- Vehicles
- 110,000
- Built between
- Mar 1976 – Jan 1980
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 13 May 1981
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 1976 and January 1980. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1977-1980 Volkswagen RabbitBuilt March 1976 to January 1980
- 1976-1980 Volkswagen SciroccoBuilt March 1976 to January 1980
What the defect is
The accelerator cable which leads from the transmission lever to the throttle housing may malfunction. Accelerator cable may have been bent during installation or during servicing of engine components. This could cause the steel band cable to bind and can result in delayed response during deceleration, high engine idle and hesitation during acceleration.
What gets fixed
THE ACCELERATOR CABLE WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE. IN ADDITION, OTHER COMPONENTS OF THE ACCELERATION SYSTEM WILL BE CHECKED, LUBRICATED, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACED. THIS WILL BE DONE WITHOUT CHARGE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 1976 to January 1980
- Recall reported to NHTSA28 January 1981
- Owners notified13 May 1981
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 28 January 1981.
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 fuel-injected gasolineengines and automatic transmissions.system: fuel system; accelerator cable.consequences of defect: the ability to control engine speed could becomeimpaired with little or no warning. Loss of vehicle control and an accident mayresult.note: any abnormal throttle control operation or irregular pedal operationshould be reported to dealer.
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.