VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE · model year

2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE

8 NHTSA complaints, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013VOLKSWAGENBEETLE CONVERTIBLE carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 BEETLE CONVERTIBLE is air bags with 5 filings, followed by fuel/propulsion system (2) and electrical system:adas:hill start assist:software (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 2013 BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

8
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:HILL START ASSIST:SOFTWARE1

Recalls (3)

19V67900025/09/2019

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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, 2

19V61500022/08/2019

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE

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

20V78500016/12/2020

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

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 tem

Recent Complaints

20250506AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V785000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20240522ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:HILL START ASSIST:SOFTWARE

The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at a stop sign and removing the foot from the brake pedal, the contact became aware that the hill holder hill assist feature, designed to make hill starts easier by preventing the vehicle from rolling backward was taking longer to release the brakes. The contact stated that the time to release the brakes had gradually increased to 10 seconds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the brakes were inspected and no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. The VIN was not available.

Mileage: 35,000

20220106AIR BAGS

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V785000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified about the recall; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20210902AIR BAGS

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact had initially received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V785000 (Air Bags). The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the parts remained unavailable despite having received a letter stating otherwise. The contact called back the same dealer three weeks later and was informed that they only received a limited supply of parts and could not service her vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20210806AIR BAGS

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V785000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20210311AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V785000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VOLKSWAGEN OF PALMS SPRINGS (67909 E. PALM CANYON DR, CATHEDRAL CITY, CA 92234, (706)760-1100) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS AVAILABLE.*DT CONSUMER STATED RECALL HAS BEEN REPAIRED.*JB

20190508FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

PURCHASED AS A CPO VEHICLE IN SEPT '17. STARTED STALLING MONTH LATER. CAR STALLED GOING 50 MPH, STALLED IN A PARKING LOT AND STALLED ON HIGHWAY! VERY DANGEROUS! BROUGHT THE CAR IN TO VW 3 TIMES TO BE FIXED - FINALLY THEY REPLACED FUEL PUMP AND ISSUE SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED. FAST FORWARD 18 MONTHS AND IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN! FIRST IN A PARKING LOT THEN TRAVELLING 40 MPH AND WAS ALMOST RAMMED FROM BEHIND BY A TRUCK. BROUGHT TO VW AGAIN AND THEY CLAIM A SENSOR MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED? I ASKED IF THIS WAS DEFINITELY THE FIX FOR THIS AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T GUARANTEE IT. IT LOOKS LIKE THEY RECALLED JETTAS AND CC FOR STALLING ISSUES BUT NOT BEETLES. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE SERIOUSLY INVESTIGATED!

Mileage: 72,000

20180218FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

INCIDENT 1 SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, I PULLED UP TO A STOP LIGHT. AS THE VEHICLE NEARED A COMPLETE STOP, THE ENGINE STALLED. I WAS UNABLE TO RE-START THE VEHICLE FOR 20 MINUTES. (THE ENGINE WOULD CRANK BUT NEVER START.) INCIDENTS 2 THROUGH 4 THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE RESTARTING ON HOT DAYS, BUT I DON'T HAVE DETAILED INFORMATION BECAUSE I WAS NOT THE DRIVER. INCIDENTS 5 THROUGH 16 I DROVE THE VEHICLE AND SHUT IT OFF. I RETURNED WITHIN ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THE ENGINE WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START. ONLY AFTER WAITING 20-25 MINUTES WITHOUT ATTEMPTING TO START DID THE VEHICLE START. THIS HAPPENED 12 TIMES IN ONE DAY. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE DAY WAS ABOUT 85 DEGREES. I CONTACTED MY MECHANIC ABOUT THE PROBLEM. HE SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE A FAULTY FUEL-PUMP CONTROL MODULE, AND THAT I SHOULD SPEAK TO VW ABOUT THE RECALL. VW DEALER SAID NO RECALLS ARE PRESENT FOR MY CAR. AFTER SPEAKING WITH A PARTS SPECIALIST AND A MANAGER, THEY DETERMINE THAT, THOUGH MY VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE

Mileage: 50,000

Compare 2013VOLKSWAGENBEETLE CONVERTIBLE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE have?
The 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE has 8 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE?
Yes, the 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is UNKNOWN OR OTHER. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE?
The most-complained component for the 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE is AIR BAGS with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:HILL START ASSIST:SOFTWARE.
Is the 2013 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE CONVERTIBLE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.