VW Beetle (New Beetle) Common Problems - What Can Go Wrong?

The Volkswagen Beetle is a small and comfy car known for its unique outlook. Although the Beetle has been in existence for as long as a century, this article will only be discussing New Beetles and A5 versions of the car which were produced during and after the late 1990s.

While the Beetle is generally well-accepted, the company had to halt production of its A5 version in 2019.

Are Volkswagen Beetles Reliable?

The VW Beetle is a great car for its compact and fit look. However, you may need to consider the annual cost of running the car. The average yearly cost of managing a Volkswagen Beetle is $610. This is less than the average maintenance cost for all vehicle models ($650) and more than the maintenance cost for the average compact car ($520). While the average car demands a visit to the repairer up to 0.3 times per year, the VW Beetle requires a little more than that - 0.4 times per year.

When properly maintained, the VW Beetle can last up to 10 years to reach up to 150,000 miles. However, some Beetle owners have mentioned that their vehicles have lasted longer than that.

Top Volkswagen Beetle Problems - What Can Go Wrong?

The Volkswagen Beetle is a dependable vehicle, but there are some significant problems that prospective buyers should be aware of. Some of the most typical Volkswagen Beetle issues are listed below:

• Engine Failure

This is one of the major problems of the VW Beetle Turbo. The affected owners mentioned that they took their cars to the repair shop regularly for repairs and maintenance. Despite this, their vehicle just stopped working one day. Mechanics working on these vehicles noted that stalling was due to the failure of the timing chain, hence causing heavy damage to the engine. Users spent an average of $5,000 to repair this fault.

• Faulty Power Locks

Although this is not as serious as engine failures, defective power locks are equally disturbing and can cause the affected owners a lot of inconveniences. Most owners affected by this problem reported that their power locks often malfunctioned. However, the power locks began to work effectively again when mechanics repaired the faulty latches.

• Faulty Power Windows

This is the most reported problem of the VW Beetle New. Many affected owners complained of grinding and grating noises in their windows with the windows eventually getting stuck when rolled up or down. Even after replacing the window regulator, these owners still encountered this issue during winter. The owner mentioned that he encountered this power window issue at 65,000 miles. Generally, the affected owners spent about $760 to fix this problem.

In 2014, Volkswagen released a technical service bulletin to address the glitch that the power windows presented to its owners. The bulletin #TT 64-14-02 proffered test procedures and a simple service hack to fix the power window problem. While there were no recalls for this issue, a couple of Beetle owners attempted to make a complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2009.

• Falling Headliner

Although this is a mild issue, it turned out to be frustrating to the owners who encountered it. The reported owners said that they experienced this problem at around 50,000 miles. An owner mentioned that he complained to his dealership about the issue and was asked to pay $300. This left him with no other option than to use construction adhesive on the loose object to fix it temporarily.

The VW Beetle Turbo has a couple of troubles and a falling headliner was not the only annoying one.

• Transmission Failure

The worst Beetle issue overall and the worst 2004 Volkswagen issue is transmission failure. Many users claim that there was no indication that there was a problem with the transmission of the car. One owners claimed that as they changed from fourth to third gear, their car lurched violently. One of the owners said that it appeared as though the motor was attempting to escape the car. Owners often report this issue at about 90,000 miles. Many people found that their only option was to change their entire gearbox, which was a $5,000 repair.

In June 2013, Volkswagen issued TSB #TT37-06-06. What to do if the transmission needs to be replaced was covered in this document.

Owners of VW Beetle Turbo owners in 2011 saw the filing of a class-action lawsuit by Volkswagen New Beetles regarding the allegedly flawed Tiptronic automatic transmission, which Volkswagen claimed refused to address. But in June 2013, a federal judge dismissed the case.

• Airbag Light On

Airbags are an important part of cars these days, so an issue with this feature will be a major problem! Although the Beetle is a reliable vehicle, it had had multiple reports of a defective airbag light. The affected owner mentioned that their airbag light would suddenly come up when they were driving. A routine check on these vehicles by the attending mechanic showed that the airbag sensors were malfunctioning and required replacement or a reset. This issue disturbed many VW Beetle owners.

Significantly, the unpopular Takata airbag recall that affected almost 100 million vehicles around the world also happened to Beetle vehicles. So far, Volkswagen has recalled almost 105,000 2012-2014 Beetles that have defective Takata front driver's inflators and airbags.

Volkswagen also had an infamous $42 million settlement with US owners over the airbag problem issue. This settlement catered for 1.35 million vehicles that are equipped with potentially dangerous Takata airbag inflators.

• VW's Diesel Emissions

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made Volkswagen recall 500,000 vehicles in the US. Volkswagen admitted to using 'defeat devices' on about 11 million vehicles across the world to manipulate the car's carbon emissions during emission tests.

The devices were discovered by attendees in a campaign to depict to vehicle users that diesel engines were eco-friendly options. Besides the 500,000 recalled vehicles, another 800,000 vehicles were discovered to have a defective fuel economy, resulting in increased CO2 levels than reported.

When the US clamped down on necessary carbon emissions, car companies with diesel engines including Volkswagen, began adding AdBlue, a urea-based solution to their vehicles. This solution converted dangerous gases such as Nitrous oxide (N2O) into nitrogen and water.

• Automatic Braking

Some VW vehicles have a pre-installed Front Assist Technology that detects obstructions ahead and automatically stops the car. However, this feature which ought to be a plus to the vehicle turns out to be a problem. VW Beetle Turbo owners report that their vehicles brake even when there are no barriers in front of the cars.

This defect in the collision avoidance feature of the vehicle increases the possibility of being hit from behind by tailgaters who may not see a reason to brake on a free road. While some people say that this incident occurs as a result of dirty sensors, drivers with clean sensors have come out to say that they have had the same issue with clean sensors and a clear day.

Insurance companies also do not recognize accidents that are caused by technological errors so they do not indemnify these cases.

• Brake Light Switches

Many Volkswagen Beetle owners have had issues with their brake light switches. While this may sound insignificant, its impact on the vehicle cannot be overemphasized. If you have this brake problem, the brake light may not light up when you use the brake. In some other instances, some vehicles may remain in park mode for a long time while some will lose cruise control working to their defective feature.

VW has had to recall many vehicles multiple times as a result of this issue. The vehicle company has also redesigned the brake light switch many times to reduce this defect. So, if you're buying a newly-produced VW Beetle, you may not encounter this issue.

• Overheating

VW radiators serve as a conduit for engine coolant as part of your Beetle's cooling system. The water pump pushes the system as a whole. Once the engine achieves working temperature, the thermostat opens, allowing coolant to enter the main radiator. However, VW Beetles overheated because of the malfunctioning of this system.

The engine can sustain a great deal of costly damage from overheating. Repairing a broken head or block or a blown head gasket will cost far more money than fixing a thermostat or a water pump.

Conclusion

Choosing a Volkswagen Beetle poses little danger as long as you're aware of any potential problems with the specific model you're going to purchase. If you're seeking to purchase a used Volkswagen Beetle, do some research on the most frequent problems with the particular model you're considering, and make sure the seller has addressed all of them before you commit to buying.