Volkswagen Group to recall 168,275 VW, Audi models to fix diesel engine defect

Volkswagen AG is recalling 168,275 VW and Audi models with diesel engines because of a defect in the fuel injection system that could cause fuel leaks, possibly creating fire hazards.

The recall affects certain 2009-12 Jetta mid-sized sedans and wagons, and some 2010-12 Golf compacts, federal regulators said today.

Some 2010-12 Audi A3 models also are affected, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site.

Models subject to the recall have 2.0-liter diesel engines, NHTSA said.

VW, in documents filed with U.S. regulators, said cracks can develop in the fuel injection system and cause fuel to leak, possibly causing fires.

VW said it is unaware of any fires, accidents or injuries caused by the problem.

On certain VW diesel engines, a vibration caused by the fuel injectors can generate stress that eventually can lead to cracks in the injector fuel lines, VW said in documents filed with NHTSA.

VW will replace a fuel injector line in some models and install dampers to reduce vibration in all affected vehicles, NHTSA said. Both services will be provided free, VW said.

VW said about 20 percent of vehicles recalled have fuel injection lines with potentially faulty material, The Detroit News said.

The automaker said one supplier used a defective part in assembling fuel injectors -- and the failures only related to one of four injector lines, The News said.

The automaker began investigating the matter in March 2010 after a report of a fuel leak, NHTSA documents show.

VW told federal regulators the recall is scheduled to begin in November. The recall includes 161,144 Golf and Jetta models, and 7,131 Audi A3s.

Earlier this week, Volkswagen said about 22 percent of the VW models it sold in the U.S. market last month had diesel engines.

VW may add small car or SUV to U.S. plant

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan -- Volkswagen may build a small car or an SUV at its new U.S. plant in Tennessee, in addition to the mid-sized sedan that goes into production there next year.

VW is considering options for the plant's second product even before it has begun building its first, Tom Loafman, the company's purchasing director, said here last week at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars.

Loafman also said the plant's large Chattanooga site is in the running for a new engine plant Volkswagen hopes to build in North America. The engine plant also could go to a separate greenfield site or to VW's production complex in Puebla, Mexico, he said.

The engine plant would supply the Chattanooga and Puebla plants.

Volkswagen is counting on its $1 billion Chattanooga venture to bring down the costs of its U.S. products and give it capacity to reach 800,000 VW brand sales in the United States by 2018. Last year it sold 213,454 VW brand vehicles.

Volkswagen expects the new mid-sized sedan to compete more directly against high-volume family sedans such as the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.

"We haven't been able to compete well in that segment," Loafman said.

VW's strategy calls for Chattanooga to turn out cars at a much lower cost than mid-sized Passats imported from Europe. While the Passat reaches U.S. consumers at a price of about $27,000, the rival Accord sells for below $20,000.

The price difference is partly the result of a dollar-euro exchange rate that pushes the U.S. price higher. That has prompted Loafman and his staff to source much of the new vehicle's content in North America.

Loafman said that the sedan is about 63 percent U.S.-sourced so far and that a fifth of the suppliers in the project are new to Volkswagen.

2000 vw beetle has a problem with the battery draining after about three days

2000 VW Beetle

My 2000 VW beetle has a problem with the battery draining after about three days of normal use. Both the battery and alternator check out OK. Also have a problem with driver-side electric windows won't go up or down. Any ideas would be great.

Answer:

More than likely the harness going from the back of the alternator to the battery is faulty. Run the car with the radio, seat heaters, headlights, emergency lights, and rear window defroster on for 20 minutes with the hood closed. Then you need to put a voltmeter with one one lead on the positive battery post and the other on the large wire at the back of the alternator. That measurement should be around .06 volt. If it is over .1 volt the harness is faulty. You can buy one new from the dealer.

What does McCain and Sarah Palin Drive?

They may not agree on how to handle Pakistan or what the "Bush Doctrine" means, but Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin both think Volkswagen's are cool. The senior senator from Arizona counts a 2005 VW convertible among his 13 cars, and his running mate from the great state of Alaska drives a fire-engine-red Jetta diesel when she isn't chasing down moose on a snowmobile or carrying hockey teams or tanning beds in her state-issued Suburban.

Word that McCain drives a furrin car brought a quick response from the Obama campaign, which wanted to know just what country McCain is putting first. But the Obamaniacs missed the point. The only convertible VW imported to the states in 2005 was the Beetle. That's right -- tough-as-nails John McCain drives the biggest chick car on the planet. Full Story