The 1998 Volkswagen Cabrio has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 487,284 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 37 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON SOME PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL TANK FILLER NECK CAN SUFFER ABRASION DAMAGE IF THE REAR TIRE GOES FLAT AND THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN UNTIL THE TIRE DISINTEGRATES.
Consequence
FUEL LEAKAGE CAN OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL FIT PASSAT VEHICLES WITH A NEW WHEEL HOUSE LINER THAT WILL BETTER PROTECT THE CAR'S FILLER NECK. JETTA VEHICLES WILL BE FITTED WITH A DIFFERENT METAL SHIELD DESIGNED TO ENHANCE ABRASION PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF TIRE DISINTEGRATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 13, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR…
Complaints by component
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
4
AIR BAGS
2
2crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
2
2crashes2injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
2
2crashes2injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
1crashes
Total complaints37
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Manufacturer told me that the car can lurch forward, from 1st gear to 3rd gear, causing an accident due to a bad transmission (car has only 46,100 miles, which leads me to believe that the transmission is faulty and defective, and should be warranty, and replaced by the manufacturer, even if the…”
“While consumer was driving the oil light came on. Consumer placed oil into the vehicle, and oil light came on again. Consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer, and it was discovered that engine was defective, and no oil was in the bottom of the engine.*ak *nm”
“The convertible top ripped above the rear window. The consumer contacted the manufacturer and the dealer and was told the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer told the owner that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. Provide further details. *jb.....the dealer stated this…”
“1) no known event leading to this radio system failure. 2) radio suddenly and inexplicably moved from normal 'on' to maximum blaring volume with no one touching it... And could not be changed, turned off, or altered in any way. Radio controls had no effect, even turning off the auto and removing…”
“In ref to nhtsa campaign id number : 02v026000 the vw dealer in indianapolis refuses to acknowledge the existence of this recall against my 1998 vw cabrio. I checked the supplemental recall list filed with nhtsa dated june 2, 2003 and found that my vin [xxx] is included. How can I get vw to honor…”
“With less than 75000 miles, my vehicle has had three defective water pumps replacements. The service man at vw have commented that this appears to be a bad design and warranted the part. However, this does not provide me with any long term solution. I have logged a trouble ticket with vw america…”
“The top on my 1998 vw cabrio has dried out and is cracking due to a defect in the manufacturing in the vinyl used for the top. Vw has refused to replace it even though I know 3 other owners locally with the same exact year/car/problem.*ak”
“Convertible top shredding. Huge rips all over it. Class action suit filed in california. The manufacturer would like me to obtain an attorney or pay for half the repair costs. However, those included in the class action will be able to get theirs replaced.*ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE00033 Opened 2000-08-10 · closed 2000-12-28
FUEL TANK PUNCTURE
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION ON AUGUST 10, 2000 BASED ON 9 REPORTS REGARDING PUNCTURED FUEL TANKS INVOLVING THE JETTA, PASSAT, AND CABRIO MODELS.THE REPORTS INDICATE ADDITIONAL REPORTS IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED FOR FURTHER STUDY.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Volkswagen Cabrio as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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