Recall Register

1986 Volkswagen Golf: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1986 Volkswagen Golf. The newest campaign is 92V050000. NHTSA received the report on 14 Apr 1992. The NHTSA record gives the component Visibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System / Heater Core. NHTSA has 13 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 92V050000, in the NHTSA record

Replace the heater core with an improved heater core.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 1,028,520 units in total.

  • 92V050000Visibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System / Heater Core
  • 87V053000Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump
  • 86V149000Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly
  • 86V029000Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly

  1. 92V050000Received . 650,000 units.

    Visibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System / Heater Core

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The end cap connecting the heat exchanger's core to the engine cooling system could rupture and allow hot coolant to escape into the passenger compartment.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    The coolant escaping into the passenger compartment couldcontact the driver's feet and injure the driver. Also, steam from the heatedliquid will cloud on the window surfaces and impair the driver's vision andcould result in a vehicle accident.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Replace the heater core with an improved heater core.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 87V053000Received . 278,520 units.

    Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Fuel Pump

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Fuel pump, located inside fuel tank, could seize during high ambient temperatures because of an extreme fine mesh fuel filter restricting the fuel flow.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Fuel supply to engine would be partially interrupted,resulting in stalling.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Install a modified fuel pump and filter.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 86V149000Received . 23,000 units.

    Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    More fuel than permitted by FMVSS 301 may escape from the fuel tank assembly. Consequence of defect: cars are not in compliance with FMVSS 301.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Replace the fuel tank assembly with a modified unit.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 86V029000Received . 77,000 units.

    Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    More fuel than permitted by FMVSS 301 may escape from the fuel tank assembly under the test conditions described in the standard. Consequence of defect: if the car is involved in an accident, the fuel spillage may result in a fire.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Replace the fuel tank assembly with a modified unit.

    Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

13 complaints, 20 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1986 Volkswagen Golf: component mentions in complaints
ComponentMentions
Fuel System, Gasoline7
Visibility4
Structure3
Power Train2
Electrical System2
Vehicle Speed Control1
Seat Belts1
Complaints that report a crash
0
Complaints that report a fire
1
Injuries in the complaints
1
Deaths in the complaints
0
Date of the newest complaint
5 May 2002

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1986 Volkswagen Golf, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1998, with 3 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1986 Volkswagen Golf
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
EA91054Engineering analysisHEATER CORE FAILUREVisibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System9 Dec 199112 Jun 199292V050000
EA89006Engineering analysisWINDSHIELD WIPERSVisibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System30 Nov 198831 Oct 1989
PE88049Preliminary evaluationWINDSHIELD WIPER FAILUREVisibility27 Apr 198829 Nov 1988

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19855
  2. 19864
  3. 19873
  4. 19885
  5. 19893
  6. 19904
  7. 19912
  8. 19921
  9. 19934
  10. 19944
  11. 19954
  12. 19961
  13. 19970
  14. 19981
  15. 19994
  16. 20005
  17. 20015
  18. 20023
  19. 20032
  20. 20042
  21. 20052
  22. 20061
  23. 20070
  24. 20080
  25. 20090
  26. 20104
  27. 20116
  28. 20126
  29. 20135
  30. 20145
  31. 201512
  32. 20169
  33. 20175
  34. 20186
  35. 20196
  36. 20202
  37. 20211
  38. 20220
  39. 20230

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1986 Volkswagen Golf: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/golf/1986/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1986 Volkswagen Golf?
1,028,520 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Volkswagen Golf have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 54 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Golf, model years 1985 to 2023. 4 of them name the 1986 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1986 Volkswagen Golf name most often?
Fuel System, Gasoline: 7 of 20 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1986 Volkswagen Golf open?
No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.