Volkswagen South Africa tight-lipped over Amarok recall query
The Amarok shares its mechanical make-up with the Ranger and the two vehicles are built at Ford's Silverton manufacturing facility in Tshwane, using engines produced at the blue oval's plant in Gqeberha.
Last week Ford issued recall notices for its Puma, Everest, EcoSport and Ranger models.
In the case of the Ranger, the concern was applicable to 3.0 V6 diesel derivative built between June 2022 and March 2025. The same engine is available in the Everest.
According to Ford, the left-side camshaft sprocket may fracture, causing the engine to stall without warning. The manufacturer confirmed 1,050 units were affected in Southern Africa, including Botswana, Swaziland and Namibia.
In the Amarok range, the 3.0 V6 diesel engine derivative is available in Style, Panamericana and Aventura model grades, priced from R1,076,500 to R1,252,200.
The German manufacturer could not confirm if the issue was shared.
According to VW media and PR manager Tebogo Losaba the company does not respond to product recall queries and could not comment on the Ford Ranger matter.
Earlier this year the automaker issued recall notices for its Golf 8 GTI and R and the current Polo sedan over concerns relating to the functioning of safety belts. This affected 159 Golf units and 253 Polo sedan units.
This year it also recalled 142 Polo units and eight Taigo models for a faulty component in the gas generator of the passenger airbag module.
The notices affecting the Golf, Polo sedan, Polo hatchback and Taigo were shared by the National Consumer Commission.
Separately, the manufacturer has an ongoing campaign in effect to address faulty Takata airbag modules, an issue that has troubled automakers who used the beleaguered supplier. Owners are able to see if their vehicles are affected through a VIN checker on the VW local website.
We approached three VW franchise dealerships in the Johannesburg area to enquire about the prospect of the 3.0 V6 diesel engine's camshaft sprocket failure and whether there were campaigns in effect for the Amarok.
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