1999 Volkswagen NEW Beetle Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other NEW Beetle years
- More complaints than other years 3rd of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 Volkswagen NEW Beetle. That ranks 3rd out of 8 NEW Beetle model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (7 complaints, 21%), typically at around 46,711 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 2 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
- 34owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1999 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 7 | 21% | 46,711 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 21% | 55,287 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 15% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 9% | 34,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 9% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 6% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 3% | 26,950 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1999 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.
Defective or incorrect dashboard instrument cluster and repeated failures of sensors and other miscellaneous electrical switches.*ak
Drivers seat adjuster bolts fell out, resulting in drivers seat silding fully to rear and seat coming off tracks. The drivers seat slid all the way to the back seat and i was looking at the roof with no ability to reach the brake, clutch, or accelerator pedals. My ability to steer the vehicle was…
The roof cover is falling down. The glue that is use to keep the cloth attached to the roof is very poor and after 3 years it will start to fall down. I have 2 identical vw beetle's and they both suffer from this problem. *jb
Remote hatchbatch lock release failure.
At less than 27k miles, i had to replace the brake pads and rotors. The dealer said the rotors for the new beetle are notoriously thin, and have to be replaced almost as often as the brake pads. This repair cost me $950. My roommate, another vw new beetle owner had the same problem at 31k, many…
Other Volkswagen NEW Beetle years
← 1998 NEW Beetle · 2000 NEW Beetle →
| 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 | 34 | 1 |
| 1998 NEW Beetle | 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 1999 Volkswagen NEW Beetle?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine and engine cooling, fuel system, gasoline problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 7 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1999 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 1999 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 1999 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.