NHTSA lists 17 complaints for the 2018 Volkswagen Beetle, 0 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE.
At a glance
Complaints
17
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
1
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
679,027
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
518
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS
7
41.2%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
6
35.3%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
23.5%
ENGINE
1
5.9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
1
5.9%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
1
5.9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
5.9%
SEATS
1
5.9%
STRUCTURE
1
5.9%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
1
STRUCTURE
BODY
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.
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 ignitio (excerpt)
Consequence: 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. (excerpt)
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. (excerpt)
Date: 2018-06-01. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.
Defect: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance. (excerpt)
Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volksw (excerpt)
Do not drive: Yes. Park outside: No.
Investigations
0 investigations; 0 open.
Manufacturer communications
518 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
EQUIPMENT
219
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
104
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
90
ENGINE
66
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
35
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
33
VISIBILITY
30
POWER TRAIN
25
11038146
Date: 2026-09-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Suggested fuel additive
11036878
Date: 2026-08-27. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES.
Repair or Replace Information
11036874
Date: 2026-08-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.
Replacement instruction
11036868
Date: 2026-08-06. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Permission to change Daily Order upgraded to RED Order
11036870
Date: 2026-08-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Differences between a leak and seepage
11035772
Date: 2026-07-15. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 - Hotfix 12-V battery test(s) a No battery diagnosis - Inconclusive test result.
11035762
Date: 2026-07-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Oil Consumption Measurement and Electronic Oil Consumption Measurement
11034613
Date: 2026-06-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Lubricating engine components before reassembly.
11034614
Date: 2026-06-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
Instruction, how to lubicate engine before initial start.
11034621
Date: 2026-06-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: AIR BAGS.
Inquiries
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.