- Vehicles
- 540,000
- Built between
- Until Jan 1978
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 20 August 1979
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between an unspecified date and January 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1975-1979 Volkswagen RabbitBuilt unknown to January 1978
- 1975-1979 Volkswagen SciroccoBuilt unknown to January 1978
What the defect is
Due to an improperly sealed antenna mounting hole, water could seap into the fuse relay board. The water entering the fuse relay board acts as a conductor of current, thereby charging the starter.
What gets fixed
THE DEALER WILL SEAL ALL RADIO ANTENNA CABLE HOLES. IN ADDITION, ELECTRICAL PARTS OF THE RELAY/FUSE BOARD WILL BE CHECKED AND REPLACED IN THE CASE OF CORROSION.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtunknown to January 1978
- Recall reported to NHTSA17 May 1979
- Owners notified20 August 1979
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 17 May 1979.
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
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with standard transmissions.system: electrical; starter relay.consequences of defect: the starter could be activated and the vehicle couldmove if the transmission is in gear and the emergency brake is not applied.this could cause injury to persons standing in the path of the moving vehicle.
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.