Sales of Volkswagen's (VLKAY) ID.4 came to a screeching halt after the German automaker issued a stop-sale order for 18,000 of the electric SUVs following reports of doors swinging open while the vehicle is moving.
Volkswagen said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to this defect.
The affected vehicles may have been built with door handles that do not meet the factory specifications for protection against water ingress, according to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Water entering at the printed circuit board assembly of the door handle may cause a situation where a vehicle door could open unexpectedly when the vehicle was subjected to high lateral forces at speeds below 9 mph(15 kmh).
Volkswagen said they found 10 cases in ID.4 vehicles produced in the Chattanooga plant after becoming aware of the issue.
"Due to quality control issues at a supplier, parts that did not conform to our specifications were delivered to the Chattanooga plant," Volkswagen said in a statement to InsideEVs.
Fix Not Ready Yet
"Among other issues, the part may allow moisture to enter the electronic board integrated in the door handle," the company continued. "In turn, this may allow the vehicle door to open unintentionally while driving or the vehicle door may no longer be opened from the outside and/or inside."
Volkswagen said it will notify owners of the affected vehicles on or before May 26, 2023.
"Owners will be able to schedule an appointment with an authorized dealer who will inspect and repair the vehicle if necessary as parts are available," the company said.
The notice for the stop sale indicates that there is not yet a fix ready to solve the problem.
Earlier this year, Volkswagen initiated a recall for 20,904 ID.4s built between May 26, 2020 and January 20, 2022 due to an essential software problem in the battery management control circuit.
