Quick News About Volkswagen Problems

**VW

is pulling back 151,000 Tiguans for gas bubble problems. My wife is wondering if they can include me in the recall as well. VW says it's possible for gas bubbles to form in the fuel system when winterized fuel with high vapor pressures is used in warmer temperatures. The bubbles can also occur if the Tiguan is restarted soon after being shut off with a hot engine. Bubbles in your car's gas is worse than bubbles out your own ... nevermind ... just know that you want to get rid of them to avoid things like an engine misfire.

Additionally, the fuel pump can experience pressure problems because of a degraded electrical current which can lead to the engine stalling.

151,000 model year 2009-2014 Volkswagen Tiguan SUVs.

While you might have nightmares about falling or being chased by zombies, automakers are having nightmares about defective ignition switches.

It started with GM's well-publicized ignition issues earlier this year, carried over to Chrysler's repeated problems, and now Volkswagen is joining the fray.

VW is recalling 18,500 model year 2009 Routans that have ignition switches that can inadvertently turn the car (and it's safety features) off if the owner's keychain is too heavy.

VW says the minivan should only be driven with a single key. That means no other keys, key fobs, bottle openers or knick knacks hanging from your ignition (sorry Mickey Mouse keychain, you have to go). Someday we'll all be telling our kids tales about landline phones, the sounds 56k modems used to make, and how we used to put car keys on heavy keychains.

In March 2011, VW recalled the 2010 Routan for the same problem. Any 2010 Routans that weren't repaired from the 2011 recall will need to be fixed. The automaker estimates that's about 31,000 minivans in total.

Turns out VW had a good reason for issuing a stop sale on some 2014 models last week -- they were catching on fire.

The manufacturer recognized a potential safety defect, stopped selling cars, found the problem and issued a recall, all within a month -- see how that's done, GM?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), O-ring seals in some VWs can leak between the oil cooler and the transmission. Once flammable transmission fluid hits a hot surface only bad things can happen.

The recall affects the 2014 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, and Passat equipped with the 1.8T engine and an automatic transmission. Owners should see a notice in the mail soon at which point they can bring their cars in to have the O-ring seals replaced.

Low-beam bulbs in the 2012-13 Passat can come loose from its connection, which means lights out for owners.

To fix the issue, VW is recalling any Passat manufactured between January, 2011 and November, 2012.

According to NHTSA, the recall will begin in May, 2014 and concerned owners can contact Volkswagen at 800-822-8987 and refer to recall number 94G8/7V.

Volkswagen is recalling over 150,000 Passats because closing the hood is disabling the low-beam headlights.

VW says the problem could be avoided by dropping the hood gently and not from any noticeable height, but who does that? Should we give it a pillow too?

The problem is a lose electrical connection in the 2012 and 2013 model years. If you do manage to knock the lights out, you'd see a warning light on your dashboard (and feel like you just won the strongman or strong-woman competition).

VW says no crashes or injuries have been reported but dealers will still need to fix the problem. They'll install a different fitting for the headlight bulb and possibly add a new hood bumper to protect the hood from hitting the headlights. I was just kidding about that pillow, but it looks like VW is serious.

Affected VW Passat owners can contact the Volkswagen at 800-822-8987.