1998 Volkswagen New Beetle problems
Owners have filed 37 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle. Lighting is the most reported problem area, at 27% of complaints. Next are wipers, windshield & visibility (19%) and electrical system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 37 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Lighting 27% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 10 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 | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 3 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 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 10 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 2 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Volkswagen New Beetle with enough data (28 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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.
The vehicle has experienced serious malfunctions, which made it totally unsafe and unreliable. Ak *scc *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*739197
Driver-side side airbag deployed on my 1998 VW beetle for no apparent reason causing loss of vehicle control and accident.
Driver front seat bracket broke away during acceleration from a stop sign causing me to be forced into a lying down position against the back seat. My hands were pulled from the steering wheel as well as my foot from the brake. I broke a cup holder on the console in order to right myself and just missed a telephone pole. I have digital photos of the bracket and seat and will be glad to email them to you. I am in a pissing match with the dealer as to who gets to keep the defective bracket.
Headlights constantly go out while driving, have been pulled over by the police many times due to no lights or having to drive with high beams on. This past time had to park the car and have someone take us home, could not drive car until the next morning. Repair bills are becoming rediculous.
Today, july 27,2004, the output connection on my fuel pump came apart (disconnected) and when I tried to start my car dumped about a quart of gasoline on the ground under the right side of the car. I was in a crowded post office parking lot and it was a potentially dangerous situation. The fire dept came and reconnected the line and I was able to proceed to the VW dealorship and have it checked and certified safe to continue operating. The car is VW new beetle, 1998 year of manufacturing.