1998 Volkswagen Beetle power train problems
10 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle — 6% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“My 98 vw new beetle has 68,000 miles on it. Around 66,000 miles it began to shift real hard. In order to get the car to shift into 3rd gear or higher I have to accelerate enough to get the engine up to 4,000+ rpm's, ease off the gas a little and then it will finally lurch into the next gear. This…”
filed Oct 2, 2010
“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
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Power Train problems in other Beetle years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Beetle | 1 | 2% |
| 2015 Beetle | 6 | 7% |
| 2014 Beetle | 3 | 6% |
| 2013 Beetle | 4 | 4% |
| 2012 Beetle | 2 | 3% |
| 2010 Beetle | 4 | 13% |
| 2009 Beetle | 2 | 6% |
| 2008 Beetle | 7 | 12% |
| 2007 Beetle | 12 | 21% |
| 2006 Beetle | 46 | 37% |
| 2005 Beetle | 116 | 44% |
| 2004 Beetle | 157 | 45% |
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.