The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC OR MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND CRUISE CONTROLS, A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ON THESE VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION IF IT WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY DURING SAFETY RECALLS 03V-265 OR 04V-096.
The risk
THE BRAKE LIGHTS COULD BECOME INOPERATIVE, OR REMAIN ON. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 27, 2006. VEHICLES WITHIN THE MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR OF THIS POPULATION MAY BE INVOLVED IN EITHER THIS RECALL OR 06V-183, BUT NOT BOTH. THE REMEDY IS THE SAME FOR EACH RECALL. VOLKSWAGEN DEALERS WILL APPLY THE REMEDY BASED ON THE VIN NUMBER OF THE VEHICLE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Beetle | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Beetle | 1998 | 171 | 2 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 1999 | 174 | 1 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 2000 | 263 | 1 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 2001 | 203 | 2 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 2002 | 165 | 2 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 1999 | 349 | 6 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 2000 | 439 | 4 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 2001 | 668 | 6 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 2002 | 702 | 5 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2006
15 of the 490 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2006 concerned the exterior lighting; VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC filed 63 campaigns in all.
| 06V497000 29 Dec 2006 | UTILIMASTER CORPORATION |
| 06V487000 21 Dec 2006 | RACE CITY RV PRODUCTS, LLC |
| 06V395000 13 Oct 2006 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 06V394000 13 Oct 2006 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 06V381000 5 Oct 2006 | GENUINE SCOOTER CO, LLC |
| 06V328000 31 Aug 2006 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 06V321000 31 Aug 2006 | FREIGHTLINER LLC |
| 06V263000 19 Jul 2006 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2006