VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 76,900 MY 2004-2005 NEW BEETLE AND MY 2003-2005 NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED (DUAL-STAGE) AIR BAG SYSTEM. THIS SYSTEM MAY HAVE AIR BAG FRONTAL CRASH SENSORS THAT CONTAIN A SOLDER JOINT ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD THAT MAY CRACK UNDER CERTAIN HIGH TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS. IF THIS OCCURS, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE AND THE FALLBACK ALGORITHM WILL ENSURE THAT THE FRONT AIR BAGS ALWAYS DEPLOY IN A FRONTAL CRASH IN WHICH THE VEHICLE'S DECELERATION IS HIGH ENOUGH TO ACTIVATE THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS.
Safety risk
IN LOW-SEVERITY FRONTAL IMPACTS, THE FRONT AIR BAGS MAY DEPLOY MORE FORCEFULLY THAN DESIGNED, INCREASING THE POSSIBILITY OF INJURY TO OUT-OF-POSITION FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT EACH VEHICLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE SPECIFIC DEFECT CRASH SENSOR IS PRESENT ON ONE OR BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE. ALL OF THE DEFECT CRASH SENSORS WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JULY 31, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER, WAGON, AND CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH OR WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MAY MALFUNCTION IF IT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY.
Safety 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.
Manufacturer remedy
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.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Power train: automatic transmission
80
74,000 mi
Power train
52
80,000 mi
Air bags
44
60,000 mi
Visibility: power window devices and controls
33
47,000 mi
Electrical system
32
61,420 mi
Visibility
19
56,560 mi
Engine and engine cooling
12
77,500 mi
Seat belts
10
65,056 mi
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module
9
39,268 mi
Engine
9
118,000 mi
Structure: body
9
47,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
8
70,000 mi
Air bags: frontal
7
65,000 mi
Seats
6
70,000 mi
Unknown or other
6
69,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine
5
86,273 mi
Structure
5
40,000 mi
Exterior lighting
4
183,255 mi
Latches/locks/linkages
4
75,347 mi
Equipment
3
62,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
3
59,968 mi
Visibility: glass, side/rear
3
33,319 mi
Air bags: side/window
2
52,000 mi
Electrical system: wiring
2
22,246 mi
Exterior lighting: brake lights
2
9,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
2
83,000 mi
Service brakes
2
79,000 mi
Structure: body: roof and pillars
2
40,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
2
100 mi
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
1
56,359 mi
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
1
41,901 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
—
Engine and engine cooling: engine: diesel
1
120,000 mi
Equipment: appliance: air conditioner
1
47,000 mi
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
1
56,000 mi
Exterior lighting: headlights
1
37,621 mi
Exterior lighting: tail lights
1
9,000 mi
Exterior lighting: turn signal
1
—
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
1
35,500 mi
Fuel system, other
1
—
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
1
24,400 mi
Power train: driveline
1
64,000 mi
Power train: driveline: constant velocity joint
1
—
Power train: manual transmission
1
64,000 mi
Seat belts: front
1
22,651 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
The 2002 model has 2 times as many complaints as this one. The 2004 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.