Volkswagen recalls Jetta, Golf, Audi A3 diesel models over fuel leak concerns

This fresh Volkswagen diesel fuel system recall pertains to Jetta TDI and Jetta TDI Sportwagen models built between May 2008 and September 2011, along with Golf TDI and Audi A4 models built between May 2009 and September 2011. All of the affected vehicles are powered by Volkswagen’s 2.0L common rail turbo diesel engine and in total, Volkswagen believes that roughly 168,275 vehicles are affected.

As stated in the stop sale dealership letter discussed earlier today (click here for more on the stop sale), the problem with these recalled diesel Jetta, Golf and Audi A3 models is that the fuel injection pulse rate coincides with the natural frequency of the metal #2 cylinder fuel injection line. This means that at certain engine RPMs, there can be excessive vibration caused by the unusual resonance which can lead to the injector #2 line cracking. A crack in your fuel line – especially in the presence of harsh vibration – can lead to a fuel leak and although diesel fuel is less flammable than gasoline, there is still an increased risk of fire in the engine bay.

This recall is expected to begin in November, at which point owners of the recalled Jetta, Golf and Audi A3 models will be asked to return to their local VW/Audi dealership where the issue will be fixed, free of charge. The fix for this Volkswagen Jetta, VW Golf and Audi A3 diesel recall is a new #2 injector line that is less prone to cracking along with vibration dampers that will prevent any future vibration due to resonance issues. For those who own one of these vehicles and would like to do more research on the problem, the VW recall file number is 23J9/V5.

Now that this problem has been filed with the NHTSA and addressed by VW with this voluntary recall, the stop sale order on those affected models still in dealership possession should be lifted – once the needed parts to repair the issue have been sent to dealers and installed.

Other VW News:
Volkswagen issues stop sale on diesel models for fuel leakage concerns
Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid coming to 2012 Detroit Auto Show
Volkswagen recalls 2011-2012 Jetta sedans for excessively long tailpipes
NHTSA investigates 2011 VW Jetta TDI for fuel leaks
VW announces special 2012 Beetle Black Turbo Launch Edition