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NHTSA safety recall

Recall 79V120000: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:RELAY

VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC · Reported to NHTSA May 17, 1979

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
Units potentially affectedThe manufacturer's own estimate of how many vehicles or items of equipment may contain the defect. It is not a count of failures, and not every unit in the range is necessarily affected.
540,000
Model years coveredModel years in our database that NHTSA matched to this campaign. Whether an individual vehicle is covered still depends on its VIN.
10
Models covered
2
Grouped from the model years above
Reported to NHTSA
May 17, 1979
Production — – Jan 1, 1978

What this recall covers

NHTSA's campaign record, quoted as published

The defect

DUE TO AN IMPROPERLY SEALED ANTENNA MOUNTING HOLE, WATER COULD SEAP INTO THE FUSE RELAY BOARD. THE WATER ENTERING THE FUSE RELAY BOARD ACTS AS A CONDUCTOR OF CURRENT, THEREBY CHARGING THE STARTER.

The remedy

THE DEALER WILL SEAL ALL RADIO ANTENNA CABLE HOLES. IN ADDITION, ELECTRICAL PARTS OF THE RELAY/FUSE BOARD WILL BE CHECKED AND REPLACED IN THE CASE OF CORROSION.

Notes

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH STANDARD TRANSMISSIONS.SYSTEM: ELECTRICAL; STARTER RELAY.CONSEQUENCES OF DEFECT: THE STARTER COULD BE ACTIVATED AND THE VEHICLE COULDMOVE IF THE TRANSMISSION IS IN GEAR AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED.THIS COULD CAUSE INJURY TO PERSONS STANDING IN THE PATH OF THE MOVING VEHICLE.

A safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.

Campaign details

Identifiers and dates as filed with NHTSA

Manufacturer
VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC
Manufacturer's campaign number
Not recorded
NHTSA campaign number
79V120000
Units potentially affected
540,000
Report received
May 17, 1979
Production range
— – Jan 1, 1978
Campaign type
Vehicle
Federal safety standard (FMVSS)
Not recorded

Vehicles covered

10 model years across 2 models

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.