Total Complaints
19 filings
VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO · model year
1995 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO
19 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1995VOLKSWAGENCABRIO carries 19 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 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 1995 CABRIO is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 4 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2) and structure:frame and members (2). 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 1995 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.
19
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
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 |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 4 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:DRUM | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LOCK | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040305INTERIOR LIGHTING
INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ONLY WORK OCCASIONALLY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER/FUEL METERS AT NIGHT. *JB
Mileage: 116,000
20030404ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AT COLD STARTS THE HEAD LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS AND WIPERS FAILED TO OPERATE. *JB
Mileage: 10,000
20021211LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LOCK
THE VEHICLES TRUNK HAS BECOME DIFFICULT TO OPEN, THE KEY AND LOCK ASSEMBLY APPEARED DEFECTIVE. *SCC
20021211VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
THE REAR WINDOW CANNOT BE LOWERED, THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT. *SCC
20010601ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
VEHICLE WILL STALL WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND THEN KICK BACK ON. ALSO, IF SITTING AT AN INTERSECTION ENGINE WILL STALL. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE, BUT CANNOT REPRODUCE THIS DEFECT TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF DEFECT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *AK
20010109AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY AN AUTHORIZED AUTOMOBILE REPAIR DEALER THAT COMPUTER FOR AIRBAG WAS NOT WORKING, AND THEREFORE AIRBAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN IMPACT. *AK
20000920ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
I WAS DRIVING ALONG ABOUT 65 MPH AND VEHICLE SURGED, LOSS OF POWER. CONTINUES TO DO THIS 10-15 TIMES A WEEK. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS. DEALER UNABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM.
20000825POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
AUTO TRANS FAILS TO SHIFT. TRANNY REPLACED AT 40K MILES. SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATES WILDLY DURING INCLINES, ACCELLERATION W/ NEW TRANNY. CAR CAN NOT SHIFT, POWER LOST FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. TERRIFYING.
20000623ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING (ALWAYS UPHILL, WITH ACCELERATOR DEPRESSED, AND USUALLY IN 3RD GEAR AT AROUND 30 MPH) THE ENGINE (AND POWER STEERING) SIMPLY CUTS OUT (TACH DROPS TO ZERO). IT IS POSSIBLE TO IMMEDIATELY RESTART IT BY PUSHING IN THE CLUTCH AND TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A VW DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED A FUEL RELAY AND CONDUCTED THE FULL 60,000 MILE MAINTENANCE BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED AND IS A LEMON-LAW BUYBACK ('COURSE THEY DIDN'T TELL ME THAT UNTIL I HAD MY HEART SET ON BUYING IT). AS I DRIVE 20 MILES EACH WAY ON A VERY CURVY ROAD WITH FEW TURNOUTS IN THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, THIS PROBLEM POSES A THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHERS. THE FUEL GAUGE IS UNRELIABLE AS WELL, BUT THAT'S THE LEAST OF MY WORRIES! *AK
20000623ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING (ALWAYS UPHILL, WITH ACCELERATOR DEPRESSED, AND USUALLY IN 3RD GEAR AT AROUND 30 MPH) THE ENGINE (AND POWER STEERING) SIMPLY CUTS OUT (TACH DROPS TO ZERO). IT IS POSSIBLE TO IMMEDIATELY RESTART IT BY PUSHING IN THE CLUTCH AND TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A VW DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED A FUEL RELAY AND CONDUCTED THE FULL 60,000 MILE MAINTENANCE BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED AND IS A LEMON-LAW BUYBACK ('COURSE THEY DIDN'T TELL ME THAT UNTIL I HAD MY HEART SET ON BUYING IT). AS I DRIVE 20 MILES EACH WAY ON A VERY CURVY ROAD WITH FEW TURNOUTS IN THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS, THIS PROBLEM POSES A THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND OTHERS. THE FUEL GAUGE IS UNRELIABLE AS WELL, BUT THAT'S THE LEAST OF MY WORRIES! *AK
20000531FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
CAR WANTS TO STALL WHEN BRAKING FOR A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT AND RUNS VERY ROUGHLY, AS THOUGH IT MIGHT JUST STOP RUNNING UNLESS THE GAS PEDAL WAS EMPLOYED. *AK
19990228ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
INTERMITTENT STALLING. ENGINE SHUTS DOWN WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
19981201VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
WINDOW MOTOR FAILS INTERMITTENTLY.
19970728SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH W/SPEED CONTROL ON; HAD TO BRAKE; SPEED CONTROL FAILED TO RELEASE; ABS BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. STEERED TOWARDS A HILL TO SLOW DOWN. HAD 2 FLATS & AXLE BROKE. TOOK TO DEALER & NOT DOING ANYTHING TO VEHICLE.
19970728VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH W/SPEED CONTROL ON; HAD TO BRAKE; SPEED CONTROL FAILED TO RELEASE; ABS BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. STEERED TOWARDS A HILL TO SLOW DOWN. HAD 2 FLATS & AXLE BROKE. TOOK TO DEALER & NOT DOING ANYTHING TO VEHICLE.
19970414SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:DRUM
WHILE DRIVING THE REAR LEFT BRAKE DRUM SPLIT IN HALF WHICH CAUSED THE WHEEL TO FLY OFF THE VEHICLE. *AK
19960125STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
BOTTOM CROSS MEMBER THAT HOLDS THE FRAME TOGETHER HAS COME LOOSE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
19960125STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
BOTTOM CROSS MEMBER THAT HOLDS THE FRAME TOGETHER HAS COME LOOSE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
19951129SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
ABS BRAKING PROBLEMS. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
Compare 1995VOLKSWAGENCABRIO 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 1995 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO have?▼
The 1995 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO has 19 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1995 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO?▼
The most-complained component for the 1995 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP and STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS.
Is the 1995 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.