Volkswagen Suction Pump Failures Prompt Massive Recall, Only FWD Vehicles Affected

The Wolfsburg-based automaker has identified a problem with the suction pump seal, which could result in gasoline flowing into the EVAP system. That's not all, though. The dinosaur juice could also leak out of the charcoal canister, increasing the risk of a fire. Said pump was produced by Gentherm of Northville, Michigan. To whom it may concern, the folks at Gentherm introduced the industry's first thermoelectrically heated and cooled seats.

Vehicles equipped with version 1.0 or version 1.1 of the suction pump were assembled between January 27, 2014 and November 15, 2019. Affected models include Audi's A3 sedan, A3 cabriolet, Volkswagen's Jetta GLI, the Golf GTI, the Golf five-door hatchback, and the Golf Sportwagen.

The remedy comes in the form of a replacement suction pump, namely version 2.0 in the German automaker's vernacular. Dealers will replace the 1.0s and 1.1s with the improved version, which Volkswagen introduced in series production between September 2019 and December 2019.

The remedy pump is designated 5Q0-201-029-A as opposed to 5Q0-201-029 for the older versions. Known owners will be informed by Volkswagen Group of America by first-class mail no later than April 12, 2024. The North American division estimates that less than 1% of vehicles feature an iffy seal, but even so, 1% of 261,257 means at least 2,613 gasoline leaks waiting to happen. Regardless of the seal's condition, each and every one of the aforementioned vehicles will get a new pump.

Volkswagen and Audi have different recall numbers for this recall: 20UF for the lesser marque and 20YF for the four-ringed automaker from Ingolstadt. Owners can easily determine whether their vehicles feature versions 1.0 or 1.1 by entering the 17-character VIN on the federal agency's website.

Of the nameplates brought up a bit earlier, two have sadly been discontinued from the US market due to worsening demand, those nameplates being the Golf hatchback and its wagon-bodied sibling. The only Golfs available today in this part of the world are the go-faster GTI and even sportier R, with the latter packing 4MOTION all-wheel drive as standard.

Because the MQB is a front-biased platform with transversally-mounted powerplants, the AWD system in question features a Haldex coupling. Volkswagen Group vehicles with longitudinal engines level up to a Torsen diff, whereas the R8 originally came with a purely mechanical fluid coupling. For the second generation, the R8 switched to an electrohydraulic-type coupling.

When it comes to MQB-based vehicles, both Volkswagen and Audi have something a little spicier than Haldex. The Golf R and RS 3 sport a twin-clutch rear axle dubbed R-Performance Torque Vectoring or RS Torque Splitter. In max oversteer mode, this contraption is capable of sending 1,750 Nm (almost 1,300 pound-feet) to a single rear wheel for loads of sideways fun.