Reliable Auto DB

2019 Volkswagen Beetle reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2019 Volkswagen Beetle has 14 complaints with NHTSA after 8 years, or 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Beetle years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Brake master cylinder, and Control module.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle
Photo by Palauenc05, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

14

Per year

3

Recalls

4

Years on the road

8

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (4 of 14), then Engine (2) and Exterior lighting (2). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2018

The 2018 Beetle has 17 complaints, 1 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2019 Volkswagen Beetle. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2024-10-30 · NHTSA campaign 24V834000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Brake master cylinder 2020-09-23 · NHTSA campaign 20E064000
Summary Tenneco Automotive (Tenneco) is recalling certain Beck/Arnley Master Cylinders, part number 072-9831, sold as aftermarket or replacement parts for 2004-2018 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2012-2019 Volkswagen Beetle vehicles. The fluid seal crimp on the master cylinder may be insufficient, causing brake fluid to leak or the cylinder to come apart.
Remedy Beck/Arnley will notify the distributors that sold the master cylinders and will work with the distributors to notify the end users. Affected master cylinders will be exchanged for a new master cylinder (part number 072-9990), free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2020. Owners may contact Tenneco customer service at 1-800-625-9319.
Recall electrical system, ignition, anti-theft, control module 2019-08-22 · NHTSA campaign 19V615000
Summary 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."
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.
Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2019-02-13 · NHTSA campaign 19V094000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles. The instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when a brake system failure is detected. As a result, the vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light vehicle brake systems" and number 101, "Controls and displays."
Remedy Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began March 7, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 90L8.

Complaints by component (14 total)

Electrical system
4
Engine
2
Exterior lighting
2
Service brakes
2
Powertrain
1
Suspension
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

220192202042021120223202322026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The 2019 Volkswagen Final Edition SE Beetle’s rear trunk latch/lock will fail and not open from the outside with the car unlocked and using the key fob due to it being jammed closed. In an emergency situation, there’s…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-03
  • "Hello, We have owned this vehicle since new. Today it has 28,945 miles. We started hearing a clunking sound from the front left side. We subsequently stopped and verified the suspension and discovered the broken front…"
    Suspension · filed 2026-04-11
  • "A message is continually (every few seconds) displayed on the dashboard stating that the "coolant temperature is 195 degrees" as if it is a warning. It does not seem plausible that the coolant would have reached 195…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2023-12-02
  • "On Sept. 21, 2023, I was in my 2019 Beetle and pulled into a parking place at a store. When parked, I pressed the electric start button to shut off the vehicle. When the vehicle was shut off, I got out of the car to go…"
    Service brakes · filed 2023-10-08
  • "The key in the key cylinder or tear lock would not remove. The automobile would not shut down. I looked in YouTube tube and found out that since 2010 this incident has been occurring in Volkswagen beetles I had to…"
    Electrical system · filed 2023-07-10

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Beetle 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 26 33 29 MPG $2250
Beetle convertible 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 26 33 29 MPG $2250

Specs and fitment

A5 generation (New Beetle successor), 2012–2019
Body styles Coupe, Convertible
Oil 0W-20 , 4.5 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R17, 235/45R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 24V-834 covers certain 2017-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles among other VW models: the driver frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and high temperatures. Dealers replace the driver front air bag module. Recall 19V-094 covers certain 2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles: the instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when a brake system failure is detected; dealers update instrument cluster software.

Compare

Previous year 2018 Volkswagen Beetle See every Volkswagen Beetle model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Volkswagen Beetle reliable?

The 2019 Volkswagen Beetle has 14 complaints with NHTSA after 8 years, or 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Beetle years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Brake master cylinder, and Control module.

What are common problems with a 2019 Volkswagen Beetle?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (4 of 14), then Engine (2) and Exterior lighting (2). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Is the 2019 Volkswagen Beetle more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Beetle has 17 complaints, 1 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2019 Volkswagen Beetle been recalled?

The 2019 Volkswagen Beetle has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2019 Volkswagen Beetle?

Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2019 Volkswagen Beetle with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Volkswagen Beetle get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Volkswagen Beetle is 29 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Volkswagen Beetle take?

US A5 Beetles in this generation commonly use 0W-20 (about 4.5 qt with filter).

Does recall 24V-834 cover the Volkswagen Beetle?

It covers certain 2017-2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles (among other VW models): the driver frontal air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation.

What generation is the 2015 Volkswagen Beetle?

A5 generation for the US years this site tracks (2012-2019).