1997 Volkswagen Cabrio Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1997 Volkswagen Cabrio. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Ignition switch fails to return from starter position -- burning out starter. This is a know problem with 1997 a4 but was never reported/carried over to the 1997 cabriolet. Also, key-in-ignition-status maintained even after key removed from ignition causing battery to run down. *tr”
“Ignition switch fails to return from starter position -- burning out starter. This is a know problem with 1997 a4 but was never reported/carried over to the 1997 cabriolet. Also, key-in-ignition-status maintained even after key removed from ignition causing battery to run down. *tr”
“While driving my vw cabrio home last night the highlights, dash lights, heater fan and radio all suddenly went off and the abs failure light came on. I pulled the car off the road and the lights suddenly came back on and I was able to drive the last few miles home. I spoke to a service manager at…”
“While driving my vw cabrio home last night the highlights, dash lights, heater fan and radio all suddenly went off and the abs failure light came on. I pulled the car off the road and the lights suddenly came back on and I was able to drive the last few miles home. I spoke to a service manager at…”
“Car: 1997 vw cabrio: at 92.890 miles, the airbag light went on. Vw determined, this was due to a defective clockspring (resistance too high). Airbag is not functioning without clockspring. *nm”
“Consumer stated the gas tank cracked. Dealer notified.*ak. When the consumer started the vehicle and backed out of the garage, gasoline spilled onto the garage floor. The consumer pushed the vehicle to the end of the driveway for safety. *ph *jb”
“The convertible top ripped open on the seam while driving on the highway. *la”
“While driving about 65 mph took foot off accelerator pedal, but the engine did not decelerate. Had to apply emergency brakes to control vehicle. Then, took vehicle to dealer. But, they could not find out what had caused the situation.*ak the floor mat was caught under the accelerator pedal and…”
Defect investigations
FUEL TANK PUNCTURE
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION ON AUGUST 10, 2000 BASED ON 9 REPORTS REGARDING PUNCTURED FUEL TANKS INVOLVING THE JETTA, PASSAT, AND CABRIO MODELS.THE REPORTS INDICATE ADDITIONAL REPORTS IN ITS RESPONSE TO THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED FOR FURTHER STUDY.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Volkswagen Cabrio as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.