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April 2018 DVSA recall round-up: Volkswagen recalls 16,600 diesels due to fire risk

Published 04 April 2018

Volkswagen is recalling thousands of Beetles, Golfs, Tiguans and Passats over a fire hazard. The issue affects cars built in 2011 and relates to a faulty starter motor which may overheat. The problem also affects thousands of Audi and SEAT models.

>>>What is a safety recall on a car? And how should you deal with it?

Ford has issued a UK safety notice for almost 5000 Fiestas – built in December 2017 – due to a brake issue that may lead to loss of servo assistance. According to the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency report, affected vehicles may have been fitted with a brake booster which may have a faulty diaphragm plate.

A rear spoiler issue has forced BMW to issue a recall for the X3 SUV. Apparently the rear spoiler may not have been properly attached and the problem could result in the unit detaching when the vehicle is travelling at speed.

There is also a significant recall for the Suzuki Baleno, Ignis and Swift, with more than 6000 vehicles being hit with an engine software fault that may result in the battery failing to charge and cause the engine to stall in start/stop conditions.

Recall number	Make	Model	Problem
R/2018/061	Audi	A3	Starter motor may overheat and catch fire
R/2018/073	BMW	X3	Rear spoiler may be insecure and detach
R/2018/039	Ford	Fiesta	Brake servo may fail
R/2018/026	Fiat	500	Instrument cluster may display incorrect speed
R/2018/052	Jaguar	XF Sportbrake	SRS system may not operate correctly
R/2018/077	Renault	Captur and Zoe	Front wheel hub may crack
R/2018/060	SEAT	Altea, Alhambra, Ibiza and Leon	Starter motor may overheat and catch fire
R/2018/071	Suzuki	Baleno, Ignis and Swift	Battery may fail to charge
R/2018/062	Volkswagen	Beetle, Eos, Golf, Jetta, Passat, Scirocco, Sharan, Tiguan, Touran	Starter motor may overheat and catch fire
R/2018/066	Volkswagen	T-Roc	Incomplete owner’s manual

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Comments

NickNike on 6 April 2018

Usual bunch of suspects, although Mercs and Vauxhalls are missing. Don't their development people do their jobs properly? Hyundai not on the list as usual. SRS system may not operate correctly? That is just unforgivable. Why do people buy this stuff. Ignorance and lack of product research I would guess.

Edited by NickNike on 06/04/2018 at 00:12

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on 6 April 2018

Vw cars are all overhyped rubbish.

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billbo on 6 April 2018

where are these car being built is it because it is out sourced to new eu states like my suzuki

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jchinuk on 12 April 2018

I would venture that few, if any, of these faults are present during development. In most cases they are problems with components which are bought in from outside contractors. These are initially produced to the correct specification, but after a while corners are cut (to save cash) and the manufacturer supplies the car maker with substandard parts.

Not every single part is tested, that is usually done on a sample from a batch, so if the samples 'pass' the batch gets passed and fitted to vehicles.

Unlike the days of Henry Ford, everything is not assembled on on site, indeed I suspect most car factories are assemble parts, with bodies, engines, transmissions, interiors, built elsewhere, occasionally by different companies.

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