117,000 Volkswagen Cars Recalled for Shifter Glitch

Volkswagen is announcing a recall on 117,306 cars in Canada due to a unique problem with the transmission.

According to the technical description, a build-up of silicate on the shift lever switch could cause the transmission to detect that it is in the Park position when it actually isn't.

Consequently, the automaker says, this could allow the ignition key to be removed when the transmission is not in the Park position. And if the parking brake is not applied, the car could roll away accidentally.

Photo: Volkswagen

Now, this begs a question or two, like who would think it’s a good idea to try and remove the ignition key while driving or reversing? Or who would apply the parking brake while driving (other than people who like to drift)?

Anyway, Volkswagen will send a mailed notice to owners instructing them to take their car to a dealer to have a new shift lever micro switch and control unit installed.

Models affected by this recall include the 2012-2018 Beetle, 2015 and 2018-2019 Golf, 2015-2019 Golf Sportwagen, 2015-2019 GTI and 2011-2017 Jetta.

Share on Facebook

More on the subject

Special EventsGoodbye Volkswagen Beetle, Hello Future
Nearly everybody has a Volkswagen Beetle story to tell. A survey has never been done to our knowledge in Canada, but we’re quite convinced that a the very least, a third of us have an uncle, a parent or someone close that can tell you about their experience with the …
First Drives2019 Volkswagen Jetta: Lucky Seven
RALEIGH, North Carolina – The Jetta is an important car for Volkswagen, especially in Canada where it was their bread-and-butter model for a long time. Since it first launched in 1978, more than 600,000 units have been sold in our market. Of course, the brand’s SUVs are now the hot …
NewsThe Car Guide’s 2019 Best Buys: Volkswagen Golf
In order to help consumers make the right purchase decision when shopping for a new vehicle, the team of journalists at The Car Guide publishes its yearly Best Buy awards in a slew of categories, including the compact-car segment. The latter remains a popular one, despite the market shift from …
NewsThe Car Guide’s 2019 Best Buys: Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R
Spring has arrived and it’s time to install the performance tires on our sport compact car for blasting down country roads under the warm sun. What? You don’t have such a car yet, but are looking to purchase one? You’re in luck, because The Car Guide ’s team of journalists …
NewsVolkswagen to Offer Free Part Replacement on Three Older Models
If you own a 2012-2016 Volkswagen equipped with a diesel engine, watch your mailbox. The automaker might soon reach out to offer a free part replacement. To be clear, no safety recall is involved here. Rather, Volkswagen Canada is conducting a campaign to recover potentially faulty auxiliary heater elements for …