1998 Volkswagen Beetle equipment problems
13 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the equipment on the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle — 8% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Since I purchased my beetle in 2001, it has been an ongoing money drain. In 6 yrs. I have replaced the manual transmission twice, had the brakes worked on a number of times, been unable to open the gas "door" on the car w/ the gas cap latch, had to replace the hood opening latch, had repeated…”
filed Aug 25, 2007
“In early may I had an accident with our 1998 vw beetle which was caused by a defective part. The car was in drive, and I pushed down the brake petal. Then I changed gears to reverse and gently stepped on the gas pedal. The car lurched forward uncontrollably at an accelerated speed and hit a trailer…”
filed Jun 30, 2006
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Update model year applicability to include 2023.
V941901201152119 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 12, 2022Tool number added to table. Removal of Behr Flush Kit. VAS 6337/1A
V871806201994714 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2020Updated to include additional models and model year applicability.
V941901201152115 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2020The part number listed in the document is to be returned if it meets the criteria provided.
SM 33-2019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 27, 2019
Equipment problems in other Beetle years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Beetle | 2 | 2% |
| 2012 Beetle | 1 | 2% |
| 2010 Beetle | 1 | 3% |
| 2008 Beetle | 2 | 3% |
| 2006 Beetle | 1 | 1% |
| 2005 Beetle | 2 | 1% |
| 2004 Beetle | 9 | 3% |
| 2003 Beetle | 4 | 1% |
| 2002 Beetle | 4 | 2% |
| 2001 Beetle | 4 | 2% |
| 2000 Beetle | 5 | 2% |
| 1999 Beetle | 10 | 6% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.