2004 Volkswagen Beetle: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2004 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 189 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.

NHTSA VIN lookup

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 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 1,098,184 units in total.

08V178000Received 17 Apr 2008. 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: 31 Jul 2008.
07V063000Received 20 Feb 2007. 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: 27 Apr 2007.
04V586000Received 15 Dec 2004. 19,284 units.
Fuel System, Diesel
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, the high pressure diesel pumps were produced with an improper fastener, which could allow diesel fuel to escape from the pump.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may lead to a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the diesel pump. The recall began on february 8, 2005. Owners should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC. Manufacturer campaign number VY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 Feb 2005.

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

189 complaints, 248 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.

2004 Volkswagen Beetle
All 2004 vehicles

2004 Volkswagen Beetle: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2004 Beetle	All 2004 vehicles	Beetle, all years	Mentions
Power Train	338.7	135.3	166.5	84
Air Bags	213.7	44.1	137.1	53
Visibility	153.2	62.8	112.6	38
Electrical System	80.6	140.9	133.4	20
Exterior Lighting	40.3	28.2	67.2	10
Structure	36.3	55.5	50.2	9
Engine and Engine Cooling	32.3	93.9	119.5	8
Seat Belts	28.2	13	16.5	7
Equipment	24.2	22.9	26.1	6
Unknown or Other	16.1	10.6	16	4

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 17.

Complaints that report a crash: 5
Complaints that report a fire: 2
Injuries in the complaints: 1
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 27 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.

Complaints about the 2004 Volkswagen Beetle, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2010, with 87 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2004 Volkswagen Beetle
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.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Follow by RSS:Volkswagen recallsVehicle recalls

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 2004 Volkswagen BeetleThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2004 Volkswagen Beetle: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/beetle/2004/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

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 2004 Volkswagen Beetle?: 1,098,184 units in 3 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. 3 of them name the 2004 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2004 Volkswagen Beetle name most often?: Power Train: 84 of 248 component mentions, or 338.7 per 1,000. For all 2004 vehicles the figure is 135.3 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2004 Volkswagen Beetle open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.