Volkswagen Group is recalling about 2.6 million vehicles worldwide, including its biggest such move in China, to fix electronic and drive-system flaws. Volkswagen is recommending that mineral oil be used in dual-clutch gearboxes on 1.6 million cars and vans in place of synthetic oil, Michael Franke, a spokesman at the company, said today.
“This isn’t a VW-specific problem, it’s one of the things that happen at mass-market carmakers,” Frank Schwope, a Hanover, Germany-based analyst at Nord LB, said. “Costs will probably be in the high double-digit or even triple-digit million euro range. They might be partly shared with suppliers involved, but they still make VW’s full-year earnings target more difficult to reach.”
The lubricant replacement in seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes is intended to prevent electric malfunctions. The Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat brand vehicles are targeted by the program, Franke said. A Chinese regulator said today that 640,309 cars in that country are affected.
VW recalled 384,181 vehicles in China in March after state television featured complaints about vibrations, loss of power and sudden acceleration in models including the Golf, its best-selling car worldwide. What models are affected? The DQ200 is a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox installed in the Golf, Jetta, Polo and Passat.
Previous recalls targeted only models built between June 2008 and September 2011, but this could be widened even further in the future. Sister models from SEAT, Skoda or Audi will also be affected by the call.
