Volkswagen Vehicle Recall

Nearly 800,000 Volkswagen vehicles are being recalled. Volkswagen of America Inc. recently announced that it would recall 790,000 due to a brake light flaw. Apparently there are problems with the brake light switch. This recall involves several makes of Volkswagen vehicles including 1999-2006 model years of the Golf and GTI, 2001-2005 Jettas, 2001-2007 New Beetles, and the 2004 R32. It's possible that this recall may come as a surprise because it comes only a year after a recall of some Volkswagen Jettas and Beetles which had the same brake defect.

Volkswagen told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the brake light switches in the recalled vehicles could malfunction if they were installed improperly. According to the automaker the brake light could either remain on or not function at all, which would fail to provide other drivers with your intent to brake. Defective brake lights can lead to possible crashes. If a driver is pulled over for such a defect, the police could also issue them a ticket. Volkswagen spokesman Keith Price says that in some vehicles that have automatic transmissions, faulty brake lights could work in tandem with the shift interlock which would cause the vehicle to immobilize and require towing.

Last years recall of 362,000 Volkswagen Jetta and New Beetle sedans was due to a similar defect in the brakes. After such a recall, it's surprising that just a year later the number of recalled Volkswagon vehicles has more than doubled. What's even more surprising is the fact that the recall is due to the same brake light problem. The recall from last year affected Jettas from the 1999-2002 model years and New Beetles from the 1998-2002 model years. Some of the vehicle models from last years recall of Volkswagen Jettas and Beetles overlap with models from the most recently recalled vehicles. Spokesman Price says the latest recall is an extension of the previous one because the Volkswagen company "found that there was a broader pool of vehicles that had the defective part."

According to the spokesman for Volkswagen, owners of the 2001 and 2002 Jetta and New Beetle models who previously had repairs completed after last year's recall do not need to return for a second time. Owners of the recalled Volkswagen vehicles need not worry about paying for a replacement for the defective brake light. The Volkswagen dealers will install the newly designed brake light free of charge. The 2007 recall is expected to take place in April. Owners of Volkwagon vehicles are encouraged to contact Volkswagon with any questions or concerns at 800-822-8987. Volkswagen of America is working to solve this brake defect problem and hopefully there will be no more brake defects in the near future.