Huge VW, Audi Recall Boils Down to Very Few Vehicles

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Submitted by Marc Stern on July 3, 2018 - 12:18AM

It has been a tough go for Volkswagen and Audi. The automakers have been trying to figure out which of their vehicles should be involved in a braking recall and it looks as if they have found what they were looking for. At one time, it involved over 3 million cars and a stop-driving order.

After an extended investigation period which involved at least 13 changes to the initial recall, Volkswagen has recalled another 10,206 vehicles for brake performance problems. In all, more than 2,327,876 cars were sorted through for the braking problem.

13 Documents Consolidated Into One Recall

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 13 individual documents, each of which outlined a problem and remedy involving different Volkswagen vehicles.
The vehicles included:

  • 2018 Atlas SUV
  • 2018 Passat
  • 2018 Beetle
  • 2018 Beetle Convertible
  • 2018 Golf
  • 2018 Golf SportWagen
  • 2018 GTI (Golf family)
  • 2018 Audi Q5
  • 2018 Audi SQ5

Rear Braking Insufficiency Is Problem

According to paperwork on file with the agency, the problem is braking insufficiency so that less rear brake performance is available. The rear caliper pistons don’t have enough coating, possibly leading to reduced braking performance.

Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes, while VW dealers will inspect the brake system and, as necessary, bleed the brakes. On VW Atlas models, only, the front brakes will be bled. On all other VW models, the rear brakes will be bled.

If at all possible, owners are advised to keep their cars parked until they have had their brake systems checked. The recall is expected to begin before July 31.

Customer Relations Resources Available

Owners can contact VW Customer Service at 800-831-5298 for more information. Audi owners can contact customer service at 800-253-2834. Owners should ask about recalls 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6. Owners may also contact the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236, or they can visit the NHTSA website. The recall for this is 18V369000.