NHTSA lists 12 complaints for the 2004 Volkswagen NEW 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 2026-10-10.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE.
At a glance
Complaints
12
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
15,115
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
12
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
VISIBILITY
6
50.0%
AIR BAGS
2
16.7%
STRUCTURE
2
16.7%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
8.3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
8.3%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
1
8.3%
POWER TRAIN
1
8.3%
SEAT BELTS
1
8.3%
SEATS
1
8.3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
8.3%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
AIR BAGS
FRONTAL
2
VISIBILITY
POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
2
VISIBILITY
WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HEADLIGHTS
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
TAIL LIGHTS
1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
DOORS
1
POWER TRAIN
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
SEAT BELTS
FRONT
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ACCELERATOR PEDAL
1
VISIBILITY
SUN/MOON ROOF 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.
Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE TIRE INFORMATION LABEL IS INCORRECT IDENTIFYING THE VEHICLE AS A FIVE-PASSENGER VEHICLE, INSTEAD OF A FOUR-PASSENGER VEHICLE.
Consequence: EXCEEDING THE CORRECT SEATING CAPACITY IN A VEHICLE PUTS OCCUPANTS AT RISK FOR INJURY IN A CRASH, AND CAN RESULT IN VEHICLE OVERLOADING, WHICH CAN AFFECT VEHICLE HANDLING AND PUT YOU AT RISK FOR A CRASH.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE SENT A NEW LABEL AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 9, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VWOA AT 1-800-822-8987.
Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE PASSENGER DETECTION FUNCTION OF THE PASSIVE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) MAY BECOME DISABLED.
Consequence: SHOULD THE PODS CONTROL UNIT MALFUNCTION, THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WILL NOT WORK AS DESIGNED AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT OCCUPANTS IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE PODS. OWNER NOTIFICATION ORIGINALLY BEGAN OCTOBER 3, 2003. VW HAS DETERMINED THAT ADDITIONAL VEHICLES NEED TO BE REPAIRED. THE RECALL FOR THE ADDITIONAL VEHICLES IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON DECEMBER 17, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VWOA AT 1-800-822-8987.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
0 investigations; 0 open.
Manufacturer communications
12 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
AIR BAGS
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
EQUIPMENT
1
POWER TRAIN
1
STRUCTURE
1
10009886
Date: 2005-05-23. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: AIR BAGS.
AIRBAG MONITORING LIGHT ON, PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS), DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE 02511 014 STORED. *TT
10009898
Date: 2004-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: EQUIPMENT.
THE AMPLIFIER MAY NOT COMPLETELY SWITCH OFF WHEN THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF. SERVICE ACTION CIRCULAR TO CHECK/REPLACE AMPLIFIER ON VEHICLES WITH MONSOON SOUND SYSTEM. *TT
10008912
Date: 2004-07-26. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: AIR BAGS.
PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) FAULT. *MJ
10007820
Date: 2004-06-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
HARD STARTING (EXTENDED CRANKING REQUIRED) OR NO START WHEN WET, RUNS ROUGH ON INITIAL START, MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY LIGHT GRAY SMOKE. *MJ
10007887
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
10007711
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
10007012
Date: 2004-04-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
WINDOW CLAMP BOLTS ON CERTAIN CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES MAY BECOME LOOSE. *TT
10006057
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
10006080
Date: 2004-02-02. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: AIR BAGS.
AFTER REPLACEMENT OF THE PASSENGER OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS), THE PASSENGER SEAT BOLSTER OR THE AIRBAG CONTROL MODULE, FAULT CODE 02511 014 - SEAT OCCUPIED RECOGNITION CONTROL MODULE FAULTY - APPEARS. *TT
10006517
Date: 2004-01-23. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.
REVERSE GEAR, DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE. *MR
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.