Volkswagen NEW Beetle vs Oldsmobile Achieva

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	Volkswagen NEW Beetle	Oldsmobile Achieva
Complaints on file	262	625
Model years covered	1998–2006	1992–2000
Worst model year	2001	1995
Best model year	2004	1998
Crashes reported	16	48
Fires reported	6	34
Injuries reported	16	31
Deaths reported	3	3
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	15.6%	18.6%

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%

Oldsmobile Achieva by year

90 66 85 102 116 108 52 6

92 93 94 95 96 97 98 00

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

What breaks

Electrical System 127 20.3%

Engine & Cooling 105 16.8%

Brakes 89 14.2%

Airbags 47 7.5%

Transmission & Drivetrain 39 6.2%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 31 5.0%

Steering 24 3.8%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 22 3.5%