What's Wrong with the 3rd Generation Vanagon?
The 3rd generation Vanagon runs from 1981 to 1990. Owners have made 2 complaints about those model years.
Most of the complaints are about hvac problems.
Complaints are only part of the picture though. Considering average repair costs, age of the vehicle, and other data such as recall frequency, we've assigned this generation a PainRank™ score of 1.12.
That ranks 15th out of 45 eligible generations in overall reliability.
What Owners Complain About
Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.
Worst Issues
- 1990 Vanagon overheats 1 (100%)
- 1981 Vanagon heater is not working 1 (100%)
Worst Topics
- HVAC 1 (100%)
- Cooling System 1 (100%)
3rd Generation Vanagon in the News
By the Numbers
2 model years
Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.
2 complaints
Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.
15th in reliability
Overall reliability rank out of 45 eligible generations.