Volkswagen Passat Lemon – Brake Recall
Volkswagen Group of America (VW) will recall more than 8,000 vehicles after discovering potentially dangerous brake defects.
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The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based manufacturer notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on August 22, 2018 they will recall 8,416 2017-2018 Volkswagen Passat and 2018 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles built between Oct. 26, 2016 and June 12, 2018.
The company reported the affected vehicles’ brake calipers can loosen, letting the caliper move along the steering knuckle in Atlas vehicles or along the axle in Passat vehicles. This can increase required stopping distance, damage the wheel or cause the vehicle to lose control; any of those conditions can increase crash risk.
Engineers first presented the problem to Volkswagen’s Product Safety Committee on May 25, 2018. The company issued a stop-sale order while engineers addressed the factory issue believed to have caused the defect. Vehicles still in dealer inventory were reworked in the factory.
The company received their first loose brake caliper complaint in a factory-reworked vehicle on June 20, 2018. The company received additional complaints regarding factory-reworked vehicles throughout July and August 2018, prompting the company to issue a stop order on all remaining vehicles not yet reworked at the factory.
The company decided to issue a recall on Aug. 8, 2018.
Volkswagen will notify owners and dealers will inspect the brake caliper bracket bolt tightness, replacing and re-torque the bolts as necessary free of charge. Additionally brake caliper fasteners, bleeder valve, and brake hose bolts will be checked and torqued to the correct specification if necessary. Dealers will also inspect the parking brake cable on Passat vehicles for proper connection, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 14, 2018.
Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 46H6. Concerned consumers can also visit the NHTSA’s website and enter their VIN to see if their vehicle is included in any recalls.
Your vehicle’s manufacturer is legally required to fix any recalled problems for free. If the dealership refuses to fix the part or tries to charge you for the repair, contact the manufacturer immediately. The Highway Safety Act of 1970, which created the NHTSA, requires car manufacturers to pay for the recall and replacement of a defective part.
If the manufacturer fails to repair, replace, repurchase, or provide your recalled vehicle’s loss value, they are violating the warranty and a lawyer may be able to assist you. Lemon law attorneys help their clients by dealing directly with the manufacturer on the clients’ behalf, working to promptly resolve the issue and get their clients back on the road. Thanks to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, attorneys can seek their fees directly from the manufacturer, meaning a client can obtain legal counsel without having to pay attorneys’ fees directly out of pocket.
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