There are 4 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2005 Volkswagen Beetlein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
A 2005 TURBOCHARGED BEETLE CONVERTIBLE, SPONTANEOUSLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED WHILE PARKING, IT JUMPED THE CURB AND TRAVELED AT MAXIMUM ACCELERATION 30 FEET UP A GRASSY SLOPE THEN THROUGH AN ALABAMA POST OFFICE WINDOW, VIOLENTLY ENTERING THE LOBBY. NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THIS INCIDENT WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY TELEVISED DURING THE NEWS BROADCASTS ON ALL 3 LOCAL NETWORKS. WE HAVE IN OUR POSSESSION CLEAR PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE THAT THE BRAKE WAS BEING PRESSED HARD THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT AND THIS FACT WAS LATER CONFIRMED BY THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER WHO INVESTIGATED THE CASE. PRIOR TO THIS EVENT, ON 3 OCCASIONS WE HAD BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE LOCAL VOLKSWAGEN DEALERSHIP FOR EVALUATION OF A PERSISTENT, INTERMITTENT, THROTTLE PROBLEM WHICH THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE BUT FAILED, EVEN WITH SUPPORT FROM THE ENGINEERS AT VW OF AMERICA, TO CORRECT. ON ONE OCCASION THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK AND ON ANOTHER, NEARLY 3 WEEKS. WHEN THE CAR WAS IN THEIR POSSESSION WE HAD BEEN ASSURED THAT THERE WAS IN-DEPTH COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THEM AND THE TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT AT VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA. THE CONVERTIBLE TOP WAS DOWN DURING THE INCIDENT RESULTING IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT BECOMING FILLED WITH LARGE SHARDS OF SHATTERED WINDOW GLASS. THE POLICE OFFICER INVESTIGATING THE SCENE CHARACTERIZED THE GLASS, STILL SUSPENDED IN THE FRAME ABOVE, AS "CHILLING". ATTACHED BELOW IS AN ARTICLE CONCERNING AN $ 8 MILLION DOLLAR VERDICT AWARDED LAST WEEK IN ANOTHER CASE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN A VW WITH A TURBO CHARGED ENGINE.
DRIVING DOWN A LONG TWO-LANE ROAD, I DECIDED TO PUT ON THE CRUISE-CONTROL FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. AS MY INTERSECTION CAME UP, I HIT THE BRAKES TO TAKE THE CAR OUT OF CRUISE-CONTROL AND BEGAN MY TURN, BUT THE CAR DID NOT SLOW, NO MATTER HOW HARD I HIT THE BRAKES. THE MALFUNCTION CAUSED ME TO TAKE THE TURN TOO FAST AND I HEADED STRAIGHT INTO A 4 FOOT DECORATIVE ROCK WALL THAT BORDERED THE ROAD. THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY TOTALED, AND I HAD TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE HOSPITAL. *TR
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKING WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD AND COLLIDED WITH A LIGHT POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAS BEEN INSPECTED. UPDATED 3/28/2006 - THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THIS ACCIDENT. *NM
DT: 2005 VOLKSWAGEN, BEETLE. ON OCCASION WHEN STOPPING AT RED LIGHT,THE CAR BOGGED DOWN, WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR WOULD NOT GO. IT WOULD HESITATE FOR AT FEW SECONDS, AND IT WILL NOT TAKE THE GAS. THE ENGINE HAD NOT QUIT AS OF YET. CONSUMER SPOKE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY PUT IT ON A MACHINE, AND DROVE THE CAR. HOWEVER, COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP WAS COOPERATING , AND SAID THEY WOULD TRY TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS HAPPENED AT 5 OR 6 TIMES SINCE MAY.*AK
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026