Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | ||||||||||||||||
| 09V333000 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | from 09/01/2008 to 08/19/2009 | V (Vehicle) | 16000 | 10/20/2009 | ODI | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 08/20/2009 | 08/20/2009 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Volkswagen is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 passenger cars manufactured between september 2008 and august 2009. the wiring harness of a temperature sensor in the direct shift gearbox (dsg) may have connector wires that were insufficiently crimped. with insufficiently crimped connector wires, a temperature sensor has the potential to falsely detect a high gearbox oil temperature, causing the transmission to abruptly shift to neutral. if this happens, the selector lever position indicator within the instrument panel will flash. in addition, the depress brake pedal indicator light will be illuminated, alerting the driver to apply the brakes. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The abrupt shift to neutral could lead to a crash without warning. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Volkswagen will reprogram the transmission control module with updated software free of charge. the recall began on october 20, 2009. owners may contact volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Vw recall no.37e3/s7 & audi recall no. 37e5/j7.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| SA-48326 | 06/01/2011 | 10038586 | Audi service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. apology letter about the water pump campaign and warranty information. *rm | 06/22/2011 | |
| SA-19H1-F1 | 06/01/2011 | 10038584 | Audi service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. under certain conditions the coolant pump may leak. *rm | 06/22/2011 | |
| SA-US-06 | 06/01/2011 | 10038585 | Audi service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. apology letter about the water pump campaign. *rm | 06/22/2011 | |
| SA-19H1-10 | 06/01/2011 | 10038588 | Audi service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. apology letter about the water pump campaign and warranty information. *rm | 06/22/2011 | |
| SA-19H1-08 | 06/01/2011 | 10038587 | Audi service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. apology letter about the water pump campaign and warranty information. *rm | 06/22/2011 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| TSB-21-11-05 | 10/21/2011 | 10042391 | Audi: transmission has slight hesitation or a delayed power from a stop. *pe | 12/06/2011 | |
| TSB-21-11-03 | 01/19/2011 | 10038252 | Ready | 06/14/2011 | |
| TSB-21-11-03 | 01/19/2011 | 10038252 | Audi: there could be multiple problems: poor accelerator respons, turbo lag, and rough gear changes. 2010-2011 a3. *rm | 06/14/2011 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||||
| TSB-30-11-10 | 12/02/2011 | 10043275 | Audi: certain model year vehicles may experience a condition with the clutch malfunctioning, burnt smell or not returning to original position. *pe | 03/08/2012 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - BELL HOUSING | |||||
| TSB-30-11-10 | 12/02/2011 | 10043275 | Audi: certain model year vehicles may experience a condition with the clutch malfunctioning, burnt smell or not returning to original position. *pe | 03/08/2012 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - PEDAL/LINKAGE | |||||
| TSB-30-11-10 | 12/02/2011 | 10043275 | Audi: certain model year vehicles may experience a condition with the clutch malfunctioning, burnt smell or not returning to original position. *pe | 03/08/2012 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| PE09035 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA, INC | 07/17/2009 | 11/19/2009 | VEHICLE STALL/LOSS MOTIVE POWER | 09V333000 | |
| The subject vehicles are equipped with direct shift gearbox (dsg) transmissions, which feature a 6-speed automatic gearbox with two wet running clutches (dual clutch) in which the clutch mechanism and gear changes are electrohydraulically operated by a mechatronic control unit.the dsg mechatronic controller includes extensive self diagnostic functions and strategies to ensure safe operation and prevent system/component damage in the event of component failures or harsh operating conditions.the basic hierarchy of fault modes includes some that only result in the storage of a diagnostic trouble code (dtc) and cause no loss of function, some that store a dtc and reduce vehicle operation to a limp home mode, and some that store a dtc and cause an interruption of motive power (i.e., open clutch).the driver is alerted to the latter two modes by the dash gear position indicator (prnds) flashing. one of the conditions that results in interruption of motive power is excess gearbox temperature.the system initially responds to increased gearbox temperature by ramping down engine torque.if the temperature keeps rising the mechatronic unit responds by opening the clutch.in a defect information report submitted to nhtsa on august 20, 2009, volkswagen described a potential defect in the wiring harnesses of the dsg gearbox temperature sensors used in approximately 16,000 model year (my) 2009 and 2010 volkswagen (eos, jetta and gti) and audi (a3 and tt/tt roadster) vehicles equipped with dsg transmissions and built from september 2008 through august 2009 (nhtsa recall no. 09v-333, volkswagen recall no. 37e3/s7 and audi recall no 37e4/j7). volkswagen provided this description of the defect, the wiring harness of a temperature sensor in the dsg may have connector wires that were insufficiently crimped by the connector supplier during a limited production period.with insufficiently crimped connector wires, a temperature sensor has the potential to falsely detect a high gearbox oil temperature, causing the transmission to abruptly shift to neutral.if this happens, the selector lever position indicator within the instrument panel will flash.in addition, the depress brake pedal indicator light will be illuminated, alerting the driver to apply the brakes.in heavy traffic, the abrupt shift to neutral could lead to a crash without warning.volkswagen estimated that less than one percent of the recalled vehicles may contain the defect condition. odi identified 40 complaints that appear to be related to the temperature sensor defect condition described by volkswagen.volkswagen received 139 complaints related to the condition, with 7 involving vehicles reported to odi, resulting a 172 total complaints to odi and volkswagen.all of these complaints involve the my 2009 an 2010 vehicles subject to recall 09v-333. odi also identified complaints of harsh/jerky shifting in some volkswagen vehicles with dsg.volkswagen attributed this condition, which typically occurs at very low speeds, to excessive wear in the bushings of the two solenoid valves in the mechatronic unit that control clutch operation.volkswagen does not believe that the this condition is a safety defect because the changes in shift quality develop gradually over time, do not cause a loss of motive power and have not resulted in any fatalities, injuries or serious crashes (there were three reported property damage incidents resulting in minor body damage in very low speed, parking maneuvers).volkswagen addressed this problem in the field with a customer service program that includes the replacement of potentially affected mechatronic units as well as a 10 year/100,000 mile extended warranty.this investigation is closed with volkswagen's recall of the defect condition that may result in a loss of motive power while driving. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/03/2012 | 38753 | ||
| This complaint relates to a tdi version of the audi a3. while driving my kids to school, the car stopped dead and would not restart. on inspection by an audi dealer it was determined that the high pressure fuel pump had failed. the pump failure caused metal particles from the pump itself to circulate in the fuel system doing catastrophic damage to the fuel system and power train. as of this date, the car has been in the shop for repair longer than two weeks with no estimated date of completion. we experienced a similar catastrophic fuel pump failure with our audi q7 tdi in june of 2012 which required a new engine, fuel system and other parts (see odi # 10480946). according to the dealer, the reason for the delay in repairing the a3 relates to the large number of cars with similar fuel system failures which has caused a scarcity of parts. we have been told by the dealer that this same problem is happening to tdi vehicles from both volkswagen and audi. i am no engineer, but widespread fuel system failures seem potentially dangerous to drivers and their passengers. this problem deserves an investigation. | |||
| 11/11/2010 | 8000 | ||
| The car has an automatic transmission that downshifts on its own from automatic (d) to m1 (the lowest manual gear). when this happens the car immediately slows and the engine rpms increase toward the red line. it happens about every 250 miles or so, usually when i am going about 20-25 miles an hour in city driving. the last time it happened, i was holding a cup of coffee and it spilled over my lap. i am worried that it could happen when another car is following closely and result in a rear end collision. there would be no warning of the slow down to the other driver since the brake lights would not go on. | |||
| 06/13/2010 | 8400 | ||
| There is an intermittent problem of applying gas and not moving; the engine revs, but does not move forward. this has happened from a full stop or almost a full stop, when trying to turn across oncoming traffic and while crossing a busy intersection. almost had two accidents in one day. audi dealership says that if they cannot duplicate the situation, they cannot do anything. i left my car for their service manager to drive indefinitely. it is an extremely dangerous intermittent problem. this is a 2010, 2.0t. | |||
| 08/15/2010 | 1000 | ||
| 2010 audi a3 tdi has intermittent acceleration pausing problems. the lack of power has been experienced from a dead stop and while merging into freeway traffic. the problem is rare, but has been a safety concern when it has happened. | |||