1998 Volkswagen NEW Beetle Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other NEW Beetle years
- More complaints than other years 4th of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Volkswagen NEW Beetle. That ranks 4th out of 8 NEW Beetle model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (9 complaints, 30%), typically at around 48,210 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 1 fire, 2 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
- 30owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Volkswagen NEW Beetle problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 9 | 30% | 48,210 | — | — |
| Visibility | 7 | 23% | 53,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 3 | 10% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 10% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 7% | 71,966 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 7% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 7% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 7% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 3% | 54,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Volkswagen NEW Beetle recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the brake lamp switch may malfunction.
Risk: If this happens, the brake lamps could become inoperative; or the lamps could come on and stay on, even though the vehicle is parked.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
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
Other Volkswagen NEW Beetle years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 NEW Beetle | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 NEW Beetle | 12 | 2 |
| 2003 NEW Beetle | 20 | 0 |
| 2002 NEW Beetle | 15 | 1 |
| 2001 NEW Beetle | 39 | 3 |
| 2000 NEW Beetle | 40 | 2 |
| 1999 NEW Beetle | 34 | 1 |
| 1998 | 30 | 1 |
See all Volkswagen NEW Beetle problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.
Similar Volkswagen models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Volkswagen NEW Beetle?
Owners most often report exterior lighting, visibility, electrical system problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 9 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Volkswagen NEW Beetle?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 Volkswagen NEW Beetle a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other NEW Beetle model years, the 1998 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.