Volkswagen Issues Voluntary Recalls

HERNDON, VA -- Oct. 19, 2015: Volkswagen considers the safety and satisfaction of its consumers and passengers a top priority. As such, Volkswagen of America today notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it will be issuing a voluntary safety recall affecting the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS) control module on certain 2015 model year Volkswagen e-Golf, Golf and Jetta vehicles.

The recall affects 993 Volkswagen e-Golf, Golf and Jetta vehicles from the 2015 model year in the U.S., as follows:

721 Volkswagen Jetta

268 Volkswagen Golf

4 Volkswagen e-Golf

In some vehicles, an electro-magnetic coil inside the PODS control module was manufactured with improper insulation between the coil layers which can cause the characteristics of the coil to change over time. In turn, the PODS control module may not properly classify a front passenger seat occupant, or it may completely fail.

Should this occur, vehicle occupants will be alerted of a problem by illumination of the airbag monitoring light or by false indication of the Passenger Airbag OFF indicator. In this situation, a front passenger seat occupant risks injury in a crash because a malfunctioning PODS system may not make the correct airbag deployment decision for the type of occupant seated there.

No accidents or injuries related to this issue have been reported. Volkswagen will notify all known owners of affected vehicles and will instruct them to arrange for an appointment with an authorized Volkswagen dealer. At no cost to customers, dealers will replace the PODS control module.