Volkswagen, the renowned German car manufacturer, has initiated a significant recall of more than 60,000 electric cars in the United States, affecting models from both Volkswagen and Audi brands. This recall was prompted by a safety concern identified by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the agency, the recalled electric vehicles are experiencing a malfunction where certain gear positions are not properly displayed. This defect could potentially result in the cars rolling away if the parking brake is not engaged, thereby heightening the risk of a collision.
Specifically, the recall impacts models such as the Audi Q4 e-tron and Volkswagen ID.4, both of which are fully electric vehicles. The Volkswagen ID.4, an all-electric car launched in 2021, is among the affected models, with vehicles manufactured between 2021 and 2023 being included in the recall. Additionally, the Audi Q4 and Q4 Sportback all-electric vehicles produced in 2022 and 2023 are also subject to this recall.
The root cause of the gear indicator issue has been identified as a software glitch, as outlined in Volkswagen’s safety recall report. The carmaker first became aware of this problem in August after receiving reports of five similar incidents outside the United States. In a separate instance earlier this month, Volkswagen issued yet another recall, this time impacting around 30,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to a rearview camera display malfunction. The vehicles primarily affected by this second recall include the Audi Q3, as well as select Volkswagen Tiguan and Arteon models.
