2013 Volkswagen Beetle Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 5%of 93 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 36,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the body and structure of the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle, 5% of the 93 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 36,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The trunk latch does not work intermittently. The vehicle has keyless electronic locks. Brought to dealer but the latch works fine. When this occurs, the trunk is not accessible unless someone crawls not the the trunk via the back seat. Condition has been intermittent since purchase.”
NHTSA complaint #10846226, filed 2016-03, 37,000 miles“My daughter's 2013 vw Beetle does not have an emergency trunk release. The only way to release it is to lower the rear seats, crawl into the trunk and using your key, insert it into a slot in the dark, and slide it while pushing up on the trunk! Not very good for a child who would be locked in !”
NHTSA complaint #10584195, filed 2014-04, 3,000 miles“The airbags deployed on their own on 7-4-2023 in my daughter’s 2013 VW Beetle. My daughter and her friend were both injured (physically/mentally) as a result of both front airbags (steering wheel and dashboard airbags) deploying on their own causing over $10,000 USD damage to the beetle and injury to my daughter and her friend who was a passenger in the front seat. Volkswagen never sent out a recall notice to us even though we have owned the car since 9-13-2019 and the airbag recall notice was determined on 12-16-2020 by NHTSA and announced on that date. …”
NHTSA complaint #11659292, filed 2025-05Related service bulletins
- 11010024Oct 30, 2024Lack of paint under roof
- 11008846Sep 12, 2024Wind & Water Leak Checking
- 10232117Feb 20, 2023Strut or Shock leak assessment.
- 10220342Sep 6, 2022update to required vehicle wash shampoo.
- 10209446Mar 29, 2022Customer states rattle noise from the underbody heat shields Customer states coolant leak Oil level sensor leaking Customer states MIL-on, fault P2422 stored in ECM Customer…
- 10206959Jan 31, 2022Customer states rattle noise from the underbody heat shields Customer states noise from front suspension Customer states blower stays on Any TDI within the vehicle/MY range
- 10206956Jan 26, 2022Customer states MIL-on with P0087 P053F in the ECM Customer states rattle noise from the underbody heat shields Customer states noise from front suspension Customer states blower…
- 10206951Jan 24, 2022Customer states MIL-on with P0087 P053F in the ECM Customer states rattle noise from the underbody heat shields Customer states noise from front suspension Customer states blower…
- 10201755Sep 30, 2021Customer states MIL-on with P0087 P0149 P053F in the ECM Customer states noise from front suspension Customer states noise during clutch pedal operation Customer concern of…
- 10200754Aug 31, 2021Customer states MIL-on with P0087 P0149 P053F in the ECM Customer states noise during clutch pedal operation Hood release inoperative Customer states MIL-on with P0401
Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 6% |
| 2016 | 1 | 2% |
| 2015 | 3 | 4% |
| 2014 | 6 | 12% |
| 2013 | 5 | 5% |
| 2012 | 5 | 8% |
| 2010 | 3 | 10% |
| 2009 | 2 | 6% |
| 2008 | 10 | 17% |
| 2007 | 6 | 11% |
| 2006 | 7 | 6% |
| 2005 | 13 | 5% |
| 2004 | 16 | 5% |
| 2003 | 20 | 6% |
| 2002 | 10 | 6% |
| 2001 | 4 | 2% |
| 2000 | 9 | 3% |
| 1999 | 16 | 9% |
| 1998 | 13 | 8% |
Other parts of the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle
34 complaintsElectrical system
19 complaintsOther or unknown
12 complaintsEngine
10 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsSteering
6 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
5 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaintsBrakes
4 complaintsSuspension
4 complaintsTires
4 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology