1986 Volkswagen 90

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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1Owner complaints

Model-year median: 0

0Recall campaigns

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1Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 0 of 1 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints

1 reports

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Mileage unknown · Jun 26, 2002

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

THERE ARE FREQUENT FAILURES OF THE ABS CONTROL UNIT ON THE 1996 VOLVO 850 MODEL. THIS CAN BE CONFIRMED BY SEARCHING YOUR OWN DATABASE, OR LOOKING ON WWW.BRICKBOARD.COM - A VOLVO WEB ENTHUSIASTS SITE. THIS FAILURE IS NOT A PASSIVE ONE - WHEN IT FAILS IT FALSE TRIGGERS CAUSING THE ABS TO ACTIVATE WHEN IT IS NOT NEEDED AND NOT WANT…

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THERE ARE FREQUENT FAILURES OF THE ABS CONTROL UNIT ON THE 1996 VOLVO 850 MODEL. THIS CAN BE CONFIRMED BY SEARCHING YOUR OWN DATABASE, OR LOOKING ON WWW.BRICKBOARD.COM - A VOLVO WEB ENTHUSIASTS SITE. THIS FAILURE IS NOT A PASSIVE ONE - WHEN IT FAILS IT FALSE TRIGGERS CAUSING THE ABS TO ACTIVATE WHEN IT IS NOT NEEDED AND NOT WANTED. THIS ACTIVATION CAN AND DOES INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES WHICH CAN RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE CONTACTED VOLVO ABOUT THIS FAILURE AND THEY CLAIM IT IS NOT A PROBLEM THEY'RE INTERESTED IN. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFORMATION: DEILENBERGER@MONMOUTH.COM.*AK

NHTSA ODI #763500

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE92041 · Transmission Failures

Opened Apr 16, 1992 · Closed Aug 3, 1992

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train

There is no summary currently available