The 2000 Volkswagen Cabrio has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 332,950 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
EQUIPMENT02V2440002002-09-12332,950 affected
Defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." CHILD SEAT ANCHORAGES INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE'S REAR SEATS MUST BE IDENTIFIED BY MARKINGS, AND THEIR LOCATION AND USE BE DESCRIBED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL.
Consequence
THESE VEHICLES WERE NOT MARKED OR DESCRIBED AS REQUIRED BY THE STANDARD.
Remedy
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A SUPPLEMENT FOR THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND ALSO ONE SET OF FOUR GUIDANCE FIXTURES INTENDED TO USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH CHILD SEATS EQUIPPED WITH RIGID OR SEMI-RIGID LOWER ANCHORAGE ATTACHMENTS. ALSO ENCLOSED WILL BE FOUR DECALS TOGETHER WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS AND A TEMPLATE FOR…
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
1
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
1
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:POWER STEERING FLUID
1
Total complaints18
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Purchased a 2000 vw cabrio from a used car dealership in new jersey (that was my first mistake as I am a new york resident.) test drove and visual inspection appeared great. Drove the car off the lot and within 3 miles, check engine light came on. Checked fluids, proceeded with our trip home.…”
“Purchased a 2000 vw cabrio from a used car dealership in new jersey (that was my first mistake as I am a new york resident.) test drove and visual inspection appeared great. Drove the car off the lot and within 3 miles, check engine light came on. Checked fluids, proceeded with our trip home.…”
“Manual transmission in 2000 vw cabrio went bad sept. 05, replaced car garaged for winter driven very little approx 15oo miles in april 06 transmission went again - same symptoms problem - transmission replaced again oct 07 - transmission bad again after approx 5000 miles. Gears chipping accused of…”
“The speedometer and tachometer in the dashboard fail intermittantly. *nm”
“I have had various electrical problems with this car the speedometer freezing or the since it was under warranty. Sometimes my air conditioner won't start. Check engine light, abs or the check trunk comes on has been doing this since the car was under warranty. They told me it was just the summer…”
“While cruising on the highway, manual transmission broke. 5 th gear disengaged. When attempting to shift back into gear it behaved as if in neutral. Car de-accelerated to a halt. *la”
“Water continuously enters into the compartment of the vehicle through poorly designed rubber seals along the convertable top, permenantly deformed due to poor door design. Replacement seals excessively priced (500 per seal, 4 seals total, plus labor).”
“My entire exhause system all the way up to the manifold was completely rusted out. I have had the main part of the system replaced but now am told that the pipe leading to the manifold and the heat shield are also bad and are vibrating badly. I was told by the vw dealer-where I have my warranty…”
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 2000 Volkswagen Cabrio as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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