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)
Do not driveService brakes, hydraulic: foundation components, disc
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.
Risk and remedy
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.
Air bags: frontal, driver side
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Beetle, Beetle Convertible, 2012-2014 Passat, 2017 Passat Wagon, and 2006-2007 Passat Sedan vehicles. The driver's side frontal 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 front air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69EG, 69GQ, and 69E6.
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.
Canadian recalls (3)
Show 3 Canadian recalls
Airbag
2024-10-30 · campaign 2024-649
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:
Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership 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.
Brakes
2018-06-01 · campaign 2018-292
On certain vehicles, a problem with the brake system may cause gas bubbles to form in the brake fluid. This could cause a soft brake pedal feel and a reduction in brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will bleed the front or rear brakes as necessary. Note: In the interim, owners are advised to stop driving their vehicle until the defect has been repaired. Affected owners should call Volkswagen's Roadside Assistance number at 1-800-411-6688.
Owner complaints (17)
Owners filed 17 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Volkswagen Beetle. Among 26 model years of this model, it ranks #19 for the most complaints (median 60).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Air bags | 7 | |
| Electrical system | 6 | |
| Unknown or other | 4 | |
| Engine | 1 | |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | |
| Forward collision avoidance | 1 | |
| Seats | 1 | |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 1 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2018 Volkswagen Beetle.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2018 Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | – | 4★ | – | 4★ |
| 2018 Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | – | – | – | – |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2018 Volkswagen Beetle version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Beetle 2.0 L Automatic (S6) | 26 | 33 | 29 | $2,300 |
| Beetle Convertible 2.0 L Automatic (S6) | 26 | 33 | 29 | $2,300 |
| Beetle Dune 2.0 L Automatic (S6) | 26 | 34 | 29 | $2,300 |
| Beetle Dune Convertible 2.0 L Automatic (S6) | 26 | 34 | 29 | $2,300 |
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 2026-10-30.