The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·14V656000·Announced 2014-10-20

Volkswagen Recalls 2011-2013 Jetta and Beetle for Rear Suspension Defect

Volkswagen is recalling 2011-2013 Jetta and 2012-2013 Beetle vehicles because rear trailing arms may fracture, potentially causing loss of vehicle control.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a structural vehicle defect (rear suspension) where the source text explicitly states the defect may cause loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash, meeting the criteria for a Severe rating.

Plain-English summary

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Jetta vehicles manufactured between March 1, 2010, and November 30, 2012, and 2012-2013 Beetle vehicles manufactured between March 1, 2011, and July 31, 2013. The recall affects 442,066 vehicles in total.

The durability of the rear trailing arms may be reduced in vehicles that have previously experienced deformation, such as from a rear or side-rear impact crash. This reduced durability may result in the sudden fracture of the trailing arm, which could cause a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install a sheet metal inlay on the rear axle trailing arms designed to prevent a sudden loss of control in the event of a fracture. This repair will be performed free of charge. The recall began on April 7, 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE, JETTA
Brand
VOLKSWAGEN
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Category
Vehicle — Suspension
Hazard
Affected units
442,066

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (2)

  • BEETLE
  • JETTA

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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