The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2012-2020 Volkswagen Passat and 2018-2019 Atlas vehicles. The blocking cap disabling the adjustment of the headlight's horizontal aim may not have been installed. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
Without the blocking cap, the headlight aim can be adjusted out of specification, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, block the headlight horizontal adjustment, free of charge. The recall began July 16, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 94L9.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Atlas | 2018, 2019 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
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 Atlas | 2018 | 466 | 17 |
| Volkswagen Atlas | 2019 | 483 | 12 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2012 | 484 | 11 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2013 | 749 | 9 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2014 | 594 | 10 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2015 | 243 | 7 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2016 | 106 | 5 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2017 | 110 | 7 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2018 | 46 | 4 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2019 | 12 | 1 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2020 | 18 | 3 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2019
74 of the 880 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2019 concerned the exterior lighting; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 19V895000 16 Dec 2019 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
| 19V878000 11 Dec 2019 | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. |
| 19V850000 27 Nov 2019 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 19V839000 21 Nov 2019 | Ford Motor Company |
| 19V816000 15 Nov 2019 | Newmar Corporation |
| 19V808000 12 Nov 2019 | Ford Motor Company |
| 19V799000 7 Nov 2019 | Thor Motor Coach |
| 19V795000 6 Nov 2019 | Blue Bird Body Company |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2019