Volkswagen of America, Inc: Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights › Switch
Volkswagen of America, Inc reported this defect to federal regulators on May 24, 2006 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 646,246. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC OR MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND CRUISE CONTROLS, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION IF IT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY DURING SAFETY RECALLS 03V-265 OR 04V-096.
The risk
THE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OR REMAIN ON. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 27, 2006. VEHICLES WITHIN THE MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR OF THIS POPULATION MAY BE INVOLVED IN EITHER THIS RECALL OR 06V-183, BUT NOT BOTH. THE REMEDY IS THE SAME FOR EACH RECALL. VOLKSWAGEN DEALERS WILL APPLY THE REMEDY BASED ON THE VIN NUMBER OF THE VEHICLE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
9 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Volkswagen Beetle | 165 | 8 | 4 | 13 |
| 2002 Volkswagen Jetta | 702 | 7 | 71 | 31 |
| 2001 Volkswagen Beetle | 203 | 8 | 9 | 12 |
| 2001 Volkswagen Jetta | 668 | 7 | 12 | 40 |
| 2000 Volkswagen Beetle | 263 | 7 | 21 | 8 |
| 2000 Volkswagen Jetta | 439 | 5 | 14 | 27 |
| 1999 Volkswagen Beetle | 174 | 7 | 20 | 17 |
| 1999 Volkswagen Jetta | 349 | 7 | 9 | 33 |
| 1998 Volkswagen Beetle | 171 | 8 | 16 | 14 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 06V183000.
Full record for the 2002 Volkswagen Beetle → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →