- Vehicles
- 83,000
- Built between
- Aug 1998 – Apr 1999
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 5 February 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1998 and April 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1999 Audi A4Built August 1998 to April 1999
- 1999 Audi A6Built August 1998 to April 1999
- 1999 Audi A8Built August 1998 to April 1999
- 1999 Volkswagen PassatBuilt August 1998 to April 1999
What the defect is
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The tie rods of the steering assembly are protected on each side by a seal to prevent moisture and dust particles from entering the swivel bearing mechanism. It is possible that some tie rod seals may not seal properly.
What could happen
If moisture and/or dust particles enter the swivel bearing mechanism, the swivel bearing could wear over time diminishing the steering control of the vehicle.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TIE RODS.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1998 to April 1999
- Recall reported to NHTSA6 December 2000
- Owners notified5 February 2001
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 6 December 2000.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- WL/LW
- Recalling manufacturer
- VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Owner notification began february 5, 2001.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987 or audi at 1-800-822-2834.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.