Volkswagen group of america, inc. (volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 volkswagen jetta a5 sedan, 2009 volkswagen jetta sportwagen, eos, gti, rabbit and audi a3 vehicles, and 2010 volkswagen golf a6 vehicles. the antilock brake system (abs) control unit may fail during abs or electronic stability control (esc) activation, possibly causing a loss of vehicle control.
A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the abs control module software to improve the module's self-testing abilities. any module that fails the new diagnostic test will be replaced. these repairs will be made free of charge. the recall began february 2017. owners may contact volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298.
Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Some things are often misunderstood about recalls and technical service bulletins (TSBs). Plus a disclaimer.
Recalls do not have to be issued only because something is prone to failure.
NHTSA (a government agency) can only require a recall if a failure will affect safety, emissions, fuel economy, or compliance with some other regulation or law.
Manufacturers can voluntarily recall cars for problems that do not affect these, though.
Recalls often apply to only some cars of a specific model year, rather than all of them.
You should receive a letter from the manufacturer if your car has been recalled.
You can also check with the dealer, which will know which (if any) recalls pertain to your car.
The primary purpose of TSBs is to inform dealers about known problems with a car and how to fix them.
They are not the same as recalls. As with recalls, TSBs often only apply to some cars, not the entire model year.
Dealers often will not provide a preventive repair just because a problem described in a TSB might happen to your car.
They'll usually want to observe symptoms that the problem is already affecting your car.
Even if there are symptoms, a manufacturer doesn't have to pick up the cost of a TSB repair if the car is out of warranty, though sometimes they do.
We provide the text of recalls and TSBs as provided by NHTSA. There can be errors in the text.
If you sign up for notifications in My Garage, we will try to get these to do, but for various reasons (some beyond our control) cannot guarantee you will receive them.
When in doubt about a recall or TSB, contact the dealer.