Total Complaints
2 filings
VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON · model year
1981 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON
2 NHTSA complaints. 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 1981VOLKSWAGENVANAGON carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 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 1981 VANAGON is fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly with 1 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 1981 VANAGON, and 2 remain open. 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.
2
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
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 |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20020813FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN, A BIG CLOUD OF SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, WHEN LIFTING THE COVER TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, CONSUMER COULD SEE IT BURNING WITH A BRIGHT WHITE FLAME, CONSUMER STATES THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS DUE TO A FAULTY FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM WHICH STARTS THE FIRE AND IGNITES THE COOLING FAN HOUSING WHICH IS OF MAGNESIUM ALLOY. *SLC
19980805FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
WHEN DRIVING OVER A PUDDLE OF WATER, WATER GETS TRAPPED ON TOP OF FUEL TANK, CAUSING TANK TO RUST, RESULTING IN A FUEL LEAKAGE. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
Compare 1981VOLKSWAGENVANAGON 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 1981 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON have?▼
The 1981 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1981 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON?▼
The most-complained component for the 1981 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM.
Is the 1981 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON 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 1981 VOLKSWAGEN VANAGON; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.