Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Volkswagen Beetle owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle. While driving approximately 60 MPH and switching lanes on the highway, the contact's vehicle crashed into the retention wall. The contact sustained a broken nose and a large cut from the lower lip all the way down to her chin. The contact was transported to the local hospital by ambulance for medical attention. A police report was filed. The doctor stated that a piece of metal from the air bag cracked some of her frontal teeth. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000. ...updated 06-12-15
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle. While driving 65 MPH, the air bags deployed when the contact crashed into the bars on the freeway. The contact sustained a fractured nose and a cut to the face that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000.
1)driver's side window had difficulty going up since vehicle purchase, have to push with hand to assist. 2) just a few months after purchase sensor behind brake pedal failed, vehicle would shift from park, replaced. 3) air bag came on and then engine light soon after, catalytic converter replaced. Both warning lights off and replaced. 4) headlights are constantly blowing out, evidence of a short when replaced. Burn marks, and exposed wiring because plastic on connectors got brittle and cracked off. 5) air bag light on again, two weeks later engine light on. Told two sensors on mass air flow and some others are malfunctioning and now been replaced. Told there is a broken clock spring in steering column along with bad wiring harness, both affecting air bags. Also, told air bag is now bad and needs to be replaced because other defective components have shorted igniter in air bag out. …
My grandmother had purchased a eddie bauer brooke stroller and car seat set online for my baby shower end of September through beginning of August 2011. Purchase was around $300+ which I don't find cheap by any means. Long story short- my 5 month old daughter and I were in a head on collision where I've learned her car seat base was defected during the crash and had actually lifted out of the base and back down. Could have easily went through the windshield. She suffered a broken right femur and a fractured left femur leaving her in a almost full body cast for 4 weeks. I had hit a full sized truck head on leading up to the even the base and car seat detached. The car seat was thrown away sometime while I was in the hospital. I was in a medically induced coma for three days before stating to anyone at the hospital. …
Sending my daughter to college in this cute little red bug. Every vw dealership and their brother, is aware of a driver side airbag defect in these cute little things. My dealer will repair the faulty wiring and belt buckle, as they did for the school teacher I bought this cute little thing from. What school teachers won't do is replace the faulty airbag in the side for six years because they think, "oh I am safe enough with a front airbag only!" and nobody wants to spend $700 for a little side airbag. But I think vw should recall the side airbag for putting in so many faulty side airbags as a whole bunch of cute school teachers and cute little freshman students like my little precious girl drive around these bugs with a smile on there face. And the cute light with a little man holding a beach ball in his lap!
On dec. 9th, 2000, our Beetle was hit in the drivers side and side airbags did not deploy. "experts" at Volkswagen claimed that our forward motion at the time of impact lessened the side impact. I can understand this to some degree but by their reasoning, if we were going twice as fast, would the damage have been halved? Oy. The side was so caved-in that I had to be cut out of the car with the jaws of life. People who have seen the car , including the repair shop foreman, can not believe that the airbag did not deploy. On contacting vw, I was told that being that I was moving at the time of impact, it lessened the side impact. I can understand this to some exent, but does this mean that if we were doing 100mph instead of 50mph would the damage would have been halved?.
Tl*- the contact stated that when she cranked the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle the airbag light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealership to be inspected, and they informed the contact that a sensor under the steering wheel needed to be replaced. The dealership replaced the sensor. Approximately 13 months later the airbag light started to illuminate again. The airbag light remained illuminated. The vehicle currently had 104000 miles. Updated 04/09
Consumer complaint is that the side air bag on his vehicle failed to deploy when another vehicle hit the drivers side at approximately 15 MPH. Consumer was traveling forward at approximately 50 to 60 MPH. A pick-up truck hit consumer's car broadside on driver's side, an engineer at vw claims stated that the forward motion of vehicle lessened the side impact enough that the air bag did not activate.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle. While driving 55 MPH the contact depressed the brake pedal and the air bag light illuminated. The light remained illuminated , and vehicle was currently at a repair shop. The current mileage is 89,000 , and failure mileage was 87,000.
Is there any way to find out if the previous owner of this vehicle had problems with the airbags. We bought this car for our 18 year old twin daughters with saftey in mind. We really need your help on this. Please contact us. Thank you.
Airbag complaints in other Beetle years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the air bags of the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle, 13% of the model year's 174 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Volkswagen Beetle airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Volkswagen Beetle airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 104,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.