2012 Volkswagen Beetle problems
Owners have filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. Wipers, windshield & visibility is the most reported problem area, at 28% of complaints. Next are air bags (14%) and electrical system (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 88 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 15,000 miles 62 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 33 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 4 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 62 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 15,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 4,000 miles (22 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 18 model years of the Volkswagen Beetle with enough data (61 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen beetle. While parked, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle traveling 15 MPH. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and back that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not towed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repair. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was 52,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that the independent dealer who sold her the vehicle was unable to verify if the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 12v540000 (air bags). The dealer did not provide the recall history and the contact had not called a volkswagen dealer. The contact was concerned about the air bags working properly. On november 2, 2018, while the contact was driving 20 MPH, another vehicle cut in front of the contact's vehicle.
While the car was in motion the steering locked up, preventing any kind of turning of the steering wheel, causing a catosrophic crash injuring the driver on a city street.
Recurring issues with door power windows. Takes approximately 6-7 attempts to secure or roll them up after opening; unsure if they will completely fail and eventually not roll up at all. Safety issue concerns: unable to roll up windows against adverse weather conditions and freeway debris, (rain and debris can damage electrical circuitry located next to door and debris can injure driver; rain/wind/debris can impair drivers visibility if window cannot be rolled up properly); in addition, in an emergency situation…
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH and attempting to roll the front driver side window upwards, the window independently rolled downwards. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 34,000. The VIN was unavailable.