Volkswagen to recall 679,00 cars for rollaway risk

Volkswagen said Friday it is recalling 679,000 U.S. vehicles sold since 2011 that could roll away because of an electrical issue. The recall covers the Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf Sportwagen and GTI from various model years from 2011 through 2019. For it to be included in the recall, the vehicle must be equipped with an automatic transmission, manual handbrake and no keyless entry. The vast majority of the cars being recalled are Jettas at 541,376 and Beetles at 94,474, including the hardtop and convertible.

The automaker said drivers may be able to remove the key after stopping without placing the car in park, which increases the risk the vehicle could roll away. Leaving the car in gear or in neutral with nothing there to stop it would certainly be a cause for concern. VW said a build up of silicate on the shift lever micro switch contacts is to blame. Here are the specific models with their respective years. The amount of those models being recalled is listed after the model, too.

• 2012-2019 Beetle (65,727)
• 2012-2019 Beetle Convertible (28,747)
• 2015-2016 Golf (5,534); 2018-2019 Golf (1,847)
• 2017-2019 Golf Sportwagen (14,518)
• 2015-2019 GTI (18,278)
• 2011-2018 Jetta (541,376)

Dealers will install an additional switch and circuit board and disable the micro switch at the shift lever. A Volkswagen spokesman said there are no reports of injuries. VW should be contacting the owners of these vehicles on or before October 11, and will be offering the fix free of charge. Until then, just make sure you remember to shift into Park.