The defect
IN THE EVENT THE ENGINE OVERHEATS AND THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED CONTINUOUSLY IN THAT CONDITION, THE COOLANT PRESSURE WILL RISE TO A LEVEL AT WHICH THE HEAT EXCHANGER COULD LEAK.
The risk
A LEAKING HEAT EXCHANGER WILL ALLOW HOT COOLANT TO ESCAPE CAUSING INJURY TO THE DRIVER'S FEET OR COULD STEAM UP THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE TEMPORARILY IMPAIRING THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEAT EXCHANGER ON THESE VEHICLES.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Corrado | 1989, 1990 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 1988, 1989, 1990 |
Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
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 Corrado | 1989 | 0 | 2 |
| Volkswagen Corrado | 1990 | 39 | 3 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 1988 | 0 | 1 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 1989 | 0 | 1 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 1990 | 34 | 2 |
Other engine and engine cooling recalls in 1996
7 of the 297 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1996 concerned the engine and engine cooling; VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC filed 204 campaigns in all.
| 96V232000 13 Nov 1996 | FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION |
| 96V058000 4 Apr 1996 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, INC. |
| 96V052000 27 Mar 1996 | SPARTAN MOTORS, INC. |
| 96V005000 16 Jan 1996 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 96V006000 11 Jan 1996 | CHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 96V022000 5 Jan 1996 | WESTERN STAR TRUCKS, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1996