2002 Volkswagen New Beetle problems
Owners have filed 35 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle. Lighting is the most reported problem area, at 20% of complaints. Next are transmission (14%) and brakes (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 35 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Lighting 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 26,000 miles 24 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 | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 11 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 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 24 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 26,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 87% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Volkswagen New Beetle with enough data (35 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.
Transmission noted to be downshifted very hard when coming to a slow stop. When slowing to a stop and reaching the 15-20 MPH area car will jerk hard. Took back to tony honda for service and they told me that everything checks out to volkswagen specs and they were not going to check into it any further. Volkwagen was contacted by me and told to take car for second opinion at cutter volkwagen here in honolulu. Steve from service drove the car and could not belive it was doing the downshifting.
Car downshifts extremely hard when coming to a stop, causing driver and passengers to be lunged forward in their seat.. Dealer states that this is a characteristic of the car. Problem is intermittent and increases when vehicle is warmed up. On occasion downshift occurred so hard that I thought I was just rear -ended by another car. I bought the car for my wife and now she is afraid to drive it.
Seatbelt air bag sensor- air bag malfunction light came on 11/8/03 took the car to the dealership they ordered the part. Both headlights were not working by the time I got to the dealer, they replaced those, turn signals were going on and off along with the hazard lights, was told these needed to be ordered. Called in 2 weeks and was told the parts were on manufacture backorder and they would call me when they came in. I called every 2 weeks they part were not in.