Volkswagen Group has ordered dealers in the U.S. and Canada to stop selling its ID4 electric compact crossover because its doors might open while in motion, and the German carmaker doesn’t yet have a fix for the problem.
Nearly 18,000 vehicles built at VW’s Chattanooga assembly plant in Tennessee may have door handles that are malfunctioning because of water seeping in, according to a stop-sale notice dated April 3. This can “cause a situation where a vehicle door could open unexpectedly” at low speed, VW said.
First reports of ID4 driver and passenger doors opening surfaced in January, prompting supplier U-Shin Ltd. to analyze the failed parts, and VW to discuss the issue with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the following month. The carmaker, which has issued a recall, identified a total of 10 ID4s with the self-opening doors made in Chattanooga.
A repair for the issue isn’t yet available, according to VW’s April 3 notice.
Volkswagen is pushing hard to increase its U.S. market share with a portfolio of crossovers and boosting its production footprint in North America. The carmaker has plans for more than 25 new EV models in the U.S. by 2030 and a new factory in South Carolina to produce electric trucks and SUVs under the Scout brand.
It’s also set to build its first battery plant outside of Europe in Canada.