- Volkswagen recalled 98,806 ID.4 EVs because their doors could open unexpectedly
- Volkswagen has issued a sales freeze for the ID.4 until a fix is in place
- Production of ID.4 is stopped
Volkswagen i is recalling 98,806 of its ID.4 electric vehicles due to defective door handles that can cause the doors to open unexpectedly.
Until repairs can be made the VW is issued a stop-sale again production stopped of ID.4.
Remembering includes 2021-2024 models assembled in Zwickau, Germany, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Restored vehicles may have door handles that are not waterproof. VW believes that less than 1% of affected vehicles have this condition.
Volkswagen spokesperson Mark Gillies told Green Car Reports, “After extensive review, due to the suspension of sales of the ID.4, we will temporarily suspend production of the vehicle at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant until a solution is found. While we are working on this issue, we are focused on doing the right thing for our employees, vendors and consumers through this disruption. About 200 workers in Chattanooga will be laid off from September 23rd and we support them by supplementing unemployment in the state of Tennessee so that they will still receive 80 percent of their basic compensation and will continue to be covered by all current benefits during this time. We are also exploring ways to support our vendors while determining a solution for our customers. This disruption in no way changes our commitment to the ID.4 and our growing BEV portfolio. The ID.4 remains one of America's best-selling electric vehicles.”
2024 Volkswagen ID.4
In the defective vehicles, water can enter the door handle and reach the printed circuit board, which can cause “communication problems” between the handle and the door control unit, resulting in an erroneous command to open the door, according to the recall. documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). When this happens, the driver may notice a clicking sound similar to the sound made when the door is opened normally.
VW is aware of 135 warranty claims from June 2023 to May 2024 related to this issue, but no crashes or injuries.
Sellers will he checked the door handles and, if necessary, replace them with improved versions, free of charge. The vehicles will also receive a software update, and VW will reimburse customers for any work they may incur related to the issue. This recall extends the previous two. Customers who have been subject to a recall under any of these will have to bring their vehicles to dealerships for a recall as well.
2024 Volkswagen ID.4
VW plans to send owner notification letters Nov. 1, 2024. Owners can contact the automaker's customer service department at 1-800-893-5298 for more information.
This recall follows earlier this year of nearly 80,000 ID.4 EVs from the 2021 to 2023 model year for screen problems and software problems. That recall did not affect the 2024 ID.4 models, which received several updates, including an available larger screen that appears to eliminate many of the problems Green Car Reports found with the interface on earlier models.
Note–This story has been updated to reflect VW discontinuing sales and production of the ID.4.