If you’re the owner of a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, you might still be in the honeymoon phase of owning a brand new car. A consumer-friendly sedan with excellent gas mileage (30 mpg city/40 mpg highway), a sleek and sporty look, unique interior features like 10-color customizable interior ambient lighting, and the transferable People First Warranty which covers bumper-to-bumper for 6 years or 72,000 miles, this vehicle is surely a delight to take out for a cruise on the highway or function as your daily commuter car.
With that said, no matter the manufacturer or reputation for build quality, every vehicle is prone to the occasional recall notice. The positive note about these notices is that they’re issued for your protection as a driver and vehicle owner; they’re also typically corrected at no additional cost to the consumer. Consider it an auto manufacturer, such as Volkswagen, making good on their promise to keep you as safe as possible on the road while doing themselves a favor by protecting their brand image. Recalls can range from the noticeable issue that prompts you to take your vehicle in yourself, unprompted, to get inspected, all the way to potential problems that may never go noticed until the worst possible moment. The whole point is to maintain the safety and security of your vehicle and passengers by regularly getting recalls corrected as a preventative form of maintenance.
Recalls are released more often than you might think, and they’re not something that you should get in the mail and discard. Take them seriously, and try to schedule an appointment with your local dealership as soon as you receive a notice. If you do not feel like your manufacturer has made a significant enough gesture in informing you about a recall and the recall subsequently affected your vehicle, you should consider reaching out to a licensed lemon law attorney to learn more about what your options are.
So recalls are important; we got it. But how exactly do recalls work? What 2019 Jetta recalls should I be concerned about? Let’s take a deeper look.
How Recalls Work: A Consumer’s Expectations
Because recalls signal defects in a product, and possibly in the standards of a company’s manufacturing process, automakers will take a good, long look at a problem with one of their vehicles before initiating a recall. When they first receive a sign of an issue that appears to be a fault of the manufacturing process and more than just a one-off, a team of investigators will search internal manufacturing processes and records to pinpoint the exact range of affected units. Once they have a timeframe in mind of affected vehicles, a recall will be formally issued and purchasers will start to receive a notification via mail primarily, but occasionally by telephone or email. You’ll also typically be informed of pending recalls when you take your vehicle in for regular maintenance.
In addition to your automaker issuing recalls, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration will also inspect and research complaints received to decide if a recall should be issued. They have established an open and public database of recalls that you can easily check online. All you need to do is locate your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the unique number that is associated with recognizing your vehicle. This is often in either the car’s lower left windshield, on the inside of the driver’s door when opened, or even on your insurance card. This search feature will allow users to search back in time through fifteen years of recalls to see what may be affecting a vehicle. Motorcycles are also covered through this list of recalls as well.
2019 VW Jetta Recall Specifics
The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta currently has five recalls pending, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A more prominent recall affecting the 2019 Jetta sedan pertains to documents posted by the NHTSA that state a broken spring can damage a tire and become a potential road hazard, to both drivers, passengers, and nearby passenger vehicles should the spring lead to sudden and immediate damage and detached tire. The NHTSA states that a parts maker used either the wrong type of material or improper manufacturing methods to make the spring components. The VW 2019 Jetta recall for this issue is scheduled for April 19, 2019, at which point owners will be able to take their vehicle to a dealership for a replacement of the coil spring.
Another known 2019 Volkswagen Jetta recall relates to certain 2019 Jettas that do not have the keyless entry add-on. In these scenarios, the instrument cluster on the vehicle may not currently provide an audible warning to inform drivers that the key is still inside the ignition when the door is opened. This is, of course, a major concern for auto theft, and leads the vehicle to not complying with federal requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 114, “Theft Protection”. It can also lead to the outcome of a driver not realizing the vehicle is still in operation when they step out of the vehicle, leading to other potential problems.
Volkswagen is notifying affected customers of the 2019 Jetta recall and plans to reprogram the instrument cluster at no charge. Owners can contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 for more information; use the VW Jetta recall codes 90L3 and 90L4.
A final VW 2019 Jetta recall to consider was listed on September 26, 2018. This notice related to Jetta vehicles with LED headlights. It was discovered that the passenger side headlight may be in an incorrect position, which can lead to reduced driver visibility when driving at night. The end result is a failure to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, “Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment.”
Jetta began to inform owners by mail, and dealers will replace the headlight on the passenger side for free. If you’re concerned that you may be affected, contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and reference code 94L1.
If you feel as though you’ve been a victim already of a 2019 VW Jetta recall malfunction that has led to an accident, significant injury, and/or the death of a loved one, you should know your rights as a protected consumer. At Lemon Law Now , we have a team of dedicated and experienced California lemon law attorneys that have decades of combined experience in consumer protection laws and civil litigation. We are happy to consult with you, hear your story and provide guidance as to whether your case constitutes further legal action or not. As lemon law experts, we believe it is our duty to inform the public on all matters related to consumer protection and protect consumers from the negligence of major corporations. Contact further for more information today!