Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2015 Volkswagen Beetle, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags42
- Electrical system16
- Unknown or other13
- Service brakes7
- Engine7
- Power train6
- Structure3
- Steering3
- Visibility/wiper3
- Electronic stability control (esc)2
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 8 2015 Beetle vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 5 people died inside them. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2015 Volkswagen Beetle failed the safety check 1.71% of the time — 18% less often than the average 2015 passenger car (2.08%). Median odometer at inspection: 59,920 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2015
25,088 new Volkswagen Beetle cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2015; the largest markets were Germany (12,756), France (4,192), the United Kingdom (3,411).
- Average mass
- 1,404 kg
- Average power
- 104 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Petrol 73% · Diesel 27%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2015 Volkswagen Beetle cars on Dutch roads are the 1.2 petrol (77 kW, 103 hp), 1.4 petrol (110 kW, 148 hp) and 2.0 petrol (162 kW, 217 hp), out of 4 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 petrol | 77 kW 103 hp | 414 |
| 1.4 petrol | 110 kW 148 hp | 143 |
| 2.0 petrol | 162 kW 217 hp | 31 |
| 1.4 petrol | 118 kW 158 hp | 26 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
648 first registered in 2015 are on Dutch roads; 82% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €33,573.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde477
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld125
- Mistachterlicht werkt niet (goed)121
- Band onvoldoende profiel98
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm82
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht75
- Band beschadigd74
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage39
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
3,222 cars built in 2015 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 56 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 3,258 of these cars first registered in 2015 took their annual MOT test. 72% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2015 the figure was 75%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 12.3% | 6.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.6% | 7.7% |
| Tyres | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| Visibility | 3.3% | 3.9% |
| Brakes | 3.1% | 5.1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.3% | 2.1% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
112 of these cars first registered in 2015 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 114,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
40 2015 cars are on the New Zealand register; 93% arrived as used imports, 8% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 Volkswagen Beetle 2 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 10.5 % |
| 2015 Volkswagen Beetle C FWD | — | 0.0 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 8.5–9.2 L/100 km (about 26–28 mpg US), CO₂ 196–212 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beetle · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 7.2 | 8.5 |
| Beetle · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.9 | 7.2 | 8.7 |
| Beetle · Compact · Premium gasoline | 10.0 | 7.9 | 9.1 |
| Beetle · Compact · Premium gasoline | 10.4 | 7.7 | 9.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
6 Transport Canada recalls for the 2015 Volkswagen Beetle.
| 2024648 30 Oct 2024 | Heater And Defroster Issue: Volkswagen Group Canada is conducting a parts recovery campaign targeting 2012-2016 Volkswagen vehicles equipped with a TDI (diesel) engine built betwe… |
| 2022735 14 Dec 2022 | Seats And Restraints Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the p… |
| 2020353 4 Aug 2020 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the warning label for the engine block heater cable is written in English only. As a result, a French user may not receive importa… |
| 2019423 22 Aug 2019 | Powertrain 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 is… |
| 2015504 23 Oct 2015 | Engine 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, … |
| 2014575 17 Dec 2014 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, a sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail to seal, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment during engine operation. Leaking fuel, … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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."
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.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Jetta vehicles manufactured March 28, 2014, to November 24, 2014, 2014-2015 Passat vehicles manufactured April 7, 2014, to November 18, 2014, 2015 Golf and GTI vehicles manufactured July 1, 2014, to November 20, 2014, and 2014-2015 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles manufactured March 31, 2014, to November 27, 2014. A sealing cap at the fuel rail may fail, allowing fuel to leak into the engine compartment.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Beetle vehicles manufactured June 13, 2013, to July 3, 2014. The glass sunroofs in the affected vehicles may break when the vehicles are operated over a hard road surface or strike a pothole.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Volkswagen told its dealers about the 2015 Volkswagen Beetle: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011373 | Instruction for replacement of Diesel Particulate Filter |
| 11010024 | Lack of paint under roof |
| 11010022 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11010021 | Additional reporting |
| 11010011 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11008861 | Fluid requirements |
| 11008860 | Manual transmission noise diagnosing |
| 11008858 | A list of engine oil that meet Volkswagen Engine Oil Standards |
| 11008857 | How to perform the engine oil consumption measurement |
| 11008856 | Checking Engine Oil and correctly reading dip stick |
| 11008853 | How to manage software versions using VW diagnostic Tool |
| 11008852 | Recommended Gasoline Quality |
| 11008851 | Engine Misfire Diagnostic Aid |
| 11008850 | Fuel additive to help with misfire faults |
| 11008846 | Wind & Water Leak Checking |
| 11007402 | Multiple Update closures: 20AH Atlas Quality Package 1, 24AE 1.8T ECM/TCM SW, 24BG Jetta Hybrid ECM SW, 24BM 2.0L Jetta MPI SW Update, 24X7 Jetta ECM SW, 24X8 CC ECM/TCM SW, 24Y4 MPI Jetta SW, 24Z5 Jetta Hybrid System SW, 27G2 Battery, 37H3 DSG SW, 37J2 TCM SW, 69V7 Atlas Quality Package 3, 87F6 Atlas Quality Package 2, 91P3 Adaptive Cruise Calibration |
| 11007398 | Battery testing |
| 11007393 | Engine Oil Standards |
| 11005825 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11005820 | Engine Assembly Tip |
| 11005819 | Engine Replacement Tip |
| 11002875 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 11001508 | Engine oil quality standards |
| 10253481 | Carefree Maintenance and VW Care Maintenance Plans Interim AdBlue Refills -? Diesel Engines Model Year 2015 and Newer |
| 10253477 | Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance Program ? Diesel Engines Model Year 2015 and Newer |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)