Photo: Volkswagen
Volkswagen is probably less than a year away from launching the Mk2 Tiguan. However, before it can do that, it will have to fix a number of current generation models. A voluntary recall announced by the automaker today states that 151,389 2009 to 2014 Tiguans will have to be fixed for a problem that has to do with winterized fuel.
In the early part of the year, a number of Tiguan owners complained to Volkswagen USA about starting problems in cold weather. An investigation began in March, which eventually traced the problem back to the fuel pump. Gas bubbles may occur in the fuel system under specific conditions. Because of these, the fuel pump is unable to cope with the gas, which in turn may stall the engine.
"The condition occurs when the engine is restarted within a short period of time, before the engine has fully cooled down. When the vehicles affected by this recall have been operated under low load for an extended period of time, deposits may collect and degrade the electrical current flow inside the in-tank fuel pump, thus leading to reduced fuel pump performance and pressure. If these conditions occur in combination, the fuel pump may not be able to overcome the vapor pressure under low loads and can potentially result in a vehicle stall directly after engine start," the Volkswagen says in its recall notice sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The customers don't need to understand any of that. But what they do need to know about is how Volkswagen wants to solve the problem: software updates to the Electronic Control Module (ECM) that compensate for the anomalies. This will be performed free of charge to the customer.
We are, however, concerned about VW owners in overseas markets. The conditions described above do not sound specific to the United States and with about a million tiguans sound worldwide, more people might find themselves in trouble come winter.
Our say: Tiguans suffering from the bends?
"The condition occurs when the engine is restarted within a short period of time, before the engine has fully cooled down. When the vehicles affected by this recall have been operated under low load for an extended period of time, deposits may collect and degrade the electrical current flow inside the in-tank fuel pump, thus leading to reduced fuel pump performance and pressure. If these conditions occur in combination, the fuel pump may not be able to overcome the vapor pressure under low loads and can potentially result in a vehicle stall directly after engine start," the Volkswagen says in its recall notice sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The customers don't need to understand any of that. But what they do need to know about is how Volkswagen wants to solve the problem: software updates to the Electronic Control Module (ECM) that compensate for the anomalies. This will be performed free of charge to the customer.
We are, however, concerned about VW owners in overseas markets. The conditions described above do not sound specific to the United States and with about a million tiguans sound worldwide, more people might find themselves in trouble come winter.
Our say: Tiguans suffering from the bends?
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