1990 Volkswagen Passat: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1990 Volkswagen Passat. The newest campaign is 96V115000. NHTSA received the report on 1 Jul 1996. The NHTSA record gives the component Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System. NHTSA has 34 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, 96V115000, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the heat exchanger on these vehicles.
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
Recall campaigns
2 campaigns, newest first. 20,750 units in total.
96V115000Received . 8,100 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
In the event the engine overheats and the vehicle is operated continuously in that condition, the coolant pressure will rise to a level at which the heat exchanger could leak.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A leaking heat exchanger will allow hot coolant to escape causing injury to the driver's feet or could steam up the interior of the vehicle temporarily impairing the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the heat exchanger on these vehicles.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
92V131000Received . 12,650 units.
Vehicle Speed Control
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
The venturi tube located in the throttle valve housing can become loose and fall against the throttle plate.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace the press-fit venturi tube with a thread type tube.
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
34 complaints, 50 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
- 1990 Volkswagen Passat
- All 1990 vehicles
| Component | 1990 Passat | All 1990 vehicles | Passat, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 260 | 104.4 | 91.1 | 13 |
| Power Train | 160 | 85.1 | 47.6 | 8 |
| Visibility | 160 | 32.8 | 32.9 | 8 |
| Seat Belts | 140 | 105.2 | 8.2 | 7 |
| Suspension | 100 | 28.2 | 39.7 | 5 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 60 | 159.4 | 64.7 | 3 |
| Electrical System | 40 | 99 | 118.6 | 2 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 20 | 58.5 | 44 | 1 |
| Seats | 20 | 22 | 20.4 | 1 |
| Equipment | 20 | 15.5 | 10.3 | 1 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 11.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 0
- Complaints that report a fire
- 3
- Injuries in the complaints
- 1
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 16 Dec 2005
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.
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.
- 19881
- 19891
- 19902
- 19911
- 19921
- 19933
- 19941
- 19951
- 19961
- 19970
- 19984
- 19995
- 20003
- 20013
- 20023
- 20036
- 20043
- 20053
- 20067
- 20077
- 20084
- 20094
- 20104
- 20110
- 201211
- 20139
- 201410
- 20157
- 20165
- 20177
- 20184
- 20191
- 20203
- 20211
- 20220
A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.
Follow by RSS:Volkswagen recallsVehicle recalls
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 1990 Volkswagen PassatThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 1990 Volkswagen Passat: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/passat/1990/. 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 1990 Volkswagen Passat?
- 20,750 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 Passat have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 54 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Passat, model years 1988 to 2022. 2 of them name the 1990 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 1990 Volkswagen Passat name most often?
- Engine and Engine Cooling: 13 of 50 component mentions, or 260 per 1,000. For all 1990 vehicles the figure is 104.4 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1990 Volkswagen Passat open?
- The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.