VW Recalling 260,000 Vehicles over Fuel Tank Pump Defect

• Volkswagen has announced a recall of more than 260,000 cars from its 2015 through 2020 model years over a problem with the fuel tank suction jet pump.
• Cars affected include Golf, Golf GTI, and SportWagen, plus Jetta GLI and Audi A3.
• The problem can lead to fuel leakage, which poses the risk of fire, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Volkswagen is recalling 261,257 VW and Audi cars to replace a defective suction pump that could cause fuel leakage from the gas tank. The automaker, in documents filed with NHTSA, said the recall includes front-wheel-drive vehicles that have a particular model of suction jet pump manufactured by Gentherm as part of the fuel tank assembly.

VW instructions to dealers, included with the recall documents, describe the pump’s function as purging fuel from the emissions system and state that a seal could fail that lets fuel accumulate and eventually leak through the charcoal filter. The instructions note that customers with the faulty pump could notice problems with refueling, including fuel spillback or a nozzle that stops prematurely during fueling, and that passengers could notice a fuel odor from inside the vehicle.

The recalled vehicles include the 2015–2020 Golf GTI (114,485); 2015–2020 Golf (58,544); 2015–2019 Golf SportWagen (26,037); 2019–2020 Jetta GLI (10,925); plus the 2015–2020 Audi A3 sedan (47,391) and cabriolet (3875).

2018 VW Golf SportWagen.

In NHTSA documents, Volkswagen states that there have been no reports of fires as a result of the problem. Recall letters will be sent to owners on April 12. Owners looking to find out if their vehicle is affected can check the NHTSA recalls site.