- Vehicles
- 10,450
- Built between
- Aug 1995 – Dec 1995
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 20 November 2002
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1995 and December 1995. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996 Volkswagen PassatBuilt August 1995 to December 1995
What the defect is
On certain passenger vehicles, the electrical portion of the ignition switch assembly can fail causing the headlights and windshield wipers to become inoperative.
What could happen
If such failures occur while the vehicle is in use at night or in rainy or snowy weather, a crash could occur.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ELECTRICAL PART OF THE IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 20, 2002.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1995 to December 1995
- Recall reported to NHTSA18 September 2002
- Owners notified20 November 2002
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 18 September 2002.
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.
Manufacturer contact
Owners should contact vwoa at 1-800-822-8987.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- WQ
- Recalling manufacturer
- VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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
Customers can 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.