What Should I Do if My Volkswagen Vehicle Is Overheating?

Modern engine technology makes overheating a much less common problem than it once was. However, due to differences in engine material, overheating is also a much more serious problem. If the temperature gauge in your Volkswagen gets close to the red, turn off the air conditioning and turn on the heater. If this doesn’t mitigate things and the needle gets too close to the red--or if the engine starts to smoke--pull over immediately. If you keep driving with an engine that’s overheating, the engine itself can be destroyed. Call a towing service to bring your VW to an authorized dealership.

What Causes Overheating Engines?

An overheating engine is incredibly rare; however, they can still overheat if something has gone wrong under the hood. If your VW overheats, it could be due to a number of things: a leak in the cooling system, a bad gasket, problems with the radiator, a blockage in a hose, a broken water pump, or something else entirely. Diagnosis can be tricky, which is why we recommend bringing your vehicle to an authorized Volkswagen dealership. Some of these repairs may not be the cheapest--but they cost much less than rebuilding or replacing a destroyed engine.