ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE TIRE INFORMATION LABEL IS INCORRECT IDENTIFYING THE VEHICLE AS A FIVE-PASSENGER VEHICLE, INSTEAD OF A FOUR-PASSENGER VEHICLE.
Safety risk
EXCEEDING THE CORRECT SEATING CAPACITY IN A VEHICLE PUTS OCCUPANTS AT RISK FOR INJURY IN A CRASH, AND CAN RESULT IN VEHICLE OVERLOADING, WHICH CAN AFFECT VEHICLE HANDLING AND PUT YOU AT RISK FOR A CRASH.
Manufacturer remedy
OWNERS WILL BE SENT A NEW LABEL AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 9, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VWOA AT 1-800-822-8987.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE PASSENGER DETECTION FUNCTION OF THE PASSIVE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (PODS) MAY BECOME DISABLED.
Safety risk
SHOULD THE PODS CONTROL UNIT MALFUNCTION, THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE WILL NOT WORK AS DESIGNED AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT OCCUPANTS IN A CRASH.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE PODS. OWNER NOTIFICATION ORIGINALLY BEGAN OCTOBER 3, 2003. VW HAS DETERMINED THAT ADDITIONAL VEHICLES NEED TO BE REPAIRED. THE RECALL FOR THE ADDITIONAL VEHICLES IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON DECEMBER 17, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VWOA 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
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module
2
—
Structure
2
9,000 mi
Visibility: power window devices and controls
2
2,175 mi
Engine and engine cooling
1
—
Exterior lighting: headlights
1
—
Exterior lighting: tail lights
1
—
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
1
9,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
1
143 mi
Seat belts: front: warning light/devices
1
1 mi
Seats
1
—
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
1
—
Visibility
1
9,000 mi
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly
1
500 mi
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer
1
1,250 mi
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
1
—
The 2003 model has about half 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.