Recalling almost one million Volkswagens will surprise many of us. Andrew Hamilton and Michael McAleer report on what's behind the move.
These days the world makes a little less sense. You know something is wrong when the German football team fails to impress and one of its leading car manufacturers is forced to recall nearly one million cars, while another recalls over 20,000 of its flagship model.And all in the space of two weeks.
The recall by Volkswagen of 956,000 cars sold in Europe under the Polo and Lupo name is one of the largest in recent years, and represents nearly a fifth of the German car giant's production. But it's far from the first dent in Germany's reputation for quality.
A week before, BMW had to recall an estimated 15,000 new 7-Series cars to check for potential fuel-pump and valve problems. A company spokesperson said the pump problem "may lead to the motor not getting enough fuel and the vehicle stalling." Also a valve defect may affect the performance of 8,000 cars, he added.
The VW recall affects models built in 1998 and 1999. A spokesman said a fault had been discovered in brake lines during long-term tests which could, in extreme cases, lead to the driver having to put more force on the brake pedal than normal to stop the car.
To put in context however, last week's massive recall was not the biggest ever experienced by Volkswagen, according to its spokesman Hans Gerd Bode: "We have had bigger although I can't recall the details." The problem, he said, arose with a supplier, and Volkswagen "had words" with this company.
Indeed, the Germans were not the only ones forced to make recalls this week.
Nissan has recalled more than 118,000 cars, exported from Japan and sold under the Cefiro name, to exchange defective shock absorber parts.
Honda also said it would recall a total of 2.5 million vehicles worldwide due to a faulty ignition switch.
Mr Bode admitted that the mechanics of a recall can be difficult."In Germany, it's relatively easy. People are very disciplined and, when they hear of the problem through the media, they go to their dealerships. We expect the response for the Polo and Lupo will be around 95 per cent which is good. But in other countries, it's more difficult. Communications may not be as efficient and motorists may have a more laissez-faire attitude."
The notion that the recall embarrassed Volkswagen is discounted. "Of course, we would prefer it didn't happen. Sadly, it's a fact of life. I worked at Mercedes-Benz and we had them. There was one for the flagship BMW 7-Series just last week as well."
This one would be costly, but, he said "we fully accept our obligation here".
"A recall can still happen even if you are building the most perfect car in the world," added Mr Bode who, significantly, was speaking at the international press launch of VW's luxury Phaeton in Berlin.
According to Tom O'Connor, sales manager for Volkswagen in Ireland, around 12,000 cars will be affected here.
The cars will then be called into local dealerships for inspection and replacement if necessary. Volkswagen says they have allowed one hour of service for the replacement of the pipe, but expect it should only take 20 minutes.
The recall in Ireland is estimated to cost €480,000.
Last year, Volkswagen recalled 570,000 Passat models due to a locking problem on the steering rod. Its luxury Audi unit also recalled 260,000 cars.
Reacting to the VW recall, Michael Kilcoyne chairman of the Consumer Association of Ireland described the situation as pathetic, criticising manufacturers who sold so many cars on to the market and then had to recall them.
"It's saying that the manufacturers are not putting in enough of the necessary checks in production of the cars."
According to Cyril McHugh, chief executive of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), recalls should come as no surprise when you are dealing with such a highly technical product.
"We're living on the frontier of new technology and there is an obligation on manufacturers to rectify any slight risk."