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Audi Safety Issues Skoda Volkswagen

Audi, Skoda to join Australian DSG recall

Audi A1

The news just keeps getting worse for the Volkswagen Group with word that Audi and Skoda will be joining Volkswagen Australia in the voluntary recall to remedy problems with the 7-speed DSG (DQ200) transmission.

Nothing official has yet to emerge from the PR departments of Audi or Skoda but it is understood over 6200 A1 and A3 vehicles, as well as around 1750 Octavia and Superb models will be included in the recall. As with Volkswagen, the date range for the affected vehicles falls between 2008–2011.

That takes the total number of Australian sold vehicles to be included in the voluntary recall well beyond 30,000. That’s gonna take some time to work through!

[Source: Go Auto]

Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

Volkswagen Australia announces voluntary recall

Volkswagen

As expected Volkswagen has this morning announced an official recall. The announcement only covers vehicles fitted with a 7-speed DSG transmission (DQ200) built from June 2008 to September 2011. Notices will go out to affected owners from next month. There is no word yet on an official recall for diesel powered models that may be affected by injector issues. Here is Volkswagen’s statement in full:

Volkswagen Group Australia Announces Voluntary Recall

Volkswagen Group Australia today announced a voluntary recall for 25,928 vehicles fitted with 7-speed DSG gearbox (DQ200).

Vehicles affected include Golf, Jetta, Polo, Passat and Caddy and were produced between June 2008 and September 2011.

In isolated cases, an electronic malfunction in the control unit inside the gearbox mechatronics may result in a power interruption. Other important vehicle systems, such as steering and braking, along with other relevant systems, will continue to be fully functional. If, in rare cases, the car loses power while driving, the driver can remain in control to safely manoeuvre the car to a stop.

Volkswagen vehicles currently being produced and sold are not affected by this issue. Australian customers can have trust, peace of mind and confidence when purchasing a new Volkswagen vehicle.

Volkswagen Group Australia will replace the gearbox mechatronic unit on all potentially affected vehicles at no cost to the customer. At the same time, we will also update customers’ vehicles with the latest software version.

Starting from July, owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted directly by Volkswagen Group Australia about the voluntary recall.

The invitation letters to schedule appointments for inspection and replacement of affected parts will be sent out in batches to the owners according to car model, production date and the supply of the necessary parts. Owners can continue to drive their vehicles as usual before the replacement.

In Volkswagen owners are invited to call the Customer Service Centre hotline on 1800 504 076 for this and all other technical inquiries Customer satisfaction is Volkswagen’s highest priority.

UPDATE: The ACCC has published a notice regarding the Volkswagen recall (see below). Interestingly they state vehicles built between 2009–2012 are affected, which is different to Volkswagen’s own date range above.

UPDATE #2: The recalls.gov.au website has been corrected to indicate cars affected were built in 2008–2011. Other edits were made to the text relating to the defects and hazards. You can compare both notices below.

Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

Official recall looms for Volkswagen Australia

Volkswagen Golf VI 118TSI

News Limited brings word of an expected recall to be announced by Volkswagen following intense media scrutiny over the last couple of weeks.

Volkswagen’s direct shift gearbox (DSG) will be the main focus with as many as 25,000 vehicles built between June 2008 and September 2011 expected to be covered by the recall, including Polo, Jetta, Golf, Passat and Caddy models.

Further to the DSG recall it’s been reported that around 4000 diesel Volkswagens will also be recalled to have injectors inspected and replaced as required.

Ironically, perhaps, the reported faults from customers of vehicles inexplicably losing power is not featured in the recalls outlined by the News Limited report. While some vehicles may be put into limp mode or false neutral due to issues with the DSG, this may not cover all instances.

If you’re a Volkswagen owner and have concerns over the safety and working order of your vehicle you can contact VW on their dedicated hotline (1800 504 076) with any questions or to arrange a free inspection.

We’ll bring you the official word from Volkswagen as it comes to hand.

[Source: News]

Categories
MINI Safety Issues

MINI says makeup or drive

MINI makeup or drive TVC

Apparently there’s a real problem in Mexico with women applying makeup while they drive. In response MINI has come up with this public safety announcement.

[Source: MotoringFile]

Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

Volkswagen Australia now offering free inspections

Volkswagen Golf V

Volkswagen Australia has made its first genuine attempt to win back the confidence of concerned owners who have been complaining about a number of reliability problems in the wake of heavy media scrutiny regarding the Victorian coronial inquest into the death of Melissa Ryan.

It follows an official response to Fairfax Media commentary issued by Volkswagen last week. That statement didn’t really offer too much respite for Volkswagen with many critical of the statement’s dismissive tone.

John White, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Australia, has sent out a letter to owners with the offer of a free inspection if they are concerned about the safety of their vehicle.

“We understand the recent coverage has caused some concern among our customers,” said White. “We feel the best way to demonstrate our commitment is with several immediate measures.

“For peace of mind, we’re offering free inspections of your Volkswagen vehicle at any Volkswagen dealer throughout Australia.”

A special hotline (1800 504 076) has also been established to allow owners to call in with any questions.

You can read Volkswagen Australia’s letter in full after the break. Do you think this is enough for Volkswagen to win back consumer confidence, or do you think they can or should do more?

[Thanks to Stu for the tip]

Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

Fairfax ramps up scrutiny on Volkswagen

Senay and Seniz Suleyman

The fallout from Fairfax Media’s article last Friday, reporting on cases of Volkswagen’s suddenly losing power, continues to gather momentum. First, Volkswagen issued an official response after the original Fairfax article was flooded with comments from concerned owners.

Since then Fairfax has continued to run stories about concerned Volkswagen owners and Volkswagen Australia has reportedly pulled all its advertising from Fairfax publications.

On the one hand it is pleasing to see Fairfax has not been deterred by the loss of advertising revenue, while on the other it now just seems to be turning into a schoolyard spat with two parties trying to score points at any opportunity. For Volkswagen Australia, this is fast becoming a PR nightmare.

The latest article from Fairfax reports on the ownership experience of an 18-year-old Sydney woman, Senay Suleyman (pictured on the right with sister Seniz), who was gifted a new Polo for her 18th birthday last October. According to the article it has suffered a loss of power on four occasions and been returned to the dealer each time.

The article says Volkswagen was considering replacing the car if the problems continued, but they now claim Suleyman’s Polo is fine.

Although the Suleyman family still wants out, Senay’s mother, Suzi, said: “It’s not an option to sell the vehicle because it will simply be like selling a death trap to another motorist.”

It’s important to remember that at the heart of the problem is an emerging group of dissatisfied owners who are sharing tales of worrying behaviour from what they should expect to be reliable and safe new vehicles.

Whether some owners have been whipped up into a frenzy amidst the scrutiny from Fairfax is a separate issue, the point is Volkswagen Australia now has an image problem that it needs to sort out. And fast.

[Pic: Sebastian Costanzo]

UPDATE: We note Fairfax now has a dedicated sub-section of their Drive.com.au website for Volkswagen Problems.

Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

Volkswagen Australia responds to Fairfax Media

Volkswagen

In a not unexpected development Volkswagen has issued an official response to yesterday’s Fairfax Media article:

Volkswagen Group Australia Response to Fairfax

The coronial inquest regarding the death of Ms. Ryan is still ongoing, we will not comment on the investigation, except to say that we are cooperating fully and the assertion by Fairfax that Ms Ryan’s death appears to have been caused by sudden deceleration is incorrect. There has been no finding of this nature by the Coroner.

There is also no correlation between the inquest, and the customer reports presented in the media regarding issues with diesel engines and DSG transmissions.

The vehicle at the centre of the inquest is equipped with a petrol engine and a manual transmission. Neither of the customer’s interviewed for the story has a vehicle fitted with a DSG transmission either.

Categories
Safety Issues Volkswagen

Has your Volkswagen suddenly lost power?

Volkswagen Golf V

We alert you to a troubling article regarding the Volkswagen Golf published by Fairfax Media. Most of the issues reported on relate to Mk5 Golfs and centre around the 2011 death of 32-year-old Melissa Ryan on Melbourne’s Monash Freeway:

A coroner this week investigated the death of Ms Ryan, who was killed when a prime mover with two trailers hit her Golf from behind. The truck driver and Ms Ryan’s family believe her car dramatically and inexplicably slowed before the crash. After Fairfax’s reporting of the coronial inquest, 15 owners of Volkswagens have spoken of frightening experiences when their cars, including Golf, Passat, Polo and Eos models, suddenly lost power on highways and, in one case, a train line.

“I did not feel safe driving a car like that. It was frightening,” said Jean Lim, who was driving a 2007 Golf automatic that suddenly decelerated. VW replaced the gearbox but the issue returned. Another driver, who owned a 2008 Golf automatic, said she drove “in constant terror”. “The light comes up, the car just dies and you just pray that you’re not smashed into,” said the driver, who declined to be named.

We suggest you read the article in full. If you drive a recent model Volkswagen and have experienced similar problems we’d like to hear from you in the comments section below.

For the interests of transparency we spent over six years at the wheel of a 2006 Golf GTI (6-speed manual) and never encountered anything at all like this. The car went back to Volkswagen for three voluntary recalls, although the car was not exhibiting any of the problems covered by the recalls at the time.

Categories
Safety Issues

Faster than any other boy has ever gone

If you break the speed limit you are the devil’s spawn. It’s true. You’ve seen the shocking road safety ads on TV, what other conclusion can one come to?

Regardless of which side of the needle you sit, it’s hard to deny that Australia’s state and territory governments have a fixation with speed cameras.

It’s reached a point now where governments around the country are drunk on the revenue speed cameras bring in. Let’s not bother with the debate over whether speed cameras are effective road safety devices or not, because the fact is they’re not going anywhere. Not while the millions and millions of dollars continue to roll in to the coffers of money hungry state/territory treasurers.

Don’t want to contribute to the revenue swill, don’t speed. It’s pretty simple.

So, back to the speed debate, then. For the let-me-drive-as-fast-as-I-want crowd the last bastion of sense was in the Northern Territory where, until 2007, you could actually could drive as fast as you wanted. Really.

Then, just like that, those silly Territorians introduced a speed limit like the rest of the country. It will save lives, they said. You know, the usual mantra. But it didn’t. Not in simple terms anyway.

Quoting an article from Fairfax Media, “In the six years since [NT ended unlimited speeds], more people have died on Northern Territory roads (307) than in the six years before the change (292).”

Yay, speeding doesn’t kill, so let’s lift the restrictions and do it like the Germans do and let us all drive like bats out of hell. Read any online debate over speed limits and within five comments some will say, “My experience on the German Autobahns suggests…”

It’s worth pointing that 40% of German Autobahns do have a mandated 130km/h speed limit and that remains the recommended speed on derestricted roads. But not for much longer if the German opposition SPD party has its way.

They want to end the days of derestricted Autobahns and introduce a blanket 120km/h limit. No formal policy has been formulated at this stage, but as reported by Autocar, SPD spokesman Sigmar Gabriel reckons statistics prove the road toll is lower on the restricted roads and that’s good enough for him.

Back in the day I would have been burning effigies of speed limit signs in a rage of self-importance. But I’m older now and find the fence a more comfortable place to be. I’ll let others fight it out. Ultimately, seeking increased speed limits is not that important. Respecting other road users is where it’s at kids.

Drive safely.

[Thanks to Mark and Matt for the tips | Pic: Drive.com.au]

Categories
Mazda News Safety Issues

Over 1500 Mazda6 models affected by recall

2013 Mazda6

Mazda Australia says 1531 Australian delivered new Mazda6 models are affected by a recall which numbers 15,000 vehicles worldwide.

According to Mazda there is a potential fault with the DC/DC converter, positioned beneath the front passenger’s seat, that in worst cases could cause a fire. Mazda will replace the convertor at no cost to the customer.

Owners will be contacted by Mazda to arrange the repair and a free loan vehicle will be provided while their car is off the road. Owners can also call Mazda Customer Support on 1800 034 411 for more information.

Categories
Safety Issues Toyota

Toyota 86 fails moose test!

Toyota 86 fails moose test

The reputation of the Toyota 86 has been smashed in one fell swoop with this graphic footage of the car miserably failing the infamous moose test.

Or not.

Categories
Formula 1 Mercedes-Benz Motorsports Safety Issues

VIDEO: Nico Rosberg talks about his helmet

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG

In the build up to the Japanese Grand Prix this video of Nico Rosberg talking about the evolution of crash helmet technology was released to YouTube. He starts by showing the leather skull caps used around 50 years ago. We wonder, in 2062, will Nico’s grandson hold up his grandad’s 2012 helmet and say, “Would you wear this and race at 250km/h? That’s pretty insane.”