RoadVitals

1992 Volkswagen Cabrio Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Aug 12, 2004
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jan 23, 1996

What this page shows

Our database holds 9 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1992 Volkswagen Cabrio. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–9 of 9

Interior & seats
Filed Aug 12, 2004
Fire reported

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.

NHTSA ID
10086717
Incident
Jul 10, 2004
Mileage
129,500 mi
Fuel system
Filed Aug 12, 2004

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.

NHTSA ID
10086715
Incident
Aug 9, 2004
Mileage
130,000 mi
Engine
Filed Jan 15, 2004

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.

NHTSA ID
10070189
Incident
Jun 15, 2001
Mileage
65,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Jul 17, 2003

DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED AT SIXTY MILES AN HOUR ON I-5 IN SEATTLE.*AK

NHTSA ID
10028510
Incident
Jul 16, 2003
Mileage
122,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Mar 12, 2001

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

NHTSA ID
882804
Incident
Mar 6, 2001
Interior & seatsExterior lighting
Filed Oct 24, 2000
Fire reported

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.

NHTSA ID
735070
Incident
Oct 1, 2000
EngineVisibility
Filed Nov 5, 1996

OIL SENDING UNIT MALFUNCTIONED, ALSO DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW STICKS. *AK

NHTSA ID
510859
Incident
May 8, 1996
Brakes
Filed Feb 29, 1996

THE PADS HAVE CUT INTO ROTORS, SHOES HAVE CUT INTO DRUMS. *AK

NHTSA ID
979945
Incident
Feb 24, 1996
Visibility
Filed Jan 23, 1996

THE HEATER DOES NOT WORK AND SPITS OUT HOT COOLANT ALL OVER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT

NHTSA ID
978017
Incident
Dec 23, 1995

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .