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2002 Volkswagen Beetle Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 165 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle, most often about the air bags (26% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is 6th of 19 Beetle model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.

Complaints165
Recalls2
Crashes reported13
Fires reported4
Injuries reported12

Most common 2002 Volkswagen Beetle problems

  1. Air bags

    43 complaints · 26%

    Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.

    Air bag default, light indicator on shows that there is an air bag malfunction in the passenger side air bag. Vw dealership suggested replacement of the air bag for $800. Car is only 6 years old, 65,000km, no accidents. This should be included under warranty.
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2009, at 65,000 miles
    I have a 2002 vw Beetle. I had an airbag light come on 3 years ago. I had it fixed once. About 6 months later the light came back on and I was told that the problem may continue. I did not have it fixed again. I am now reading that this is a common problem. Why has this not been recalled?
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2011, at 69,000 miles

  2. Electrical

    36 complaints · 22%

    Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, ignition, alternator/generator/regulator, 12v/24v/48v battery.

    At about 30,000 mile, there was a failure of electronic intsrumentation panel due to some kind of short circuit, which they fixed under warranty. This same thing happened again at about 60,000 mile with same symptom, which I could not fix it because its warranty was over. But, I strongly believe that its…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 60,000 miles
    : the contact stated the vehicle had difficulties starting. The service dealer replaced the wiring harness. The air bag and check engine lights illuminated, and the key was hot when removed from the ignition. The electric windows malfunctioned; opened and closed without warning. The service dealer determined the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 58,900 miles

  3. Transmission

    23 complaints · 14%

    Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, clutch assembly, driveline, manual transmission.

    Over the past two months, I have experienced problems shifting in between gears. The problem began on a road trip to houston, tx and was stuck on a back highway in low gear in the middle on nowhere. After bringing the car to a stop and restarting the vehicle it worked for some time but the issue progressively got…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2010, at 65,234 miles
    Clutch needs to be replaced in my 2002 vw new Beetle. I commute 200 miles a day.. All freeway.. And after purchasing the car used and using it for 5 months, the clutch needs replacing already. I have almost always owned manual transmission automobiles and have never had a clutch problem. I do not drive a lot using the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 67,600 miles

  4. Engine

    23 complaints · 14%

    Half of these problems showed up before 52,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system.

    There is an unusually strong, and obnoxious, odor (smelling of burnt crayons) coming from the interior of the car. The smell is so over-powering I have to open the windows, and leave them open, the entire time I am driving the car, otherwise I become dizzy and nauseous. I searched the internet, and there are many…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2011, at 51,933 miles
    The ignition coils on my 2.0l azg engine crumbled during a tune up,which resulted in a $647.00 repair bill. New vw ignition coil, spark plug wires and OEM spark plugs were installed. Today, 4/26/2013, ignition coil crumbles again during tune up. Vw claims their warranty on parts is 12 months. Vw recalled a ton of…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2013, at 52,000 miles

  5. Lights

    14 complaints · 9%

    Half of these problems showed up before 42,000 miles. Parts named most often: brake lights, turn signal, tail lights.

    I own two of the vw new beetles. One is 2002 and the other is 2003. Both of them have trouble with the taillight/stoplight and turn signals not working due to a defective contact design in the bulb socket. In order to fix the problem you have to take the assembly out and bend the contact to put more spring in them…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 42,000 miles
    : the contact stated the vehicle was not able to be taken out of park during failure of the brake light switch. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the brake light switch was replaced 4 times. There was a NHTSA recall # 06v183000 which pertained to the brake light switch. The vehicle was not included in…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 37,000 miles

  6. Visibility and wipers

    13 complaints · 8%

    Half of these problems showed up before 39,000 miles. Parts named most often: power window devices and controls, sun/moon roof assembly, windshield wiper/washer.

    I have had my windshield wipers replaced twice, and the last time was at a Volkswagen dealership. While driving during a two-day 18 hour road trip in varying heaviness of rain, the windshield wipers stopped working during a downpour on a highway. They froze mid wipe causing a temporary lack of visibility and…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2009, at 39,000 miles
    I own a 2002 vw Beetle and the passenger side window regulator went out about 2 months ago and have since changed it out. Now the same thing has happened to the drivers side. I have noticed surfing the web that there have been several other complaints about this problem. Why does this happen so frequently and is there…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2008, at 52,000 miles

  7. Brakes

    12 complaints · 7%

    Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, antilock, power assist.

    I was driving my 2002 new Beetle to work. The brakes froze up, I could not stop ran a stop sign I put car in park still could not stop. Happened twice more b/4 I got to work. I looked up recall for Volkswagen 2002. There was one "service brakes ,hydraulic: antilock recall. I called volks and was asked if I was the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2010, at 65,631 miles
    The contact owns a 2002 Volkswagen Beetle. While driving 60 MPH, the ABS main control unit indicator illuminated. An independent mechanic stated that the ABS was malfunctioning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer (Volkswagen of oakland, 2740 broadway, oakland, ca 94610) who stated that there were no active…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2018, at 89,605 miles

  8. Seat belts

    12 complaints · 7%

    Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: front.

    : the contact stated the vehicle had difficulties starting. The service dealer replaced the wiring harness. The air bag and check engine lights illuminated, and the key was hot when removed from the ignition. The electric windows malfunctioned; opened and closed without warning. The service dealer determined the…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2006, at 58,900 miles
    I own a 2002 vw Beetle. The seat belt latch became defective, thus turning the airbag system in my car off. I have 80k miles on my car and the repair cost me over $350. Vw is refusing to pay for this vital safety issue stating they are not required to repair out of warranty items. Isn't there a law that requires auto…
    Owner report to NHTSA, 2004, at 73,000 miles

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2002 Volkswagen Beetle recalls

  1. Lights: switch

    NHTSA 07V063000 · February 20, 2007 · 1,002,000 vehicles

    Risk: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.

    Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on april 27, 2007, and will be conducted in several staggered mailings through september 21, 2007. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the VIN number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.

    Full defect summary

    On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.

  2. Lights: switch

    NHTSA 06V183000 · May 24, 2006 · 646,246 vehicles

    Risk: The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.

    Fix: Dealers will install the newly designed brake light switch free of charge. The recall began on november 27, 2006. Vehicles within the make, model, and model year of this population may be involved in either this recall or 06v-183, but not both. The remedy is the same for each recall. Volkswagen dealers will apply the remedy based on the VIN number of the vehicle. Owners may contact vw at 1-800-822-8987.

    Full defect summary

    On certain passenger vehicles equipped with automatic or manual transmissions and cruise controls, a brake light switch on these vehicles may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly during safety recalls 03v-265 or 04v-096.

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

NHTSA defect investigations

Questions about the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle

What are the most common problems with the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle?
By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (43 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); electrical (36 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); transmission (23 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles).
How many recalls does the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle have?
2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 20, 2007 (lights). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
Is the 2002 a bad year for the Volkswagen Beetle?
It is 6th of 19 Beetle model years by number of complaints, with 165 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Volkswagen Beetle years

Volkswagen Beetle problems by year