The 1990 Volkswagen GLI has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 12,650 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the visibility. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE VENTURI TUBE LOCATED IN THE THROTTLE VALVE HOUSING CAN BECOME LOOSE AND FALL AGAINST THE THROTTLE PLATE.
THE VENTURI TUBE CAN PARTIALLY BLOCK THE THROTTLE PLATEAND PREVENT IT FROM RETURNING TO ITS FULL IDLE POSITION, RESULTING IN UNWANTEDENGINE SPEED WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN A FORWARD OR REVERSE GEAR.
REPLACE THE PRESS-FIT VENTURI TUBE WITH A THREAD TYPE TUBE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“While driving down the high way my heater core burst shooting coolant into the floors and on to my legs in side the car. As of yet my heater core has just been by passed due to me awaiting a hopeful good will from vwoa. *jb”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1990 Volkswagen GLI as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.