1998 Volkswagen Cabrio problems & reliability
21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Volkswagen Cabrio, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 7 | 33% |
| Visibility | 5 | 24% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 19% |
| Power Train | 4 | 19% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 14% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 14% |
| Equipment | 2 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 10% |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“1998 volkswagen cabrio gls front windshield header has rusted and no longer capable of supporting the weight of the vehicle. *nj the consumer had to incur the cost of having the front windshield replaced after the front windshield cracked because of the deformities in the windshield header. The vehicle was examined by…”
Structure · filed Nov 2, 2009
“Manufacturer told me that the car can lurch forward, from 1st gear to 3rd gear, causing an accident due to a bad transmission (car has only 46,100 miles, which leads me to believe that the transmission is faulty and defective, and should be warranty, and replaced by the manufacturer, even if the car is 7 years old).*ak”
Power Train · filed Apr 6, 2005
“While consumer was driving the oil light came on. Consumer placed oil into the vehicle, and oil light came on again. Consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer, and it was discovered that engine was defective, and no oil was in the bottom of the engine.*ak *nm”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jan 5, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FUEL TANK PUNCTURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE00033 · opened Aug 10, 2000 · closed Dec 28, 2000
Technical service bulletins
53 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Volkswagen Cabrio. The 10 most recent:
Update to Volkswagen engine oil standards
V171901201285565 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 21, 2023
Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
V171901201285562 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 30, 2023
Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
V171901201285560 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2023
Update model year applicability to include 2023.
V941901201152119 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 12, 2022
Battery testing and charging using special tools VAS6161 & GRX3000VAS Charger. Updated to include additional model year applicability.
V271901201189422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2022
Update engine oil quality standard lists (attachments)
V171901201285534 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 11, 2021
Tool number added to table. Removal of Behr Flush Kit. VAS 6337/1A
V871806201994714 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2020
The part number listed in the document is to be returned if it meets the criteria provided.
SM 33-2019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 27, 2019
Alternative method for radio code retrieval.
TT 91 19 01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 22, 2019
Engine Oils Which Meet Volkswagen Oil Quality Standards
V171901-2012855 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 12, 2019
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1998 Volkswagen Cabrio has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1998 Volkswagen Cabrio?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.