Volkswagen Routan recalled for... *magic 8-ball shake*... owner's manual omission?!
In Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, one of the characters decries the need for a set of detailed instructions on a packet of toothpicks. Volkswagen might feel the same way now that 18,500 of its 2009 Routan minivans are being recalled because their owner's manuals don't include a required warning not to put items on or near the airbag. In the words of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
The owner's manual was printed without the required information explaining that no objects should be placed over the or near the airbag on the instrument panel. Any such objects could cause injury to the vehicle's occupants in the event of a crash severe enough to cause the airbag to inflate.VW is sending dealers an insert to be placed in affected Routan manuals. If you don't trust yourself to handle the insert, you can take your Routan to the dealer and they'll be happy to assist.
[Source: NHTSA]
PRESS RELEASE:
Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):
VOLKSWAGEN / ROUTAN 2009
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V244000
Summary:
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING 18,500 MY 2009 ROUTAN VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." THE OWNER'S MANUAL WAS PRINTED WITHOUT THE FMVSS NO. 208 REQUIRED INFORMATION EXPLAINING THAT NO OBJECTS SHOULD BE PLACED OVER THE OR NEAR THE AIR BAG ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
Consequence:
ANY SUCH OBJECTS COULD CAUSE INJURY TO THE VEHICLE¿S OCCUPANTS IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE AIR BAG TO INFLATE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL SEND AN OWNER'S MANUAL INSERT CONTAINING THE REQUIRED AIR BAG INFORMATION FOR OWNER INSTALLATION OR DEALERS WILL INSTALL IN THE EVENT THE OWNER PREFERS ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEALER. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JULY 31, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.
Notes:
VOLKSWAGEN RECALL NO. S6. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MachinaDC5 6:01PM (7/07/2009)
"Volkswagen Routan recalled for... *magic 8-ball shake*... owner's manual omission?!"
Made me laugh pretty hard. Well done.
Reply
zamafir 6:51PM (7/07/2009)
lol, that and the thought of the 8 or so people this affects :)
merlot066 7:15PM (7/07/2009)
Well they haven't sold one since November, so it's no big deal.
airswingman 7:46PM (7/07/2009)
any car build or assembly in the north america the quality goes down.........
zamafir 8:26PM (7/07/2009)
@airswingman - the article has no bearing on the car's quality. Additionally, all sorts of automakers have no issues building quality cars in america, just as BMW or toyota.
Frank 8:27AM (7/08/2009)
@airswingman,
The Routan, built in Chrysler's Windsor Ontario, Canada plant has been the most trouble free new car ever launched by VW. That either says a lot about Chrysler's quality or VW's. Take your pick.
bvz 6:06PM (7/07/2009)
Oooh! Socialist nanny state kommunist government interference taking away our freedoms! And Obama! Oooh!
There. I wigged out for all of us. No need to post any more political rants on this topic :)
Reply
Kiiks 1:38AM (7/08/2009)
There goes humanity's last chance at weeding out the stupid. Like seatbelt laws, some things should probably just not be enforced so that the problem eventually fixes itself.
Aprime 6:09PM (7/07/2009)
"We have to ask: wouldn't a simple letter in the mail with insert suffice?"
"DEALERS WILL SEND AN OWNER'S MANUAL INSERT CONTAINING THE REQUIRED AIR BAG INFORMATION FOR OWNER INSTALLATION OR DEALERS WILL INSTALL IN THE EVENT THE OWNER PREFERS ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEALER. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JULY 31, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987."
RTFPR. :|
Reply
Aprime 6:13PM (7/07/2009)
Disregard that (I skipped a couple of words myself) - but you're talking about something the government mendates here - so of couuuuuuuurse they'll do it for you if it's too hard.
Tdogg 6:13PM (7/07/2009)
They could actually 20,000 of those?
Reply
ack154 6:20PM (7/07/2009)
So I'm going out on a limb here assuming you are saying something about them actually selling almost 20k of them...
This is more shocking to me than the "omission" from the owner's manual.
Tdogg 6:22PM (7/07/2009)
I meant to say if they actually sold 20,000 of them. I didnt see any yet.
Tdogg 6:25PM (7/07/2009)
I meant to say if they sold almost 20,000 of those. I didnt see any yet. This might be a repost too cause i had to repost this cause of internet problems.
Zach 6:53PM (7/07/2009)
I figured it was the 2009 Routan because that was how many they sold.
rsg115 6:14PM (7/07/2009)
Looks like VW's lawyers fell down on this one. So has anyone been stupid enough to place a set of Ginsu Knives on their airbag and then get into an accident after reading the owners manual? I smell a lawsuit there.
Reply
Eric Liberatore 6:16PM (7/07/2009)
If you don't know that you should keep projectiles off your airbag flap then you shouldn't have a driver's license. But then again, if you were suckered into a bloated premium for a rebadged Chrysler...
Reply
Edsel 7:06PM (7/07/2009)
I just purchased a Routan. I really like it.
My friends tell me it's a Chrysler. I firmly say "No!" to them.
I proudly point to my Routan and announce that it's an American engineered German branded Fiat, manufactured in Canada, using some Japanese parts, by a company that is majority owned by American taxpayers.
They stare.
Hike15 7:10PM (7/07/2009)
brilliant edsel, brilliant. But i really dont see the problem with it. VW just made the interior of the grand caravan livable. and slightly improved build quality overall
berne1 10:28PM (7/07/2009)
Actually, Eric, it's just the opposite. Instead of being "suckered into a bloated premium for a rebadged Chrysler", I pay LESS for my Routan than the Chrysler or Dodge would have been. Simple really: while Chrysler made the shortsighted decision to discontinue leasing, VW offered a very strong lease program on Routan. The payments weren't even close upon comparison.
Picked up my Routan in April, and got an upgraded interior (and arguably an improved exterior appearance) over the Chrysler/Dodge. All for significantly LESS than either one of them.
It's not my fault the Routan isn't selling, but I'll take full advantage of them giving it away.