There are 3 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2010 Volkswagen Beetlein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
My car only has 43K miles, I had issues when it was 10K miles, where the key will not turn to start the engine, it gets stuck, and sometimes it gets stuck with the steering wheel. The issue was reproducible when I brought it in to the VW dealership near me. The service rep told me it is very common for this model (bug) but they don't know why. They quoted me $1200 to get the LOCK|BOLT|CYLINDER replaced, but the warranty is only 12 months/12K miles. Mind you that it happened when it was 10K miles. Imagine, my wife and 7-year-old stop at a gas station at night and can't start the car because everything is locked. I contacted VW Care, but they don't care unless there is a recall. So, I am filling out this complaint form. Thank you.
AFTER DRIVING FOR 2 HOURS IN 80 DEGREE WEATHER, I STOP THE CAR TO FILL FOR GASOLINE, AND WHEN STARTING THE CAR TO DRIVE FORWARD ON MY TRIP, THE STEERING WHEEL ERRATICALLY MOVES ON IT'S OWN, AND THEN THE POWER ASSISTED STEERING GOES INTO A FAULT THUS LOSING ALL POWER STEERING. I HAVE BEEN TO NUMEROUS VW DEALERS OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND HAS NEVER BEEN RESOLVED. WHEN I CALLED VOLKSWAGEN CORPORATE, THEY TELL ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. THE FAULT CODE CLEARS ITSELF SO THAT WHEN IT IS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALER, THE DEALER DOES NOT SEE ANY PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING THE CAR CANNOT BE OPERATED SAFELY WITHOUT THE POWER STEERING, AND THIS SHOULD BE A VEHICLE SAFETY RECALL, SINCE DRIVING HIS VEHICLE COULD CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT. I ALSO HAVE A VIDEO RECORDED ON MY PHONE OF THE LATEST INCIDENT.
NOTICED A SIMILAR COMPLAINT AND WANTED TO ADD THAT SINCE OWNING THE 2010 VW BEETLE, WHEN THE TEMPERATURE GETS VERY WARM, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK FEATURE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DISENGAGE, CAUSING THE IGNITION KEY SWITCH TO REMAIN LOCKED. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR 4 YEARS AS THE DEALER SHOWED ME HOW TO DISENGAGE THE LOCKED STEERING WHEEL (PRESS BRAKE PEDAL, TURN KEY IN IGNITION) BUT HAD NO RESPONSE TO THE TEMPERATURE SITUATION. I AM NOT AN IDIOT, I AM SHORT THOUGH, SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO GET IN AND OUT OF THE CAR WITHOUT BUMPING THE STEERING WHEEL AND LOCKING IT. AS I KEEP THE DOOR OPEN (AIR BRINGS INSIDE TEMPERATURE DOWN), I SWEAT AWAY AS I WAIT FOR THE BRAKE TO DISENGAGE THE LOCK SO I CAN TURN THE KEY. ANNOYED. *TR
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