does not turn off, in the event of a crash necessitating front airbag deployment, a child secured in the child seat may be at an increased risk for serious injury.
Remedy. Volkswagen will notify owners, and replace the control modules, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during January 2013. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Air BagsCrash
Filed Sep 8, 2026IN
I was rear ended at a stop light. My car ended up rear ending the car in front of me from the accident, but my airbags did not go off. My car's warning light says my airbag has been deployed even though it did not.
Air Bags
Filed Feb 14, 2026TX
There was a Recall on my Airbag that was replaced by the VW dealership in Corpus Christi but afterwards I keep getting an error and indicator for the Airbag. I've contacted the dealership multiple times and all they say is it's not covered even if the airbag they replaced is defective.. I originally submitted an issue concerning this on 11-14-2023 and this is the claim number of XXX... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Air Bags
Filed Nov 5, 2025HI
I live on Hawaiʻi Island and my 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible (VIN [XXX] ) has an open federal airbag safety recall. Volkswagen informed me there is no authorized VW dealer or recall facility on Hawaiʻi Island, and that I must ship my vehicle to Oʻahu at my own expense to complete this federally required safety repair. VW has only offered to reimburse 25% of the inter-island shipping cost, leaving me responsible for the majority of the expense. Because VW does not maintain an authorized recall facility within reasonable driving access, this places an unreasonable burden on me as the owner and effectively restricts my ability to obtain the free remedy required under federal law. I am requesting NHTSA’s assistance to verify whether Volkswagen is meeting its obligation under 49 U.S.C. §30120 to provide reasonable access to a free safety recall remedy for owners who do not have a local authorized facility. I am willing to provide documentation of VW’s response and the shipping quotes required to complete the recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Air Bags
Filed Nov 3, 2025FL
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V785000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part had been on back order for 3 months. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Air Bags
Filed Sep 30, 2025MS
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V785000 (Air Bags). The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed that the air bag needed for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact called two other dealers, Volkswagen Jackson Service (5320 Interstate 55 North Frontage Rd), and Harper Volkswagen Parts & Service (9901 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922), who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Air Bags
Filed Aug 5, 2025OK
The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V785000(Air Bags). The contact stated that the dealer was contacted and advised the contact that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Unknown or Other
Filed Jul 16, 2025NY
Key is getting stuck in the vechile. Wont let me shut the vechile off and took it to the vechile and the said it was the steering lock mechanism
Electrical System
Filed Jun 26, 2025IN
My car will randomly die after sitting at a light or pulling onto the highway or just pulling out of my garage. The car starts up and sounds fine, when I put it in reverse to pull out of the garage, it will die while moving backwards. Sitting at a red light, the car if running fine. When I accelerate after turning green, it dies. After driving for 12 minutes or so I stop at McDonald and go through the drive thru. After getting my food, I pull onto the highway and the car dies. There was a gas station right next to the McDonalds, so I was able to coast into the gas station. When the car dies, it immediately starts up again and will drive fine after that. I've also been having issues with it jerking. I've taken it to the VW dealership numerous times. They hook it up to see if there are any error codes and there are none. They try to find something to fix, but each time the car might work for a couple of weeks, but the jerking and dying continues. With the randomness of this, the car just doesn't feel safe to drive. I have to be very cautious not to pull out in front of any vehicle that is close for the potential of it dying. I'm calling again today to see if I can get them to fix the crank sensor as I have found others to have the same issue and that seems to fix it. I've spent several thousand dollars to try to get it fixed, but since it doesn't throw any error codes and the randomness of this issue, it's hard to replicate.
Air BagsCrash2 injured
Filed May 6, 2025SD
The airbags deployed on their own on 7-4-2023 in my daughter’s 2013 VW Beetle. My daughter and her friend were both injured (physically/mentally) as a result of both front airbags (steering wheel and dashboard airbags) deploying on their own causing over $10,000 USD damage to the beetle and injury to my daughter and her friend who was a passenger in the front seat. Volkswagen never sent out a recall notice to us even though we have owned the car since 9-13-2019 and the airbag recall notice was determined on 12-16-2020 by NHTSA and announced on that date. I only became aware of this recall through investigation, after the accident happened and during repairing of the car. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer, or police, or insurance even though Progressive Insurance paid out over $20,000 in damages to the parked cars that were struck after the airbags deployed causing the vw beetle to crash into two parked cars in a residential neighborhood. There was a sparse accident report that was filed by Colorado State police. There were not any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the Tatanka airbag failure and recall.
Air Bags
Filed Apr 3, 2025MO
I’m filing this complaint regarding the Takata airbag recall on my 2013 Volkswagen Beetle. I took my vehicle to the dealership, but they informed me that the replacement part is on national backorder with no clear timeframe for availability. I called Volkswagen Customer CARE on April 3, 2025 and spoke with a representative named Dawn (Case #[XXX]). I was told that no loaner vehicles or rental assistance are being provided to customers, and that I should continue driving my vehicle despite the recall. While the representative did not explicitly say the car is unsafe to drive, I expressed concern about the risk, and was told the recommendation is to drive it anyway. I feel this response is inadequate and potentially dangerous, especially considering the known severity of Takata airbag failures. I am unable to afford a rental on my own, and I believe Volkswagen should offer temporary transportation or accommodations to affected owners until parts are available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical System
Filed Apr 26, 2024FL
Driving 60miles an hour the entire car shot down. No lights, no control, the car was completely off it was a very scary situation The car still not turning on
Power Train
Filed Apr 13, 2024FL
After parking vehicle in a parking lot, manipulated gear shift from drive to park. Left vehicle and continued business. When returning to parking lot, vehicle was no longer in the parking spot but had rolled backwards into the travel lane of the lot. Started vehicle and attempted to move but could not move gear shift lever to drive or reverse. Was then I noticed that while the gear shift lever was in the park position, the instrument cluster display indicated it was in neutral. Could not adjust gear shift at all. Had vehicle towed to shop and was informed the gear shift cable had broken. Vehicle was repaired however cable alone could not be replaced. Had to purchase complete gear shift lever assembly due to VW replacement parts policy.
Air Bags
Filed Nov 14, 2023TX
Had the Takata Air Bag Recall completed at VW dealership in CC, Tx. Shortly after the Air Bag kept giving Errors and then it would include Low Air Pressure, ABS and Anti Skid Warnings.. Contacted the dealership, had the system check with no issues.. Had the system checked locally at repair shop with no issues.. went to leave and Air Bag Warning stated Error,, they rechecked and found no Issues.. Computer showed no Errors.. I was informed that apparently the only issue is "Possibly" the Air Bag needs to be replaced again but the dealership refuses to without a Recall Requests.
Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Apr 9, 2023CO
Noticed an fuel smell coming from the engine bay. After a few times of looking for the source I came across the fuel rail covered in gunk. Wiped off rail and cycled the engine. Noticed the fuel rail is leaking from what looks like the fuel rail mounting bolt.
Engine
Filed Nov 8, 2022OK
I have a diesel leak which Volkswagen did not repair (after I towed it there and told them about it in writing) and is not causing a light in the dash however, when plugging in an ODBEleven, several codes are generated and one is related to a low fuel pressure sensor. I also watched the fuel line dripping. VW claims that it is unreasonable to ask them to pay what I already paid to have the car fixed (diagnostics, rental, tow). It was reasonable for me to buy it and pay for all that though apparently. With a diesel leak, it's unsafe to drive so I currently have a piece of metal outside that I'm only halfway through paying on. This indeed is a TDI 2.0L they sold me 3 years ago.
Unknown or OtherCrash
Filed Oct 22, 2022IA
I GOT A BUNCH OF CALLS AND MANY NOTICES REGARDING AN AIRBAG RECALL, BUT I WAS NEVER MADE AWARE OF THE SHIFT LEVER RECALL. I PARKED MY VEHICLE ON MY STREET AND IT ROLLED AWAY FROM ME AND CRASHED INTO MY NEIGHBORS CAR. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER I PAID OUT OF MY OWN POCKET TO HAVE IT REPAIRED THAT I WAS TOLD IT WAS A RECALL. VW HAS FAILED IN NOTIFYING ME OF THIS AND SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR EVEN KILLED.
Air Bags
Filed Apr 14, 2022NC
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V785000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Air Bags
Filed Feb 4, 2022MA
2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL.
Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 16, 2022GA
While driving on the interstate my 2013 VW Beetle showed a stability malfunction warning then lost power and would not accelerate. I coasted to the shoulder and shut the vehicle off. It crank back up and I drove it home. Two months ago, I had the same issue with the vehicle losing power after the engine light illuminated several times before I could get the car into the VW dealership for repair. After a costly emmission valve and hose replacement the engine light didn’t come back on and the care hasn’t lost power until yesterday. My safety was at risk due to a lack of power and had not been able to coast to the shoulder safely, I could have been plowed into the rear of my car by a semi that was fast approaching. This is a vehicle that I purchased for my teenaged daughter and I shudder to think of an inexperienced driver in this situation. I have read lots of post from others who have had this problem with VW. Taking the car back to the dealership tomorrow and praying that I won’t be told that the lose of power is a safety feature that VW has like I was told previously. Safety feature is suppose to prevent an accident not put drivers in a sitution that is potentially fatal.
Air Bags
Filed Jan 10, 2022NY
Air bag explodes D/S No notice from VW !!!!! or dealer
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Dec 16, 2020. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.