The 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 18,328 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE LATCH OF THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR MAY BECOME DAMAGED IF EXCESSIVE FORCE IS USED TO CLOSE THE DOOR. THE DAMAGED DOOR LOCK MECHANISM WILL NOT PROPERLY ENGAGE AND THE DOOR COULD OPEN IF VEHICLE IS DRIVEN OVER BUMPY ROADS. …
MODIFY THE SLIDING DOOR LOCK ASSEMBLY SO DOOR WILL PROPERLY ENGAGE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Vehicle experienced a fire from under dash next to fuse box. *ak the consumer believes the electrical fire must have unknown cause and should not be considered normal for aging vehicles. *yh”
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.