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ProblemsByVin Index / 2016-VOLKSWAGEN-BEETLE / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2016 Volkswagen Beetle owner complaints

57 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 1 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

airbags 12 complaints shown

42 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
10/23/2023 ODI #11551351.0

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

10/19/2023 ODI #11550864.0

We have been attempting to have the car in for this recall - however both the dealership and regional office have said the 'repair is not available' How long does a mfg have to start making repairs under a recall (69EM) We have been patiently waiting over a year. Please advise.

10/09/2023 ODI #11548958.0

Have not heard anything since February 2023 regarding repair of driver's side air bag inflator. 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 resulting in serious injury or death.

10/07/2022 Crash ODI #11488404.0

1.Air bags did not deploy in a three vehicle collision. 2.Passenger and myself could have hit our head on the dashboard or steering wheel. 3. unknown 4.yes, its been inspected by insurance company (the driver at fault). 5. no, no lights have ever come on. Car was always in great condition.

10/05/2019 54,000 mi ODI #11266507.0

Started the car and had worming lights on. It did it before a couple days ago but went out. This time the lights won't go off and won't go over 20 MPH. The ABS light,stability light and air bag lights and tire pressure light are on. I had it towed to the dealership. I was just reading of someone with the same problem but no recall

09/26/2023 ODI #11546576.0

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were 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 and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

09/15/2023 ODI #11544690.0

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that parts were 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.

09/15/2023 ODI #11544720.0

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

09/08/2023 ODI #11543482.0

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. 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.

09/04/2025 ODI #11685158.0

I purchased a 2016 VW Beetle, used, in March of 2025. Over the past few weeks, I have received multiple urgent messages from Volkswagon that I need to have the airbag fixed. The communications say there is a high risk of death or serious injury and urge me to my have the repair done ASAP. They have sent multiple mailings to me and made several phone calls to my home. I am doing everything in my power to get this fixed. I have called all the local dealerships within a 50 mile radius, but they do not have the appropriate parts in stock, and have no idea when parts will be available. I am told that the car is safe to drive (which is the exact opposite of what the mailings say) and they tell me to simply "call back in a month". I have also tried calling customer service at Volkswagon

08/25/2023 ODI #11540693.0

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

08/25/2023 10,000 mi ODI #11540841.0

The contact owns a 2016 Volkswagen Beetle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V945000 (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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The failure mileage was 10,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

electrical 3 complaints shown

6 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
12/25/2021 ODI #11444938.0

The engine was running and kept running with key turned off, and the key could not be removed either. We had to pay vw to repair the problem and we found out that is not an isolated problem.

12/04/2018 ODI #11153809.0

2016 Volkswagen beetle. Consumer writes in regards to ECM safety recall. *ld the consumer stated while moving from a stop the vehicle would not accelerate over 25 MPH. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred.*js the consumer stated the latest defect in the vehicle would be the tire pressure monitoring system didn't notify her that the air in the tire was low. *tr the consumer stated the ABS wheel speed sensor and the front wheel bearing was defective. *js *js the consumer stated after striking an animal in the road the horn became inoperable. The consumer stated someone seemed to have tampered with the vehicle. The consumer stated it appeared the radio was hacked. The music volume would operate independently. *js the consumer stated the anti-theft device was in

10/02/2023 ODI #11547827.0

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE THAT HAS YET TO BE FIXED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS SENT TO DEALERS. Manufacturer Recall Number69EM NHTSA Recall Number22V945 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Summary The driver's side airbag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. Safety Risk An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

wheels 1 complaint shown

11/12/2020 ODI #11374263.0

Tires are cracking on the sidewalls as well as on the tread area. This seems to be an ongoing problem as they have been replaced previously and the same problem is occurring again. It appears the rubber is drying out, hardening, and splitting.*dt the consumer provided photos. *tr

suspension 1 complaint shown

3 total in this category · severe · avg repair $900 · see suspension cluster analysis →
11/11/2019 20,620 mi ODI #11279374.0

I heard a loud metal clang in the front of my car when I was backing up in my driveway. I took the car to the dealer and the tech performed inspection and found driver front spring broken and bearing dropped to middle of strut. Front springs, upper mounts, and bearings replaced.

powertrain 1 complaint shown

11/05/2025 ODI #11697790.0

On October 21st I had a recall performed at Evansville D- Patrick for a 37M2 shift lever micro switch. Today Nov 5th I was leaving work, pulling out of the drive onto highway and once I got on the road the car lost motion and just rolled. Barely made it across the highway. I got across the street into another lot. Turned car off and back on. You can hear the throttle but tires would not move. It would not go into any gear. It wouldn’t even go into park. It would roll no matter what the gear shifter was in. The work they did was in the gear shifter. So whatever work they performed was not done right. The sensor was bad they installed possibly or they didn’t connect the linkage or cables of some sort back I’m thinking. To have that recall done then have an issue with it that has to do with

other 1 complaint shown

09/24/2020 23,000 mi ODI #11360954.0

I received a recall notice in november of 2019 on my 2016 vw beetle involving a build up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch. I purchased the car from tony Volkswagen on oahu island in hawaii. I live on the island of kauai in hawaii, where there is no Volkswagen dealer and no certified Volkswagen repair technician. For a previous recall, the dealership had the car shipped back to oahu to take care of the recall issue. I contactedtony Volkswagen service manager damen dupree in november 2019 regarding this current recall and at the time he said that because this recall involved such a small replacement part, it would be more cost effective for them to send a technician over to kauai instead of paying to have the vehicle shipped to oahu. I understand that the pandemic has turned the

steering 1 complaint shown

08/28/2019 51,811 mi ODI #11251906.0

Igintion key stuck in on position and could not turn off vehicle. Was parked at shopping center.

Showing 300 of 57 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2016/Volkswagen/Beetle#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. 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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