The 2006 Volkswagen Rabbit has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 340,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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…
Consequence
NONCOMPLIANCE CAN INHIBIT PROPER HEADLAMP AIM ADJUSTMENT FOR ROADWAY ILLUMINATION, IMPROPERLY AIMED HEADLAMPS COULD CAUSE REDUCED ROAD VISIBILITY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
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…
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
1fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2
POWER TRAIN
2
SEATS
2
1fires
AIR BAGS
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
1
ENGINE
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
Total complaints18
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“While driving noticed that there was a dull pain beginning in my back, looked at the drivers side seat and noticed that seat heater shorted out and left dime sized hole in upholstery as well as discoloring piece of clothing I was wearing. *tr”
“My car is a 2006 and after one of my fuel ups with the wife we smelled gas, thought it was nothing maybe some gas on my had or something. During the week we still got smells of gas off and on, well the smell was so strong that my wife was getting headaches from it. I looked under the car to see…”
“My car is a 2006 and after one of my fuel ups with the wife we smelled gas, thought it was nothing maybe some gas on my had or something. During the week we still got smells of gas off and on, well the smell was so strong that my wife was getting headaches from it. I looked under the car to see…”
“My wife was driving her 2006 volkswagen rabbit on us 98 preparing to enter I-4 when the vehicle entered limp home mode (epc light & check engine light on) rpms went to over 3000 and vehicle refused to go above 25mph, she was almost killed by the semi that was behind her on us 98 luckily the semi…”
“On two separate incidents I had my air bags light came on. I brought it to the volkswagen dealer and they fixed the wires under the seat the first time at no charge the second time I was charged $100.00. The problem was the same but on both seats first, was the passengers seat the second time, was…”
“While idling car after starting, seat warmer was turned on. Drivers side inside back warmer shorted out and caused a grape size burn hole in cloth seat. *tr”
“While idling car after starting, seat warmer was turned on. Drivers side inside back warmer shorted out and caused a grape size burn hole in cloth seat. *tr”
“I had suspected that my dual mass flywheel on my manual 2006 rabbit w/ 24k was beginning to fail because I heard/felt something shaking around in the bell housing of the vehicle 1 out 10 times that I would depress the clutch pedal in 1st gear. The shake had been present since I bought the car but…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2006 Volkswagen Rabbit as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.