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130 VOLKSWAGEN ’09 PASSAT (AND DERIVATIVES) RECALLED

A handful of ’09 Volkswagen Passats, Passat wagons, and Passat CCs will be recalled because they “may have an electromechanical steering gear control unit that can malfunction due to a damaged capacitor”. That basically means that where you point the car and where the car goes may not be associated. Problem arisen.

Before you shout to your friends that Volkswagen has built 130 cars that steer the opposite direction of where you turn, let me remind you that this hasn’t been happening over 5mph and it’s only been happening immediately after the vehicle’s started. Nevertheless, “the driver’s steering input is not properly processed”? That is scary stuff. Early in December Volkswagen will begin this Recall by simply replacing the steering gear.

As an aside, let it be known that The Good Car Guy’s previous disgust with the Passat CC rests now only on its purposelessness, not on its appearance. However, seeing the Passat trio together revealed that the regular Passat wagon is still a better looker than the Passat CC and their less expensive brother, the Passat sedan.
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Day 198 — Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority published an updated list of 77 vessels it accuses of violating its Strait of Hormuz protocols, saying listed ships face fines, detention or confiscation and warning insurers, P&I clubs and classification societies against serving them (Iran International and Insurance Journal, Sep 14; Middle East Monitor, Sep 15). US Central Command said an IRGC claim that a supertanker struck mines in the strait was false; neither account is independently confirmed. Houthi forces said they struck the Khamis Mushait air base in southern Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline entered a fifth day shut. AAA's national diesel average set a 12th consecutive record at $6.2694/gal and California diesel set a fresh state record at $8.2124/gal.
Day 198: Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority blacklisted 77 vessels and warned insurers off them; US diesel set a 12th straight record at $6.2694/gal.
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