Volkswagen recalls 170,000 potentially deadly vehicles

by Steven Mostyn - Oct 7 2011, 13:55

A few words of warning if you’re reading this from behind the wheel of a Volkswagen: Firstly, get your eyes back on the road, don’t you know how dangerous phone surfing is while driving; and secondly, Volkswagen has announced a recall connected to some of its diesel-powered vehicles.

Specifically, the German car manufacturer has recalled close to 170,000 vehicles from U.S. roads due to a defect located in the fuel injection system that could potentially cause fuel leaks and even start engine fires.

According to documentation submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issue concerns vehicles equipped with 2.0-litre TDI engines and is present in the Jetta (2009-2012), Golf (2010-2012), and certain models of the Audi A3 (2010-2012).

Although Volkswagen has insisted that the fault has not yet led to any known fires, crashes, or accidents, the recall is being enforced because fractured injectors could potentially transfer fuel into the engine’s cylinder, whereupon it would be ignited.

Once in possession of the recalled vehicles, Volkswagen intends to replace any vulnerable fuel injector lines and install special dampeners designed to remove vibrations it believes are responsible for causing the damage.   

Affected customers will not incur any extra costs from the recall.

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