The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is upgrading an investigation into the Volkswagen Passat following dozens of reports of engine fires.
NHTSA said there have been 78 reports of engine fires including two injuries. The automaker has received 14,850 warranty claims about the engine fires, according to NHTSA.
The investigation, which began in May, is focused on roughly 345,000 Passat sedans from the 2000-2003 model year. NHTSA said many of the complaints attribute the fires to a failure of the ignition coil.
Volkswagen has provided the government with information on the vehicle's three different engines and ignition systems and now NHTSA has upgraded to allow additional analysis.
Headlights
VW is also recalling 340,000 passenger cars in the U.S. because the head lights failed to comply with federal safety standards.
The recall includes 2005-2008 Jetta models, the 2006-2008 Rabbit, GTI and R32 passenger cars.
VW reports no crashes linked to the head light issue, according to a company spokesman.
Some of the VW head lights are be missing required caps in the sockets of the low beam horizontal and vertical aiming screws, the automaker said.
Owners are expected to be notified of the recall beginning in late October.
