This is why we never suggest or recommend any plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Volkswagen Group is one of the very few automotive groups known for its reluctance to issue recalls of any type until it’s too late. In the past we have seen their ‘wait and see’ approach with the DSG issues and then came their TSI engine failures.
This time we see that Reuters has just shared news on the 31st of March about a serious recall from Volkswagen.
Volkswagen Group will have to recall more than 100,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles globally due to the risk of fire, said a spokesperson for the German carmaker.
Some 42,300 owners of Volkswagen Passats, Golfs, Tiguans and Arteons worldwide will be notified. Volkswagen brand Audi has to recall 24,400 vehicles, while Seat and Skoda are also affected.
There is a risk of fire in vehicles that connect a conventional combustion engine to an electric drive and are charged through a socket due to an insufficiently insulated high-voltage battery, added the spokesperson on Thursday.
The good news is that Volkswagen Malaysia does not offer plug-in hybrids in their showrooms and so NO Malaysian sold cars are affected with this recall. However, VW owns Audi and there are mild hybrid Audi cars sold in Malaysia which might be affected by this recall.
It is advised that mild hybrid Audi owners to check with the Audi dealer just to be extra sure. There will not be many as Audi in Malaysia has been seeing shrinking sales in the past 3 to 4 years and only a handful of mild hybrids were sold.
Then for Skoda, there has not been any activity at all for the past 8 years in Malaysia so there is no worry there.
Reconditioned AP importers have been good by not importing in any plug-in hybrids to our knowledge which means only pure petrol and diesel powered Audi’s and VW’s were imported in and sold.
German daily newspaper ‘Bild’ cited the KBA regulator as saying “inadequate fastening of the engine design cover can lead to contact with hot parts and subsequently to fire”, adding that 16 such cases had been reported in Germany alone.
The recall affects Volkswagen brands VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda, Bild said.
Meanwhile, if you own a VW Group plug-in hybrid product in North America, it is probably either an Audi A7 TFSI e or a Q5 TFSI e. Both cars are powered by the same plug-in hybrid 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline unit, working alongside a 17.9-kWh battery. The manufacturer estimated peak combined system output is 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Get your car checked asap please.
