Volkswagen of America, Inc: Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Volkswagen of America, Inc reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 24, 2007 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 340,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE HAD A REQUIRED CAP INSTALLED WHICH DISABLES THE HEADLIGHT HORIZONTAL AIM AND SOME VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN A CAP THAT DISABLES THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW.
The risk
NONCOMPLIANCE CAN INHIBIT PROPER HEADLAMP AIM ADJUSTMENT FOR ROADWAY ILLUMINATION, IMPROPERLY AIMED HEADLAMPS COULD CAUSE REDUCED ROAD VISIBILITY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE LOW BEAM HORIZONTAL AIMING SCREW AND INSTALL ONE IF MISSING, AND INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW AND IF PRESENT, THE CAP WILL BE REMOVED. THE RECALL WILL BEGIN ON OCTOBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
13 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Volkswagen GTI | 67 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2008 Volkswagen Jetta | 188 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| 2008 Volkswagen R32 | 115 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit | 23 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2007 Volkswagen GTI | 77 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2007 Volkswagen Jetta | 201 | 6 | 7 | 11 |
| 2007 Volkswagen R32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit | 54 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2006 Volkswagen GTI | 43 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2006 Volkswagen Jetta | 580 | 6 | 6 | 15 |
| 2006 Volkswagen R32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Volkswagen Rabbit | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 Volkswagen Jetta | 248 | 7 | 14 | 8 |
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 07V442000.
Full record for the 2008 Volkswagen GTI → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →