Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||||
| 0201 | 04/15/2002 | 0001 | 633840 | Rear brake pads that appear to be worn prematurely. *tt | 09/24/2002 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - SWITCHES - BRAKE LIGHT | ||||||
| EA03002 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 04/08/2003 | 08/20/2003 | BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH | 03V265000 | |
| The brake light switch used in cruise control equipped my 1998-1999 and all my 2000 and later models has undergone multiple revisions.analysis of warranty and complaint data indicates high replacement rates occurred in vehicles built with brake switch part numbers 1j0 945 511a and 1j0 945 511b, the original and first revision levels, respectively.the failure of the switch could result in failure of the brake lights to illuminate when the brakes are applied, or could cause the brake lamps to stay continually illuminated.either condition results in the inability of the brake lights to notify other motorists of vehicle braking.under safety recall 03v-265, volkswagen will inspect the brake light switch on all vehicles built through november 2001.any affected switch will be replaced free of charge with the most current version, part number 1j0 945 511d. | ||||||
| PE02084 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 11/18/2002 | 04/08/2003 | BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH OPERATION | ||
| The brake light switch used in new beetle is also specified in golf and jetta models.one type of switch is used on cruise equipped models, a second type is used on non-cruise models.vw reports 86 consumer complaints and 2575 warranty claims of inoperative brake lights, the majority of which are related to the brake switch.two of the vw complaints involve failures that were also reported to odi.additionally, over 100,000 brake switch service components have been sold under 4 different part numbers.the investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||
| 08/04/2005 | 41000 | 20 | 05/15/2003 |
| Abs and brake warning light started flashing a beeping while car still had more than 50% of original brakes left. no act or event seems to have precipitated the problem. dealer service department believes that the abs pump is malfunctioning. regular application of brakes is unaffected. unknown whether application of abs system would cause brake failure. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 07/15/2003 | 25900 | 1 | |
| When the brakes were applied, the vehicle experienced extended stopping distance. *ak. the consumer stated the rear brakes were completely worn. *jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 1 | 11/30/1999 | |
| I own a 2000 vw new beetle. the vehicle currently has 38,000 miles on the odometer. within the last month, 2 instrument lights come after the car has started and reaches a speed of 15 mph. the 2 lights that come on have to do with the abs braking system malfunctioning. i took the car to my local vw repair shop, they hooked up a tester to the vehicles computer, the computer fault said that the abs hydraulic pump was out of tolerance. when i took the car to the local vw dealer and explained to them the fault, they told me that it would be approx. $1000.00 to remove and replace the pump. $300.00 labor, $700.00 for the part. while talking to the mechanic at the dealer, he told me that he has seen this problem quite often, not only the beetle, but on other vw models. i do not know how many other complaints you might have had for this problem, but i think that vw of america should be made aware of it. at this time, i have not had the repair done. i am hoping that you may be able to get vw to look into this issue and resolve it. *jb | |||
| 03/18/2003 | 32000 | ||
| The vehicles abs failed without warning. *nlm | |||
| 04/29/2002 | |||
| While applying brake at 40 mph the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle continue dthough the intersection before stopping. dealer was not notified at this time. feel free to provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 15 | 07/01/1999 | ||
| No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving brake light sensor would come on, and consumer would not have any brakes. consumer contacted the dealer. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 05/30/2002 | 1 | 12/01/2099 | |
| This is a quote from the police report (full copy available on request) driver and only occupant butler stated he entered the parking lot and put the manual transmission of the veh. into neutral and coasted into the parking space, but then he applied the brakes of the veh. they didn't work, causing front of veh. to jump over the approx. 6 high curb and come to rest hanging over edge of the river wall. butler reported he has had the lease veh. for approx. 3 years and has had numerous problems with it, but never any problems with the brakes an unidentified male was sitting on the back of the veh. to keep it from tipping into the water butler was not injured but he didn't want to exit the veh. as he reported it was teetering back and forth before the male sat on the back end on reporting the above to volkswagen, their official responce that i found insulting was that it was operator error. i have been driving stick shift vehicle for 12 years and never mistaken the clutch with the brake, and after reluctantly taking back the beetle i went to an empty parking lot to see if it was possible for me to depress the clutch by mistake and found that my right foot would not easily reach the pedal and therefore beyond any doubt dismiss the claim of operator error. since there was no personal injury and minimal vehicle damage it is not financially viable for me to take legal proceeding, although 4 months after the incident i still have flashbacks and bad dreams of the near fatal event. nlm | |||
| When driver's foot is on brake all of a sudden vehicle will accelerate. vehicle has to be slammed into park in order to stop. *ak | |||
| 05/18/2001 | 3 | ||
| When starting vehicle in morning and when brake pedal is depressed with vehicle in reverse , pedal goes directly to floor, causing extended stopping distance. dealer replaced brake master cylinder and brake booster, which did not correct the problem. *ak dealer has also recently replaced the hydraulic pump and problems still exist, vehicle has been in shop since june 11th. *slc | |||
| 1 | |||
| Brake failure. *ak *slc | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM - SHOES/LININGS | |||
| 09/18/2001 | 1 | 11/01/2000 | |
| Please note service manager derrick told me that rear shoes wear to quickly on all beetle's, jetta's, & passet. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - MASTER CYLINDER | |||
| 05/18/2001 | 3 | ||
| When starting vehicle in morning and when brake pedal is depressed with vehicle in reverse , pedal goes directly to floor, causing extended stopping distance. dealer replaced brake master cylinder and brake booster, which did not correct the problem. *ak dealer has also recently replaced the hydraulic pump and problems still exist, vehicle has been in shop since june 11th. *slc | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 11/15/2001 | 2 | 04/26/2000 | |
| Brake and gas pedal are very close together. when wearing workshoes there is the possibility of stepping on the brake in an emergency situation, depressing the brake pedal and pushing the gas pedal at the same time because the brake pedal depresses beyond the height of the gas pedal. consumer request that dealer install a kill switch on accelerator to rectify the problem. *tt | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - VACUUM | |||
| 05/18/2001 | 3 | ||
| When starting vehicle in morning and when brake pedal is depressed with vehicle in reverse , pedal goes directly to floor, causing extended stopping distance. dealer replaced brake master cylinder and brake booster, which did not correct the problem. *ak dealer has also recently replaced the hydraulic pump and problems still exist, vehicle has been in shop since june 11th. *slc | |||