GMC K1500 vs Volkswagen NEW Beetle

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	GMC K1500	Volkswagen NEW Beetle
Complaints on file	106	262
Model years covered	1985–1996	1998–2006
Worst model year	1995	2001
Best model year	1996	2004
Crashes reported	9	16
Fires reported	6	6
Injuries reported	2	16
Deaths reported	0	3
Most complained-about part	Brakes	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	16%	15.6%

GMC K1500 by year

3 1 2 6 3 6 12 29 30 14

85 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Brakes 30 28.3%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 20 18.9%

Seats 14 13.2%

Electrical System 7 6.6%

Suspension 6 5.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 5 4.7%

Seat Belts 4 3.8%

Airbags 3 2.8%

Volkswagen NEW Beetle by year

37 40 45 56 35 30 18 1

98 99 00 01 02 03 04 06

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 46 17.6%

Engine & Cooling 31 11.8%

Lights 29 11.1%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 27 10.3%

Transmission & Drivetrain 23 8.8%

Airbags 19 7.3%

Brakes 17 6.5%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 12 4.6%