Volkswagen of America, Inc: Fuel System, Diesel
Volkswagen of America, Inc reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 3, 2011 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 168,275. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL 2009-2012 JETTA AND JETTA SPORTWAGEN VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2008 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011, MODEL YEAR 2010-2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2009 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011, AND MODEL YEAR 2010-2012 AUDI A3 VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 2009 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011, THAT ARE EQUIPPED WITH A 2.0L TDI COMMON RAIL DIESEL ENGINE/CLEAN DIESEL ENGINE. THE FUEL INJECTION PULSES COULD COINCIDE WITH THE NATURAL FREQUENCY OF THE INJECTOR LINE #2, IN SPECIFIC LOAD AND RPM CONDITIONS. THIS RESONANCE CREATES ADDITIONAL STRESS IN THE FUEL LINE.
The risk
DUE TO THE RESONANCE CONDITION, INJECTOR LINE NUMBER 2 COULD DEVELOP SMALL CRACKS WHICH COULD LEAD TO FUEL LEAKAGE. LEAKING FUEL IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, MAY LEAD TO A FIRE.
The remedy
VOLKSWAGEN WILL INSTALL AN IMPROVED FUEL INJECTOR LINE FOR THE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER ON CERTAIN VEHICLES AND WILL INSTALL VIBRATION DAMPERS ON ALL OF THE INJECTOR LINES. VOLKSWAGEN AND AUDI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS TO HAVE THE VEHICLES REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING NOVEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
10 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Audi A3 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 Volkswagen Golf | 48 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 2012 Volkswagen Jetta | 500 | 8 | 6 | 24 |
| 2011 Audi A3 | 43 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 Volkswagen Golf | 110 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| 2011 Volkswagen Jetta | 607 | 10 | 9 | 27 |
| 2010 Audi A3 | 50 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 Volkswagen Golf | 70 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010 Volkswagen Jetta | 852 | 5 | 5 | 23 |
| 2009 Volkswagen Jetta | 889 | 7 | 8 | 31 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 11V490000.
Full record for the 2012 Audi A3 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →