German automaker Volkswagen will soon begin recalling its vehicles due to a potential problem with a component that could be overheat and cause a fire. The recall affected 91,000 Passat vehicles from the 2012-2014 models registered in the U.S.
Autoblog elaborated the issue with the car model being recalled. The 2012-2014 Passat vehicles equipped with TDI engines might have improperly assembled wire seals in a connector for an underbody sensor. Because of that, water may enter and corrode the electrical connectors of the sensor, causing an electrical short. In turn, an electrical short can cause overheating to the electrical connectors of the sensor, increasing the risk of a fire.
The Volkswagen Passat models from the year 2012-2014 are equipped with TDI diesel motors. The automaker stated that the issue was first discovered in November 2015. At first, the issue was reported in the production plant when the case of the electrical connectors overheating happened. The case initiated further tests, until the issue was determined as a defect in March 2016.
The TDI diesel motors used by the 2012-2014 Passat models were the same engines at the center of the emissions scandal faced by Volkswagen, as reported by Europe Online Magazine. Earlier, the company has been under investigations regarding the discovered illegal software to trick emissions tests. The automaker, along with the U.S. environmental regulator EPA is still working to address the problem, which affects approximately 11 million Volkswagen vehicles worldwide.
As a solution to the risk of fire imposed in the 2012-2014 Passat models, Volkswagen will notify owners via dealers, and have dealers inspect the connector and replace it as necessary. Car owners can get their cars serviced for new connector free of charge. According to Consumerist, owners will start get notifications in June.
Besides hundreds of civil lawsuits and penalty costs totaling to billions of dollars regarding the emission scandal, Volkswagen is also facing other issues with its car models. Recently, the carmaker had to recall some of its electric E-Golf models for electrical problems. A few weeks ago, Volkswagen also announced a callback for its SUV model over potential problem with the foot pedal.
Beginning in June, Volkswagen's Passat 2012-2014 models owners in the U.S. will start receiving notifications to fix their cars' connector so that it wouldn't cause overheat, electrical short, and possibly a fire. The call back affects 91,000 vehicles with the TDI diesel engines, the same kind of engines associated with the company's emission scandal.
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