The 2001 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 58 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility. 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
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
6
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
3
2crashes3injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
3
2crashes2fires2injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
AIR BAGS
2
1crashes1fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
SEATS
2
Total complaints58
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The electrical components on my 2001 cabrio may and have caused a short which sparked under hood causing smoke and possible fire also, the computer over heats causing shorts which made the transmission fail and gauges fail, the us gov. (division) that handles such faults should force volkswagen to…”
“The electrical components on my 2001 cabrio may and have caused a short which sparked under hood causing smoke and possible fire also, the computer over heats causing shorts which made the transmission fail and gauges fail, the us gov. (division) that handles such faults should force volkswagen to…”
“The electrical components on my 2001 cabrio may and have caused a short which sparked under hood causing smoke and possible fire also, the computer over heats causing shorts which made the transmission fail and gauges fail, the us gov. (division) that handles such faults should force volkswagen to…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volkswagen cabrio. While driving approximately 50 mph, the contact was involved in a head-on crash and the frontal air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained lacerations on her face and a rib fracture. The passenger of the other vehicle was also injured. The vehicle…”
“I have a 2001 volkswagen cabrio, which vw does not make anymore, and this is probably why. The car is always being fixed. One major issue I have had to replace three front axles in this car. 3/27/07 karl's custom vw; 6/28/08 big o tires; and now, 11/16/2010 I am told by sundevil auto engine and…”
“Function of turn signals and hazard lights on my 2001 volkswagen cabrio has been degrading over time. Both systems are now completely inoperable. There is an active vw recall (nhtsa campaign number 04v584000) for this problem on 2000-2002 golf, gti, beetle and jetta (but no current recall for the…”
“Function of turn signals and hazard lights on my 2001 volkswagen cabrio has been degrading over time. Both systems are now completely inoperable. There is an active vw recall (nhtsa campaign number 04v584000) for this problem on 2000-2002 golf, gti, beetle and jetta (but no current recall for the…”
“On most volkswagens (and some audi's) that were built between the years 1998 to 2002 it appears that the abs computers fail after approximately 5 years. The problem appears to be a fault in the internal wiring of the computer that allows wires to overheat, rendering the unit inoperable. This issue…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 Volkswagen Cabrio as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.