Audi R8 Spyders recalled in US for fire-causing defect

Volkswagen AG is recalling 920 Audi R8 Spyder sports cars, which sell for more than $150,000 apiece, for a fuel supply-line defect that could cause a fire.

Volkswagen, based Wolfsburg, Germany, said it is recalling some 2011 and 2012 models in the US because the fuel-supply line may rub against the heat shield in the engine compartment and ignite a fire. The automaker announced the recall today on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

Audi has received no reports of fires or accidents caused by the defect, said Armin Goetz, an Audi spokesman based in Ingolstadt, Germany. Although not every car involved in the recall has the defect, they should all be checked, he said.

“It’s a recall because we know about this problem and we have to do it,” Goetz said in an interview. “We just want to make sure nobody will be injured in the future.”

Volkswagen in December recalled about 377,000 cars in the US, including Beetle and Jetta models, citing fire risk from fuel-supply lines that may chafe and leak.