Two import car manufacturers announced major recalls this week affecting more than half a million drivers in the U.S.
On Sunday, February 25, Volkswagen confirmed the recall of 261,257 vehicles over an issue impacting the fuel tank suction jet pump on some models. The brand’s filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identified a defective seal, which, if broken, could cause fuel leaks. The automaker added that symptoms of the problem include the smell of gasoline within the vehicle’s interior in addition to spillback and early disconnection when using a fuel pump. The impacted models include 2015 through 2020 Volkswagen Golf GTIs, 2015 through 2020 Golfs, 2015 through 2019 Golf SportWagens, 2019 through 2020 Jetta GLIs, and 2015 through 2020 Audi A3s, including both cabriolets and sedans. Customers will need to take their models to a dealer to receive free repairs.
Two days later, on Tuesday, February 27, Toyota announced a recall of 280,663 vehicles in the U.S., citing cases of spontaneous motions while in neutral. According to the NHTSA, the problem is caused by a glitch impacting the affected vehicles’ transmission. Both Toyota Tundra pickups (both gas-powered and hybrid) and Lexus LX600 SUVs built between 2022 and 2024, and Sequoia SUVS produced in 2023, are included in the automaker’s recall. The issue will be fixed through a free software update issued by dealers.
With the total number of affected drivers reaching 541,920 from these two instances alone, it appears that the pace of automotive recalls remains as fast as ever. At the start of the month, Honda recalled 750,000 units over airbag risks. Just two weeks earlier, Tesla issued a recall impacting the Model X, S, and Y to address a software error impacting rearview camera displays. In 2023, Ford announced the most recalls out of any automaker for the fourth year in a row. The last automaker to hold the honor was Mercedes-Benz in 2019.
