The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Passat vehicles equipped with TDI engines. Due to improperly assembled wire seals in a connector for an underbody sensor, water may enter and corrode the electrical connectors of the sensor, causing an electrical short.
The risk
An electrical short can cause the electrical connectors of the sensor to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the connector, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began in September. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 23T3.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Passat | 2012, 2013, 2014 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Passat | 2012 | 484 | 11 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2013 | 749 | 9 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 2014 | 594 | 10 |
Other electrical system recalls in 2016
92 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the electrical system; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. filed 321 campaigns in all.
| 16V936000 28 Dec 2016 | Maserati North America, Inc. |
| 16V938000 28 Dec 2016 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 16V951000 27 Dec 2016 | Kalmar Solutions, LLC |
| 16V950000 23 Dec 2016 | ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC |
| 16V923000 22 Dec 2016 | Pierce Manufacturing |
| 16V920000 21 Dec 2016 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 16V915000 21 Dec 2016 | Bluecar SAS |
| 16V919000 21 Dec 2016 | BMW of North America, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016