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.
Safety risk
A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash.
Manufacturer remedy
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.
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 2008 AND AUGUST 2009. THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED. WITH INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED CONNECTOR WIRES, A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALSELY DETECT A HIGH GEARBOX OIL TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE SELECTOR LEVER POSITION INDICATOR WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL FLASH. IN ADDITION, THE "DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL" INDICATOR LIGHT WILL BE ILLUMINATED, ALERTING THE DRIVER TO APPLY THE BRAKES.
Safety risk
THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Manufacturer remedy
VOLKSWAGEN WILL REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE WITH UPDATED SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 20, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Service brakes
94
80,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)
70
81,000 mi
Electrical system
31
81,600 mi
Steering
20
84,000 mi
Power train
18
55,000 mi
Engine
15
75,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
14
1,300 mi
Vehicle speed control
6
62,500 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic
5
131,000 mi
Air bags
4
50,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
3
45,000 mi
Unknown or other
3
89,000 mi
Exterior lighting
2
56,000 mi
Traction control system
2
74,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
1
42,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
1
120,800 mi
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
65,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
1
37,000 mi
Interior lighting
1
1,100 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: ABS warning light
1
90,000 mi
Structure: body
1
55,000 mi
Tires
1
53,699 mi
Visibility
1
13 mi
Wheels
1
55,000 mi
The 2008 model has 4 times as many complaints as this one. The 2010 model has 4 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.