2004 Volkswagen Touareg V8 Sport Utility 4-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW will need to recall 323,700 diesel vehicles in India

Volkswagen Group's diesel emissions scandal continues to spread, and now the automaker must recall 323,700 diesel vehicles in India because of too much pollution, according to Bloomberg. The campaign covers models from several of the group's brands including VW, Audi, and Skoda. The Automotive Research Association of India first discovered the emissions irregularities after conducting its own real world and lab tests, and the Indian government then commanded VW to explain what was happening. The country's regulators will allow the automaker to set the recall schedule for the repairs, according to a government official who spoke to Bloomberg, and the campaign will likely happen in phases. Among the affected vehicles, there will be about 100,000 from the VW brand including the Jetta, Passat, and some variants of the Polo. VW already has repairs for some of the affected diesel engines in Europe, and the company can allegedly fix the emissions problem with new software and small hardware changes. The situation is harder in the US where regulators still need to approve any proposed solutions, and VW also must now recall its 3.0-liter V6 TDI in California to eliminate other problematic code. The German automaker faces investigations from regulators all over the world into its emissions evasions, and they could be quite costly. One estimate already suggests the minimum price of the potential repairs, fines, and other expenses at about $24.5 billion. Officials in Brazil have already fined the company $13 million for pollution issues with the diesel Amarok pickup and requested a recall to fix them.

Crash test videos show how rust compromises safety

These recently released Swedish videos serve as a reminder that rust isn't just a cosmetic flaw, when it comes to cars. The insurance company Folksam and the homeowner organization Villaagarnas Riksforbund gathered examples of two relatively popular, but by now rusty cars, and then performed crash tests with them at the Thatcham Research facility in Britain. The results are sobering. The rustier cars chosen for the tests were first-generation Mazda6s, cars that have a reputation for early-onset rust in salty surroundings, such as the Nordic countries in Europe or the Salt Belt in the U.S. The cars in the other end of the spectrum were fifth-generation Volkswagen Golfs, which thanks to their body treatment only really start to show rust at over ten years old. But rust isn't just on the surface, it goes bone deep. While the Mazda did decently well in Euro NCAP testing as a new car, there's now a 20 percent higher risk of death in the 2003-2008 Mazda due to the degradation of its bodyshell. In the rusty car, the chassis rail separates from the floor, the footwell ruptures, the sill gives way, the seat mountings move and the dummy's head hits the B-pillar; all important failures, despite Thatcham saying the cars actually performed better in the crashes than they expected with all the rust. But still, the corroded structure isn't able to transmit loads in the way it was originally designed to do. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Golf does significantly better — despite rust flakes flying when the Golf hits the wall — as the years have only caused it to lose a single point. An important thing to remember is that the cars aren't tested in comparison to corresponding new, 2018 cars: the tests are in reference to the crashworthiness standards in place when they were new. The cars' airbags inflate like they were supposed to, but on the Mazda the dummy's head bottoms out the airbag due to the car's structure failing, meaning the airbag cannot perform as designed. Driven cautiously, an older car is still mostly fine for driving around. But tests like these remind us that it's not enough that a car runs and drives, if the body has turned into Swedish knackebrod. And if you repair the visible rust and the structure underneath remains as compromised as ever, there's an ugly truth under all the bondo. Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea to have yearly roadworthiness inspections.

Bosch fuel pumps spark recall of 2015 Golf, GTI and Audi A3

A few weeks ago, BMW and Nissan both issued recalls for some of their vehicles to replace Bosch-supplied fuel pumps. The pumps had nickel plating that could flake off and cause a failure. Volkswagen Group is the latest automaker to be affected by the problem and has a campaign for the 2015 Audi A3, VW Golf and GTI. In total, 6,204 units of these models are in need of repair. The problem with the VW Group vehicles is identical to the previous recalls. It's possible for the pump's nickel plating to come off and cause increased friction. Eventually, this can result in the component's failure. According to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (as a PDF, here), there are no reports of accidents or injuries from this issue in the VW Group models. Bosch spokesperson Linda Beckmeyer tells Autoblog that these vehicles don't all necessary share an identical fuel pump, but the parts all use the same plating process. The problem also prompted repairs of the 2014 Ford Escape several months ago, she indicated. When asked if the issue could prompt more campaigns, Beckmeyer said that she "can't speak to that" because automakers decide on the recalls. Owners should receive notice of the problem soon, but according to the NHTSA documentation, there currently aren't enough pumps to fix all of these vehicles. "Bosch is working closely with automakers regarding replacement parts," Beckmeyer said. When available, dealers will replace the components free of charge for affected customers. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Improper Plating may cause Fuel Pump to Fail Report Receipt Date: APR 17, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V229000 Component(s): FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Potential Number of Units Affected: 6,204 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) AUDI A3 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 2015 Details Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. SUMMARY: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Golf, GTI, and Audi A3 vehicles. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing. CONSEQUENCE: If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle will not start, or if the engine is running, it will stop and the vehicle will stall, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any affected fuel pumps, free of charge.