VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET · model year

1989 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET

9 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1989VOLKSWAGENCABRIOLET carries 9 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 1989 CABRIOLET is fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly with 7 filings, followed by fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly (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 1989 CABRIOLET, 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.

9
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

9 filings

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

ComponentCount
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY7
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY2

Recent Complaints

20080320FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1989 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET. THE CONTACT SMELLED GASOLINE WHILE SITTING IN THE VEHICLE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A VOLKSWAGEN REPAIR SHOP. THE CONTACT FOUND A RECALL FOR HER YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL VEHICLE, BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO HER VIN. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT HER VEHICLE SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE SHE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME DEFECT. THE TRANSMISSION TYPE, RECALL NUMBER, AND MILEAGES WERE UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 04/11/08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER REPAIR IS PERFORMED BY VW IS PLAINLY OBVIOUS THE RECALL IS ON THE SAME YEAR BUT DIFFERENT VIN NUMBER. UPDATED 04/11/08 *TR

20060501FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

VOLKSWAGEN SAYS RECALL DOESN'T APPEAR IN THEIR SYSTEM, VIN [XXX] FALLS INTO THE CATEGORY AND NO LOCAL DEALERS HAVE DONE THIS RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE... GAS TANK IS LEAKING FROM SAID AREA PROFUSELY , WHICH RUNS THE RISK OF AN EXPLOSION. *NM UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Mileage: 130,000

20050318FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

VEHICLE HAD A WET SUBSTANCE ON THE GROUND. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, AND THE LEAK WAS DETERMINED TO BE GAS. THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE GAS TANK. CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE IF THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED ON A RECALL. MANUFACTURER TOLD CONSUMER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO DETERMINE IF REPAIRS WILL BE AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE.*AK

Mileage: 125,000

20041108FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

1989 VW CABRIOLET FUEL TANK HAS DEFECTIVE SEAM WELD IN FUEL TANK AS DOCUMENTED IN CAMPAIGN # 94V065000. TANK HAS NEVER BEEN REPLACED, YET VW SAYS THERE ARE NO OPEN RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE.*AK

Mileage: 75,839

20030912FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

FUEL IS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE DEALER WILL FIX AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. *PH TWO RECALLS WERE ISSUED RELATED TO THIS FAILURE, 94V-065000 AND 91V-201000. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT NO RECALLS WERE ISSUED. *NLM

20000209FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

RECALL # 94V065000 FUEL: FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY: TANK; AFTER RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED, FUEL TANK STARTING TO LEAK. DEALER STATED TO CONSUMER THAT IT COULD COST $700.00 TO REPLACE FUEL PUMP AND ACCUMULATOR. FUEL TANK WAS NOT LEAKING WHEN VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER. *AK

20000207FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

RECALL # 94V065000: FUEL TANK: AFTER THE RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED, THE GAS TANK STARTED TO LEAK. DEALER STATED TO CONSUMER THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY $700.00 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP AND ACCUMULATOR. CONSUMER DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH FUEL TANK BEFORE RECALL WORK WAS COMPLETED. *AK *ML

19991103FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

THERE IS A GAS LEAK COMING FROM THE GAS TANK, AND CONSUMER CAN SMELL THE GAS WITHIN THE VEHICLE. PROBLEM HAS RETURNED, AND DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE CAUSE.

19991006FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING FUEL FROM THE SEAMS. DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

Compare 1989VOLKSWAGENCABRIOLET to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1989 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET have?
The 1989 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET has 9 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET?
The most-complained component for the 1989 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY with 7 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY.
Is the 1989 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIOLET 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.