Volkswagen has resumed deliveries of the new, Mk8 Golf after a software problem was unearthed in May.
The problem, which centered around the eCall emergency assist function not working reliably, caused deliveries to be halted throughout Europe while a fix was developed.
Volkswagen now claims that a software update for the control unit has resolved the issue. It will be installed on every Golf in future and retrofitted to those already built, while a voluntary recall will be issued to ensure cars already delivered to customers are fixed.
The firm admits that around 15,000 Mk8 Golfs have already been delivered in Germany and are affected by the recall. A far smaller number of cars were delivered in the UK before the problem arose.
A statement issued in May has been updated to reflect the news: “In the course of internal investigations, we have determined that individual Golf 8 vehicles may experience unreliable data transmission from the software on the control unit or the online connectivity unit (OCU3). As a result, the full functionality of the eCall/emergency call assistant cannot be guaranteed.
"Volkswagen will initiate a voluntary recall for Golf Mk8 models already delivered to customers in order to install the software update. Volkswagen has already notified the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) of this and has requested owner data in order to inform the affected customers in good time."
This software, mandatory by EU law for every new car sold since March 2018, can detect when an accident requires the attendance of the emergency services and contacts them automatically.
Reports suggested the new Skoda Octavia was similarly afflicted, because it shares the same system. However, deliveries of that model aren't due until next month, so there won't be an issue.
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Its a German car, everything
Its a German car, everything is a cost option. After an accident it probably needs your credit card details to pay for the emergency call!
It's called Ecall
All new cars in the EU are required to have an embedded SIM card, to make Ecall work which is also mandatory. In an accident, in the UK, it relays a coded message to BT, who then forward that message to the Police call centre. The police then decode it and decide which emergency services need to attend. The call centre person can also attempt to speak with the vehicle occupants, as they also can, if the occupants press the SOS button, that is also now mandatory.
The information that is sent in the coded message is secret, but clearly it must include the vehicle's GPS position, because the whole point of Ecall is to speed up the time between an accident happening and the emergency services being called.
It is surprising that the system on the latest Golf/Octavia doesn't work properly. It has been mandatory since 2018. There are so many systems that call something from monitored burglar alarms to connected door bells/cctv, that it is odd that they have a problem here.
LucyP wrote:
Its very surprising that it doesnt work seeing as the mk8 Golf is really just a heavily facelifted mk7, same chassis, same engines, same gearbox etc, just a few new body panels and slighty more tech (read touchscreeens), so it brings to question, did it work in the mk7/7.5, or any other recent vehicle VAG have produced, because surely it must be virtually the same coding for every vehicle.
However when it comes to VAG nothing surprises me, apart from the fact peole still buy their products thinking they are somehow better than the opposition.
Citytiger wrote:
Calm down for goodness sake! A minor issue by the sound of it and the sort of thing virtually every manufacturer has to grapple with from time to time. The day you do a hard days work and do something as complicated as engineering and launching a new car will be the day you have a right to rant uncontrollably
rickerby wrote:
Wow, a VW fanboy with his knickers in a twist.. Calm down son, if you dont like the comment scroll past.. Who made you Ferdinand Piech?
Thanks
How does this system work? I