Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1973 Beetle.
The 1973 Volkswagen Beetle records just a single owner complaint across its entire file — centered on vehicle speed control — paired with three recalls, making it one of the quietest entries in the model's documented reliability history. Placed against the broader complaint timeline spanning 1998 through 2019, where volume peaked at 195 complaints in 1998 and reached its lowest point of 14 in 2019, the 1973 model year's near-silent record stands out as exceptionally thin. For researchers, that minimal footprint likely reflects both genuine mechanical simplicity in surviving examples and a shrinking ownership base reporting issues, so the data reads as favorable but should be weighed against the smaller population still actively driving and logging problems.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 159.8 in |
| Overall width | 61 in |
| Overall height | 59.1 in |
| Wheelbase | 94.5 in |
| Curb weight | 1850 lb |
0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.
Independent road tests for the Beetle of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.
| Year | Trim / engine | 0–60 | ¼ mile | HP | Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 1500 Coupe 1.5L F-4 | 17.40 sec | 20.40 sec | 53 hp | RWD |
| 1964 | 1200 Coupe 1.2L F-4 | 29.50 sec | 23.30 sec | 40 hp | RWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The federal record for the 1973 Volkswagen Beetle indicates only 1 complaint in the Vehicle Speed Control category, with 0 crash and 0 fire complaints. However, the provided year-by-year federal record spans from 1998 to 2019, meaning the 1973 target year falls entirely before this documented arc and lacks adjacent model years for direct comparison. Across the 1998-2019 generation data, complaints peaked at 195 in 1998, saw a secondary peak of 99 in 2015, and trended downward to 14 by 2019, while recalls similarly declined from 8 to 4 over the same period. Because the 1973 model predates this tracking arc, the data does not specify the root cause of its singular speed control complaint or correlate it to the later trends. With virtually no federal complaints, crashes, or fires documented for the 1973 model year, this data suggests it is a solid year to buy, provided you accept the maintenance realities of a vintage vehicle outside modern reporting frameworks.
All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
Showing 2 of 3 campaigns on record for this vehicle.
Remedy:
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The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.