Is your car affected?
Check by VIN to confirm the
exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (3)
Air bags: frontal, driver side
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Beetle and Beetle Convertibles vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk and remedy
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's side air bag, free of charge. Owners notification letters were mailed October 26, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69EM.
Electrical system: ignition, anti-theft
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2015-2019 GTI, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2012-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2017-2019 Golf SportWagen and 2011-2018 Jetta vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and keyless entry. A build-up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts may enable the key to be removed from the ignition when the transmission shift lever is not in "Park."
Risk and remedy
Risk: Removing the key while the shift lever is in a position other than "Park" increases the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 37M2.
Engine and engine cooling: engine
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, Golf and Golf SportWagen vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the camshaft lobe that drives the brake vacuum pump may shear off, resulting in a loss of brake assist.
Risk and remedy
Risk: If the camshaft lobe shears off there would be a loss of brake assist, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen dealer will update the engine control module (ECM) software. The recall began March 2016. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23R1.
Canadian recalls (4)
Show 4 Canadian recalls
Seats and restraints
2022-12-14 · campaign 2022-735
Issue:
On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function.
Safety Risk:
If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury.
Corrective Action:
Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to replace the driver-front airbag .
Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.
Powertrain
2019-08-22 · campaign 2019-423
Issue:
On certain vehicles, a build-up of silicate on the shift lever switch could cause the transmission to detect that it is in the Park position when it isn't. This could allow the ignition key to be removed when the transmission is not in the Park position. If the parking brake is not applied, this could allow the car to roll away.
Safety Risk:
If the transmission position is not displayed correctly, a user may not know that the vehicle is not in the PARK position. If the parking brake is not applied, this could create a risk of a vehicle roll-away and increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have a new shift lever micro switch and control unit installed.
Fuel system
2016-06-02 · campaign 2016-275 · 1 vehicles
On a certain vehicles, the fuel rail may detach from the cylinder head, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment during engine operation. Leaking fuel, in the presence of an ignition source, could lead to a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the cylinder head with a new part.
Engine
2015-10-23 · campaign 2015-504
On certain vehicles, the camshaft lobe which actuates the vacuum pump may fail, causing the pump to fail to deliver further vacuum supply to the brake booster, potentially increasing stopping distances. This would also result in a reduction in available engine power. These issues could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Note: This issue would result in the Engine Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) illuminating. Correction: Dealers will update the engine control module (ECM) software.
Owner complaints (48)
Owners filed 48 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle (2 crashes reported). Among 26 model years of this model, it ranks #16 for the most complaints (median 60).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Air bags | 35 | |
| Electrical system | 6 | |
| Unknown or other | 5 | |
| Wheels | 3 | |
| Suspension | 3 | |
| Steering | 2 | |
| Tires | 2 | |
| Service brakes | 2 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2016 Volkswagen Beetle.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2016 Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | 5★ | 4★ | 5★ | 4★ |
| 2016 Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | – | – | – | – |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2016 Volkswagen Beetle version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Beetle 1.8 L Automatic (S6) | 24 | 33 | 28 | $2,400 |
| Beetle 1.8 L Manual 5-spd | 25 | 33 | 28 | $2,400 |
| Beetle 2.0 L Manual 6-spd | 23 | 31 | 26 | $2,600 |
| Beetle 2.0 L Automatic (AM-S6) | 24 | 31 | 26 | $2,600 |
| Beetle Convertible 1.8 L Automatic (S6) | 24 | 33 | 28 | $2,400 |
| Beetle Convertible 2.0 L Manual 6-spd | 23 | 31 | 26 | $2,600 |
| Beetle Convertible 2.0 L Automatic (AM-S6) | 23 | 30 | 26 | $2,600 |
| Beetle Dune 1.8 L Automatic (S6) | 24 | 31 | 27 | $2,500 |
| Beetle Dune Convertible 1.8 L Automatic (S6) | 24 | 31 | 27 | $2,500 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-29.