Volkswagen Fuel Leak Recall Spreads to Porsche, Audi

The Volkswagen Group is launching four separate recall campaigns to address vehicles from VW, Audi and Porsche. 

The first recall affects the 2015-2016 Volkswagen Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI models, as well as the 2015-2016 Audi A3. The affected vehicles are sold in states that require partial zero emission vehicle (PZEV) modifications, while the affected A3 units are powered by the 1.8T engine with front-wheel drive.

According to the Volkswagen Group, these vehicles have evaporative-emission systems that feature rubber seals within suction pumps inside the gas tank that were “assembled with too much tension.” As a result, they can allow gas to collect within the evaporative-emission components instead of being pumped out. If this happens, it can flood the charcoal filter, causing a continuous gasoline smell within the car. It is also possible that gas-station nozzles would stop prematurely due to fuel splashing back, while a fuel leak is also possible.

The first issue was initially discovered in July 2015 and the supplier revised its assembly methods in November. A total of 110,042 units are affected by this recall and dealers will replace the suction pump to resolve the issue.

The second recall affects 2007-2012 Audi Q7 and 2009-2012 Audi Q5 models. It involves part of the fuel filler flange that can crack and leak fuel onto the ground. A total of 143,214 units are affected and dealers will install rubber bands around the flange to protect the fuel pump and replace any damaged flanges. Audi has not found the root cause of the cracks since it began investigating the issue in July 2015.

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Next up is a recall affecting 2012-2013 Audi A6 and A7 models, due to fuel-pump hoses under the hood that can leak for unknown reasons. The problem was first discovered by Audi after receiving warranty claims for fuel leaks in November 2015. A total of 28,249 units are affected and Audi dealers will replace the fuel pump and hose, although no timetable has been determined for when the recall will begin.

The last recall involves the 2013-2017 Audi Q7 and Q5, as well as the 2015-2017 Porsche Macan for a total of 291,984 units. The recall is to replace or repair fuel-filler flanges and the Volkswagen Group has not identified the root cause for the issue, but said it found “outside contamination by a liquid material corroding the structure of the flange.” To resolve the issue, dealers will line the flanges with a protective film and replace any cracked flanges starting in July.