Recall Register

1985 Volkswagen GTI: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1985 Volkswagen GTI. 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 2 complaints on file for 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

2 campaigns, newest first. 727,000 units in total.

  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. 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

2 complaints, 3 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.

1985 Volkswagen GTI: component mentions in complaints
ComponentMentions
Power Train1
Fuel System, Gasoline1
Tires1
Complaints that report a crash
0
Complaints that report a fire
0
Injuries in the complaints
0
Deaths in the complaints
0
Date of the newest complaint
5 Dec 1996

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 1985 Volkswagen GTI, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 2 complaints.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

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. 19852
  2. 19863
  3. 19872
  4. 19881
  5. 19891
  6. 19902
  7. 19911
  8. 19921
  9. 19932
  10. 19942
  11. 19952
  12. 19961
  13. 19970
  14. 19980
  15. 19992
  16. 20003
  17. 20012
  18. 20022
  19. 20031
  20. 20041
  21. 20051
  22. 20062
  23. 20071
  24. 20081
  25. 20092
  26. 20101
  27. 20112
  28. 20122
  29. 20132
  30. 20141
  31. 20156
  32. 20164
  33. 20172
  34. 20183
  35. 20194
  36. 20203
  37. 20211
  38. 20226
  39. 20235
  40. 20242
  41. 20251

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. 1985 Volkswagen GTI: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/gti/1985/. 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 1985 Volkswagen GTI?
727,000 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Volkswagen GTI have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 34 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen GTI, model years 1985 to 2025. 2 of them name the 1985 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1985 Volkswagen GTI name most often?
Power Train: 1 of 3 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1985 Volkswagen GTI open?
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.