Worst years for a Volkswagen Beetle
Owners have filed 3,621 complaints about the Volkswagen Beetle with NHTSA across model years 1965 to 2019. More of them are about the transmission & drivetrain than anything else.
Avoid
2000 Volkswagen Beetle373 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.
Cleanest on record
2018 Volkswagen Beetle21 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.
Every Volkswagen Beetle year, graded
The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.
| Year | Grade | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Median miles | Most reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | B | 16 | 1 | 0 | 500 | Electrical System |
| 2018 | A | 21 | 0 | 0 | 38,000 | Airbags |
| 2017 | A | 19 | 0 | 0 | 31,900 | Airbags |
| 2016 | B | 63 | 4 | 0 | 26,298 | Airbags |
| 2015 | C | 108 | 4 | 0 | 14,000 | Airbags |
| 2014 | C | 71 | 3 | 2 | 20,000 | Airbags |
| 2013 | C | 125 | 7 | 0 | 46,000 | Airbags |
| 2012 | C | 88 | 5 | 0 | 14,597 | Windows, Mirrors & Wipers |
| 2010 | A | 42 | 0 | 0 | 48,143 | Electrical System |
| 2009 | A | 39 | 2 | 0 | 64,000 | Lights |
| 2008 | C | 109 | 9 | 12 | 41,524 | Electrical System |
| 2007 | B | 79 | 2 | 1 | 44,303 | Airbags |
| 2006 | C | 161 | 7 | 1 | 59,745 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2005 | D | 330 | 15 | 7 | 63,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2004 | D | 469 | 12 | 24 | 63,782 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2003 | D | 405 | 13 | 12 | 67,000 | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 2002 | D | 231 | 18 | 5 | 60,000 | Airbags |
| 2001 | D | 291 | 13 | 17 | 66,430 | Engine & Cooling |
| 2000 | D | 373 | 12 | 24 | 68,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1999 | D | 280 | 19 | 28 | 58,000 | Electrical System |
| 1998 | D | 289 | 25 | 27 | 55,665 | Electrical System |
| 1974 | — | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | Steering |
| 1973 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Acceleration & Cruise Control |
| 1970 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Body & Structure |
| 1969 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | Lights |
| 1965 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | Transmission & Drivetrain |
What breaks on a Volkswagen Beetle
Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.
Exactly what failed on a Volkswagen Beetle
The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.
Complaints filed over time
Every complaint about every Volkswagen Beetle, by the month it reached NHTSA.
Volkswagen Beetle problems by state
Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.
Compare the Volkswagen Beetle
Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.