Volkswagen Recalls Certain 2016 Golf R Vehicles Over Software Issue

Back in May 2022, an internal audit indicated that incorrectly written body control module software may not be compliant with federal regulations.

The Volkswagen Group immediately started an investigation, kicking it off by analyzing the field claims related to this concern. Following the identification of three claims and the conclusion of the regulatory evaluation, the problem was presented to the Product Safety Committee.

A non-compliance recall was deemed necessary for precisely five vehicles produced for the U.S. market. Said vehicles are 2016 models assembled between May 23rd, 2015, and June 15th, 2015. The windshield wipers may not be activated in rare cases due to badly written software, an issue that goes against federal motor vehicle safety standard 104. Nonoperational wipers may lead to reduced visibility, thus increasing the risk of a crash.

As per documents filed with the federal watchdog, Volkswagen failed to identify suspect body control modules prior to vehicle production. The Wolfsburg-based automaker informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that both owners and dealers will be notified of this recall on January 6th, 2023. The fix, as expected, comes in the guise of a software update. Said update was implemented in Golf R vehicle production in May 2015, as per the report attached at the end of this story.

The software version is designated SW level 0172, and the supplier is listed as Volkswagen AG. When it was brand-spanking new for 2016, the Golf R included in this recall used to retail at $35,650 sans freight charge.

Customers were presented with a six-speed manual transmission as standard. The dual-clutch option retailed at $1,100 over the base price. Regardless of transmission, this generation of the Golf R cranked out 292 horsepower and 280 pound-foot (380 Nm) of twist from a 2.0-liter turbo.