Volkswagen New Beetle 1998

• Recall 63014 [USA]: If this happens, the brake lamps could become inoperative; or the lamps could come on and stay on, even though the vehicle is parked.
  On certain passenger vehicles, the brake lamp switch may malfunction.
  dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake lamp switches. Owner notification began september 26, 2003. Owners should contact vwoa at 1-800-822-8987.
  vw recall no. Wt.Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

To ensure accuracy and for your safety, it is recommended to do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

Common OBD Error codes specific to this vehicle.

• P0410 [1] Secondary Air Injection System Malfunction
• P0411 [1] Secondary Air Injection System Incorrect Flow Detected
• P1423 [1] Split Air #1 Circuit Malfunction

Some type of 'control module' needs to be replaced, without it the air-bag system doesn't work. This is a safety feature which helped in the decision to buy the car, and after 5 years it fails rendering the system useless and requiring over $700 to replace. This is wrong!

Today, july 27,2004, the output connection on my fuel pump came apart (disconnected) and when i tried to start my car dumped about a quart of gasoline on the ground under the right side of the car. I was in a crowded post office parking lot and it was a potentially dangerous situation. The fire dept came and reconnected the line and i was able to proceed to the vw dealorship and have it checked and certified safe to continue operating. The car is vw new beetle, 1998 year of manufacturing. The dealorship vw mechanic said he had heard of this happening spontaneously on one other ocassion.*ak

Passenger side power window and driver side power window malfunctioned and driver side plastic switch broke off.*ak

Headlights constantly go out while driving, have been pulled over by the police many times due to no lights or having to drive with high beams on. This past time had to park the car and have someone take us home, could not drive car until the next morning. Repair bills are becoming rediculous.*ak

1998 volkswagen new beetle severely overheated, checking out cause found the fuse box on top of the battery housing had melted. This could have caused a major fire in the engine compartment! Vwoa refuses to acknowledge there is a problem althought internet surveys show 26% failure in new beetles. Placement of the fuse box on the battery housing does not sound like a very safe idea!*ak

Driver-side side airbag deployed on my 1998 vw beetle for no apparent reason causing loss of vehicle control and accident. *la

Trunk latch does not close properly when temperature goes below 31 degrees.*ak

Driver side window "fell out". I was driving the car, trying to put the window up when it became stuck. Once stopped, i again tried to put the window up when there was a cracking sound and the whole window just fell into the door. When i called the dealer the secretary was very familiar with this type of problem and was even able to tell me that the original clips to hold the window were plastic and they replace them with metal ones. If this problem is that common that the secretary knows exactly what the problem is and what the remedy is, volkswagen needs to take care of this problem. *jb

Left headlamp bulb burned-out. I had to replace the driver's side headlamp at least 5 times over the life of the vehicle. The passenger side headlamp bulb has only needed replacement once over the same time period. *jb

While executing a right turn at low speed, the drivers's seat broke loose from the track at the front of the seat. The seat remained attached to the track at the rear of the seat. This caused the seat and me (the driver) to suddenly roll toward the back of the car, almost losing contact with the steering wheel. Only by grasping the steering wheel and pulling myself forward was i able to reach the clutch and brake pedals. I then guided the car to a safe stop. This defect could easily have resulted in my death and the death of other drivers. I have never attempted to perform any work on this seat. Regardless of the number of miles driven, and regardless of warranty status, the driver's seat should never break loose like that. This is a potentially fatal defect.*ak

Both passanger and drive window mechinisms had to be replaced. Windows would not go up.*ak

Headlight malfunctions, burns out. Upon replacement, wiring harness melted. Car no longer under warranty.

Low beams fail must take apart and reset bulb to correct 3 times in one year owning it. *ak

Consumer discovered that the passenser side door could not be opened from the inside of the vehicle. The latch could be pulled but the door would not open. *jg

We noticed the headlight was out. The right side had already gone out and we were able to replace the bulb with no problems. When we tried to replace the drivers side bulb, the bulb had exploded inside the headlight assembly and we noticed that the metal end of the halogen bulb was melted to the connector. We made an appointment with the dealer for repairs. The dealer showed us the wiring harness which was completely melted. Additionally they said the headlight assembly connection was also melted. The dealer commented that they were surprised there was not a fire in the vehicle.*ak

First bulb out on 10/2000 on driver's side, on 1/17/01 replaced wire harnesses as recommended by volkswagon dealer on both head lights. Also replaced both bulbs at this time. On 6/29/01 both bulbs burnt out again and both replaced. Volkswagon refuses to refund, because work not done at certified vw dealer. This is a dangerous problem... One went out while driving in fog and visibility was bad. I wanted to report this problem, to inform others that this part should be recalled and may not be designed properly. I feel i should also be refunded the money spent on replacing these defective parts. It is a safety issue! Sincerely, [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(b)(6).

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Driver front seat bracket broke away during acceleration from a stop sign causing me to be forced into a lying down position against the back seat. My hands were pulled from the steering wheel as well as my foot from the brake. I broke a cup holder on the console in order to right myself and just missed a telephone pole. I have digital photos of the bracket and seat and will be glad to email them to you. I am in a pissing match with the dealer as to who gets to keep the defective bracket. I wonder why they do not want me to keep it?*ak

Car stalled on busy interstate due to air intake failure, battery failure prompted me to purchase a replacement from my ase certified mechanic. Once the replacement was installed, we discovered the diagnostic connector was vw specific, not obd ii compliant as required by law. In order to reset the computer codes, i had to tow the car to a vw dealer, the only party who has the vw compliant connector. Multiple electrical system problems and the way the car just dies at speed and without warning make it a very unsafe vehicle.

Right side axle failure sept 2000, left side axle failure dec. 2000. Sept incidentant jammed the front right wheel and could of caused a roll over if the vehicle was going faster

The vehicle has experienced serious malfunctions, which made it totally unsafe and unreliable. Ak *scc *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*739197

Consumer states upon starting the vehicle, one or both headlights do not always turn on, consumer has replaced the bulbs about 5 times each, consumer can lightly tap the headlight assembly and the lights will turn on until the next start up, consumer has checked the connection and cleaned them, however the problem still exists, he thinks it may have to do with the current flow to the bulbs or be a grounding problem, consumer also states that the lights have never gone out or flickered while driving. *slc

Ongoing problem with engine check light keep coming on. This has occurred on nine occasions, and vehicle stalled out while traveling at 40 mph or more on two occasions. Dealer unable to locate cause. *ak consumer states other beetle vehicles have been recalled, however she has not received any recall notification. *slc

I have a 1998 vw beetle. I bought the beetle new. The headlights have been a problem since the car had 15,000 miles. The first time i took it to the dealership they said they could not get the light to remain out, however since i had reported it they would honor the warranty on it if it went out again. It did the month the warranty ran out. They refused to honor the warranty. I filed a complaint with vw and they said settled it with the dealer. After going back and forth i finally paid 80.00 to get it repaired. Two months after the first headlight went out the other headlight quit completely. I took it back with the same complaint. They told me they are aware of the problem with the headlights and vw would address the problem later. Being stubborn, i have not repaired the headlight. The car now has 52000 miles on it. I think they should pay me for the first repair and also repair the second headlight. Vw is very aware of the issue as i have spoken with numerous other owners with the same problem who own 98's and 99's. *jb

Headlights will blow out unexpectedly, consumer has had 10 sets of new headlights, and paid to have new wiring, and problem still occurs. Mostly happens in dark. *ak

The vehicle had inadequate ground clearance. As a result, the front portion of the engine splash shield scrapes on the upper surface of the concrete stop. *yh

The switches that control both the driver's and passenger's side windows have broken. The first time they broke, i took the car to the dealer and had the switch replaced under warranty. The switches soon broke for the second time within a year of purchase, but since i have a long commute to work i was outside of the 24,000 mile warranty. I have not had the switches replaced a second time, but have come to accept this inconvenience. However, after reading some other similar complaints on this website, i wanted to offer further evidence that there may be a problem with these window switches.

The left side, outside rear view mirror in combination with the left, lower a pillar create a severe blind spot. When making a left turn with a vehicle in front of you, the view of that vehicle is completely blocked by the mirro/pillar. If the vehicle in. *ak