RecallRepo

2002 Volkswagen Beetle Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2002 Volkswagen Beetle has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,648,246 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 231 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 07V063000 2007-02-20 1,002,000 affected
Defect

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER, WAGON, AND CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH OR WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MAY MALFUNCTION IF IT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY.

Consequence

THE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OR REMAIN ON. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 27, 2007, AND WILL BE CONDUCTED IN SEVERAL STAGGERED MAILINGS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21, 2007. VEHICLES WITHIN THE MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR OF THIS POPULATION MAY BE INVOLVED IN EITHER THIS RECALL OR 06V-183, BUT NOT…

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 06V183000 2006-05-24 646,246 affected
Defect

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC OR MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND CRUISE CONTROLS, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION IF IT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY DURING SAFETY RECALLS 03V-265 OR 04V-096.

Consequence

THE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OR REMAIN ON. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 27, 2006. VEHICLES WITHIN THE MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR OF THIS POPULATION MAY BE INVOLVED IN EITHER THIS RECALL OR 06V-183, BUT NOT BOTH. THE REMEDY IS THE SAME FOR EACH RECALL. VOLKSWAGEN DEALERS WILL APPLY…

Complaints by component

AIR BAGS
32
5crashes5injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
31
3fires2injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
10
SEAT BELTS
10
2crashes
STRUCTURE:BODY
8
1crashes1injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
6
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
6
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
6
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
6
Total complaints231

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Unknown”

ENGINE · reported 2024-10-01

“Unknown”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2024-10-01

“Unknown”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2024-10-01

“I was driving down the road an the car started accelerating all by it's self so I pulled over but every time I let off the break it acted like I had the gas to the floor. The o2 sensor wire's shorted and burnt up the ecm making the cpu light to come on.”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2023-04-02

“I was driving down the road an the car started accelerating all by it's self so I pulled over but every time I let off the break it acted like I had the gas to the floor. The o2 sensor wire's shorted and burnt up the ecm making the cpu light to come on.”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2023-04-02

“I was driving down the road an the car started accelerating all by it's self so I pulled over but every time I let off the break it acted like I had the gas to the floor. The o2 sensor wire's shorted and burnt up the ecm making the cpu light to come on.”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2023-04-02

“I was driving on the highway with my daughter and girlfriend when suddenly the car caught an electrical fire out of nowhere. I pulled over and cloudy smoke was arising luckily the state trooper had a fire extinguisher to put it out before the car caught on heavy flames.”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2021-04-02

“Vehicle was in motion (about 25 mph) when a front end collision occurred which resulted in the passenger side airbag activating only. The driver side steering wheel airbag did not activate. Driver's face hit the steering wheel.”

AIR BAGS · reported 2018-05-03

Defect investigations

Investigation EA03002 Opened 2003-04-08 · closed 2003-08-20

BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH

THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH USED IN CRUISE CONTROL EQUIPPED MY 1998-1999 AND ALL MY 2000 AND LATER MODELS HAS UNDERGONE MULTIPLE REVISIONS.ANALYSIS OF WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT DATA INDICATES HIGH REPLACEMENT RATES OCCURRED IN VEHICLES BUILT WITH BRAKE SWITCH PART NUMBERS 1J0 945 511A AND 1J0 945 511B, THE ORIGINAL AND FIRST…

Investigation EA03002 Opened 2003-04-08 · closed 2003-08-20

BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH

THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH USED IN CRUISE CONTROL EQUIPPED MY 1998-1999 AND ALL MY 2000 AND LATER MODELS HAS UNDERGONE MULTIPLE REVISIONS.ANALYSIS OF WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT DATA INDICATES HIGH REPLACEMENT RATES OCCURRED IN VEHICLES BUILT WITH BRAKE SWITCH PART NUMBERS 1J0 945 511A AND 1J0 945 511B, THE ORIGINAL AND FIRST…

Investigation RQ06004 Opened 2006-02-28 · closed 2006-08-07

BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE

BY LETTERS DATED MAY 24, 2006 AND AUGUST 4, 2006, VOLKSWAGEN (VW) NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO 06V-183) INVOLVING MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998-2002 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE AND 1999-2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH CRUISE CONTROL.VOLKSWAGEN?S RECALL COVERS 646,246…

Investigation RQ06004 Opened 2006-02-28 · closed 2006-08-07

BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE

BY LETTERS DATED MAY 24, 2006 AND AUGUST 4, 2006, VOLKSWAGEN (VW) NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO 06V-183) INVOLVING MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998-2002 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE AND 1999-2002 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH CRUISE CONTROL.VOLKSWAGEN?S RECALL COVERS 646,246…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.