Photo: Volkswagen Golf R
Volkswagen, the second-largest automaker in the world, never ceases to amaze with its design- and quality-related issues. Take, for instance, the Golf R and Golf GTI. Previously recalled over an engine cover that may come loose and melt, then over an overly sensitive touch switch, the go-faster hatchbacks have been called back yet again for another issue that could have been easily avoided by taking one’s job a little more seriously.
More than a year ago, back in January 2021, Volkswagen received field claims from countries outside of the United States in regard to the radiator becoming loose, causing the coolant hose to contact the V-belt pulley. This condition leads to a large amount of coolant leaking onto the roadway, increasing the risk of a crash and the 2.0-liter EA888 engine going kaput.
Through September 2021, field monitoring and in-depth analysis were conducted, “and a root cause was identified,” according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Volkswagen further discovered that the failure occurs early in the vehicle’s life. Even though the root cause was identified, Volkswagen preferred to continue monitoring until August 2022 rather than nipping this problem in the bud.
On September 9th, the Pre Product Safety Committee requested more data before escalating this matter to the Product Safety Committee. Better late than never, the safety boffins couldn’t weasel their way out of this issue any longer, deciding to call back the Golf R and Golf GTI on September 14th.
“The decision was based on 27 claims for potentially damaged coolant hoses that could be attributed to this topic in the U.S. market.” Said claims were reported between June 2022 and August 2022. According to Volkswagen, the radiator may not have been affixed correctly to the intercooler during production. The Wolfsburg-based automaker claims that an improved process to affix the radiator to the intercooler was introduced in production in calendar week 27 of 2022, as in the week starting July 4th.
8,038 vehicles are called back in the United States, split between 1,406 units of the Golf R and 6,632 units of the Golf GTI. These vehicles were produced for the 2022 to 2023 model years. In terms of build dates, Volkswagen reports March 9th, 2021, to July 14th, 2022, for the R and February 10th, 2021, to July 20th, 2022, for the GTI. Considering that the improved process was introduced between July 4th and July 10th, how come a handful of recalled vehicles were manufactured through July 20th? It boggles the mind, isn't it?
On that note, known owners will be notified on or before November 18th.
Through September 2021, field monitoring and in-depth analysis were conducted, “and a root cause was identified,” according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Volkswagen further discovered that the failure occurs early in the vehicle’s life. Even though the root cause was identified, Volkswagen preferred to continue monitoring until August 2022 rather than nipping this problem in the bud.
On September 9th, the Pre Product Safety Committee requested more data before escalating this matter to the Product Safety Committee. Better late than never, the safety boffins couldn’t weasel their way out of this issue any longer, deciding to call back the Golf R and Golf GTI on September 14th.
“The decision was based on 27 claims for potentially damaged coolant hoses that could be attributed to this topic in the U.S. market.” Said claims were reported between June 2022 and August 2022. According to Volkswagen, the radiator may not have been affixed correctly to the intercooler during production. The Wolfsburg-based automaker claims that an improved process to affix the radiator to the intercooler was introduced in production in calendar week 27 of 2022, as in the week starting July 4th.
8,038 vehicles are called back in the United States, split between 1,406 units of the Golf R and 6,632 units of the Golf GTI. These vehicles were produced for the 2022 to 2023 model years. In terms of build dates, Volkswagen reports March 9th, 2021, to July 14th, 2022, for the R and February 10th, 2021, to July 20th, 2022, for the GTI. Considering that the improved process was introduced between July 4th and July 10th, how come a handful of recalled vehicles were manufactured through July 20th? It boggles the mind, isn't it?
On that note, known owners will be notified on or before November 18th.
Google News