SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
2002 Volkswagen New Beetle
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 15 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle, most frequently naming the transmission, brakes and engine categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 10 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2002 | 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2002 | 1 | 2 |
| Sep 2002 | 1 | 3 |
| Nov 2002 | 1 | 4 |
| Jan 2003 | 1 | 5 |
| Apr 2003 | 1 | 6 |
| Jun 2003 | 1 | 7 |
| Jul 2003 | 1 | 8 |
| Sep 2003 | 1 | 9 |
| Jan 2004 | 1 | 10 |
| Apr 2004 | 1 | 11 |
| Jun 2004 | 2 | 13 |
| Aug 2004 | 1 | 14 |
| Nov 2004 | 1 | 15 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Transmission827.6%
- Brakes517.2%
- Engine310.3%
- Interior & seats310.3%
- Visibility310.3%
- Electrical310.3%
- Exterior lighting13.4%
- Seat belts13.4%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govRecent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2002 NEW BEETLE FAILS TO ENGAGE FOR A SECOND OR TWO AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING FOR A WHILE. DOESN'T DO IT AT OTHER TIMES, ONLY WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN SITTING AN HOUR OR MORE. DEALERSHIP REPLACED TRANSMISSION MODULE TWICE (TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS) AND THE THIRD AND FOURTH TIME I BROUGHT IT IN WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT, THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO BEHAVE THIS WAY. INHERENT TO THE DESIGN OF THE TRANSMISSION WAS THIS SMALL DELAY FOR EMISSIONS REASONS. I AM NOT BUYING IT, NOT WITH ALL THE OTHER ISSUES I HAVE HAD WITH THIS CAR. I HAVE HAD IT IN FOUR TIMES FOR POWER WINDOW PROBLEMS AND GETTING READY TO BRING IT IN FOR A FIFTH. THE MONSOON STEREO HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE AND IS MALFUNCTIONING AGAIN. THE PARKING BRAKE ASSEMBLY BROKE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. LOTS OF BOTHERSOME PROBLEMS AND NOW I HEAR WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A VALVE TAP.*AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10100587
- Incident
- Aug 17, 2002
- Mileage
- 10,000 mi
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. 3/3/04 SMOG TEST DONE TO REGISTER MY CAR- FAILED SMOG, TOOK CAR TO DEALER CAT CONVERTER OUT, THEY HAD TO ORDER PART SAID THEY WOULD REORDER THE SENSOR, 3/12/04 TOOK CAR BACK IN PARTS NOT IN YET, CALLED EVERY DAY PARTS NOT IN NOW MY REGISTRATION WAS LATE. CAT CONVERTER CAME IN ON 4/2/04 IT WAS INSTALLED DEALER WAS REFUSING TO SMOG TEST FOR FREE THE FINALLY DID BUT WOULD NOT PAY THE FEES FOR MY REGISTRATION BEING LATE. CALLED AGAIN EVERY 2 WEEKS PARTS DID NOT COME IN. 6/30/04 WENT IN OTHER PARTS ON THE CAR WERE BRAKING OFF, EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE BROKEN, DISPLAY LIGHTS NOT WORKING, CUP HOLDER BROKEN, AGAIN THEY HAD TO ORDER PARTS, AND THEY NEVER CAME IN. 8/18/04 AIR CONDITIONING STOPED BLOWING COLD AIR, MADE APPT ONLINE FOR 8/23/04 TOOK CAR IN, NONE OF THE PARTS ORDERED ARE IN AGAIN. SERVICE STATED MY AIR CONDITIONING IS NOT COVERED BECAUSE OF A HOLE IN THE CONDENSOR EVEN THOUGH MY WARRANTY STATES IT IS COVERED THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT AND TRIED TO CHARGE ME $95.00 FOR FINDING THE HOLE, I REFUSED TO PAY AFTER ALL I HAVE BEEN WAITING SINCE NOVEMBER FOR SEVERAL PARTS INCLUDING A SAFTEY ISSUE, THE DEALER SERVICE HAS BEEN THE WORST I DEALT WITH IN 25 YEARS OF DRIVING. I HAVE SENT EMAILS, PHONE CALLS AND FAXES TO THE DEALER REGARDING ALL MY COMPLAINTS AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10088497
- Incident
- Nov 8, 2003
- Mileage
- 41,583 mi
THE CLUTCH ON 2002 BEETLE 1.8 TURBO WENT OUT ON MY WIFE ON I-40 IN AMARILLO. THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND SHE WAS GOING 30 MILES PER HOUR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATE. SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE ACROSS TWO LANES AND EXIT THE INTERSTATE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE VW CLUTCHES IN THE 1.8 TURBOS SEEM TO BE HAVING VERY EARLY FAILURE. THE CLUTCH WAS REPLACED FOR $1450.00 AND NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I HAVE REQUESTED TO SEE THE OLD PARTS. I HAVE READ THAT THE NEW CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL HAVE DIFFERENT PART NUMBERS THAN ORIGINAL.*AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10075150
- Incident
- Jun 8, 2004
- Mileage
- 23,500 mi
VW 2002 TURBO BEETLE HAD AN EPC LIGHT COME ON. THE CAR WAS LOOSING POWER AND WOULD CUT OFF AT TIMES (IN TRAFFIC). I TOOK IT IN AND THEY SAID THAT IT A PROBLEM WITH THE VACUUM ON THE TURBO. THE RECEIPT SHOWS THAT THEY REPLACED A SWITCH. ABOUT A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE CAR STARTED LOOSING POWER AGAIN. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND BROUGHT IT IN. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR'S CLUTCH WAS OUT AND THAT I NEEDED A NEW CLUTCH & FLYWHEEL. THE ESTIMATE WAS $1800 TO REPAIR. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 27,000 MILES (PROBABLY LESS). THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THE CLUTCH EVEN AT 27,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS ONLY A 12,000 MILE WARRANTY FOR THIS TYPE OF REPAIR. THIS IS A MAJOR PART OF THE DRIVE TRAIN AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY FOR MORE THAN 12,000 MILES. I HAVE DRIVEN STANDARDS ALL MY LIFE. THERE IS APPARENTLY A PROBLEM WITH THE VW CLUTCHES.*AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10074998
- Incident
- May 14, 2004
- Mileage
- 27,800 mi
VW 2002 TURBO BEETLE SUDDENLY STARTED TO LOSE POWER, CUT OUT IN TRAFFIC A COUPLE OF TIMES. TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP AS AN EMERGENCY. WAS TOLD THE CLUTCH WAS BAD AT LESS THAN 25K ON THE SPEEDOMETER? PART NOT COVERED BY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY - "HIDDEN" WARRANTY, SO THEY WANTED $1800 TO FIX. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR 30-YEARS, NEVER HAD A TRANSMISSION OR CLUTCH PROBLEM EVEN ON CARS WITH OVER 200K ON CLOCK. THEY CHARGED ME $300 TO TEAR DOWN CLUTCH, VW MAINTAINED "DRIVER OUTSIDE INFLUENCES." MEANWHILE I GET ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE PAGES OF WEB SITES AND HUNDREDS OF LETTERS ON VW 2002 TURBO BEETLES WITH BAD CLUTCHES, GOING OUT AT 5K, 11K, 17K 25K, 36K AND SO ON, BUT VERY EARLY IN HE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER MORE RESEARCH, IT TURNS OUT THAT THE ENGINES ARE POORLY DESIGNED AND THE CLUTCH IS TOO SMALL FOR THE TURBO ENGINE AND THUS BURNING UP AT LOW MILEAGE. ALSO PROBLEMS ON 2001 VW JETTA'S WHERE FLYWHEEL IS CRACKING AND LEAKING ONTO CLUTCH AND BURNING UP CLUTCH. VW ARE VERY AWARE OF THE SITUATION AND ARE NOW PLACING LARGER CLUTCH IN NEWER MODELS. HOWEVER, THEY WERE DENYING RESPONSIBILITY AND PLACING REPAIR COSTS ONTO CUSTOMERS. VW CUSTOMER CARE WERE THE MOST ARROGANT AND DIFFICULT PEOPLE I'VE DEALT WITH IN 30-YEARS OF DRIVING. THEY MESSED WITH MY LIFE AND THE LIFE OF OTHERS AND THIS IS UNCONSCIONABLE. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VW OR RECOMMEND A VW TO ANYONE AGAIN. THE VEHICLE IS REPAIRED BUT I AM TURNING IT IN FOR A HONDA. *NM
- NHTSA ID
- 10064453
- Incident
- Feb 23, 2004
- Mileage
- 24,750 mi
DOOR LOCKS HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS FOR LOCK PROBLEMS AT LEAST 8 TIMES. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. OFTEN THE DOORS WILL NOT LOCK WITH THE INTERIOR POWER DOOR LOCK. THEY HAVE GIVEN SEVERAL DIFFERENT DIAGNOSIS, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY CAN'T REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM, AND NOW THEY ARE STATING THAT THE CAR IS DESIGNED TO OPERATE SO THAT THE DOORS CANNOT BE LOCKED FROM THE INSIDE UNTIL THE CAR IS STARTED IF THE TRUNK WAS OPENED WITH THE POWER TRUNK RELEASE ON THE KEY. THEY TELL ME I HAVE TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR, USE THE TRUNK RELEASE BUTTON ON THE DOOR AND THEN THE LOCKS WILL WORK PROPERLY. I CANNOT USE THE REMOTE TRUNK OPENER AND I HAVE TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR FIRST!!!! THIS PROBLEM DID NOT START UNTIL WE HAD OWNED THE CAR FOR 14 MONTHS. THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE OTHER PROBLEMS AS WELL. *LA
- NHTSA ID
- 10054935
- Incident
- Jan 26, 2004
DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH MY CLOSED SUNROOF SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES. IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMEONE FIRED A GUN, AND THEN GLASS WENT EVERYWHERE. *JB
- NHTSA ID
- 10039153
- Incident
- Sep 16, 2003
THE VEHICLE'S SPEED DROPPED DRAMATICALLY, AND THEN STALLED. *JB THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING: THE LIGHTS WOULD COME ON, WOULD NOT COME OUT OF PARK(REPEATEDLY), LOCK UP, SIT FOR HOURS/FROZEN, START BUT NOT COME OUT OF PARK, ABS AND EPC LIGHT PROBLEMS WHICH WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS TOLD THE OVERLOAD PROBLEMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED, WHILE DRIVEN, THE VEHICLE DROPPED DOWN TO 30 MPH AND DOWN TO 20 MPH ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE MOTOR SOUNDED LOUD AND THE VEHICLE HAD SHAKEN, THE DEALER FOUND THREE FAULT CODE FOR THROTTLE CONTROL AND FAULTY THROTTLE BODY(DEALER ASSURED CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN), AND THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A MISFIRE ON ALL CYLINDERS AND THAT THE PLUG WIRES WERE REPLACED. ON ONE OCCASION WHERE VEHICLE DID NOT COME OUT OF PARK, THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT THE PROBLEM HAD COME FROM THE BRAKE SWITCH AND ASSURED THAT THE FREEZE UP(S) WERE SOLVED. THE VEHICLE SAT FOR FIVE HOURS, THEN THE VEHICLE FINALLY STARTED AND THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE ECM(THE PART HAD TO BE ORDERED). *SCC *JB
- NHTSA ID
- 10016051
- Incident
- Apr 16, 2003
- Mileage
- 8,268 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT (MIL) ON, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) STORED IN DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) MEMORY. *MJ
STRUCTURE
DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR WINDOW REGULATOR REPAIRING. *MJ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING DOOR WINDOW, SEPARATES FROM WINDOW REGULATOR CLAMPS. *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
EVALUATING FUEL MIXTURE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES- HOW TO PERFORM EFFECTIVE DIAGNOSIS RELATED TO FUEL SYSTEM ADAPTATION - SYSTEM TOO RICH/TOO LEAN. VOLKSWAGEN. *MJ
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
REPLACEMENT OF THE IGNITION COILS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT IF ONE OF THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION COIL FAILS, ROUGH IDLING OR REDUCED DRIVING POWER COULD OCCUR IN ADDITION TO ILLUMINATION OF THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP LIGHT. *TT *MJ
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
NEW STYLE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REQUIRES CARE DURING INSTALLATION TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO SWITCH. *TT
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
SAFETY RECALL - WT - BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. *TT
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.