2003 Volkswagen Beetle: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle. The newest campaign is 08V178000. NHTSA received the report on 17 Apr 2008. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags / Frontal / Sensor/Control Module-Inactive. NHTSA has 160 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.
The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Remedy of the newest campaign, 08V178000, in the NHTSA record
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.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
2 campaigns, newest first. 1,078,900 units in total.
08V178000Received . 76,900 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Sensor/Control Module-Inactive
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC. Manufacturer campaign number R6. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
07V063000Received . 1,002,000 units.
Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights / Switch
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger, wagon, and convertible vehicles equipped with or without cruise control, a brake light switch may malfunction if it was installed incorrectly.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The brake lights could become inoperative, or remain on. Failure to provide the proper signal when braking could lead to a crash without warning.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC. Manufacturer campaign number N4. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
160 complaints, 197 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
- 2003 Volkswagen Beetle
- All 2003 vehicles
| Component | 2003 Beetle | All 2003 vehicles | Beetle, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 284.3 | 136.5 | 166.5 | 56 |
| Visibility | 208.1 | 56.8 | 112.6 | 41 |
| Air Bags | 167.5 | 45.8 | 137.1 | 33 |
| Electrical System | 76.1 | 122.3 | 133.4 | 15 |
| Structure | 71.1 | 51.6 | 50.2 | 14 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 45.7 | 108.8 | 119.5 | 9 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 25.4 | 45.3 | 25.6 | 5 |
| Exterior Lighting | 25.4 | 33.7 | 67.2 | 5 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 15.2 | 43.8 | 13.3 | 3 |
| Seat Belts | 15.2 | 14.1 | 16.5 | 3 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 18.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 3
- Complaints that report a fire
- 3
- Injuries in the complaints
- 3
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 22 Oct 2010
These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Investigations
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE08012 | Preliminary evaluation | FRONT AIR BAG CRASH SENSOR FAILURE | Air Bags / Frontal / Sensor/Control Module-Inactive | 15 Feb 2008 | 24 Apr 2008 | 08V178000 |
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 2003 Volkswagen BeetleThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2003 Volkswagen Beetle: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/beetle/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 29 Mar 2018
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle?
- 1,078,900 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Volkswagen Beetle have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 32 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Beetle, model years 1965 to 2019. 2 of them name the 2003 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle name most often?
- Power Train: 56 of 197 component mentions, or 284.3 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 136.5 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Volkswagen Beetle open?
- No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.