The 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 143,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
A LOCK NUT WHICH SECURES THE TIE ROD TO THE INNER BALL JOINT OF THE STEERING SYSTEM MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SECURELY FASTENED ON SOME OF THE INVOLVED VEHICLES DURING ASSEMBLY. IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS AND THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ALONG POOR ROADS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THE TIE ROD COULD SEPARATE FROM THE STEERING…
DEALER WILL CHECK THE LOCK NUT FOR ADEQUATE TIGHTNESS, CORRECTING WHERE NECESSARY.
THE LEFT AND RIGHT OUTER TIE ROD ENDS OF THE STEERING SYSTEM MAY HAVE CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACKS DUE TO AN IMPROPER MACHINE SET-UP IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS.
THE TIE ROD ENDS WILL BE INSPECTED AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACED AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.
ON SOME VEHICLES, THE PRESSURE COULD INCREASE INSIDE THE FUEL TANK FROM HIGH SURROUNDING TEMPERATURES WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS MORE THAN HALF FULL.
DEALER WILL INSTALL A RESTRICTOR VALVE INTO THE FUEL FILLER PIPE, WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Consumer had an accident and seat belts did not hold. Driver sustained several injuries. *ak”
REAR VIEW MIRROR
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.