VW recalls 1.1M Jetta, Beetle models in US, China over suspension fears

Fri, 17 Oct 2014

Volkswagen is recalling about 1.1 million vehicles in China and North America in a newly announced campaign affecting the rear suspensions on some models. For the US, the action covers about 442,265 vehicles, including 400,602 examples of its 2011-2013 Jetta and 41,663 units of the 2012-2013 Beetle and Beetle Convertible. According to Reuters, the recall affects a further 126,000 vehicles in Canada and about 581,090 in China, including related market-specific models like the Sagitar.

The problem can occur if the affected models have a collision to the rear or the side-rear of the vehicle. It's then possible for the trailing arms on the torsion-beam rear suspension to be damaged. If the harm isn't noticed, then the part could fracture while driving. Obviously, a broken rear suspension is going to have an adverse effect on handling.

To fix things, VW dealers will inspect the trailing arms on the models, and they will all receive a sheetmetal part that will make a distinctive sound if broken in the future. If already damaged, the entire torsion beam will be replaced. Obviously, this work will be done at no charge to owners.

According to VW, there are no known accidents or injuries as a result of this problem, and the company says it's notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the recall today. Owners should receive notification in the next 30 days, VW spokesperson Jeannine Ginivan tells Autoblog. Scroll down to read the company's official announcement about the US campaign.

VOLKSWAGEN ISSUES VOLUNTARY RECALL
Oct 17, 2014

Herndon, VA - Volkswagen considers the safety and satisfaction of its consumers and passengers a top priority. As such, Volkswagen of America today notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it will be issuing a voluntary safety recall affecting the trailing arms on the torsion beam rear suspension of certain 2011-2013 model year Volkswagen Jetta, and certain 2012-2013 model year Volkswagen Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles.

The recall affects approximately 400,602 model year 2011-2013 Volkswagen Jetta, and 41,663 model year 2012-2013 Volkswagen Beetle and Beetle Convertible vehicles. In isolated cases, it is possible that a rear or a side-rear collision could lead to damage of the rear suspension trailing arms. If the damage is not detected and is then not repaired, this can later cause the trailing arm to fracture suddenly, resulting in a loss of vehicle stability. Potentially, this could lead to a crash.

To address the issue, authorized Volkswagen dealers will inspect the rear suspension of vehicles that have been involved in rear or side-rear collisions to determine whether the trailing arms have been damaged. On cars that do not have damaged trailing arms, the authorized Volkswagen dealer will fit a sheetmetal inlay on the rear trailing arms. This will emit a distinctive sound if the car is later involved in a rear-end collision, which will be a signal for the owner to take the car to an authorized Volkswagen dealership for inspection. These actions will be performed free of charge to the customer.

No accidents or injuries related to this issue have been reported. Volkswagen will notify all owners of affected vehicles and will instruct them to arrange for an appointment with an authorized Volkswagen dealer.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA's operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, CC, Eos, Golf, Golf GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, Tiguan, and Touareg vehicles through approximately 649 independent U.S. dealers.

By Chris Bruce