Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | ||||||||||||||||
| 07V442000 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | from 10/18/2004 to 09/21/2007 | V (Vehicle) | 340000 | 10/31/2007 | OVSC | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 09/24/2007 | 09/19/2007 | 571 | 108 | |||||
| Defect Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Noncompliance can inhibit proper headlamp aim adjustment for roadway illumination, improperly aimed headlamps could cause reduced road visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Volkswagen recall no. q8.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||||
| TB-94-10-02 | 08/09/2010 | 10036467 | Volkswagen: headlights may intermittently dim slightly at idle. the headlamps or inside lights intermittently dim slightly at idle speed. at idle speed the alternator voltage can fluctuate, as the alternator cannot fully compensate the f | 03/16/2011 | |
| TB-09-10-02 | 08/09/2010 | 10035204 | Volkswagen: headlights may intermittently dim slightly at idle. at idle speed the alternator voltage can fluctuate, as the alternator cannot fully compensate the fluctuations. some electric consumers come on in cycles or have no constant | 02/11/2011 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 01/24/2013 | 180000 | ||
| First, vehicle's electronic locks stop responding to depresses from both remotes. replace the batteries to the remote and still the car will not respond. the only way to open the door is by manually inserting the key into the drivers side, which is the only manual keyhole, and turning left twice. once turn unlocks the driver's side door, another turn unlocks the passenger doors. after some time passenger doors stop responding to second turn. passenger doors do no lock when manually turning key the right from the driver side door, which is the only manual keyhole. the passenger doors that do not lock cause the alarm to go off when opened. depressing the silence alarm button on key fob does not silence alarm. the only way to silence alarm is by closing passenger door, closing driver side door and turning key right once to lock and left to unlock. doing so only control driver side door. after some time dashboard shows door open symbol even when all doors are securely closed and indicator light on door is off. dome light stays on while driving as if the doors are indeed open even though they are securely closed. at this stage the alarm system no longer works either by key fob depress nor by manually turning the lock in the drivers side door as described earlier. doors must be locked by opening each one manually and pressing the lock door button located on each passenger door. pressing the drivers side door lock does not lock passenger doors. all fuses are intact and no electrical issues reported. | |||
| 11/09/2012 | 70068 | 1 | |
| 2006 vw jetta, driving down street 11/09/12 door ajar light comes on, i stop to close doors and light goes off. i pull into work parking lot and get out of car as i click the key to lock the car, nothing. i then proceed to check the car.. nothing is working. cannot access gas cap to put gas in car, some lights may not be functioning properly, airbag light not on, door will not lock, window will not respond, no car alarm. drivers side of car has no power at all. i have no idea what is and is not working correctly. although i did look online and found hundreds of complaints with regard to a brown wire or wires too short inside the boot to the body connector. most people report that even after a vw fix, problem not resolved. car not acting properly and with electrical and having been in a vw car fire do not wish to repeat this scenario. i contacted vw customer care who politely told me this is not their problem and refused to escalate to a manager. since this just happened today i have not had an opportunity for vw to look at it, but will tomorrow as i have to find a way to put gas in car and see if they feel auto is safe to drive. i don't.. *tr | |||
| 11/09/2012 | 70068 | ||
| 2006 vw jetta, driving down street 11/09/12 door ajar light comes on, i stop to close doors and light goes off. i pull into work parking lot and get out of car as i click the key to lock the car, nothing. i then proceed to check the car.. nothing is working. cannot access gas cap to put gas in car, some lights may not be functioning properly, airbag light not on, door will not lock, window will not respond, no car alarm. drivers side of car has no power at all. i have no idea what is and is not working correctly. although i did look online and found hundreds of complaints with regard to a brown wire or wires too short inside the boot to the body connector. most people report that even after a vw fix, problem not resolved. car not acting properly and with electrical and having been in a vw car fire do not wish to repeat this scenario. i contacted vw customer care who politely told me this is not their problem and refused to escalate to a manager. since this just happened today i have not had an opportunity for vw to look at it, but will tomorrow as i have to find a way to put gas in car and see if they feel auto is safe to drive. i dont.. | |||
| 11/04/2011 | 104000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the brake light would consistently stay on even when the ignition was turned off, causing the battery to drain. the dealer and manufacturer were notified, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 104, 000. | |||
| 11/04/2011 | 104000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the brake light would consistently stay on even when the ignition was turned off, causing the battery to drain. the dealer and manufacturer were notified, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 104, 000. kmj | |||
| 11/04/2011 | 104000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the brake light would consistently stay on (even when the ignition was turned off), causing the battery to drain. the dealer and manufacturer were notified, but denied any assistance with repair to the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 104, 000. nw | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 90000 | ||
| The drivers side door electrical system does not work. the locks, windows, mirrors, trunk latch, gas tank latch, mirror defroster et al. in speaking the vw service reps they knew right away that the issue was a broken harness. they indicated it had failed in many other vehicles. however, in speaking with vw customer care they are not willing to accept responsibility for the known issue. i will let the safety experts determine the severity of this design failure but the doors can not be locked or unlocked, the door ajar light remains on and dings all the time, the interior lights are on night and day making visibility at night difficult and last but not least the windows cannot be put down. please address this as vw does not appear willing and this issue is everywhere with this model year and make. thanks! | |||
| 08/03/2008 | 59400 | 1 | |
| The brake light stays on and will not turn off resulting in a dead battery and a very unsafe condition while driving. i drove for a half a day without knowing the light was staying on. a couple of people honked at me, but i did not know why. i also could not figure out why my cruise control did not work. i figured out the brakelight switch was not working when i came out of home depot after dark and i thought i left my lights on. it turned out it was the brakelight switch. i called a volkswagon repair shop and they said there was a recall on it and i should not have to pay. when i called volkswagen dealer service to repair it, they denied any recall. i did a little search on the internet and i now see they have a history of brakelight switch failures on jettas and beetles. they told me my vehicle is out of warranty also as it has 59,400 miles on it and it is a 2006 jetta tdi. i bought this car thinking it will go 250,000 miles with no problems and am saddened by this type of treatment for a safety issue which they have a history of. i have driven many cars over 250,000 miles without a brake switch failure. it seems volkswagen does not know how to remedy the failures on the mexican made vehicles on something as simple as a brake light switch which should be designed for a near infinite life since it is a safety issue. it is not like a fan switch. i am probably one of the first to see the failure as i have put on an unusually high amount of miles, but most of them are highway miles. when i get it repaired, i can get the old part. i hope to get it repaired tomorrow. *tr | |||
| 10/30/2006 | 1 | 05/24/2006 | |
| Unadjustable aim of headlights on 2006 vw jetta tdi. right and left lights are adjustable side-to-side, but i was told by the dealer that the high and low beams on each side are all one unit and cannot be adjusted up or down separately. i find this completely unacceptable, since the high beams do not add any distance or width to the light field on the road. they do, however, light up the tree-tops nicely. high-beams which are useless at highway speeds and cannot be made functional without rendering the standard low-beam focus unacceptably short is a safety hazard. correction seems to require redesigned components. unacceptable brake light reflection in rear window. brake light housing at top of rear window is not flush to the glass, but approximately 3/8ths of an inch away. this causes a large red glare in the rear window when brakes are used in dark or near-dark situations. dealer said according to design. i feel this is a safety hazard due to the obscuring of visibility to the rear when brakes are in use. rear-view mirror dimming switch does not align mirror with previous setting. this requires driver to move the mirror after switching to dim upcoming headlights. | |||
| 01/08/2006 | 1 | 01/02/2006 | |
| One comment i have is regarding the rear exterior turn signal lights. other than the small orange side mirror indicators which are a marginal backup to the rear turn indicators it was still difficult to see the rear turn signals especially when braking as they are red, the same color as the brake lights. when i followed my son home last night i knew he was braking but without the small orange mirror indicator i had no idea he was turning. is there any plan to replace the rear turn signal lenses with orange colored lenses? *jb | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 24 | 365 | 05/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen jetta. while driving 45 mph, the rearview mirror overadjusted, which caused the brake lights to produce a large, red glare on the rear window. the failure caused poor visibility. the current mileage was 20,000 and failure mileage was 24. | |||
| 10/20/2006 | 13500 | 4 | 02/15/2006 |
| Brake lights remain on after car is shut off. *nm | |||
| 10/30/2005 | 0 | 1000 | 10/21/2005 |
| Upon application of the car's brake, the upper rear brake light bleeds light into the rear window. this obscures vision through the rear window at night, especially in very low ambient light conditions. i have asked the dealer to take care of this under warranty, and their position is that this is not a safety or design issue. i have not been involved in an accident yet due to this design flaw, but i do consider this a safety issue that needs to be addressed. *nm | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS - SWITCH | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 1 | ||
| 2006 volkswagen jetta is equipped with brake light switch part number 3b0 945 511 which was the subject of a recall (recall 07v063000) in 2003-2005 passat and passat wagon. *tr | |||
| 07/12/2007 | 3 | 11/20/2005 | |
| Vehicle failed to start on multiple occasions due to insufficient battery charge. owner observed brake lights including chmsl would come on independently while the vehicle was parked, shut off, and unoccupied with no brake pedal application. no other lights were on at the same time interior, headlights, turn signals were on. this was presumably the cause of the battery drain issue. on multiple occasions after jump starting the vehicle owner observed loss of power while trying to accelerate. input to the accelerator was momentarily ineffective and had trouble maintaining highway speed. the engine did not stall and no fault codes were generated. power was restored after a few seconds, but the symptoms would occur several times during a drive. vehicle was brought to a volkswagen dealership service facility (lindsay vw in sterling, va) on 7/13/2007. the owner described the above symptoms to the service advisor. the owner was called later on the same date and told that the dealership could not verify the claim and that no repair was performed. took car to a different dealer (fairfax vw) who correctly diagnosed the problem as a faulty brake light switch. the repair part is the same part used in the recall. the car was fixed under warranty and the repair invoice even states recall on it but the dealer says my car is not part of the recall and i never received notification. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 02/14/2008 | 30 | 02/01/2006 | |
| I am leasing a 2006 vw jetta since jan. 2006. ever since, periodically one of the daylight headlights (mostly the right light) does not turn off after turning off the motor. i then turn the motor back on, move the car and turn it off again. the light will then turn off. vw service is aware of this problem but could never detect anything wrong with it. 6 weeks ago, my brake light went out and the bulbs needed to be replaced. on feb 3rd, the daylight headlights turned off while i was driving. it was very dangerous because toas had a snowstorm and the supporting headlights (smaller) were not sufficient enough. i called vw headquarters on 2-3 and explained what happened. i wanted vw to start a case on it, replaced the headlight bulbs and credit me for the brake light i replaced earlier, because i think that the lighting issue comes from one source. i made an appointment with vw service for 2-5, but had to reschedule for 2-12 due to a snowstorm. however, meanwhile the daylight headlights turned back on again (after two days of not functioning). i brought the car to have the lights checked and vw service was not able to find anything wrong, but started a case on it. meanwhile, vw headquarter called and told me that there is nothing wrong with the car. yesterday again, the lights did not turn off after parking, and i almost had it towed to the dealership just to prove that i am not making anything up! it is very frustrating to deal with such incompetent people at the dealership and vw headquarter. i am worried that my child and my safety is at stake. *tr | |||
| 01/16/2006 | 2 | 2 | 01/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen jetta. the headlights aim too high and do not shine on the road. the vehicle was repaired for nhtsa campaign id number 07v442000 (exterior lighting:headlights); however, the failure still occurred after the cap was placed on the vehicle. the dealer stated that the lights met volkswagen specifications. the failure mileage was 2 and current mileage was 36,877. updated 3/18/08 *cn the consumer stated dealer would not solve the problem. updated 03/18/08 *tr | |||
| 07/17/2006 | 1 | 1 | 05/15/2006 |
| My vw dealer tells me that the high and low headlights cannot be adjusted separately on my 2006 jetta. the low beams illuminate the road for about 100 feet and the high beams only illuminate the tree tops. i cannot see the road safely to drive with any combination. they have adjusted the beams several times and cannot fix it to a safe condition. *tr | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 6 | 1 | 04/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 volkswagen jetta. the contact stated that the high beams were aimed too high. they shine upwards into the trees. the failure has been occurring since the vehicle was purchased. the dealer stated that they were unable to adjust the high and low beams. his vehicle is included in nhtsa campaign id number 07v442000 (exterior lighting:headlights); however, he is still experiencing the failure. the manufacturer has not offered any further assistance and the dealer never placed the adjuster cap on the head lamps. the engine size and vin were unknown. the failure mileage was 6 and current mileage was 17,000. | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 1 | 06/30/2006 | |
| 2006 vw jetta recall on headlamp inspection/modification. consumer states that the headlamps are now back where they were. consumer also states that the high beams shine into the tree tops. *kb the consumer stated the high beams were useless as they shined about 20 feet down the road. there was absolutely no illumination change looking down the road between the low beams and the high beams. the consumer had the headlights adjusted so that the high beams were effective, but then the low beams shined down very close to the front of the vehicle which did not provide illumination far enough down the road. recall # 07v442000*jb | |||
| 03/04/2007 | 0 | 1 | 02/27/2007 |
| The high beam headlamp assemblies on my 2006 volkswagen jetta tdi are designed in a manner that i feel is extremely dangerous. the design of these headlamps is such that the high beams cannot be adjusted independently of the low beams. when the low beams are aimed correctly, the high beams are aimed far too high to be effective. this headlamp design could most definitely result in an accident and i do not understand how they are even consistent with the dot lighting code. *jb | |||
| 09/22/2006 | 5 | 1 | 07/10/2006 |
| The headlights are defective. when low beams are properly adjusted the high beams are too high. so high that there is a black line between the top of the low bean cut off and the bottom of the high beam start. *jb | |||
| 12/20/2006 | 1 | 11/28/2005 | |
| I noticed high beams were very high right after i took delivery in nov. 2005. because, at the time, i did very little night driving, it didn't bother me. it wasn't until about october,2006, when i had some night local driving to do, that i noticed how the high-beams so nicely lit up my neighbors second story windows. i quickly learned to use 'low-beams only in our development!!! i called ton bush motors in jacksonville to ask if they had found a cure for this problem. they said the service mgr said he thought he could take care of it. as i have been following these complaints for a while on the 'net, my first thought was oh, sure. on 12/20/06, i left the car with the service people. within 30 minutes they paged me, saying that it's all set. that night, i drove the car all thru' the development....... not a single case of second story lighting !!! and the low-beams give adequate coverage. i drove onto florida a1a the next night south to st augustine, and had great visibility the whole way. i don't know what tech 336 did, but my lights are now fine. *jb | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 0 | 1 | 06/01/2006 |
| The high and low headlights are not capable of being adjusted independently. this is a safety concern because per manufacturer spec, the low beams are appropriately aimed, but the high beams illuminate only trees. if the headlights are adjusted so that the high beams are appropriately aimed, the low beams only illuminate a useless distance in front of the car. *nm | |||
| 11/10/2006 | 1 | ||
| The high beam headlamp assemblies on my 2006 volkswagen jetta tdi cannot be adjusted properly and i feel this creates a dangerous situation. the design of these headlamps is such that the high beams cannot be adjusted independently of the low beams. when the low beams are aimed correctly, the high beams are aimed far too high to be effective. the dealer claims the headlights are adjusted properly however the focus of the high beams it literally pointed up in the trees. this headlamp design could most definitely result in an accident. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 15 | 1 | 05/01/2006 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph on normal road conditions the high beams were observed to be too high although the road was not illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the adjustment could only be made to either for the low beams or the high beam. however, if the high beam was adjusted to the appropriate level, the low beam would become too low with the consequence of no road illumination. a second dealership was contacted who also was unable to repair the defect. the manufacturer was contacted and acknowledged the problem and promised to call back however the call was never received. | |||
| 11/07/2006 | 1 | 12/04/2005 | |
| The high beam headlamp assemblies on my 2006 volkswagen jetta tdi are designed in a manner that i feel is extremely dangerous. the design of these headlamps is such that the high beams cannot be adjusted independently of the low beams. when the low beams are aimed correctly, the high beams are aimed far too high to be effective. this headlamp design could most definitely result in an accident and i do not understand how they are even consistent with the dot lighting code.*jb | |||
| 11/06/2006 | 68 | 12 | 10/27/2006 |
| The headlamp assemblies on my 2006 volkswagen jetta tdi are designed in a manner that i feel is extremely dangerous. when the low beams are aimed correctly, the high beams are aimed far too high to be effective. the design of these headlamps is such that the high beams cannot be adjusted independently of the low beams. this headlamp design could most definitely result in an accident. *nm | |||
| 11/05/2006 | 0 | 1 | 07/26/2006 |
| The high beam headlamp assemblies on my 2006 volkswagen jetta tdi are designed in a manner that i feel is extremely dangerous. the design of these headlamps is such that the high beams cannot be adjusted independently of the low beams. when the low beams are aimed correctly, the high beams are aimed far too high to be effective. this headlamp design could most definitely result in an accident and i do not understand how they are even consistent with the dot lighting code. *nm | |||
| 04/15/2006 | 1 | ||
| The standard (non-xenon) highbeams on 2005 and 2006 jettas are defective. due to a design flaw, they do not add any useful light to the road surface, but only illuminate the tops of trees. there is no separate adjustment for the highbeam; the high and low beams move as a unit. if you lower the highbeam to make it useful, the low beam becomes too low. *nm | |||
| 11/09/2005 | 4450 | 1 | 09/07/2005 |
| During product evaluation, test drive and upon delivery of my new car, it did not include daytime running lights (drl). after initial service at 5,000 miles, the car suddenly included drl. the dealer explained that he was required by law to activate this feature. the implementation of this function does not include an override switch, nor does it include a darkness sensor that activates the main lights when it gets dark. therefore, when driving the car as dusk approaches the road is illuminated by the drl, the instrument lights are on, and there is no ability to recognize that the actual lights (including tail lights) are not active. i am very concerned that this presents a significant safety hazard that could lead to rear-end collisions side-impact collisions after dark. *nm | |||