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2004 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

crash · 897107 · 2011-12-27

Vehicle

Make
VOLKSWAGEN
Model
BEETLE
Year
2004
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Miles at failure
115,730
Speed
65 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

THE VEHICLE HAD A CATASTROPHIC BRAKE LINE FAILURE ON THE STEEL BRAIDED LINE OFF THE MASTER CYLINDER FOR THE FRONT BRAKES DURING A PANIC STOP AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE LINE HAS A RUBBER ANTI VIBRATION RING PLACED ON THE HOSE , THIS WAS SAID TO BE "OUT OF LOCATION" AND THE STEEL BRAIDED LINE WORE AGAINST THE "AIR BOX" IN THE AREA THAT BURST. THE ANTI VIBRATION RING EITHER VIBRATED OUT OF LOCATION OR WAS POSSIBLY MOVED/MISS-INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE HAD PREVIOUS WORK DONE AT A CERTIFIED VW DEALERSHIP ON THE MASTER CYLINDER 2 YEARS PRIOR TO CORRECT A FAILED BREAK POWER ASSIST UNIT. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR BUT THE DEALERSHIP DECLINED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE. DURING THE ACCIDENT THE REAR BRAKES CONTINUED TO WORK CORRECTLY , THE VEHICLE SLOWED SUBSTANTIALLY AND THE ANTI-LOCK COULD BE "HEARD" TO ENGAGE, THE VEHICLE DID NOT SKID OR LOSE CONTROL BUT WAS NOT SLOWED ENOUGH TO KEEP FROM HITTING THE REAR OF THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. *TR

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10441402
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown