Volkswagen Latches/Locks/Linkages: Latch

Volkswagen is recalling about 238,000 vehicles over a problem with the latches/locks/linkages. Unexpected opening of the hood could occur obstructing the driver's view of the road while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
98V160000
Manufacturer
VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC
Reported
16 July 1998
Vehicles
238,000
Built between
Aug 1992 – Feb 1996
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
15 October 1998
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 1992 and February 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1993-1996 Volkswagen GolfBuilt August 1992 to February 1996
  • 1993-1996 Volkswagen GTIBuilt August 1992 to February 1996
  • 1993-1996 Volkswagen JettaBuilt August 1992 to February 1996

What the defect is

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The bolts securing the front hood latch can loosen over time. The latch would move causing disengagement of the hood striker from the latch.

What could happen

Unexpected opening of the hood could occur obstructing the driver's view of the road while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE HOOD LATCH AND SECURING BOLTS AND REPLACE THEM IF NECESSARY.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 1992 to February 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA16 July 1998
  3. Owners notified15 October 1998

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 16 July 1998.

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

Owner notification began october 15, 1998.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact vwoa at 1-800-822-8987.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