Volkswagen issued a stop-sale order on its 2015 GTI in the U.S. and Canada.
Volkswagen issued a stop-sale order and recall of 2015 GTI and Golf models in the U.S. and Canada to fix a problem with the vehicle’s steering system.
A stop-sale order means that dealers may not sell the affected vehicle until the problem has been fixed. It is usually accompanied by a recall, as it is in this case.
In this case, the front stabilizer link fasteners could potentially work themselves loose, causing a loss of steering control on the vehicle. Volkswagen is replacing the links on 705 vehicles on U.S. dealer lots, and an additional 108 cars in Canada.
VW will recall 2,001 cars in the U.S. – GTIs because the Golf isn’t available in the U.S. yet – and 446 in Canada to correct the issue.
According to the company, there have been no injuries related to the problem and it will inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about its plans to conduct the repairs.
The stop-sale order just adds to the frustration of Golf/GTI aficionados in the U.S. who have been waiting for the seventh generation VW to hit American soil. Right now, only the GTI is available.
(To check out TDB’s first drive in the new Golf and GTI, Click Here.)
The current generation has been available in Europe for nearly a year while the automaker’s plant in Puebla, Mexico, worked out production issues so U.S. buyers could get the new VW.
(Click Here for details about Chrysler’s recall of 895,000 SUVs.)
The problems centered on the new MQB “modular transverse matrix.” Building MQB cars in Puebla necessitated construction and ramp-up of an all-new line, which took more time than expected to meet quality standards.
(Sales slumping, Cadillac loses another executive. For more, Click Here.)
The MQB matrix is important because it provides VW with the flexibility to share more architecture among more models, which cuts costs and maintains quality.