There are 2 stored owner reports matching the brakes leading-label group for the 2005 Volkswagen Beetle in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE AND EJECTION OF ENGINE UPON IMPACT. I WAS GOING THE 55 MPH SPEED LIMIT AND WENT TO PUT ON MY BRAKES TO TURN RIGHT ONTO ANOTHER ROAD. I HAD NO BRAKES. IT WAS LIKE PUSHING ON AIR. I WENT THROUGH AN INTERSECTION ACROSS 4 LANES. HIT THE BACK OF A SEMI AND 4 OTHER CARS WERE INVOLVED. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKES AT ALL TO EVEN SLOW DOWN LET ALONE STOP. UPON IMPACT MY ENGINE WAS THROWN 150 FT. AWAY FROM THE CAR AND INTO ANOTHER CAR. THIS WAS A 2005 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE. *TR
I HAVE A 2000 VW BEETLE WITH 47,500 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I PURCHASED IT IN MAY OF 2000 FROM COOLEY. . I HAVE CLOSELY FOLLOWED THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE WITH REGULAR OIL CHANGES ETC. I HAVE BEEN VERY WELL PLEASED WITH THIS CAR DESPITE SOME UNUSUAL PROBLEMS. FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE HAD AN ISSUE WITH A SENSOR THAT CAUSED THE CAR TO STALL ( SHORTLY AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED). THAT COST ME $100. THEN AT ABOUT 35K I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED BRAKES $400 +. ON SATURDAY JULY 16, 2005 I WAS ENROUTE TO WELLS, MAINE. APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES BEFORE MY DESTINATION, THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY DESTINATION. AFTER THE CAR HAD COOLED, WE INSPECTED THE HOSES AND COOLANT AND BELT. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE OK AND WE THOUGH EVERYTHING WAS GOOD SO WE STARTED OUT TO COME HOME (SUNDAY JULY 17TH, 2005) A SHORT DISTANCE INTO THE TRIP ( 5 -10 MILES). HEAT INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF AND THE TURNPIKE AUTHORITY CAME BY, CALLED A TOW AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO BROWN'S AUTO REPAIR IN WELLS, MAINE. MY FRIEND, WHO IS THE FACILITIES MANAGER FOR THE WELLS SCHOOL DISTRICT, HAS HIS FLEET OF CARS AND TRUCKS SERVICED THERE SO I BELIEVED THE REPAIR SHOP TO BE REPUTABLE. MR.. BROWN, REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT, THE WATER PUMP, FAN MOTORS, SENSORS, SERPENTINE BELT, TIMING BELT AND COOLANT ETC. AT A COST OF $1396.. THE FIRST TOWING EXPENSE WAS COVERED BY MY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. BOTH MR... BROWN AND THE VW DEALERSHIP WHERE THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE PURCHASED SEEMED TO THINK THAT I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THESE KINDS OF PROBLEMS WITH THE LOW MILEAGE. I AGREE. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT RECOURSE I HAVE. IF OTHER BEETLE OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES AND PROBLEMS. I HAVE OWNED FIVE OTHER VW AUTOMOBILES AND AM A VW LOVER BUT THIS DOES NOT MAKE ME A HAPPY VW OWNER. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.