Owners filed 9 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › foundation components › disc › rotor. It has been recalled 1 time.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System › Heater Core
1
0
0
0
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor
1
0
0
0
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
1
0
0
0
Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
1
0
0
0
Exterior Lighting › Headlights › Switch
1
0
1
0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
1
0
0
0
Engine and Engine Cooling
1
0
0
0
Electrical System › Wiring › Interior/Under Dash
1
0
1
0
Air Bags › Frontal
1
0
0
0
1 safety recall
Part 573 reports
Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings92V058000
Filed Apr 14, 1992358,000 vehiclesVolkswagen Of America,inc
Defect. THE FUEL HOSE ATTACHED TO THE FUEL DISTRIBUTION RAIL ON THE ENGINE MAY SHRINK BEYOND THE CLAMP FORCE OF THE FUEL HOSE CLAMPS, ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK.
Risk. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CAN CAUSE AN UNDERHOOD FIRE IF THE FUEL COMES IN CONTACT WITH A SOURCE OF IGNITION.
Remedy. REPLACE THE FUEL HOSE ATTACHED TO THE FUEL RAIL AND INSTALL A NEW SPRING TYPE SELF-TIGHTENING CLAMP.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Filed Aug 12, 2004130,000 milesMD
FUEL LINE AT FUEL TANK RUSTED THROUGH AND LEAKING. VW DEALERS WILL NOT WORK ON THE CAR STATING IT IS OLDER THAN 8 YEARS. VW CANNOT SUPPLY A REPLACEMENT PART TO MY MECHANIC. GIVEN LOCATION, RUBBER CANNOT BE USED AND BENDS ARE TO TIGHT.
Electrical System › Wiring › Interior/Under DashFire
Filed Aug 12, 2004129,500 milesMD
LIGHT SWITCH STARTED SMOKING AND GOT VERY HOT BEFORE I COULD TURN OFF THE CAR, ABOUT 5 SECONDS. DEALER REPLACED LIGHT SWITCH AND COMMENTED THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS AS WELL. ABOUT 5 YEARS LATTER THIS HAPPENED AGAIN. DASH LIGHT AT SWITCH HAS NOT WORKED SINCE THE 1ST INCIDENT.
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jan 15, 200465,000 milesFL
INITIAL PROBLEM: STARTER SEIZED UP; WOULD NOT START. STARTER SUBSEQUENTLY REPLACED; NEW STARTER WOULD NOT ENGAGE PROPERLY (CLASHING W/FLYWHEEL), SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE TO FLYWHEEL; DEALER REPLACED FLYWHEEL AND INSTALL ENTIRELY NEW STARTER; PROBLEM PERSISTED, WOULD NOT ENGAGE PROPERLY. DEALER INSTALLS ANOTHER ENTIRELY NEW STARTER, PROBLEM NOT SOLVED, STARTER (3RD NEW ONE) STILL NOT ENGAGING PROPERLY. GAVE UP ON DEALER. AM NOW TALKING AROUND TOWN WITH NUMEROUS MECHANICS; SOME SAY THIS, SOME SAY THAT. DON'T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE ANYMORE. DEALER INSISTS THAT THIS STARTER DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY TYPE OF SHIM ADJUSTMENT; I WONDER. DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER THIS POOR FLYWHEEL CAN PUT UP WITH THIS KIND OF ABUSE.
Air Bags › Frontal
Filed Jul 17, 2003122,000 milesWA
DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED AT SIXTY MILES AN HOUR ON I-5 IN SEATTLE.*AK
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Filed Mar 12, 2001IL
VENT HOSE CONNECTOR IS RUSTED AND CAUSES FUEL LEAKAGES WHEN FUEL EXPANDS. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED THAT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A MANUFAXCTURER'S RECALL. *AK THE CONSUMER WAS ASKING THE MANUFACTURER TO REIMBURSE THE COST OF REPAIR BECAUSE THE SAME PROBLEM WAS UNDER NHTSA RECALL FOR OTHER MODELS OF VEHICLE. *YH
Exterior Lighting › Headlights › SwitchFire
Filed Oct 24, 2000VA
COMPONENT 1: WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, HEADLIGHT SWITCH SHORTED OUT. CAUSED EXCESSIVE SMOKE, THEN FIRE BROKE OUT UNDER THE DASH. I PULLED VEHICLE TO THE SIDE AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPT. AMOUNT OF DAMAGE UNKNOWN AS OF YET. COMPONENT 2: ENGINE STARTED TO REV AND VEHICLE JERKED WHILE DRIVING. DUE TO WEARING DOWN OF INSULATION OF WIRE CONNECTED TO THE ENGINE THAT WAS TRIGGERING EXCESSIVE FUEL TO BE FED TO ENGINE.
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Nov 5, 1996NC
OIL SENDING UNIT MALFUNCTIONED, ALSO DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW STICKS. *AK
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor
Filed Feb 29, 1996TN
THE PADS HAVE CUT INTO ROTORS, SHOES HAVE CUT INTO DRUMS. *AK
Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System › Heater Core
Filed Jan 23, 1996IL
THE HEATER DOES NOT WORK AND SPITS OUT HOT COOLANT ALL OVER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Apr 14, 1992. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.