Volkswagen Exterior Lighting: Switch

Volkswagen is recalling about 377,130 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. If this happens, the brake lights could become inoperative, or come on and stay on, even though the vehicle is parked.

Campaign
04V096000
Manufacturer
VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC
Reported
20 February 2004
Vehicles
377,130
Built between
May 1998 – Nov 2001
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
30 April 2004
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 1998 and November 2001. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1999-2002 Volkswagen JettaBuilt May 1998 to November 2001

What the defect is

On certain passenger vehicles, a brake light switch on these vehicles may malfunction.

What could happen

If this happens, the brake lights could become inoperative, or come on and stay on, even though the vehicle is parked.

What gets fixed

THIS RECALL HAS BEEN SUPERCEDED BY 06V-183. OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD A REMEDY PERFORMED UNDER THIS RECALL SHOULD RETURN TO THEIR DEALER FOR THE REDESIGNED REMEDY.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 1998 to November 2001
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA20 February 2004
  3. Owners notified30 April 2004

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 20 February 2004.

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 volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
WX
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

Vwoa recall no. Wx.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.

Same component

Same brand