The ID.4 electric SUV is equipped with electronic door latch actuators.
Water can enter the printed circuit of the door handle and cause it to unlatch when driving at low speeds.
16,207 vehicles manufactured in Tennessee are affected by this recall.
Volkswagen has now issued a stop-sale on some units of the ID.4 electric SUV due to a problem with the door handles that could pose a safety risk.
According to the documents filed with the NHTSA, the automaker says it has received about 10 reports of ID.4 doors unlatching randomly while the vehicle was driving since January 2023.
This has led the company to investigate the issue and ask its supplier which manufactures the electronic door latch actuators used in vehicles assembled in Chattanooga Tennessee to do the same.
The company which builds these parts in Mexico found various deficiencies in its production process that could let water and moisture enter the printed circuit board of the exterior door handle.
Volkswagen ID.4 | Photo: Olivier Delorme
This could then cause the handle to send a false “unlatch” command to the body control module while the vehicle is going around corners at a speed of 15 km/h or less. In addition, malfunctioning door handles could prevent people from entering or exiting the vehicle.
Obviously, this could endanger the occupants or other people outside of the vehicle, which is why the automaker has issued a recall for 16,207 units of the EV, 15% of which are expected to be affected by this issue.
While production hasn’t stopped due to revised parts having been developed, the vehicles that have left the factory but have not reached their buyers yet will have to be retrofitted with new door handles before they can be delivered.
The NHTSA says vehicles that present this issue can emit a clicking noise that sounds like the doors are locking and unlocking repeatedly.
Owners of the affected vehicles that are currently on Canadian and American roads will be notified by Volkswagen by May 26.
Source: NHTSA
