Brake Light Switch problems of the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta

I have received a recall notice that only allows me to get a repair at an authorized dealership. I live in a rural area 4 hours from the closest dealership. They will not allow me to repair it locally and get re-imbursed. It is 4 hours to this dealership meaning an overnight stay. The total cost of the trip is more than the repair. Is there any option to get this repaired locally? no accident. . . . . . . . . . Yet. The recall is for a defective brake light switch.

The contact owns a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta. The contact took her vehicle to the dealer for recall # 04v096000 (exterior lighting:brake lights:switch). She was charged a diagnostic fee. After the recall work was performed, the lights illuminated again. The dealer has not been notified. The contact stated that the dealer gave her a list of repairs that need to be performed on the vehicle. The total cost for the repairs will be $2,000. The purchase date and failure mileage were unknown. The current mileage is 36,860.

: the contact stated while depressing the brake pedal the brake lights failed to illuminate. A NHTSA recall, #04v096000 was performed on the vehicle concerning, the brake light switch however, the recall did not remedy the problem. The brake light switch was also replaced on five separate occasions in addition to the recall. A revised recall #06v183000 concerning the brake light switch has been issued.

- the contact stated the brake light switch failed three times . The exterior brake light failed at 23,000, 40,000 & 42,000 miles. When the failure happened the epc light turned on and sometimes it turned on intermittently. The brake light switch has been replaced three times. Updated 1/30/2007 -.

: the contact stated after driving 35 mph on normal road conditions, the brake lights remained illuminated. There were no warning lights indicating any malfunctions. The manufacturer was contacted who determined the vehicle was not included in recall # 06v183000 nor in # 04v096000 due to the VIN. The contact was very concerned because the brake light defect described in the recalls matched the problem the vehicle presented.

: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the engine intermittently stalled without warning and the brake lights were inoperative. The contact inspected the vehicle, and determined the spark ignition coil and brake light switch had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. There was a NHTSA recall, # 04v096000, regarding the brake light switch. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 10/30/2006 -.

The brake switch light in my vw Jetta has had to be replaced three times. When this switch is not working, the brake lights of my car are inoperable, leading to a great risk of accident. My Jetta is not currently in the recall that has been issued, but I continue having problems with the brake light switch.

I own a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta with a 2. 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lv6 engine and 5-speed manual transmission. On 03 Aug 2006 (mileage: 84028) I had the brake light switch replaced at my own expense when the ecl indicator came on. This is the second time in 19 months I have had to replace the same brake light switch. The first time was 10 November 2004 (mileage: 68184) in which the repair was performed under NHTSA recall #04v-09600 (20 February 2004). In both cases the repairs were performed by lithia Volkswagen of thornton, colorado. The first switch replacement used part #1j0-945-511-d, which was different from the most recent replacement using part #1j0-945-511-f. This implies a new brake light switch was designed by Volkswagen because of flaws with the design used to respond to the NHTSA recall. My complaint is that the second incident of this brake switch failure should have been covered by either the February 2004 recall that repaired the first instance or the new recall 06v183000. Since the brake light is a critical safety feature of the vehicle it should be designed to function longer than 19 months. Its failure places my family and I at risk of injury or even death due to a rear end collision because of Volkswagens inability to properly design a brake light switch. This safety system should be expected to operate the life of the automobile to protect its occupants. Volkswagen should make a serious effort to correct this problem permanently or demonstrate their commitment to customer safety by replacing the switch at manufacturer expense. When I discussed this with Volkswagen customer service (1-800-822-8987, ref. #60279193) they claimed this service was not covered by either recall and since the part had performed past the manufacturer warranty it was my responsibility to repair the switch at my own expense.

My brake light switch went out in my 2001 vw Jetta GLS 2. 0l. When the brake light switch goes out there is no warning in the dash to let me know it was out. I didn't have any break lights until someone at a stop light yelled out their window to tell me. I took my car to vw dealership and they said I needed a new break light switch. It turns out this is a ongoing problem for vw's of all years and makes. I would like to file a complaint because this seems to be a widespread problem, vw hasn't released information about this and it can be very dangerous. I don't want to see myself or someone else get killed or hurt because of a faulty part. I've already spent the $12 to fix it so this complaint is not about getting my money back. It's about saving lives.

I've experienced several problems with my 2001 Volkswagen Jetta glx. I still wonder why it's not a lemon. Had problems with the brake switch which was a recall. I also had problems with the check engine light. Technicians made diagnostic check and said I needed the heat sensor changed so I did. After a week, check engine light lit up again so I brought it back to the dealership and had another diagnostic check which I paid for again 78 bucks. This time the tech's said I needed the sparks and wires changed because it was shooting blanks. Pre-paid for the parts and when the parts arrived, I brought my car back to get it fixed so I did. Later, I got call from the service reps and said my ignition coil broke so they had to order that again. After everything was said and done. I just wanted to let my financer to just voluntarily repo the piece of trash. One more break down and I'm hiring a lemon attorney. This is too much.

Normal operation of vehicle until the failure occurred. No incidents as of yet. Both tail lights and window brake lights do not illuminate. Car was serviced on a previous recall.

: the contact stated the exterior brake lights became inoperative. There is a NHTSA recall #04v096000 concerning the exterior lighting brake light switch, however the recall did not correct the problem. The vehicle is having the same problems again. The dealer has been alerted who suggested alerting the manufacturer. The manufacturer has been alerted. Updated 01/09/07.

: the contact stated upon inspection, it was noticed the brake light switch was inoperable. The dealership replaced the brake light switch and determined there was a NHTSA recall, # 06v183000, regarding the exterior lighting brake light switch. The VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 6/27/2006 - the switch was replaced by the original owner under recall on 4/26/05 with 44653 miles. The replacement switch failed one year later at 52675 miles. The coolant pump failed and caused the vehicle to overheat. The front woofer in the door failed internally causing the sound to be distorted.

Brake light switch failure on 2001 vw Jetta GLS tdi sedan, identical to that described in recall campaign 04v096000. Brake lights stayed on all the time, even when car was parked & turned off. Dealer replaced switch at cost of $193. 23 parts & labor, dealer & vw of America state that VIN is not included in scope of recall for 04v096000. This is the second time this has occurred on this same car, I believe first was covered as a warranty repair. Part number of replacement switch is vwn 1j0 945 511 d.

The contact stated there is a NHTSA recall campaign id # 04v096000 concerning the exterior lighting: brake light switch. This vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall, but is not included in the recall due to VIN.

Brake light switch (2001 vw Jetta GLS tdi) researched on internet says there is a recall for this part, but is not in effect yet. Driving with brake lights stuck on is really dangerous and speedy recall for this item is essential. I have to remove the fuse in order to turn off the lights, and soon as car is turned on the lights stay on making it impossible for other drivers to know when I am stepping on the brakes. Could seriously cause many accidents in the future for all vehicle owners.

2nd occurrence of brake switch failure - 2001 Jetta. Initial failure occurred on the same day recall letter was received. Switch cost was reimbursed by vw at no charge. 2nd failure occurred on 9/17/05. First switch manufactured by eaton. Second switch manufactured by delphi.

Consumer states that on June 15, 2003 brake light switch I malfunctioned. This caused the brake lights to stay on after brakes have been applied. Also caused two t bulbs in the brake light to burn out. There was recall 04v096000 on 2001 Volkswagen , but consumer's vehicle was not part of the recall due to VIN.

Nhtsa campaign 04v096000; Volkswagen issued a brake light switch recall. This vehicle was not included in the recall, but the brake lights were not operating. The VIN was outside the remedy scope.

Despite having a malfunction exactly as defined in NHTSA campaign 04vo96000 on the same model (01 Jetta) - Volkswagen insisted that my vehicle was not covered because my VIN was from a different plant. The dealer diagnosed the problem to be "a defective brake light switch that caused the epc light to stay on, and your brake lights to not work. ".

Consumer noticed that the brake lights were inoperative. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the brake light switch needed to be replaced.

Car get stuck in park. This is about the fifth time this has happened to my car. Normally you press on the brake and the safe switch will release so you can move your car from park. Today this happened twice, and I was about an hour late to work, because I had to wait for my car to decide when I could drive it. Last year I took the car in because the spoiler light did not work, they then told me that my brake light altogether did not work, so they decided to charge me $75. To fix that. Now the brake lights do not work again and $75 is not going to be paid this time. I had that part a little over a year. I've researched in other vw forums and many are having this problem. When the car was on warranty they claimed nothing was wrong, but now even though my car has a little over 35,000 miles on it, and it is a 2001 model it is having all of these problems.

While driving brake lights malfunctioned. Consumer was informed of this by a passing motorist. There was a brake light switch recall 04v090000 issued, but this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.

I have now replaced by brake switch and brake light switch. I'm not sure if they are the same thing but I have replaced them both. The first one was the brake light switch. This was replaced because my lights would randomly turn on. Even when parked the lights would remain on. I got it to turn off by wedging something behind the brake so it would not go on. However, I paid $59 for it to get fixed. The other switch, the brake switch was replaced today. The charge was $137. This repair was due to the shifter being stuck in park. I have spent days with this problem and I feel my car should be under the recall. The service representative said that my car did not come up as a recall vehicle. If so many Jettas need repairs for this problem why is not my car included in this recall. I experience the same problems as others and I am not being treated fairly. If vw is to keep its good reputation they should reimburse everyone who has similar or exact problems. In both instances the brake switch and brake light switch were replaced. If these are the same item then people should be notified about these problems and they should not be liable to pay for service on their vehicles!.

In January of 2003 while stopped at a red light my car was rear-ended. There was minor damage done to my bumper and that was replaced. In April 2004 my car was again rear-ended while stopped at a red light. In this incident the lady behind me was also stopped at the red light and she said her foot slipped off the brake and she hit me. We thought that perhaps she saw the turn lane light turn green and she went. Because the damage to my car this time was 4000 dollars. After the accident I found out that none of my brake lights worked, even though only one tail light had been busted. The repair shop replaced the tail light assembly and all worked properly. I believe that my brake lights failed to operate properly causing the accidents. I hadnt thought of this possibility until I received the recall notice in may 2004. I have lost time at work, minor injuries & my car will never be as it was prior to this. As of this time nothing has been done to the brake light switch as I am trying to find out how to determine if this is related to my 2 accidents.

I noticed on the incident date that the brake lights were on when the car was turned off and parked. I tried to get the brake lights to go off by gently tapping on the brake pedal, but they would not. I was told by the dealership that it was probably the brake light switch. And that many of their Jetta customers were complaining about their brakes lights being on. I was also told that this item was not covered under waranty. This is not a wear and tear item. If this is a common occurence then Volkswagen should pick up the cost to repair this malfunction. There should be some kind of recall issued for this occurrence.

In Nov 2003, our 2001 Jetta tdi would not shift out of park, causing myself and my sons numerous times to be stranded. The problem was intermittent. Al sanchez vw in gilroy, CA, diagnosed a shifter problem and replaced it. The problem persisted. I continued to discuss it with al sanchez vw, even leaving it with them for one week to drive. I was told the problem was intermittent and they could not duplicate the problem, there was nothing they could do. Several weeks ago, the problem again occurred. I phoned a tow company who noted the vehicle stuck in park and mentioned the brake involvement. After turning off the car and fussing with the brake/shifter, it engaged. The next morning, I phoned al sanchez and was told that it shifted fine. Later that day, I was told that it got a little sticky. They diagnosed the brake light switch. I have spoke to service advisors and the service manager. They maintain the position that the shifter needed replacing in Nov 2003, and now the brake light switch needs replacing. I am of the opinion that the problem was not corrected. Since the problem continued to persist, this does not seem to be an unreasonable assessment. On 2/21/04, I downloaded info from your sight. There were two recalls for my car. Today, 3/31/04, there are three, including an exterior lighting;brake lights;switch. I decided to check this site today only because during during one of my more recent conversations to NHTSA, I was informed that there were three results. I have not confirmed if my vehicle in one included in this recall. If my VIN is not on the recall list, this is too much of a coincidence to overlook. Also, the lack of cooperation of al sanchez vw and volkswagon advocates cannot be overlooked as well. Ideally, I would like the repair cost of the shifter refunded to me and the recall to cover my shifting problem.

My 2001 vw Jetta's brake lights stay on and do not turn off. I had it repaired at the dealer who said the light switch was bad. I just found out that the 2001 vw beetle is being recalled for the same problem but not the Jetta. The parts are the same as per the parts department at haltermans vw in PA.

My brake lights went on when the car was parked and stayed on - I had to have it taken to the dealer to fix the switch and was out a car for three days.

The cruise/brake light switch malfunctioned which caused the check engine light to illuminate.

Upon starting the vehicle and putting foot on the brake to move into another gear the brake light illuminated. The brake appeared to lock the gear shift, and you could not get it to go into another gear. The shift will not come out of park. Consumer took the vehicle to dealer to be repaired.

Brake lamp switch doesn't function properly which causes brake lights to operate intermittently.