AUDI 200 · model year

1989 AUDI 200

8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1989AUDI200 carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1989 200 is exterior lighting:headlights with 2 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (1) and engine and engine cooling:cooling system:fan (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 1989 200. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

8
Complaints
1
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS1
POWER TRAIN1
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT1

Recent Complaints

20031027CrashPOWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

VEHICLE'S DIFFERENTIAL WENT OUT RESULTING IN ACCIDENT.*MR THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL WITH A USED ONE BECAUSE OF THE AGE AND MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER CALLED AUDI AND GAVE THEM THE VIN AND OTHER INFORMATION. HE WAS THEN INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR HIS VEHICLE. CONSUMER FELT THIS WAS INCOMPETENT OR THEY LIED. *PH

20000412EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS

BRAKE LIGHT SYSTEM ON EFFECTS STEERING AND HYDRAULIC SYSTEM/ UNKNOWN SPEED BROKEN SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER. *AK

20000412POWER TRAIN

BRAKE LIGHT SYSTEM ON EFFECTS STEERING AND HYDRAULIC SYSTEM/ UNKNOWN SPEED BROKEN SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER. *AK

19990506FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

UNDERHOOD FIRE OCCURED ON VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING EB ON LIE. ENGINE COOLING FAN MOTOR SIEZED, RESULTING IN A UNINTERUPTED GROUND FAULT WHICH BURNED ALL THE WIRES IN THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS. THERE WAS NO CIRCUIT BREAKER OR FUSE PROVIDED IN THE WIRING TO PREVENT A GROUD FAULT FROM OCCURING. AUDI UPGRADED SUBSUQUENT MODEL YEARS OF THIS VEHICLE WITH A FUSEABLE LINK ON THE GROUND SIDE OF THE COOLING FAN MOTOR, BUT FAILED TO PROVIDE THE UPGRADE TO OWNERS OF 1984 THRU 1989 VEHICLES. COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE VEHICLE WAS PREVENTED ONLY BY MY ABILITY TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY CABLES IN A RAPID MANNER.

19990506FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

UNDERHOOD FIRE OCCURED ON VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING EB ON LIE. ENGINE COOLING FAN MOTOR SIEZED, RESULTING IN A UNINTERUPTED GROUND FAULT WHICH BURNED ALL THE WIRES IN THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS. THERE WAS NO CIRCUIT BREAKER OR FUSE PROVIDED IN THE WIRING TO PREVENT A GROUD FAULT FROM OCCURING. AUDI UPGRADED SUBSUQUENT MODEL YEARS OF THIS VEHICLE WITH A FUSEABLE LINK ON THE GROUND SIDE OF THE COOLING FAN MOTOR, BUT FAILED TO PROVIDE THE UPGRADE TO OWNERS OF 1984 THRU 1989 VEHICLES. COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE VEHICLE WAS PREVENTED ONLY BY MY ABILITY TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY CABLES IN A RAPID MANNER.

19970501AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

OWNER STATES WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT HIS DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON.O WNER IS CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *AK

19960227EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

POOR PERFORMANCE ON THE HEAD LIGHTS, CAN NOT SEE THE ROAD AT NIGHT DUE TO THE HEADLIGHTS FOGGING. *AK

19960227EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

POOR PERFORMANCE ON THE HEAD LIGHTS, CAN NOT SEE THE ROAD AT NIGHT DUE TO THE HEADLIGHTS FOGGING. *AK

Compare 1989AUDI200 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1989 AUDI 200 have?
The 1989 AUDI 200 has 8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 2 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 AUDI 200?
The most-complained component for the 1989 AUDI 200 is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN.
Is the 1989 AUDI 200 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1989 AUDI 200; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.