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ProblemsByVin Index / 2019-VOLKSWAGEN-BEETLE / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2019 Volkswagen Beetle owner complaints

14 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 1 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Listed by category, newest first within each section.

electrical 3 complaints shown

3 total in this category · severe · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
09/03/2021 Crash ODI #11431672.0

My 2019 VW Beetle, AT, keyless entry was parked in a store parking lot. When I left the vehicle it wouldn't lock. I thought my fob battery died. I came out of the store about 30 minutes later and my car had rolled away. It came to rest about 50 feet away, up against a fixed object light pole. I was shocked! My rear bumper sustained damage. I got in my car and saw it was in D. I guess I left it in D, turned off the push button start/stop and it rolled away after I left it. I then did some checking and found that when push button start/stop tech is installed in many cars with the added safety features of audible sounds or transmissions ratcheting into park when stopped with transmission in Drive, which are standard safety features on most newer cars, but were not standard on my car.

07/10/2023 ODI #11531471.0

The key in the key cylinder or tear lock would not remove. The automobile would not shut down. I looked in YouTube tube and found out that since 2010 this incident has been occurring in Volkswagen beetles I had to extract the fuel pump fuse to stop the engine. And then disconnect the battery. It appears that this problem is pandemic to this automobile if I had been in a remote area it would’ve been a serious problem. AutoNation Volkswagen in Columbus has estimated the cost to be $1500 to replace the tear lock the cylinder and the bolt.

03/08/2020 ODI #11316854.0

Fuse that controls reading or map light in cabin and external lighting outside for night driving continually fails (3). Safety issue because rear lights at night only come on when brakes applied.

engine 2 complaints shown

12/29/2019 ODI #11291941.0

My new 2019 Volkswagen s coupe has a significant turbo lag. So much so, that I do not feel safe driving the car. I was making a turn at an intersection and it was as though the car lost all power when I excellerated. It goes from no exceation when moving from stopped position to surging very fast upon the car ahead of me. I feel that this is a very serious issue and that my life may be at risk. It seems the accretion cannot be controlled!! This is a continuing problem when I am stopped and hit the excellerator to go forward . I don't know how much longer I can drive the car without a serious crash!!

07/14/2020 ODI #11339418.0

Car stalls while driving. This has happen a total of 4 times over a 10 days.

other 2 complaints shown

12/02/2023 ODI #11558095.0

A message is continually (every few seconds) displayed on the dashboard stating that the "coolant temperature is 195 degrees" as if it is a warning. It does not seem plausible that the coolant would have reached 195 degrees when the vehicle was just started.

06/03/2026 ODI #11741932.0

The 2019 Volkswagen Final Edition SE Beetle’s rear trunk latch/lock will fail and not open from the outside with the car unlocked and using the key fob due to it being jammed closed. In an emergency situation, there’s no manual way to open the rear hatch, and there are no visible markings showing where the override is to be or what to do to open it up from the inside in an emergency. Further, after reading the owner’s manual, it shows several different ways it can be opened depending on the year the vehicle was built, and the 2019 says to stick the flat end of your key into a slot on the right and slide it to the left to which mine failed and did NOT work. Dealership Service Technician showed me the plastic part that failed within the latch; however when I asked him not to replace the l

brakes 2 complaints shown

11/18/2021 ODI #11440877.0

2019 Volkswagen beetle. Consumer writes in regards to defective brakes. The consumer stated while driving the vehicle, on 3 different occasions, the brakes went out. The consumer requested that the vehicle be bought back or replaced. *js

10/08/2023 ODI #11548908.0

On Sept. 21, 2023, I was in my 2019 Beetle and pulled into a parking place at a store. When parked, I pressed the electric start button to shut off the vehicle. When the vehicle was shut off, I got out of the car to go into the store. Luckily, I turned my head in the direction of my vehicle and saw it rolling backwards out of the parking space. In a panic, I raced back to the vehicle and jumped into the car. At that point, I had realized that I had not placed the vehicle in Park when I parked the car and it was still in Drive. At that point, I reparked the car, this time placing it in Park before I shut off the vehicle. When I came home, I told my husband what happened. He said it should be impossible to shut off a vehicle when it is in Drive. We went outside and recreated the sc

lighting 1 complaint shown

11/02/2019 ODI #11277664.0

The front headlight beam has a distinctive blind spot on the left side and a double notch on the right side. Volkswagen refuses to address this as they say it's by design though I have seen another beetle, same model year with the same hids, have a completely normal headlight beam. With the beam like it is, it makes driving the car at night unsafe, especially on black asphalt roads. I've escalated this to Volkswagen of america and they insist this is by design and is due to the shutter that comes down when using the normal headlight beam. Our other vehicle is a GMC acadia with the same system and it does not do this. On the beetle the if I switch it to high beams the blind spot and notch go away. Also Volkswagen claims that the left headlight is aimed lower on purpose as to not blin

wheels 1 complaint shown

10/08/2021 ODI #11436068.0

Wheel Hubs and Wheel Bolts. All four wheels and almost all the bolts affected. Replaced rear Hubs & all Bolts, after a three bolts were unable to be removed without extra effort by a mechanic. I have one bolt that indicates the bolt threads were deformed. The issue could impact the ability of the bolts to hold the wheels on safely.

powertrain 1 complaint shown

07/27/2022 ODI #11476140.0

My VW Beetle has pushbutton start. The ignition can turn off when not in park. This was called a rollaway problem in keyed ignition models, but not pushbutton. I took it to dealer and they said not covered by warranty and no recall. This is as dangerous as in the keyed ignition model. I saw a report of a similar rollaway that VW refused to cover. Also, apparently pushed button while underway. Engine stopped while in traffic. Rolled to side of road and restarted without incident.

suspension 1 complaint shown

04/11/2026 ODI #11730601.0

Hello, We have owned this vehicle since new. Today it has 28,945 miles. We started hearing a clunking sound from the front left side. We subsequently stopped and verified the suspension and discovered the broken front right suspension spring. Very disappointing to know that a suspension spring would brake at such low mileage. Our internet search found that we are not the only one with such a significant safety problem.

visibility 1 complaint shown

02/17/2021 11,300 mi ODI #11396601.0

With the defroster on while driving in town, the windshield cracked from the upper corner passenger side.

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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