1988 Volkswagen Vanagon: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1988 Volkswagen Vanagon. The newest campaign is 93V175000. NHTSA received the report on 29 Oct 1993. The NHTSA record gives the component Equipment / Appliance / Air Conditioner. NHTSA has 3 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, 93V175000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will install a reinforcement plate at the connections of both the center and rear air flow ducts.

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 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

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. 30,530 units in total.

93V17500029 Oct 1993Equipment / Appliance / Air Conditioner
89V0670001 May 1989Vehicle Speed Control
88V0760006 May 1988Tires
88V0560005 Apr 1988Equipment / Mechanical / Integrated Jack/Leveler/Stabilizer

93V175000Received 29 Oct 1993. 29,500 units.
Equipment / Appliance / Air Conditioner
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The plastic material of the center air flow duct, which is fastened by two mounting screws to the ceiling of the passenger compartment, can crack and eventually break.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the plastic breaks where it is held at the twomounting screws, the center air flow duct can separate from its supports andcause injury to the passengers sitting in the center seat of the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a reinforcement plate at the connections of both the center and rear air flow ducts.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Mar 1994.
89V067000Received 1 May 1989. 300 units.
Vehicle Speed Control
Defect, in the NHTSA record
When using the cruise control the accelerator cable tension may allow the cable to sag and become entangled with the water pipe bracket impeding its return to idle position.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Failure to return to idle position could lead to anaccident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
The present accelerator cable bracket will be replaced.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 Jun 1989.
88V076000Received 6 May 1988. 130 units.
Tires
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Due to improper mounting process, semperit tires 20570r14 mounted on alloy wheel size 6j x 14 could experience tiny cracks in the bead area.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Tires could lose air, creating potential for loss ofvehicle control.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace tires as necessary.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 1 Jul 1988.
88V056000Received 5 Apr 1988. 600 units.
Equipment / Mechanical / Integrated Jack/Leveler/Stabilizer
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Improper jack furnished with vehicles.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The jack may not reach far enough into the jacketsprovided on both sided of the vehicle. If the improper jack is used, it couldslip and possibly injure a person standing too close to the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace jack with the proper type for vehicle.
Report filed by VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Jul 1988.

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

3 complaints, 4 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.

1988 Volkswagen Vanagon: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Fuel System, Gasoline		3
Structure		1

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 1
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 27 Jun 2023

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 1988 Volkswagen Vanagon, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 1 complaint.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1988 Volkswagen Vanagon
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE93043	Preliminary evaluation	OVERHEAD A/C SEPARATION	Visibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System	5 May 1993	29 Oct 1993	93V175000
EA91026	Engineering analysis	SLIDING DOOR LATCH FAILURE	Structure	4 Jun 1991	27 Jan 1992
PE91050	Preliminary evaluation	SLIDING DOOR LATCH FAILURE	Structure	21 Feb 1991	4 Jun 1991

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.

19803
19812
19821
19840
19851
19864
19877
19884
19892
19902
19912

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

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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 1988 Volkswagen VanagonThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1988 Volkswagen Vanagon: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volkswagen/vanagon/1988/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

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 1988 Volkswagen Vanagon?: 30,530 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 Vanagon have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 15 recall campaigns for the Volkswagen Vanagon, model years 1980 to 1991. 4 of them name the 1988 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Volkswagen Vanagon name most often?: Fuel System, Gasoline: 3 of 4 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Volkswagen Vanagon open?: No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.