Laguna Hills, CA – March 25, 2019 – Volkswagen Group of America is recalling certain 2019 Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles. When a brake system failure occurs, the dashboard instrument display may not provide a visual warning, which could lead to loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash. As many as 4,064 vehicles may be affected by this issue.
The Defect
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Report, the instrument cluster may not provide a visual warning when a brake system failure is detected. Because the driver will not be alerted by a warning light when the malfunction occurs, the driver may lose control of the vehicle during emergency braking, increasing the risk of a crash. Vehicles without a brake pad wear indicator built during a certain production period with a specific software coding are affected, while those with brake pad wear indicators are not.
Timeline of Events
Vehicle claims concerning this issue were first received by Volkswagen Sept. 3, 2018. Analysis of the situation began immediately.
Between Dec. 7, 2018 and Jan. 8, 2019 the issue was discussed by the Pre-Product Safety Committee in Mexico, resulting in a request for more information.
The matter was then presented to the Product Safety Committee Jan. 11 in Mexico, and further details were requested.
The Joint Product Safety Committee of Wolfsburg and Mexico addressed the issue Feb. 6. After determining that the indicator-free vehicles didn’t comply with pertinent safety standards, the committee decided to conduct a recall.
The Solution
The recall began March 7, 2019. Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. A very small number of vehicles will also receive a new instrument cluster.
Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 90L8. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 19V094000.
