The key facts
- The recall will affect about 72.7 thousand ID.3, ID.4, ID.7, ID. Buzz and Cupra Born electric vehicles, of which about 10 thousand are in Germany
- The cause was a manufacturing defect in battery cells at component suppliers
- Owners are advised to temporarily limit charging to 80%; the problem may be resolved with a software update without battery replacement
Scale of the recall campaign
The German automotive group Volkswagen has announced the recall of nearly 72.7 thousand electric vehicles worldwide due to manufacturing defects in high-voltage batteries. This was reported by the newspaper Bild. In Germany alone, about ten thousand vehicles will be sent to service centers. The recall campaign will affect the Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, ID.7 and ID. Buzz models, as well as the Cupra Born.
Cause of the recall
According to Handelsblatt, the problem was identified during internal quality checks. It turned out that individual battery cells do not meet technical requirements due to a manufacturing defect at component suppliers. Faulty batteries may in some cases overheat and pose a fire hazard.
What owners should do
Owners of vehicles affected by the recall are advised to temporarily limit battery charging to 80%. On some vehicles, the corresponding limitation may be activated automatically. Volkswagen will notify affected owners in writing and invite them to service centers, where specialists will diagnose the batteries and determine the necessary measures.
Not everyone will need a battery replacement
A full battery replacement will not be required in all cases: depending on the inspection results, the problem may be fixed with a software update. Charging up to 100% will be permitted again after the vehicle has been checked. Earlier, Life.ru reported that Volkswagen was preparing a recall of thousands of electric vehicles due to battery defects: at that time the group confirmed problems with individual cells, but the exact global number of vehicles had not yet been stated.
