The all-new 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R have been on sale for a few months. There are only a few thousand on American roads. It’s not unusual for cars to face a recall when they are so new, as it can take a few owners experiencing a problem for the company to become aware of a production issue.
Or it can take owners a few drives to become aware of a smell.
The smell of melting plastic.
Volkswagen has recalled its two new hot hatches because their plastic engine covers can come loose, contact hot engine parts, and melt.
It’s not just an aesthetic issue. In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, VW explains, “Melted material that may come in contact with extremely hot surfaces (such as the exhaust turbocharger) could lead to a fire in the engine compartment.” We should note that no owner has yet reported an engine fire — just the unpleasant odor of a melting engine cover.
VW dealers will fix the issue by simply removing the engine cover. This does not affect the performance of the car. An engine cover is a purely cosmetic feature and a fairly useless one at that since you have to open the hood to see it. Many owners remove them anyway.
VW says it plans to design a new cover, call the cars back a second time, and install that at some future date. For now, owners should let VW remove the useless part for safety reasons.
Recall repairs are always free. Manufacturers attempt to contact every owner, but they don’t always reach them with the news. Find out if your car has ever been recalled at our recall center.
