2016 Volkswagen Beetle: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle. The newest campaign is 22V945000. NHTSA received the report on 21 Dec 2022. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module. NHTSA has 48 complaints on file for 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, 22V945000, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the driver's side air bag, free of charge. Owners notification letters were mailed October 26, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69EM.
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
3 campaigns, newest first. 808,452 units in total.
22V945000Received . 37,558 units.
Air Bags / Frontal / Driver Side / Inflator Module
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Beetle and Beetle Convertibles vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the driver's side air bag, free of charge. Owners notification letters were mailed October 26, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69EM.
Report filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 69EM. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
19V615000Received . 679,027 units.
Electrical System / Ignition / Anti-Theft / Control Module
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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."
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 37M2. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
15V705000Received . 91,867 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Report filed by Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 23R1. 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
48 complaints, 64 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.
- 2016 Volkswagen Beetle
- All 2016 vehicles
| Component | 2016 Beetle | All 2016 vehicles | Beetle, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 546.9 | 42.5 | 151.4 | 35 |
| Electrical System | 93.8 | 116.2 | 140.3 | 6 |
| Unknown or Other | 78.1 | 110.2 | 36.9 | 5 |
| Wheels | 46.9 | 14.6 | 3.3 | 3 |
| Suspension | 46.9 | 22.9 | 9.6 | 3 |
| Steering | 31.3 | 66.3 | 13.5 | 2 |
| Tires | 31.3 | 4.7 | 7.7 | 2 |
| Service Brakes | 31.3 | 54.2 | 11.6 | 2 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 31.3 | 34.2 | 23.7 | 2 |
| Engine | 15.6 | 171 | 27.3 | 1 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 13.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 2
- Complaints that report a fire
- 0
- Injuries in the complaints
- 0
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 3 Sep 2026
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
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.
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 2016 Volkswagen BeetleThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2016 Volkswagen Beetle: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/beetle/2016/. 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
- 30 Sep 2026
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- Volkswagen Group 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 2016 Volkswagen Beetle?
- 808,452 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 2016 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle name most often?
- Air Bags: 35 of 64 component mentions, or 546.9 per 1,000. For all 2016 vehicles the figure is 42.5 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle open?
- The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.