grey matter
Veteran Member
Just wondering what's going on. VW is recalling 2011 -2013 Jettas for a suspension issue. I'm surprised It hasn't come up yet today. After GM'a issues, I guess they're not taking any chances.
VW Recall
- Thread starter grey matter
- Start date
yatzee
Top Post Dawg
it has come up and it's been discussed but the details are still hard to come by
beam_panhard_tdi_2013
Veteran Member
I saw some pictures online showing some rust spot growing (near the plastic bracket for ABS sensor?) before the control arm cracked, although that shouldn't be the excuse for failure. When I back up though an uneven drive way, the shake/vibration is as if the control arm would deform/crack any time. I have to grease those only two shaky & skinny control arms for the beam axle from time to time hoping it stays in shape 
LarBear
Veteran Member
According to today's paper here it's only for Jetta's that have been in a collision.
Victor Ward
Well-known member
http://www.thecarconnection.com/new...-suspension-problems-442000-vehicles-affected
Volkswagen is recalling select models of the 2011-2013 Volkswagen Jetta and the 2012-2013 Volkswagen Beetle. According to a bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF), the recall stems from a flaw in the vehicles' suspension, which could dramatically increase the risk of a crash.
The problem lies with the vehicles' rear trailing arms, which can be damaged during rear and side-impact collisions. If the teams repairing vehicles following such crashes don't pay particular attention to the rear trailing arms, they may overlook deformities. Over time, those deformities can worsen, eventually causing the arms to fracture. As a result, a vehicle will become much harder for a driver to control, upping the risk of an accident.
The recall includes Jettas built between March 1, 2010 and November 30, 2012, as well as Beetles built between March 1, 2011 and July 31, 2013. (It would also seem that the recall is limited to vehicles that have been involved in collisions, though there's no mention of that from NHTSA.) Volkswagen estimates that some 442,000 vehicles will be affected by the recall.
As far as the fix is concerned, Volkswagen says that it "will install a sheet metal inlay on both rear axle trailing arms. This inlay is designed to help prevent the sudden loss of vehicle control, should a rear axle trailing arm fracture occur if undiagnosed/unrepaired damage to this area exists after a severe rear or side-rear impact/crash." While VW says that the repair will be carried out free of charge, any other damage resulting from a collision will remain the owner's responsibility.
Volkswagen knows of no accidents or injuries linked to this issue in the U.S., although two incidents have been reported in Asia.
The sheet metal inlays needed to fix this problem aren't available yet. However, Volkswagen says that it will sent owners an interim notification about the recall this month. That notification will be followed by a second letter as soon as the repair parts are available.
If you believe that you own one of the vehicles listed above and have questions, you're encouraged to contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Or, if you prefer, you can ring NHTSA directly at 888-327-4236 and ask about safety campaign #14V656000.
Volkswagen is recalling select models of the 2011-2013 Volkswagen Jetta and the 2012-2013 Volkswagen Beetle. According to a bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF), the recall stems from a flaw in the vehicles' suspension, which could dramatically increase the risk of a crash.
The problem lies with the vehicles' rear trailing arms, which can be damaged during rear and side-impact collisions. If the teams repairing vehicles following such crashes don't pay particular attention to the rear trailing arms, they may overlook deformities. Over time, those deformities can worsen, eventually causing the arms to fracture. As a result, a vehicle will become much harder for a driver to control, upping the risk of an accident.
The recall includes Jettas built between March 1, 2010 and November 30, 2012, as well as Beetles built between March 1, 2011 and July 31, 2013. (It would also seem that the recall is limited to vehicles that have been involved in collisions, though there's no mention of that from NHTSA.) Volkswagen estimates that some 442,000 vehicles will be affected by the recall.
As far as the fix is concerned, Volkswagen says that it "will install a sheet metal inlay on both rear axle trailing arms. This inlay is designed to help prevent the sudden loss of vehicle control, should a rear axle trailing arm fracture occur if undiagnosed/unrepaired damage to this area exists after a severe rear or side-rear impact/crash." While VW says that the repair will be carried out free of charge, any other damage resulting from a collision will remain the owner's responsibility.
Volkswagen knows of no accidents or injuries linked to this issue in the U.S., although two incidents have been reported in Asia.
The sheet metal inlays needed to fix this problem aren't available yet. However, Volkswagen says that it will sent owners an interim notification about the recall this month. That notification will be followed by a second letter as soon as the repair parts are available.
If you believe that you own one of the vehicles listed above and have questions, you're encouraged to contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Or, if you prefer, you can ring NHTSA directly at 888-327-4236 and ask about safety campaign #14V656000.
jsalzl
Member
It sounds like this just affects cars w/o independent suspension right?
Dirtracr95
Veteran Member
It just effects beam axle cars. I believe its a voluntary recall. Its not a safety issue unless you have been in a rear or side collision and the trailing arms are not replaced
Victor Ward
Well-known member
Taken from VW.com with my 2013 Jetta VIN
Recalls
42G7
NHTSA RECALL NUMBER
14V656
Recalls
- Rear Axle Trailing Arms (Post-Impact Crash Damage)
- REPAIR NEEDED
START DATE
Dec 02, 2014
DESCRIPTION
If an affected vehicle had sustained damage to rear axle components (from a rear or side-rear impact crash or after striking a high road obstacle while driving in reverse at higher speed) and a repair facility did not correctly diagnose/repair rear axle trailing arm damage, the durability of the trailing arm(s) could be reduced. This can lead to a sudden fracture of the trailing arm, a loss of vehicle control, and a crash without warning.
REMEDY
In early 2015, Volkswagen will be conducting safety recall to install a sheet metal inlay on the rear axle trailing arms. We will notify customers via first-class mail when this repair becomes available. In the interim, customers may schedule an appointment with an authorized Volkswagen dealer for a free-of-charge rear axle safety inspection. Note: This interim action is for an inspection only. The safety recall is expected to be available in early 2015. At that time, customers will be notified to bring their vehicle in for the recall service
42G7
NHTSA RECALL NUMBER
14V656
fireitup
Active member
Digging this post up as I just got a letter from VW about it...
Here is a link to the NHTSA Documents
Here is a link to the NHTSA Documents
torrimac
Veteran Member
I just got a letter today. I will get it scanned in a few minutes and uploaded.
But,, me and pictures don't do well, so you might just get links to the picture side of Tdi Club.
But,, me and pictures don't do well, so you might just get links to the picture side of Tdi Club.
torrimac
Veteran Member
Here is the letter I got in the mail today, Of course it has my info gone
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Front40.jpg
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/back14.jpg
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Front40.jpg
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/back14.jpg
Got the recall notice today. Thought "oh great, I can finally get my HPFP...frozen intercooler...etc...replaced free!"
nope. If i was in an accident and it wasn't repaired right, I'll have a chance of having issues. Umm...duh?
nope. If i was in an accident and it wasn't repaired right, I'll have a chance of having issues. Umm...duh?
ibdcrohnhome
New member
how bad is this problem in North America?
digging this up again
I wonder how many rear suspensions of 11-13 Jetta had problems in North America?
looked up at this site http://www.carproblemzoo.com/volkswagen/jetta/suspension-problems.php
there're 2 reports
Suspension problem of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta
Failure Date: 11/13/2014
As I was driving I started to hear a knocking noise in the from the rear of the vehicle. After about 20 mins it became worse. I pulled into a parking lot and got out to investigate, everything seemed normal. I then continued to drive around the parking lot. The knocking noise grew louder and then there was a metal breaking noise and the car dropped and the wheel was almost off the car. I looked under the car and the structual steel of the driverside rear trailling arm was snapped in half! this was out of nowhere and thank god I was not going 65mph on the highway!.
Suspension problem of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta
Failure Date: 10/26/2014
Upon entering my driveway, my driver side axle trailing arm completely snapped. Car has a clean title, bought it from a dealer used with 9k miles on it. I just found out about the global recall and contacted vw directly, the incident and campaign are so new they don't have everything in place to respond. My feeling is there is a manufacturer defect in the metal used & I find it absurd that anyone would have to wait for a side or rear collision to get this part inspected/replaced. I think any client of vw that has a car listed needs to be taken seriously in this campaign - if the trailing arm/axle would have snapped while I was at speed it could have been devastating not only to me, my family but anyone on the road. . . I'm continuing to talk to vw because my concern is the metal. . . . And what are the replacement parts made of & when were they made?? I don't intend on paying one cent for this repair & will hold vw responsible 100% for this or any future issues resulting from their defective part/process.
I heard in China, there're dozens of reports on broken rear axle trailing arms, and people believe that the suspesion has a design problem, the original design for Jetta's PQ35 platform should be independent suspension. the recall to install a metal sheet sounds like a joke-- if the trailing arm snapped, that piece of metal would make some noise and keep the car functional to go some miles further for repairing. they don't accept the recall and demand a replacement for independent suspension like 2014 Jetta.
so, what're your opinions?
digging this up again
I wonder how many rear suspensions of 11-13 Jetta had problems in North America?
looked up at this site http://www.carproblemzoo.com/volkswagen/jetta/suspension-problems.php
there're 2 reports
Suspension problem of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta
Failure Date: 11/13/2014
As I was driving I started to hear a knocking noise in the from the rear of the vehicle. After about 20 mins it became worse. I pulled into a parking lot and got out to investigate, everything seemed normal. I then continued to drive around the parking lot. The knocking noise grew louder and then there was a metal breaking noise and the car dropped and the wheel was almost off the car. I looked under the car and the structual steel of the driverside rear trailling arm was snapped in half! this was out of nowhere and thank god I was not going 65mph on the highway!.
Suspension problem of the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta
Failure Date: 10/26/2014
Upon entering my driveway, my driver side axle trailing arm completely snapped. Car has a clean title, bought it from a dealer used with 9k miles on it. I just found out about the global recall and contacted vw directly, the incident and campaign are so new they don't have everything in place to respond. My feeling is there is a manufacturer defect in the metal used & I find it absurd that anyone would have to wait for a side or rear collision to get this part inspected/replaced. I think any client of vw that has a car listed needs to be taken seriously in this campaign - if the trailing arm/axle would have snapped while I was at speed it could have been devastating not only to me, my family but anyone on the road. . . I'm continuing to talk to vw because my concern is the metal. . . . And what are the replacement parts made of & when were they made?? I don't intend on paying one cent for this repair & will hold vw responsible 100% for this or any future issues resulting from their defective part/process.
I heard in China, there're dozens of reports on broken rear axle trailing arms, and people believe that the suspesion has a design problem, the original design for Jetta's PQ35 platform should be independent suspension. the recall to install a metal sheet sounds like a joke-- if the trailing arm snapped, that piece of metal would make some noise and keep the car functional to go some miles further for repairing. they don't accept the recall and demand a replacement for independent suspension like 2014 Jetta.
so, what're your opinions?
mwalters
Veteran Member
just got my recall letter. anyone take theirs in yet? What, if anything did the dealer do?
MathieuG89
Active member
I got the letter too and was crashed into a year ago. Brought it to the dealership where they looked at the rear axle beam and said there was no need for a recall.
shinghi
Well-known member
Brought mine to the dealer today for a different issue. Looks like they are installing the support plates regardless of a previous accident.
lance2214
Well-known member
ECM Update recall?
I received the same letter which I disregarded since my car was not involved in a rear collision when I bought it at the auction. What caught my attention was a second recall letter that stated a ECM updated was needed to prevent/aid emissions. The letter states that in some cases the MIL will come one and will not pass a smog test. I'll take a picture of it when I get home and upload it. Anyone else got that letter?
I received the same letter which I disregarded since my car was not involved in a rear collision when I bought it at the auction. What caught my attention was a second recall letter that stated a ECM updated was needed to prevent/aid emissions. The letter states that in some cases the MIL will come one and will not pass a smog test. I'll take a picture of it when I get home and upload it. Anyone else got that letter?
fxk
Veteran Member
Strange, strange, recall.
Incomplete accident repair covered by the manufacturer? For how long?
So if I get in a rear ender with one of the recalled cars next year, VW will brace a damaged area or not?
Why (cost, of course) wouldn't VW brace all trailing arms regardless of accident inspection?
And, in my experience, accident repair seems to be about bodywork and appearance, and other stuff is secondary.
Wife was hit in her new Hundai many years ago, with the seatback being bent/damaged. Had to pull teeth to get the seat replaced.
Again, a strange, strange recall.
frank
Incomplete accident repair covered by the manufacturer? For how long?
So if I get in a rear ender with one of the recalled cars next year, VW will brace a damaged area or not?
Why (cost, of course) wouldn't VW brace all trailing arms regardless of accident inspection?
And, in my experience, accident repair seems to be about bodywork and appearance, and other stuff is secondary.
Wife was hit in her new Hundai many years ago, with the seatback being bent/damaged. Had to pull teeth to get the seat replaced.
Again, a strange, strange recall.
frank
beam_panhard_tdi_2013
Veteran Member
Dealer has arranged me to take in my car next Weds for installing the inlay metal support --- which is supposed to "give noise warnings" when the rear suspension trailing arm(s) crack.
But there are three things still bothering me about vw's "fix" on their dead/beam axle design:
1) With the bolted-on inlay metal support, there might be relative movement (though small) between the original trailing arm and added-on support, which could lead to the wear off of paint and thus corrosion on the trailing arm.
2) The bolt holes on the original trailing arm would suffer from more stress as the trailing arm would flex and the support metal piece tries to stop it, through the holding bolts. And this may weaken the trailing arm further near the bolt holes.
3) The support metal piece could not do anything when the original trailing arm breaks BEYOND the bolt holes, as it only provide double safety if the trailing arms breaks WITHIN the range where the support metal piece covers. Basically it strengthens the part in the overlapped area, but the end portions near the weld on the beam and the rotational joint to the car's body is still not re-enforced.
This kind of beam axle w/ a panhard rod is nothing new, as I read online. Audi A100 used it and many other cars/vans (e.g. Chrysler) use it. But the 2011-2013 jetta put the spring location BEHIND the beam --- instead of very close to the center of the wheel, causing additional bending torque on the trailing arm when the car is heavy loaded. Also I noticed the trailing arm on these beam axle suspensions are thinner and longer than the IRS suspension's trailing arm, which I doubt is a good and robust thing.
Here are some pics about the inlay metal support from some chinese website:
Last edited:
I took my 2013 jetta tdi in today. I had both the ecm flash recall and the rear suspension recall done. I also had them check the firmware on the dsg and there was a tech bulletin about it. They upgraded the firmware on the dsg also.
The result, omfg!!!! This thing acts like it is chipped. In drive, it pulls hard from standstill now. As far as I can tell, the confusion of the dsg in stop and go driving is gone. I tried to take off in Sport mode like i used to and just boiled the front tires. The traction control did not even stand a chance. I am not sure if it was the ECM or the DSG firmware upgrade. But both together is a completely different beast. The torque curve seems much flatter. My only concern now is will this negatively impact my mileage? I asked the dealer if the ecm flash will take some perfomance away (does happen). He said he doubted it and said it may give it more perfomance. From a layman's perspective, it seems that the turbo is spooling up quicker.
My vdcs settings were still intact when i got it back, but the dealer said since they flashed the engine module, hill hold was probably reset. I will look after work today.
About the rear axle fix... it may be just a placebo, but seems to corner much better. Not as much roll as it had before.
The result, omfg!!!! This thing acts like it is chipped. In drive, it pulls hard from standstill now. As far as I can tell, the confusion of the dsg in stop and go driving is gone. I tried to take off in Sport mode like i used to and just boiled the front tires. The traction control did not even stand a chance. I am not sure if it was the ECM or the DSG firmware upgrade. But both together is a completely different beast. The torque curve seems much flatter. My only concern now is will this negatively impact my mileage? I asked the dealer if the ecm flash will take some perfomance away (does happen). He said he doubted it and said it may give it more perfomance. From a layman's perspective, it seems that the turbo is spooling up quicker.
My vdcs settings were still intact when i got it back, but the dealer said since they flashed the engine module, hill hold was probably reset. I will look after work today.
About the rear axle fix... it may be just a placebo, but seems to corner much better. Not as much roll as it had before.
turbobrick240
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2014
- Location
- maine
- TDI
- 2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
^^ I bet you picked up a whopping .5 horsepower.
beam_panhard_tdi_2013
Veteran Member
Man! I was banned?! I couldn't see my posted pictures
get up on the wrong side of the bed? sheeze! Either my car was not performing like it should and now it is, or the improvements are real. As I said, i dont know if the ecm or the dsg flash is what did or the combo, but it is real. Even the passengers notice.
turbobrick240
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2014
- Location
- maine
- TDI
- 2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Ok, I'm sure the flash completely transformed your car into a tire eating hellcat. I think it is primarily the power of suggestion that you are feeling.
shaark92
Veteran Member
Right, Mac!
I thought the same thing when I read that! Why did they spend the resource/effort to publish this?
The Mail Guy
Member
Had the ECM flashed, inlays installed, and replaced exhaust valve that was stuck in the open position yesterday. After reading the forums the last week or so I wanted to keep an open mind and know what to expect. After picking up the car yesterday I noticed a definite improvement at idle and acceleration.
Ironman11142
Veteran Member
ecm update
will be interested how mileage is after the ecm update ( a few tanks )
got the notice also
will be interested how mileage is after the ecm update ( a few tanks )
got the notice also
gsmith2424
Active member
I got mine done a week ago (filled car at same time) and did my first fill up yesterday and saw no difference in mileage. I agree the real test will be once the ECM learns on what the effects are on the mileage.
Ironman11142
Veteran Member
ecm update
well...
you had a DSG update done also, right?
did you have the other recall done?
well...
you had a DSG update done also, right?
did you have the other recall done?