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A Volkswagen Golf GTI rolls off the assembly line at a Volkswagen factory in 2018.
CNN –
Volkswagen is recalling more than 260,000 small cars in the United States because a pump in the gasoline tank could leak fuel, potentially leading to a fire.
The vehicles are various Volkswagen Golf, Golf GTI, Golf Sportwagen, Jetta and Audi A3 from model years 2015 to 2020. Not every model year is affected for each of these models and only front-wheel drive versions are included, not all-wheel drive. Audi is VW's luxury brand, and these are all closely related models.
An improperly installed gasket around a pickup pump near the gas tank could cause fuel to build up in the system designed to capture gasoline vapors. The fuel could leak from the car from there. When the gasoline comes into contact A spark or other source of ignition could cause a fire. Volkswagen says this problem has not caused any fires to date.
Starting in mid-April, VW will send letters to the owners of the vehicles affected by the recall. Owners are advised to take their vehicle to a dealer where the pump will be replaced free of charge.
Some of these models were also involved in a recall in 2016 for the same problem, but the replacement fuel pump installed at the time did not fully resolve the problem, according to documents in VW's recall filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Vehicle owners can check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Safecar.gov website to see if their specific car is affected. Owners can also call Volkswagen customer service at 800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 800-253-2834.