Avg. Price Paid:$10,070 - $12,607
Original MSRP: $17,475 - $25,740
MPG: 20 City / 28 Hwy
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Volkswagen New Beetle Recalls & Reliability

These scores and this review are from when the car was new.

Scorecard

Overall: 2008 Volkswagen New Beetle U.S. News Best Cars 7.3
Critics' Rating: 7.5
Performance: 7.5
Interior: 6.6
Safety: 8.4
Reliability:
How we calculate scores
Research analyzed for this review

Pros & Cons

  • Classic, retro-styled exterior
  • Fun-to-drive
  • Tight rear seat with limited headroom
  • Limited cargo space
  • Doesn't provide as sporty a performance as newer models in the class

Research Other Years

Review Last Updated: 2/19/09

Recalls

There has been 1 safety recall issued from NHTSA.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGSRecall Date: 12/14/2010
  • Consequence: IF CHAFING OCCURS, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A FUEL LEAK TO DEVELOP. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
  • NHTSA Campaign ID: 10V621000
  • Potential Number of Units Affected: 377,286
  • Summary: VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2010 JETTA, NEW BEETLE, NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, MODEL YEAR 2009 JETTA SPORTWAGEN AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 RABBIT VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5L ENGINES. THE JETTA, JETTA SPORTWAGEN, AND RABBIT VEHICLES MAY HAVE A SMALL PLASTIC TAB LOCATED ON THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID RESERVOIR THAT MAY CHAFE AGAINST AN UNDERHOOD FUEL SUPPLY LINE. THE NEW BEETLE AND THE NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A FASTENING CLAMP ON A HYDRAULIC HOSE OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM THAT MAY BE LOCATED IN AN IMPROPER POSITION WHICH COULD CAUSE CHAFING AGAINST AN UNDERHOOD FUEL SUPPLY LINE.
  • Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE UNDERHOOD FUEL LINE. ADDITIONALLY, DEPENDING ON THE VEHICLE MODEL, DEALERS WILL EITHER REMOVE THE PLASTIC TAB FROM THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID RESERVOIR, OR INSPECT THE POSITION OF THE FASTENING CLAMP AND ADJUST THE RELATED FASTENING CLAMP INTO THE CORRECT POSITION. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 31, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
  • Notes: VOLKSWAGEN SAFETY RECALL NO. 20I4/U1. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

Reliability

Our reliability score is based on the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) rating or, if unavailable, the J.D. Power Predicted Reliability rating.

Dependability Ratings1 2008
Overall Dependability
Powertrain Dependability
Feature & Accessory Dependability
Body & Interior Dependability

1These scores come from consumer ratings of their vehicles after three years of ownership.

  • Key:
  • Among The Best
  • Better Than Most
  • About Average
  • The Rest

J.D. Power and Associates Power Circle Ratings do not include all information used to determine J.D. Power and Associates awards. See JDPower.com for more information on Power Circle Ratings. Your experience may vary.

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Warranty

Volkswagen backs its 2008 vehicles with a basic limited warranty for four years or 50,000 miles, covers wear and tear items for the first year or 12,000 miles and offers powertrain coverage for the first five years or 60,000 miles. However, the 2009 New Beetle has a three-year or 36,000 mile basic warranty. Click here for more information on the new VW warranty.

 

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