CSR

Volkswagen · NHTSA safety record

2017 Volkswagen Beetle

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

15

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle have filed 15 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2018 and May 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 6 of them (40%). The typical failure was reported at 31,900 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

24V834000 · October 30, 2024

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the driver's side front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 248,330 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE

19V615000 · August 22, 2019

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmission shift lever is not in "Park."
The risk
Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 679,027 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

17V136000 · March 2, 2017

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Beetle and Jetta GLI vehicles. The affected vehicles have incorrect information on the tire information label, possibly causing the operator to overload the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
Overloading the vehicle may affect vehicle handling or result in tire damage, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected tire information label, free of charge. The recall began March 30, 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for the recall is 01B9.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 797 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 15.

AIR BAGS 6 40%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 33%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 13%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 7%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 7%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 7%
STEERING 1 7%
SUSPENSION 1 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 7%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 6.

2018 2025 2026
2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rear view camera stopped working (black screen.) I have tried to soft reset the infotainment display unit as well as a hard reset by disconnecting car battery to no avail. The trunk lock mechanism is operational (the rear view camera unit is located in the same unit.)

NHTSA complaint 11737477. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
My local dealers still do not have the parts for the recall 24V834. It has been a year since the recall. What am I supposed to do?

NHTSA complaint 11697398. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint 11688163. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11671965. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The safety recall with the driver’s air bag still does not have a remedy available to fix the problem. My safety is at risk every time this vehicle is driven. Nothing has occurred, but this needs to be rectified immediately.

NHTSA complaint 11666777. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

43,800 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was blinking. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V834000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called two other local dealers: KarMART Maui—Kahului (411 Huku Lii Pl, Kihei, HI 96753), and Tony Volkswagen (94-1299 Ka Uka Blvd, Waipahu, HI 96797). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer offered to assist with shipping, but

NHTSA complaint 11642016, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volkswagen Beetle

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 14 3
2018 16 3
2016 47 3
2015 83 5
2014 50 5
2013 90 6
2012 65 6
2010 30 3

Other 2017 Volkswagen models

Every Volkswagen on this site — 152 vehicles, 256 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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