Newest first. Many cover only part of a model year, so check your VIN with NHTSA or Volkswagen before booking a repair.
NHTSA · listed for this model year
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Volkswagen Beetle and Beetle Convertible 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.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69BC.
20V785000 · 105,652 units in campaign · NHTSA
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
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.
If there is a brake fluid leak, it can reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
20E064000 · 38 units in campaign · NHTSA
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2017 Volkswagen Passat, 2018 Tiguan LWB, 2007-2009 Jetta Sedan, 2011-2013, 2015 and 2019 Jetta, 2013 Jetta Hybrid, 2008-2009 Jetta Sportwagen, 2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2013 Golf, 2008-2010 and 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible, 2008-2010 Beetle, and Beetle Convertible vehicles. Modifications made while the vehicles were in an internal evaluation period may cause the affected vehicles to not comply with all of the applicable regulatory requirements.
If the vehicles do not meet all regulatory requirements, there could be an increased risk of a crash, fire, or injury.
Volkswagen will notify owners and repurchase the affected vehicles. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D7. Note: This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 18V-329.
19V679000 · 113 units in campaign · NHTSA
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
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."
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.
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.
19V615000 · 679,027 units in campaign · NHTSA
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
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.
Vehicle occupants could be injured by falling glass. A sunroof break during vehicle operation also increases the risk of driver distraction and a resulting vehicle crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sunroof, free of charge. The recall began on December 15, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-822-8987. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 60B9.
14V658000 · 7,062 units in campaign · NHTSA
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Jetta vehicles manufactured March 1, 2010, to November 30, 2012, and 2012-2013 Beetle vehicles manufactured March 1, 2011, to July 31, 2013. The durability of the rear trailing arms may be reduced in vehicles whose rear trailing arms have been previously deformed, such as a result of a rear or side-rear impact crash.
The reduced durability of the trailing arm may result in its sudden fracture, possibly causing loss of vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a sheet metal inlay on the rear axle trailing arms designed to prevent a sudden loss of control in the event of trailing arm sudden fracture, free of charge. The recall began April 7, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
14V656000 · 442,066 units in campaign · NHTSA
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Beetle vehicles, manufactured from February 2012, through August 2012, and equipped with leather sport seats. If the right front passenger seat gets wet, the occupant control module may not properly detect the presence of a child restraint installed in the seat.
If the control module does not detect a child seat installed, the airbag will not turn off. If the airbag does not turn off, in the event of a crash necessitating front airbag deployment, a child secured in the child seat may be at an increased risk for serious injury.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and replace the control modules, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during January 2013. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.
12V540000 · 2,471 units in campaign · NHTSA
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
Canadian records (Transport Canada) · 7
These are Transport Canada campaigns for 2013 Volkswagen Beetle vehicles sold in Canada. A Canadian campaign may have no US counterpart, or one under a different number covering different vehicles. For a vehicle sold in the United States, go by the NHTSA listing above and NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Issue: Volkswagen Group Canada is conducting a parts recovery campaign targeting 2012-2016 Volkswagen vehicles equipped with a TDI (diesel) engine built between May 25, 2011 and June 1, 2016. The auxiliary heater elements are being recovered to aid in Volkswagen's analysis in support of Transport Canada defect investigation file no. 3280-15-10. Note: This action is not being conducted under the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. For the 2016 model year Jetta, only the Jetta Hybrid model is involved in this parts recovery program. Safety Risk: No safety defect has been identified with these auxiliary heater elements. Corrective Actions: Volkswagen will notify owners by mail and advise them to take their vehicle to a dealership to replace the auxiliary heater element at no charge.
2024648 · 35,086 units in campaign · Transport Canada
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
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.
2021017 · 6,464 units in campaign · Transport Canada
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
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 important safety information about how to use the engine block heater. A label that is not provided in both official languages could create confusion. Safety Risk: User confusion could increase the risk of injury when trying to use the block heater. Corrective Actions: The company will mail each owner a new label for the block heater cable. If you would like help installing the label, you can contact a dealer for assistance.
2020353 · 132,432 units in campaign · Transport Canada
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
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.
2019423 · 117,306 units in campaign · Transport Canada
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
On certain vehicles, the panoramic sunroof glass and steel frame may have been manufactured out of tolerance. This issue may result in the sunroof fracturing if the vehicle were to experience a sudden jolt, especially in cold temperatures. Sunroof glass panel breakage, while the vehicle is in motion, could cause driver distraction, which could result in a crash causing injury and/or property damage. Additionally, broken glass inside the vehicle poses a risk of injury to vehicle occupants. Correction: Dealers will replace the panoramic sunroof glass assembly.
2014465 · 1,191 units in campaign · Transport Canada
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
On certain vehicles, if the rear axle trailing arms are damaged in a rear or side-rear impact crash and a repair facility does not correctly diagnose or replace damaged rear axle components, rear trailing arm durability could be reduced, which could result in a sudden fracture of the trailing arm. This could lead to a loss of vehicle control, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will install a sheet metal inlay on both rear axle trailing arms. The inlay is designed to help prevent the sudden loss of vehicle control should a rear axle trailing arm fracture occur if undiagnosed/unrepaired damage exists from a previous rear or side-rear impact/crash.
2014464 · 87,887 units in campaign · Transport Canada
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
Certain vehicles with leather sport seats may be equipped with an incorrectly coded Passenger Occupant Detection System Control Module in the front passenger location. If the seat gets wet, the control module may not properly detect a child car seat secured on the front passenger seat, and the front passenger airbag will not be deactivated as expected. In this case, the airbag light will remain off indicating that the passenger airbag is active. If, despite safety warnings and provincial regulations, a child was placed in a child car seat secured in the passenger front position, the active airbag could deploy in a crash causing potential injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the affected modules.
2012389 · 320 units in campaign · Transport Canada
Applies only if the manufacturer confirms your VIN · repair by an authorized dealer
2013 Volkswagen Beetle recall questions
NHTSA lists 7 recalls for the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle model year. That counts campaigns naming this model year, not recalls on your vehicle: many cover only a VIN range or production window. Transport Canada lists 7 Canadian campaigns for the Canadian-market model, shown separately.
Enter your VIN in NHTSA's recall lookup or Volkswagen's own, or call a Volkswagen dealer with your VIN. Cardog uses your VIN only to find the model year; the recalls shown here are listed for that model year and are not matched to your VIN.
Not necessarily. Transport Canada campaigns cover vehicles sold in Canada. For a vehicle sold in the United States, go by the NHTSA listing and NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Safety recall repairs are normally done at no charge by an authorized Volkswagen dealer. The manufacturer's notice for each campaign sets out the remedy and any conditions, so confirm with the dealer when you book.
Once Volkswagen's lookup or a dealer confirms a recall applies, book the repair with an authorized Volkswagen dealer and bring your VIN. If the manufacturer's notice says not to drive the vehicle or to park it outside, follow that instruction. Parts can take time, so book early.
Follow the manufacturer's notice for that recall. Most allow normal driving until the repair; some tell owners to stop driving or to park outside until it is fixed. Cardog does not grade recalls by severity: the manufacturer's notice and your dealer are the source.
Manufacturers must notify owners they have on record. If you bought the vehicle used or have moved, update your details with Volkswagen so notices reach you, and check NHTSA's lookup from time to time.
Related recall checks
Compare recall listings with alternatives to the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle.