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2008 Volkswagen R32

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

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There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

109 reports with mileage · 6 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 82 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

115 reports
80 miles · Nov 23, 2009
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES AND THEN SHIFTS INTO GEAR. ALSO THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES TO SHIFT FROM FIFTH TO SIXTH GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THEY COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLKSWAGEN R32. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES AND THEN SHIFTS INTO GEAR. ALSO THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES TO SHIFT FROM FIFTH TO SIXTH GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THEY COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 24,000.

NHTSA ODI #10293251

27,000 miles · Nov 11, 2009
Power Train

DSG TRANSMISSION DROPS INTO THEN OUT OF THEN BACK INTO 1ST GEAR. ALSO ENGINE REVS AND THE CAR JERKS IN REVERSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10291896

20,000 miles · Nov 5, 2009
Power Train

WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW IT WAS SMOOTH AND RIDE WAS GREAT SHIFTING WAS PERFECT, AS TIME AND MILES PASS THE CAR GOT REALLY JERKY WITH THE TRANSMISSION, CAR NOW RIDES SMOOTH BUT THE SIFTING IS TERRIBLE, AND TRANNY IS MAKING ALOT OF NOISES WHEN BACKING UP AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL I ALWAYS HEAR A CLUNK, LOUD AND YOU CAN FEEL IT, …

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WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW IT WAS SMOOTH AND RIDE WAS GREAT SHIFTING WAS PERFECT, AS TIME AND MILES PASS THE CAR GOT REALLY JERKY WITH THE TRANSMISSION, CAR NOW RIDES SMOOTH BUT THE SIFTING IS TERRIBLE, AND TRANNY IS MAKING ALOT OF NOISES WHEN BACKING UP AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL I ALWAYS HEAR A CLUNK, LOUD AND YOU CAN FEEL IT, EVERY TIME I TAKE IT TO MY DEALER IT MAGICALLY GOES AWAY FOR A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS OR SO THEN ITS BACK ITS REALLY FRUSTRATING THAT NO ONE AT THE DEALER SHIP REALLY CARES THEY MAKE IT SEEM LIKE I'M DOING SOMETHING WRONG PLEASE HELP!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10291102

23,100 miles · Oct 31, 2009
Power Train

WHILE DRIVING UP A STEEP HILL (ABOUT 30MPH) AND APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME MADE A LAST MINUTE DECISION TO BRAKE HARD AND MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN WITHOUT SIGNALING. I SLOWED TO A STOP BEHIND THE VEHICLE WHILE THEY TURNED. ONCE THE VEHICLE COMPLETED IT'S TURN, I PROCEEDED TO PASS THROUGH THE INTERSECT…

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WHILE DRIVING UP A STEEP HILL (ABOUT 30MPH) AND APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME MADE A LAST MINUTE DECISION TO BRAKE HARD AND MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN WITHOUT SIGNALING. I SLOWED TO A STOP BEHIND THE VEHICLE WHILE THEY TURNED. ONCE THE VEHICLE COMPLETED IT'S TURN, I PROCEEDED TO PASS THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. I MASHED THE THROTTLE (THE LIGHT HAD JUST TURNED YELLOW) TO CLEAR THE INTERSECTION, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. FINALLY, AFTER ABOUT 2 SECONDS, THE DSG WENT INTO GEAR AND I WAS ABLE TO PROCEED. HOWEVER, MY VEHICLE REMAINED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION FOR ABOUT A SECOND BEFORE THE DSG BEGAN TO WORK. ADDITIONALLY, THE DSG IN THE VEHICLE ROUTINELY TAKES A MOMENT TO ENGAGE. THE ABOVE INCIDENT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE DSG'S FAILURE TO WORK LEFT ME VULNERABLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10290456

11,000 miles · Sep 25, 2009
Power Train

DSG TRANSMISSION SLAMS WHEN PLACED INTO "D" OR "S" MODE EVEN THOUGHT BRAKE IS PUSHED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10285301

22,000 miles · Sep 15, 2009
Power Train

MY 2008 GOLF R32 EQUIPPED WITH A DSG TRANSMISSION IS HAVING ROUGH SHIFTING, ROUGH CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT, CHOPPY REVERSE AND POWER LOSS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS UNDER HARD ACCELERATION. PLEASE PUSH VW OF AMERICA TO HAVE A RECALL CAMPAIGN DONE. HOW LONG DO OWNERS HAVE TO WAIT FOR THIS? I GUESS VW AND NHTSA WANT SOMEONE TO DIE BEFORE ANY ACTI…

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MY 2008 GOLF R32 EQUIPPED WITH A DSG TRANSMISSION IS HAVING ROUGH SHIFTING, ROUGH CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT, CHOPPY REVERSE AND POWER LOSS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS UNDER HARD ACCELERATION. PLEASE PUSH VW OF AMERICA TO HAVE A RECALL CAMPAIGN DONE. HOW LONG DO OWNERS HAVE TO WAIT FOR THIS? I GUESS VW AND NHTSA WANT SOMEONE TO DIE BEFORE ANY ACTION IS TAKEN. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10284043

9,200 miles · Sep 3, 2009
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

I HAVE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES WITH SOME CORRECTED BUT THE HESITATION OF POWER AND SHIFTING ISSUES WITH DSG CONTINUE TO PERSIST. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE TRIED TO ACCELERATE AND THE CAR DOES NOT RESPOND IMMEDIATELY, THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE EXPRESSWAY SEVERAL TIMES. THERE IS ALSO SOME JERKING IN THE CAR AS IT TRIES TO GO THROUGH GEARS. I…

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I HAVE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES WITH SOME CORRECTED BUT THE HESITATION OF POWER AND SHIFTING ISSUES WITH DSG CONTINUE TO PERSIST. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE TRIED TO ACCELERATE AND THE CAR DOES NOT RESPOND IMMEDIATELY, THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE EXPRESSWAY SEVERAL TIMES. THERE IS ALSO SOME JERKING IN THE CAR AS IT TRIES TO GO THROUGH GEARS. IT ALSO FEELS LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL BEFORE IT ACTUALLY GETS GOING. FINALLY, THE CAR HAS RUMBLE FEEL THROUGH THE PEDAL AND FEELS LIKE IT IS FIGHTING ITSELF AND WHEN YOU TURN THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT IT STARTS AN ON AND OFF RUMBLE. OTHER PROBLEMS THAT HAVE OCCURRED WERE A LOUD KNOCKING WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY FIXED BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE ENGINE. THEY FIRST REPLACED THE FLYWHEEL THINKING THAT WAS THE ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10282773

17,646 miles · Sep 2, 2009
Power Train

AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND LETTING OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHILE THE CAR IS STILL IN DRIVE, IT WILL LURCH OR JUMP FORWARD - ALMOST AS THOUGH I'VE PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS SEEMS TO GET WORSE AS THE OUTSIDE AMBIENT TEMPS INCREASE. IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE CAR IS A NIGHTMARE TO DRIVE, AS IT WILL LURCH AND JERK …

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AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND LETTING OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHILE THE CAR IS STILL IN DRIVE, IT WILL LURCH OR JUMP FORWARD - ALMOST AS THOUGH I'VE PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS SEEMS TO GET WORSE AS THE OUTSIDE AMBIENT TEMPS INCREASE. IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE CAR IS A NIGHTMARE TO DRIVE, AS IT WILL LURCH AND JERK HEAVILY. I'VE ACTUALLY HAD MY STARBUCKS COFFEE SHOOT OUT OF THE CUP AND SPILL ON ME BECAUSE OF THIS - YES, IT LURCHES THAT MUCH. I'VE ALMOST REAR-ENDED A FEW CARS AND HIT MY GARAGE WALL. ALL OF THIS IS ACTUALLY OUR SECOND GO AROUND AS WE'VE HAD THE MECHATRONICS UNIT REPLACED BY VW WITH 17646 MILES ON THE CAR. THE CAR NOW HAS 21500 MILES ON IT AND THE SYMPTOMS ARE BACK AGAIN. I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO? THE FIRST TIME OUR VW DEALER HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT A MONTH TO GET IT FIXED BUT THEIR FIX ONLY SEEMED TO WORK FOR A SHORT TIME AS WE'RE STARTING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS AGAIN. THE CAR IS JERKY AND CLUNKY WHEN SHIFTING AT LOW SPEED DRIVING. I'VE HAD THE DEALER TELL ME THIS IS NORMAL DSG BEHAVIOR BUT WE OWN (2) 2008 VW R32 - MY WIFE AND I EACH HAVE OUR OWN. THE OTHER CAR DRIVES MUCH SMOOTHER AND DOES NOT EXHIBIT THE BEHAVIOR THAT THESE CAR DOES; HOWEVER, I'M NERVOUS THAT OUR OTHER TOO WILL SOON START HAVING PROBLEMS. I'M HOLDING OFF BRINGING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER UNTIL THEY COME UP WITH A PROPER FIX. VW PLEASE REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. OUR FAMILY HAS BEEN A LOYAL VW/AUDI CUSTOMER OUR ENTIRE LIVES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10282691

1,000 miles · Sep 1, 2009
Power Train

1. UPON DECELERATION AT ANY SPEED 2. JERKY, HARSH, JARRING DOWNSHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR WHETHER IN DSG MANUAL OR DSG AUTO MODE. IT OCCURS EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. 3. NOTHING DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. I WAS TOLD THAT IS THE NORMAL DSG BEHAVIOR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10282564

12,000 miles · Aug 31, 2009
Power Train

AFTER PURCHASING MY 2008 VW R32 IT WAS A VERY SMOOTH VEHICLE. THE DSG TRANSMISSION WAS ADVERTISED AS DRIVING EXACTLY LIKE A CONVENTIONAL AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION-EQUIPPED VEHICLE. AFTER A YEAR AND 12,000 MILES I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL INCIDENTS WHERE THE TRANSMISSION FEELS LIKE IT DISENGAGES. THE ENGINE REVS UP, BUT THERE IS …

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AFTER PURCHASING MY 2008 VW R32 IT WAS A VERY SMOOTH VEHICLE. THE DSG TRANSMISSION WAS ADVERTISED AS DRIVING EXACTLY LIKE A CONVENTIONAL AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION-EQUIPPED VEHICLE. AFTER A YEAR AND 12,000 MILES I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL INCIDENTS WHERE THE TRANSMISSION FEELS LIKE IT DISENGAGES. THE ENGINE REVS UP, BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO MOTIVE POWER. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH ON THE EXPRESSWAY AS WELL AS ON THE STREET. IN ALL OCCURRENCES THE VEHICLE REGAINS MOTIVE POWER WITHIN 5-10 SECONDS. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PUBLIC HIGHWAYS, LOSING MOTIVE POWER IN A VEHICLE CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS, AND HAS PUT MY LIFE AT RISK WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THIS ISSUE IS INVESTIGATED, AS I HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER 2008 VW R32 OWNERS THAT THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO THEM AS WELL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10282393

Official recalls

2

09V093000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly

Mar 20, 2009

VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 5,000 MY 2008 R32 (5TH GENERATION) VEHICLES. WHEN CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE ACCOMPANIED BY HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES, THE FUEL TANK VENTILATION VALVE MAY NOT REMAIN FULLY CLOSED. IF THIS HAPPENS, LIQUID FUEL MAY ENTER THE FUEL TANK VENTING SYSTEM AND MIGRATE INTO THE EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM, SATURATING THE CARBON CANISTER. SHOULD THIS OCCUR WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE MAY EXPERIENCE PERFORMANCE ISSUES (I.E., VEHICLE JERKING) AND THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER COULD ILLUMINATE. FUEL COULD LEAK FROM THE EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM LEAK DETECTION PUMP FILTER.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A FUEL LEAK, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK VENTILATION VALVE WITH AN IMPROVED VALVE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 2, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLKSWAGEN AT 1-800-822-8987.

07V442000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Sep 24, 2007

CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE HAD A REQUIRED CAP INSTALLED WHICH DISABLES THE HEADLIGHT HORIZONTAL AIM AND SOME VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN A CAP THAT DISABLES THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: NONCOMPLIANCE CAN INHIBIT PROPER HEADLAMP AIM ADJUSTMENT FOR ROADWAY ILLUMINATION, IMPROPERLY AIMED HEADLAMPS COULD CAUSE REDUCED ROAD VISIBILITY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE LOW BEAM HORIZONTAL AIMING SCREW AND INSTALL ONE IF MISSING, AND INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF A CAP IN THE SOCKET OF THE VERTICAL AIMING SCREW AND IF PRESENT, THE CAP WILL BE REMOVED. THE RECALL WILL BEGIN ON OCTOBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VW AT 1-800-822-8987.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE09035 · Vehicle Stall/loss Motive Power

Opened Jul 17, 2009 · Closed Nov 19, 2009

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:manual Transmission

THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) TRANSMISSIONS, WHICH FEATURE A 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC GEARBOX WITH TWO WET RUNNING CLUTCHES (DUAL CLUTCH) IN WHICH THE CLUTCH MECHANISM AND GEAR CHANGES ARE ELECTROHYDRAULICALLY OPERATED BY A MECHATRONIC CONTROL UNIT.THE DSG MECHATRONIC CONTROLLER INCLUDES EXTENSIVE SELF DIAGNOSTIC FUNCTIONS AND STRATEGIES TO ENSURE SAFE OPERATION AND PREVENT SYSTEM/COMPONENT DAMAGE IN THE EVENT OF COMPONENT FAILURES OR HARSH OPERATING CONDITIONS.THE BASIC HIERARCHY OF FAULT MODES INCLUDES SOME THAT ONLY RESULT IN THE STORAGE OF A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) AND CAUSE NO LOSS OF FUNCTION, SOME THAT STORE A DTC AND REDUCE VEHICLE OPERATION TO A LIMP HOME MODE, AND SOME THAT STORE A DTC AND CAUSE AN INTERRUPTION OF MOTIVE POWER (I.E., OPEN CLUTCH).THE DRIVER IS ALERTED TO THE LATTER TWO MODES BY THE DASH GEAR POSITION INDICATOR (PRNDS) FLASHING. ONE OF THE CONDITIONS THAT RESULTS IN INTERRUPTION OF MOTIVE POWER IS EXCESS GEARBOX TEMPERATURE.THE SYSTEM INITIALLY RESPONDS TO INCREASED GEARBOX TEMPERATURE BY RAMPING DOWN ENGINE TORQUE.IF THE TEMPERATURE KEEPS RISING THE MECHATRONIC UNIT RESPONDS BY OPENING THE CLUTCH.IN A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT SUBMITTED TO NHTSA ON AUGUST 20, 2009, VOLKSWAGEN DESCRIBED A POTENTIAL DEFECT IN THE WIRING HARNESSES OF THE DSG GEARBOX TEMPERATURE SENSORS USED IN APPROXIMATELY 16,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2009 AND 2010 VOLKSWAGEN (EOS, JETTA AND GTI) AND AUDI (A3 AND TT/TT ROADSTER) VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DSG TRANSMISSIONS AND BUILT FROM SEPTEMBER 2008 THROUGH AUGUST 2009 (NHTSA RECALL NO. 09V-333, VOLKSWAGEN RECALL NO. 37E3/S7 AND AUDI RECALL NO 37E4/J7). VOLKSWAGEN PROVIDED THIS DESCRIPTION OF THE DEFECT, THE WIRING HARNESS OF A TEMPERATURE SENSOR IN THE DSG MAY HAVE CONNECTOR WIRES THAT WERE INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED BY THE CONNECTOR SUPPLIER DURING A LIMITED PRODUCTION PERIOD.WITH INSUFFICIENTLY CRIMPED CONNECTOR WIRES, A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FALSELY DETECT A HIGH GEARBOX OIL TEMPERATURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL.IF THIS HAPPENS, THE SELECTOR LEVER POSITION INDICATOR WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL FLASH.IN ADDITION, THE DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL INDICATOR LIGHT WILL BE ILLUMINATED, ALERTING THE DRIVER TO APPLY THE BRAKES.IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE ABRUPT SHIFT TO NEUTRAL COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.VOLKSWAGEN ESTIMATED THAT LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF THE RECALLED VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN THE DEFECT CONDITION. ODI IDENTIFIED 40 COMPLAINTS THAT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR DEFECT CONDITION DESCRIBED BY VOLKSWAGEN.VOLKSWAGEN RECEIVED 139 COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE CONDITION, WITH 7 INVOLVING VEHICLES REPORTED TO ODI, RESULTING A 172 TOTAL COMPLAINTS TO ODI AND VOLKSWAGEN.ALL OF THESE COMPLAINTS INVOLVE THE MY 2009 AN 2010 VEHICLES SUBJECT TO RECALL 09V-333. ODI ALSO IDENTIFIED COMPLAINTS OF HARSH/JERKY SHIFTING IN SOME VOLKSWAGEN VEHICLES WITH DSG.VOLKSWAGEN ATTRIBUTED THIS CONDITION, WHICH TYPICALLY OCCURS AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, TO EXCESSIVE WEAR IN THE BUSHINGS OF THE TWO SOLENOID VALVES IN THE MECHATRONIC UNIT THAT CONTROL CLUTCH OPERATION.VOLKSWAGEN DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THE THIS CONDITION IS A SAFETY DEFECT BECAUSE THE CHANGES IN SHIFT QUALITY DEVELOP GRADUALLY OVER TIME, DO NOT CAUSE A LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER AND HAVE NOT RESULTED IN ANY FATALITIES, INJURIES OR SERIOUS CRASHES (THERE WERE THREE REPORTED PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENTS RESULTING IN MINOR BODY DAMAGE IN VERY LOW SPEED, PARKING MANEUVERS).VOLKSWAGEN ADDRESSED THIS PROBLEM IN THE FIELD WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES THE REPLACEMENT OF POTENTIALLY AFFECTED MECHATRONIC UNITS AS WELL