Volkswagen Recalls More Than 82,000 Vehicles

Volkswagen VLKPY is planning to recall 82,227 vehicles sold in North America, The Detroit News reported. The models affected by the recall are the 2009-2011 Tiguan SUV and the 2014 Jetta hybrid. The two recalls are apparently unrelated, but they point to serious technical problems with some Volkswagen vehicles. The details of the recall are as follows: • 62,155 Tiguans in the United States and 16,135 Tiguans in Canada will be recalled. • The SUVs are being recalled because a fuse in the electrical system may overheat and cause the headlights to shut down. The fuse apparently melts when the vehicle is driven at speeds of over 60 miles per hour. • The melted fuses were discovered by VW dealers after owners complained about problems with the headlights. Volkswagen did not state whether the melted fuse poses a fire hazard or not. Related: New Chrysler Tank Makes It Easier To Use Natural Gas in Cars and Trucks • The melted fuse problem has not been reported Tinguans made after 2011. • 3,837 2014 Jetta Hybrids were recalled because of rust in the gearbox. The gearbox rust could cause shorts in the electrical system, blown fuses and the failure of the hydraulic pump in the gearbox. This could cause a Jetta to lose power. • The cause of the gearbox failure is the synthetic oil in it. Volkswagen believes it can fix the gearbox problem by replacing the synthetic oil with a new mineral oil. The recall news did not seem to affect Volkswagen's share price. Its share price was up by .67 percent or 35 cents in mid-day trading on Monday.