Volkswagen Recalls Single Beetle for Fire Risk
The owner of one particular Volkswagen Beetle is being asked to bring their vehicle back to the dealer so technicians can address a fuel delivery system flaw.
On this single car, the fuel rail -- a tube that delivers gasoline pumped from the tank to the engine's fuel injectors -- could detach from the cylinder head, the hunk of metal bolted to the top of the engine block that houses the valvetrain.
If the fuel rail were to come away from the head, it would spray fuel under high pressure around the engine compartment, creating excellent conditions for a roadside car-B-que.
Though a recall affecting just one vehicle is not a major deal when Canadians buy nearly two million new cars every year, this is an excellent example of how well carmakers track their manufacturing processes: while recalls usually affect batches of components bolted into hundreds or thousands of cars, they really can narrow a defect down to a single vehicle, as in this case.
