The Volkswagen Rabbit has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 1981–2009. On average a defect was admitted 7.19 years after the car was built, the slowest took 25 years. The most recalled system is Fuel System, Gasoline (3 campaigns). Owners also filed 125 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Volkswagen Rabbit
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Fuel System, Gasoline 3 Read
What's wrong. Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 jetta, new beetle, new beetle convertible, model year 2009 jetta sportwagen and model year 2007-2009 rabbit vehicles equipped with 2.5l engines. The jetta, jetta sportwagen, and rabbit vehicles may have a small plastic tab located on the windshield washer fluid reservoir that may chafe against an underhood fuel supply line. The new beetle and the new beetle convertible vehicles may have a fastening clamp on a hydraulic hose of the power steering system that may be located in an improper position which could cause chafing against an underhood fuel supply line
Risk. If chafing occurs, there is the potential for a fuel leak to develop. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire
Fix. Dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the underhood fuel line. Additionally, depending on the vehicle model, dealers will either remove the plastic tab from the windshield washer fluid reservoir, or inspect the position of the fastening clamp and adjust the related fastening clamp into the correct position.…
What's wrong. Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 jetta, new beetle, new beetle convertible, model year 2009 jetta sportwagen and model year 2007-2009 rabbit vehicles equipped with 2.5l engines. The jetta, jetta sportwagen, and rabbit vehicles may have a small plastic tab located on the windshield washer fluid reservoir that may chafe against an underhood fuel supply line. The new beetle and the new beetle convertible vehicles may have a fastening clamp on a hydraulic hose of the power steering system that may be located in an improper position which could cause chafing against an underhood fuel supply line
Risk. If chafing occurs, there is the potential for a fuel leak to develop. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire
Fix. Dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the underhood fuel line. Additionally, depending on the vehicle model, dealers will either remove the plastic tab from the windshield washer fluid reservoir, or inspect the position of the fastening clamp and adjust the related fastening clamp into the correct position.…
What's wrong. Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 jetta, new beetle, new beetle convertible, model year 2009 jetta sportwagen and model year 2007-2009 rabbit vehicles equipped with 2.5l engines. The jetta, jetta sportwagen, and rabbit vehicles may have a small plastic tab located on the windshield washer fluid reservoir that may chafe against an underhood fuel supply line. The new beetle and the new beetle convertible vehicles may have a fastening clamp on a hydraulic hose of the power steering system that may be located in an improper position which could cause chafing against an underhood fuel supply line
Risk. If chafing occurs, there is the potential for a fuel leak to develop. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire
Fix. Dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the underhood fuel line. Additionally, depending on the vehicle model, dealers will either remove the plastic tab from the windshield washer fluid reservoir, or inspect the position of the fastening clamp and adjust the related fastening clamp into the correct position.…
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 2 Read
What's wrong. 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
Risk. A loss of vehicle control can increase the risk of a crash
Fix. 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…
What's wrong. Certain hydraulic brake hoses, p/n 171.611.107b, sold as replacement equipment for 1975-1985 volkswagen (vw) rabbit; 1985-1992 vw golf; and 1980-1992 vw jetta passenger vehicles. Possible brake hose rupture could occur which fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 106, "brake hoses."
Risk. Brake hose rupture could result in loss of braking ability, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash
Fix. Foreign parts distributors will notify owners and replace the brake hoses with compliant brake hoses. The recall began on march 30, 2006. Owners may contact foreign parts distributors at 305-885-8646 ext. 11
What's wrong. Certain hydraulic brake hoses, p/n 171.611.107b, sold as replacement equipment for 1975-1985 volkswagen (vw) rabbit; 1985-1992 vw golf; and 1980-1992 vw jetta passenger vehicles. Possible brake hose rupture could occur which fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 106, "brake hoses."
Risk. Brake hose rupture could result in loss of braking ability, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash
Fix. Foreign parts distributors will notify owners and replace the brake hoses with compliant brake hoses. The recall began on march 30, 2006. Owners may contact foreign parts distributors at 305-885-8646 ext. 11
Steering 2 Read
What's wrong. A lock nut which secures the tie rod to the inner ball joint of the steering system may not have been securely fastened on some of the involved vehicles during assembly. If this condition exists and the vehicle is driven along poor roads for an extended period of time, the tie rod could separate from the steering assembly
Fix. Dealer will check the lock nut for adequate tightness, correcting where necessary
What's wrong. The left and right outer tie rod ends of the steering system may have circumferential cracks due to an improper machine set-up in the manufacturing process
Fix. The tie rod ends will be inspected and, if necessary, replaced at no charge to owner
Exterior Lighting 1 Read
What's wrong. Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." some vehicles may not have had a required cap installed which disables the headlight horizontal aim and some vehicles may contain a cap that disables the vertical aiming screw
Risk. Noncompliance can inhibit proper headlamp aim adjustment for roadway illumination, improperly aimed headlamps could cause reduced road visibility, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the low beam horizontal aiming screw and install one if missing, and inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the vertical aiming screw and if present, the cap will be removed. The recall will begin on october 31, 2007. Owners may contact vw at…
What's wrong. Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." some vehicles may not have had a required cap installed which disables the headlight horizontal aim and some vehicles may contain a cap that disables the vertical aiming screw
Risk. Noncompliance can inhibit proper headlamp aim adjustment for roadway illumination, improperly aimed headlamps could cause reduced road visibility, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the low beam horizontal aiming screw and install one if missing, and inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the vertical aiming screw and if present, the cap will be removed. The recall will begin on october 31, 2007. Owners may contact vw at…
What's wrong. Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." some vehicles may not have had a required cap installed which disables the headlight horizontal aim and some vehicles may contain a cap that disables the vertical aiming screw
Risk. Noncompliance can inhibit proper headlamp aim adjustment for roadway illumination, improperly aimed headlamps could cause reduced road visibility, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the low beam horizontal aiming screw and install one if missing, and inspect for the presence of a cap in the socket of the vertical aiming screw and if present, the cap will be removed. The recall will begin on october 31, 2007. Owners may contact vw at…
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 7.19 years |
| Slowest campaign | 25 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 31.3% |
| Campaigns on record | 8 |
Which Rabbit years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2008 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 2007 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 2006 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 1984 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | |
| 1983 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | |
| 1982 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | |
| 1981 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Volkswagen Rabbit have?
8 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 1981–2009. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my Rabbit still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 7.19 years, and the slowest campaign came 25 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.