Volkswagen is halting sales of its most popular cars, some 25,000 Passats, Beetles and Jettas, because a faulty seal can cause oil leaks, the company announced last Wednesday. The particular models came with a turbocharged 1.8 liter, four-cylinder engines and automatic transmissions, according to spokesman Scott Vazin. All the cars were built after February 1, he said.

The o-ring seals that connect to automatic transmission cooler can fail and oil can leak, leading to the possibility the oil could catch on fire.

So far, VW is not advising owners of the near-new vehicles to stop driving them. The order, for the moment, only applies to dealers, who are being told to stop selling them until they can be fixed.

No drivers or dealers have reported any fires or crashes, according to Vazin. However, a recall is likely, according to spokesman Mark Gillies. "There have been some complaints from customers -- oil leaking on the ground," says Gillies.

Volkswagen issued the stop-sale order to U.S. dealers. About half the cars remain on lots.

Volkswagen is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on how to fix the cars that have been sold.

The problem can be fixed in less than an hour, Gillies said.

Passat is made at Volkswagen's factory in Chattanooga, Tenn. Jetta and Beetle are manufactured in Mexico. The 1.8-turbocharged engines come as standard equipment in Passat and Beetle.