Volkswagen Visibility: Windshield Wiper/Washer

Volkswagen is recalling about 3,700,000 vehicles over a problem with the visibility. Loss of wiper operation would impair road visibilityduring inclement weather conditions, which may result in an accident.

Campaign
72V256000
Manufacturer
VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC
Reported
26 October 1972
Vehicles
3,700,000
Built between
Aug 1949 – Jul 1969
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
20 October 1972
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 1949 and July 1969. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1949-1969 Volkswagen VolkswagenBuilt August 1949 to July 1969

What the defect is

The set screw locking the windshield wiper arm to the driving shaft may work loose. If this happens, it would cause erratic wiper operation and the could cause wiper operation to cease entirely.

What could happen

Loss of wiper operation would impair road visibilityduring inclement weather conditions, which may result in an accident.

What gets fixed

INSPECT AND REPLACE WITH NEW TYPE WIPER ARMS WHERE NECESSARY.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 1949 to July 1969
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA26 October 1972
  3. Owners notified20 October 1972

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 26 October 1972.

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

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

System: visual systems; windshield wipers.vehicle description: passenger cars; bk models type 1, type 2, and type 3.

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