NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Preliminary Evaluation PE02-084: BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH OPERATION

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE02-084 on November 18, 2002 and closed it on April 8, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1998–2000 Volkswagen Beetle for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: PE02-084 (also written PE02084)
Investigation type: Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
Status: Closed April 8, 2003
Opened: November 18, 2002
Closed: April 8, 2003
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Components: Exterior Lighting; Exterior Lighting — Brake Lights — Switch
Vehicles and equipment: 1998–2000 Volkswagen Beetle

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE02-084.

THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH USED IN NEW BEETLE IS ALSO SPECIFIED IN GOLF AND JETTA MODELS.ONE TYPE OF SWITCH IS USED ON CRUISE EQUIPPED MODELS, A SECOND TYPE IS USED ON NON-CRUISE MODELS.VW REPORTS 86 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND 2575 WARRANTY CLAIMS OF INOPERATIVE BRAKE LIGHTS, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE BRAKE SWITCH.TWO OF THE VW COMPLAINTS INVOLVE FAILURES THAT WERE ALSO REPORTED TO ODI.ADDITIONALLY, OVER 100,000 BRAKE SWITCH SERVICE COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN SOLD UNDER 4 DIFFERENT PART NUMBERS.THE INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE02-084. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Beetle
- 1998, 1999, 2000

All Volkswagen recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Volkswagen VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for PE02-084

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.