NHTSA lists 20 complaints for the 2003 Volkswagen NEW Beetle, 2 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 2 complaints mention an injury, with 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-10.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE.
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.
| System | Complaints | Share of this vehicle's complaints |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 7 | 35.0% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | 15.0% |
| VISIBILITY | 3 | 15.0% |
| AIR BAGS | 2 | 10.0% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 10.0% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 10.0% |
| STRUCTURE | 2 | 10.0% |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 | 5.0% |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 5.0% |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 | 5.0% |
| System | Subsystem | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ENGINE | 3 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | BRAKE LIGHTS | 2 |
| STRUCTURE | FRAME AND MEMBERS | 2 |
| VISIBILITY | WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | SIDE/WINDOW | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | IGNITION | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | HEADLIGHTS | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | 1 |
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.
See new recalls and investigations this week.
0 recalls.
0 investigations; 0 open.
14 manufacturer communications.
| System | Count |
|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
Date: 2004-06-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
VOLKSWAGEN HAS FOUND THAT THE WINDOW CLAMP BOLTS ON SOME 2003 MODEL YEAR NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES MAY BECOME LOOSE. ADDITIONALLY, THE PRESS BUTTON FOR THE CONVERTIBLE TOP AND THE HEADLINING CABLES ON THE CONVERTIBLE TOP OF THESE VEHICLES REQUIRE REPLACEMENT AND THE LEFT AND RIGHT FLAP OPENI
Date: 2004-05-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT (MIL) ON, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) STORED IN DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) MEMORY. *MJ
Date: 2004-05-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
EVALUATING FUEL MIXTURE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES- HOW TO PERFORM EFFECTIVE DIAGNOSIS RELATED TO FUEL SYSTEM ADAPTATION - SYSTEM TOO RICH/TOO LEAN. VOLKSWAGEN. *MJ
Date: 2004-04-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
REPLACEMENT OF THE IGNITION COILS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IF ONE OF THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION COIL FAILS, ROUGH IDLING OR REDUCED DRIVING POWER COULD OCCUR IN ADDITION TO ILLUMINATION OF THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP LIGHT. *TT *MJ
Date: 2004-04-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
WINDOW CLAMP BOLTS MAY BECOME LOOSE ON CERTAIN CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PRESS BUTTON ON THE CONVERTIBLE TOP REQUIRES REPLACEMENT. *TT
Date: 2004-04-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
WINDOW CLAMP BOLTS ON CERTAIN CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES MAY BECOME LOOSE. *TT
Date: 2004-02-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.
NEW STYLE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REQUIRES CARE DURING INSTALLATION TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO SWITCH. *TT
Date: 2004-01-23. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.
REVERSE GEAR, DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE. *MR
Date: 2003-12-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.
FRONT TURN SIGNAL BLINKS TOO FAST. FRONT TURN SIGNAL, REPLACING BULB SOCKET. *TT
Date: 2003-12-02. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY, INSTALLING REPLACEMENT PART. REPLACEMENT ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY DOES NOT FIT OVER LOWER MOUNTING STUD. *TT
None listed.
| NHTSA model label | Complaints |
|---|---|
| NEW BEETLE | 20 |
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