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ProblemsByVin Index / 2009-VOLKSWAGEN-BEETLE / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2009 Volkswagen Beetle owner complaints

33 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle . Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

lighting 4 complaints shown

6 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $250 · see lighting cluster analysis →
11/14/2014 ODI #10654954.0

Vw has known issues with their headlights. They easily disconnect from the wiring harness (plugs do not have a safety measure to keep them attached to each other). I was driving down the highway last night and all of my lights went out. If it had not been for other cars coming I would have been unable to pull to the side of the road due to no lighting. *tr

10/01/2019 67,000 mi ODI #11265297.0

The exterior headlights will quit working after hitting bumps in the road. The headlight (driver and passenger have this issue) will loosen from the pin mechanism inside the car. I replaced bulbs 3 times before realizing the bulbs were fine and it was a design flaw. The "hook" that turns and holds the headlight tight will jar and come loose when the car hits a bump in the road. Driving home last week and my passenger side light goes out while driving down the interstate. Every morning I have to push the headlights back into turn the nut to secure the light. By the time I get to work at least one of the headlights have gone out again. This is dangerous. This has been happening for over 2 years.

06/24/2021 ODI #11422154.0

headlamp connecters fail to connect at this time passenger side headlamp is not working, headlamp assy, fall out of their buckets in fenders.

05/21/2020 78,700 mi ODI #11325486.0

Just purchase a used 2009 vw convertible beetle for our 16 year old daughter. This is her dream car and so excited. The driver's side headlight fell out while driving on the highway on our way home from the car lot. The entire housing unit just gone. We purchased the car as is, so we ordered 2 new headlights housing units and had them installed yesterday. Today, the first time driving since getting back from shop, the passenger head light housing fell out while driving on a major thoroughfare only 3 miles from leaving our house crashing all over the road behind us where other vehicles had to swerve out of the way. We did not even hit a bump. This is a major safety problem for anyone and especially a new teen driver. It is not safe! Our mechanic told us it was a known problem. Researchi

visibility 4 complaints shown

4 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $350 · see visibility cluster analysis →
09/27/2010 4,500 mi ODI #10357939.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen new beetle convertible. The was driving 50 MPH in rainy weather when the windshield wipers failed. The contact stopped driving to wait for the rain to stop before proceeding. The contact restarted the vehicle and the wipers began operating as normal. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The contact stated that the faulty wipers could have caused a crash. The failure mileage was 4,500.

09/06/2012 125,000 mi ODI #10474120.0

Rear window down after I drove with top down. Returned convertible top up and rear window won't go back up. Replacement/ repair is over 600.00 plus labor. *tr

07/28/2013 38,500 mi ODI #10532248.0

The drivers side window would not go back up went to dealer and was charged $700, four months later the drivers side passenger window is doing the same thing. *tr

07/07/2014 56,000 mi ODI #10608530.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Volkswagen beetle. The contact stated that the drivers side window failed to operate and close the window. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred on three occasions. The vehicle was taken to a diagnostic testing, who replaced the motor regulator. However, the remedy repair failed. The manufacturer was notified of this failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

other 3 complaints shown

10/06/2020 63,300 mi ODI #11363045.0

At ~50k miles the front driver's side window regulator stopped working. Determined it was the cable starting to shed strands that would bind the motor. Replaced cables and trimmed out regulator which took me a weekend to complete the job. Now at ~63k miles the driver side rear window regulator is stuck half way closed and assuming it's the same issue with a poor designed cable system that routinely fails. Very annoying with cable systems not only used for the window regulators but for the retractable convertible top and door latches. Needs to be recalled immediately.

07/05/2017 ODI #11003003.0

Three out of four windows will not work. This is a convertible.

05/04/2018 92,000 mi ODI #11091999.0

Engine stallig usually when turning, after a stop, when going slow... We have tried to fix this issue by taking the car to mechanics and they can't rule out a solution because it happens randomly and it seems to be when the car has been warmed up. No check engine light. Very scary because there's loss of steering wheel power and it happens intermittently. We have changed numerous things and it keeps giving us this issue. Sometimes it idles rough. Sometimes the needle where the rpms are drops but comes back up. We have exhausted our options and we can't find a solution

seatbelts 2 complaints shown

09/06/2012 127,000 mi ODI #10474119.0

While in park and seated in driver seat pulled seat belt to lock, seat belt unraveled and won't retract at all. *tr

06/10/2016 45,000 mi ODI #10873550.0

Driver and passanger seat belt catches and later releases resulting in a loose seatbelt. On the lower portion of the seat belt where it attatches to the vehicle itself is allowed to slide back and forth according to the seats adjustments. However, on the back side of the of the sliding bar responsible to hold the belt has a 90 degree notch where the bar attaches to the frame. When the user uses restrains themself more often then not the belt catches in this notch area. Not allowing the belt to properly slide forward into the users currents position. Thus during some point of driving the vehicle the belt frees itselfs from the back 90 degree portions of the bar sliding forward. This results in a lose belt.

electrical 2 complaints shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
07/31/2017 117,000 mi ODI #11011697.0

A year ago I had the drivers side window fixed, and since then, the window has been faulty. I own a convertible, so the windows are supposed to go down half an inch and mine does not. Most times when I close the door, the window is over the top of the car, leaving a crack between the window and my car door. Last night, july 30th of 2017, I had rolled down my back window while idle and heard something compareable to a fork in a garbage disposal. I immediately stopped rolling the window down because I knew it would not come back up, seeing as I had just fixed this problem less than a year ago with the front window when I was driving and the same exact thing happened and my car was in the shop for a week and a half. I proceeded to look online to look for a recall with no luck. Although I did

06/13/2013 49,007 mi ODI #10519692.0

Vw 2009 Volkswagen convt. Beetle- windows-I have had to replace 3 out of 4 windows. I only have 49007 miles and have had to replace at least $1400.00 dollars in window repairs alone. I have had the window regulator go out several time. When purchasing a car you never think that before you are through paying it off you will be out of tons of money just to keep in running properly. What happened to when you brought the car you were problem free at least until you paid it off. Now it seems as though no one puts efforts in satisfying the consumer anymore they only sale cars knowing soon and very soon you will be returning due to the malfunction of parts that are placed in the vehicle before they car is sold. I know I will never put value into vw again they have really placed a sour tast

steering 2 complaints shown

06/10/2014 65,000 mi ODI #10597512.0

While driving around a corner the battery indicator light came on, power steering went out and no acceleration. It did not appear that the engine stalled. The light went out and the power steering and acceleration came right back without touching the ignition key. My daughter almost lost control of the vehicle. No other dash warning lights came on other than the battery indicator. This car is a deathtrap! *tr

05/09/2018 84,436 mi ODI #11092771.0

The steering column locks and the key will not turn in the ignition to start the vehicle sometimes. After a cursory google search and speaking with the dealership mechanic, it appears this is a common problem for vw beetles and jettas. It is highly unsafe to have a car with an unreliable ignition, particularly when traveling alone at night. Vw has placed an extended warranty and acknowledged a faulty design for the 2012-2013 beetles, but nothing has been done to address the design flaw in earlier models to my knowledge.

airbags 1 complaint shown

5 total in this category · severe · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
12/18/2021 ODI #11444270.0

The airbag warning light is constantly lit up on the dashboard. It has been determined that it is a malfunction of the airbag control module and can’t be reset. There has been a recall on previous models of the car, and it should be extended to this model’s year. It poses a risk to safety as if there were to be an issue with the airbags where the light would warn me, I wouldn’t know because the light is already on and it would be impossible to determine if there was a problem. If there is an airbag issue, in case of an accident it would be a huge safety risk. Since this part has already been recalled previously, there is no reason the recall shouldn’t be extended.

body 1 complaint shown

09/05/2013 61,000 mi ODI #10542130.0

Subject: safety issue I own a 2009 vw beetle/2 door coupe. I have had to replace the lower shields twice. These shields, baffles and cover plates are quite expensive and add up to my greatest repair cost for this vehicle. As you know, they are not repairable. My most recent experience is what has prompted me to write you. I drove my car from my home in ozark, mo to dubuque, ia this past june the entire trip is on good two lane or four lane highway. During the trip, after crossing a bridge, I noticed a terrible sound coming from the front of my car. It sounded like something was dragging. It was. The shield under the front of the car was dragging. The shield made of plastic was only attached together with small rubber clips. There was no way to replace the clips. There were no

engine 1 complaint shown

08/15/2016 92,000 mi ODI #10895837.0

After a business trip into austin my vehicle started jerking when I would brake or accelerate. At first I thought it was nothing just my car acting different because the the immediate change in speed going from 85 to about 40 to exit off the interstate. On the way to houston there was no trouble until the next day. The following evening being my first time driving it all day, I was pulling out of my neighborhood and when trying to stop at a stop sign my vehicle jerked 4 or 5 times then stopped when the wheel locked up and the battery and engine light came on as I was at a stop sign. I turned off my car then turned it back on and the wheel was unlocked and the battery light was off, but the engine light was still on. I proceeded to drive it because I wanted to see if it would do it again an

Showing 300 of 33 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2009/Volkswagen/Beetle#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-28. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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