Volkswagen identifies the origin of the fires on the Polo GTI R5

The Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 showed good performance for its competitive debut, but the German car is suffering from a worrying problem. A series of fires broke out on several frames, forcing the German manufacturer to investigate to determine the origin and seek a fix.

Éric Camilli notably saw his car catch fire at the Tour de Corse last month, just before that of Daniel Marban at the Rally of the Azores. Last week, two models suffered from fire at the Rally of Portugal with Pedro Mereiles' car and Ole Christian Veiby leading the field. WRC 2.

Volkswagen said the problem came from a safety valve in the tank which had to be adjusted, as its operation could be impaired depending on the fuel used. Impairment of this safety could then cause a problem of excessive pressure due to the heat of the exhaust gases which deformed the tank. The deformation then caused contact between the transmission shaft and the exhaust which damaged the fuel supply.

Fortunately, Volkswagen engineers think they have found the solution. They plan to reinforce the tank at the driveshaft and exhaust with a steel bracket to improve insulation. The system should then be able to withstand any pressure exerted. There are also plans to move the central tank exhaust back.

Volkswagen will carry out the necessary tests before installing them on the surviving Polo GTI R5s. The German manufacturer specifies that all its customers will receive these developments free of charge and that they have received the necessary information to avoid a fire outbreak.