After the massive global diesel-gate recall, Volkswagen has now called back 389 units of the Polo hatchback in India due to handbrake issues.
Panic struck yesterday when a ton of messages popped up on WhatsApp, asking us as to why Volkswagen has stopped sales of the Polo with immediate effect. Is it the diesel-gate issue? Or is it something else? Owners of the Polo pinged us. We got an update from a reliable source that the issue pertained to the brakes. Now Volkswagen has sent out an official note stating the issue. The company is calling back 389 units of the Polo from a single batch of September 2015 production for inspection and repair of the handbrake.
The company states that their ‘Quality Assurance’ department has found out that under certain conditions, the handbrake would lose its effectiveness. The real issue is with the handbrake cable retention levers in the rear brake liner which might break under certain conditions. Dealers have already started contacting owners whose car is affected and the company has shared repair instructions with their service centres. The issue will take an hour to fix and will naturally be done free of cost.
Volkswagen had put deliveries of the Polo on hold yesterday but has commenced sales now, with cars from the affected batch being held till inspection and repair is carried out. The company has been quick to find out the issue and thus the number of cars affected isn’t large. The automaker states that it is recalling the Polo under SIAM’s voluntary recall code.
Meanwhile in other VW news, German police has raided the company’s headquarters and other offices in a bid to investigate about the emission cheating scandal. The company is finding it tough to recall vehicles in the States as owners aren’t very willing to get their cars fixed. This is because the vehicles are polluting more as they are less restricted but are thus more fun to drive and also more frugal.
