The Volkswagen Group appears to be having some trouble with fuel leaks. The problems are so widespread, the German giant has had to issue three separate recalls, covering over 280,000 vehicles in the United States alone across five different Audi models and a broad array of VW Golfs.
The largest of the three campaigns affects an estimated 143,214 examples of the Audi Q5 and Q7 crossovers – specifically 2009-12 and 2007-12 models, respectively, with gasoline engines. According to the NHTSA, “ he fuel cap flange on the affected vehicles may crack, allowing fuel to leak.”
Next up is the automaker’s top-selling range, including the Golf, Golf SportWagen, GTI, and both sedan and cabrio versions of the Audi A3, all from the 2015-16 model years. In this case, “a problem with the suction pump inside the fuel tank” could result in fuel leaking into the evaporative emissions system and through the charcoal canister. This second recall affects an estimated additional 110,042 in the US.
A third, smaller recall affects 28,249 examples of the 2012-13 Audi A6 and A7, in which a fuel leak may emerge from a degrading hose in the engine compartment.
In any event, a fuel leak could be a major problem, potentially resulting in a fire or explosion, so VW is acting prudently to be addressing the issue. In each of the three cases, dealers are being instructed to replace the problematic parts with better versions that are designed to fix the problem, and we hope they do the trick.
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