No recollection
Faced with failure of the ABS unit of my three and a half year old Golf and a £1,500 bill, I followed your advice, reported the matter to VOSA and asked if it was going to issue a vehicle safety recall. This was the response:
“Dear Sir,
Thank you for your email. This has been passed to me for reply.
Our role is to look at design and construction defects that fail with no warning and are likely to cause death or serious injury. Such incidents should be dealt with by the issue of a Safety Recall.
The ABS unit failure is highlighted to the driver by the vehicle displaying a warning light on the dashboard. This warns the driver that there is an issue and allows them to stop the vehicle safely and have the work attended to. Therefore, this is not something that VOSA would look at under its responsibilities.”
Automotive Safety Recalls Manager
Vehicle Safety Branch, VOSA.
“Dear Sir,
Thank you for your email. This has been passed to me for reply.
Our role is to look at design and construction defects that fail with no warning and are likely to cause death or serious injury. Such incidents should be dealt with by the issue of a Safety Recall.
The ABS unit failure is highlighted to the driver by the vehicle displaying a warning light on the dashboard. This warns the driver that there is an issue and allows them to stop the vehicle safely and have the work attended to. Therefore, this is not something that VOSA would look at under its responsibilities.”
Automotive Safety Recalls Manager
Vehicle Safety Branch, VOSA.
Asked on 31 October 2009 by
Answered by
Honest John
VW says the VOSA decision is because the fault does not endanger the driver (even through the car would fail its MoT). However, if the car has been serviced throughout by VW dealers VW will meet 100% of the cost of the repair. And even if the car has been serviced outside the VAG network it will consider claims. I presume the determining factor will be whether or not the brake fluid has been changed at the prescribed 2 yearly period. Before VAG relented, I was receiving 1 – 3 reports of ABS failure a day on VW Golfs, Golf Plus and Tourans, SEAT Leons, Alteas and Toledos and Skoda Octavias of 3 – 6 years old.
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