Premium brands not immune to recalls
Typically you associate vehicle recalls with brands bought by the majority of the car buying public. But, as evidenced by the huge numbers of cars being sold, even recalls on premium brands such as Volkswagen and Porsche are becoming more commonplace.
Recently both Volkswagen and Porsche issued recall notices for their sister vehicles, the Touareg and Cayenne SUVs which share some components. What they are looking for is a clip that may become dislodged from the pedal bracket. Both car companies want to inspect their cars and make sure the clip is there. If need be, it will be replaced. According to Porsche, they found the problem during an internal inspection and has since been corrected on the production line.
There are over 800,000 of the cars on the road, split between 391,000 Touareg’s and 409,477 Cayenne’s, spanning the 2011 to 2016 model years. Even if you’re not an owner of either of theses vehicles, you can check if your car has been recalled by using Vehicle History’s Recall Check tool.
Even though there have been no accidents or injuries linked to the potential problem, both brands are demonstrating a “better safe than sorry” approach by checking all of the SUVs that are affected.
Both the Touareg and Cayenne SUVs have been huge sellers for Volkswagen and Porsche. The Touareg was first introduced in 2002, with Porsche’s Cayenne following two years later. The Porsche faithful, which I count myself a member of, were shocked that a sports car company could introduce a slow and lumbering SUV. As it turned out, the Cayenne turned out to be a huge seller for the brand, attracting buyers who otherwise would not have set foot in a Porsche showroom.
The same can be said for Volkswagen’s Touareg. The German brand has become a true master of re-purposing vehicle platforms, with many of their small vehicles sharing the same basic groundwork, saving the company a tremendous amount of money in development costs. As the parent company, Volkswagen introduced the Touareg first with the intention of using the platform to launch a very premium version for Porsche. Both are capable offroaders but are usually seen shuttling families to shopping and other neighborhood activities.
The Touareg and Cayenne, although relatively unnoticed by the media, are also caught up in the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal. Both cars, as well as other models from each brand’s lineup, use the Volkswagen developed diesel V6 engine. Since 2009, diesel engines in cars sold by Volkswagen have sidestepped federal emission regulations by using a software defeat mechanism. When connected to emissions testing equipment, a car’s computer would reduce pollutants, making it look like the engine was within compliance. But it was actually emitting more nitrogen dioxide than was legally allowed during normal driving.
As of yet, there has been no recall announced. Volkswagen has been negotiating with government regulators for a while now trying to hammer out an agreement on how to fix the cars. What may be hindering the process is that a full fix may be unlikely. So will the EPA accept an agreement where partially repaired cars are allowed to stay on the road? There has been talk from Volkswagen that they may compensate owners for repairs or even buy back some of the cars. This has turned into quite the soap opera and a true disappointment to enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, as car owners, we have to accept the possibility our cars are going to be recalled. It’s better that a manufacturer find a problem and fix it. Just keep the Vehicle History Recall Tool bookmarked and check it on a regular basis. You’ll be safer that way.
“Premium brands not immune to recalls” first appeared on the Vehicle History Blog.
