Volkswagen Recalls 410,000 Passats

Heat Shield Among Potential Problems Cited In Model Years 1999-2005

(AP)  Volkswagen Group of America Inc. says it is voluntary recalling about 410,000 gasoline-powered Passats because of potential problems including damage to a heat shield.

Volkswagen announced the recall Friday, saying no accidents or injuries have been recorded related to the problems on the 1999 to 2005 model year Passats.

Some Passats with an automatic transmission may have an underbody heat shield that could be subject to damage. And some with 1.8T engines have a fuel line that requires potential replacement.

Also, some all-wheel-drive Passats will be inspected for potential fuel tank ventilation valve damage.

Volkswagen plans to notify owners of the recall, but says drivers who smell fuel should take the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealer or authorized repair shop.

[olebd]

I had a ''04 Jetta that VW voluntarily replaced after 5k miles beause their factory forgot to install a standard anti-slip regulator. They called me out of the blue and confessed their error. What a great feeling to buy from a company that stands behind their product. Thanks V-Dub!

[cyberdjs4]

Saturn is a GM company so you shouldn''t be surprised by the customer service.

[Snerdguy]

One model down. So many other models from so many manufacturers to go. For instance, wait until Saturn owners find out about the bad automatic transmissions in their SL1s and other models. It happened over many model years. But, still no recall. Its so common its called the Saturn Slam, a one-thousand+ dollar repair.

The manufacturers that are honest enough to recall their cars and fix them are the ones you should trust. Quality isn''t just with how a car is made. It includes how the customer is treated once they drive it off of the lot. At least Volkswagen cares about their customers.