Total Complaints
12 filings
VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO · model year
1992 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO
12 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1992VOLKSWAGENCABRIO carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 3 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1992 CABRIO is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor with 2 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring:interior/under dash (2) and visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system:heater core (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 1992 CABRIO, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
12
Complaints
0
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040812FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
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.
Mileage: 130,000
20040812FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
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.
Mileage: 129,500
20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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.
Mileage: 65,000
20030717AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED AT SIXTY MILES AN HOUR ON I-5 IN SEATTLE.*AK
Mileage: 122,000
20010312FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
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
20001027FireEXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH
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.
20001027FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
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.
19961105ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
OIL SENDING UNIT MALFUNCTIONED, ALSO DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW STICKS. *AK
19961105VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
OIL SENDING UNIT MALFUNCTIONED, ALSO DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW STICKS. *AK
19960229SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
THE PADS HAVE CUT INTO ROTORS, SHOES HAVE CUT INTO DRUMS. *AK
19960229SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
THE PADS HAVE CUT INTO ROTORS, SHOES HAVE CUT INTO DRUMS. *AK
19960123VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
THE HEATER DOES NOT WORK AND SPITS OUT HOT COOLANT ALL OVER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
Compare 1992VOLKSWAGENCABRIO to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 2 Open
EA24004Engineering AnalysisOpen
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
RQ24010Recall QueryClosed
Inadvertent Door Opening
RQ23007Recall QueryClosed
Fuel Leak due to Suction Jet Pump Failure within Fuel Tank (Remedy Effectiveness of Recall 16V647)
PE23017Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
EQ22001EQClosed
LGES High Voltage Battery Failures
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1992 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO have?▼
The 1992 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO has 12 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 3 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1992 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO?▼
The most-complained component for the 1992 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH and VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE.
Is the 1992 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO 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 as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.