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Volkswagen New Beetle 2003

The 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle has a 1.7 L engine. It gets 23 MPG combined (21 city, 28 highway), per the EPA. 40 owner complaints are on record.

Minicompact Cars 4 seats Front-wheel (FWD)
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Volkswagen New Beetle
Representative photo of the New Beetle. It may show a different year or version. Photo: Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped

Specs

Engine
1,740 cc
4
Cylinders4
TransmissionManual · 5 speeds
DrivetrainFront-wheel (FWD)
Length112 mm (4.4 in)
Width97 mm
Curb weight1,274 kg (2,809 lb)
Seats4
Body styleMinicompact Cars

Specs: average of the cars of this model first registered in 2003 in the Netherlands (RDW vehicle register).

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Safety

Crash-test results across markets. They can vary by version and equipment.

NHTSA NCAP
Results · 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle 2-DR. w/SAB
🇺🇸 Local data

Fuel economy (MPG)

🇳🇱 NL data

Measured on the U.S. cycle; real-world figures in your country depend on fuel, traffic and altitude.

City
21 MPG
Highway
28 MPG
Combined
23 MPG
Emissions
240 g/km
COâ‚‚

Recalls

No recalls on record in our sources.

On the road

Cars of this model first registered in 2003, from official registers. Each figure belongs to its country.

🇳🇱 Vehicle register, Netherlands

219 still registered

No open recalls

RDW, CC0

Common problems

40 reports🇺🇸 Local data

Reported by owners to the source below. It is not a verdict on this car: it is what people wrote.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING Crash 2024-07-31 · NHTSA

This car was extremely modified by a company caledl Hestermann Motorwwerks. The specific problem is the installation of LED Tail/Brake lights. The lights are not compatable with the cars electrical system and as a result they have a problem that is called Hyper Flashing. That means the turn signal, when engaged, flash…

AIR BAGS 2024-07-26 · NHTSA

The airbag sensors were issued a recall. The dealer confirmed this. The car dealership is refusing to replace the airbag sensors until other issues with the car are fixed. I paid to have them do a diagnostic on the car to address the other problems. They are refusing to give me the codes to check what other problems…

POWER TRAIN 2021-08-29 · NHTSA

Vehicle does not shift properly, vehicle does not shift to drive correctly and either shifts down or stays in neutral

AIR BAGS 2019-10-16 · NHTSA

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON..WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAULTY AIRBAG MODULE ...VW DEALER SAYS PART HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED AND I CAN NOT GET MY CAR INSPECTED.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2019-01-21 · NHTSA

THE CAR IS HAVING ISSUES AS EXACTLY THE RECALLS HAS STATED (I HAVEN'T KNOWN BY NOW ABOUT THE RECALLS) 1. SELECTOR SHIFT AND SHIFTER CABLES WERE BROKEN 2. BREAK SWITCH DID NOT FUNCTION, LEADING TO MALFUNCTION OF EPC (ELECTRONIC PROCESSING CONTROL) THAT LATER CAUSED CRUISE CONTROL, TAILLIGHT AND AC COMPRESSOR NOT WORK…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,SEATS Crash 2019-01-15 · NHTSA

PASSENGERS SIDE HEADLIGHT SHORTING OUT FOR 7TH BULB REPLACEMENT AND NEW ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. STRANGE, ALL WITHIN 6 MONTHS. MY 21 YR OLD NURSING STUDENT OF ECU UNIVERSITY HAS HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WHILE ON HER 4 HOUR TRIP HOME 7 TIMES NOW. THE WIRING CONTINUES TO FRY ITSELF IN THE MAIN FUSE BOX , NOW AFFECTING THEAB…

POWER TRAIN 2019-01-02 · NHTSA

. GETS STUCK RANDOMLY IN 1ST GEAR ... SOME OF THE TIME IT SHIFTS BUT IF I LEAVE IT RUNNING IN PARK FOR A FEW MINUTES (ESPECIALLY THEN) OR WHEN IT WARMS UP NICELY AND I THEN HAVE TO SLOW DOWN INTO 1ST LIKE AT A LIGHT AFTER I EXIT THE HIGHWAY AND THEN TRY TO DRIVE AGAIN IT WON'T SHIFT OUT OF FIRST . AND. I KNOW WHEN IT…

POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 2018-12-07 · NHTSA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND ROLLED BACK. IN ADDITION, WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS APPLIED; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE SAFE MODE ENGAGED. THER…

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2018-11-05 · NHTSA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE HAZARD LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS, AND TURN SIGNALS FAILED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN.

POWER TRAIN 2018-11-03 · NHTSA

ON 11/3/2018 AT AROUND 11:00PM, I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE ON THE HIGHWAY (90E TOWARDS CLEVELAND) GOING 65MPH. SUDDENLY, MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION POPPED OUT OF GEAR AND HARD DOWNSHIFTED. THIS CAUSED A DRASTIC REDUCTION IN SPEED, AND I WAS ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI-TRUCK WHICH WAS BEHIND ME . LUCKILY, THE DR…

VISIBILITY/WIPER 2018-10-22 · NHTSA

REAR WINDOWS FALLING. REGULATOR BROKEN WHILE MOVING. CITY.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,SEATS Fire 2018-09-24 · NHTSA

ELECTRICAL MAIN FUSE BOX UNDER HOOD BURNT AND MELTED INTO BATTERY. SEE PICS OF BURNT FUSE BOX, AND INDENTION OF MELTED BATTERY. CAR CUT OFF WHILE IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY, CAUSING MY 19 YEAR OLD COLLEGE DAUGHTER TO ALMOST WRECK IN ROUTE TO SCHOOL LAST WEEK AT 8PM EST. HER MAJOR IS NURSING. I WANT TO MAKE SURE SHE'S ALIVE…

All 40 reports, grouped by component

Questions

What engine does the 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle have?
The 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle has a 1.7 L engine.
What is the fuel economy of the 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle?
It gets 23 MPG combined (21 city, 28 highway), per the EPA.
What are the common problems of the 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle?
40 owners have filed complaints, most often about Power Train.

Other years

Other models by Volkswagen

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