Volkswagen is recalling 35,325 ID.4 electric crossovers because of a slight issue where the doors just happen to pop open unexpectedly while driving at low speeds. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall report says the affected vehicles were built in Zwickau, Germany for the U.S. market between December 2020 and December 2022.
In case you missed it:
- These Are the Special Edition Cars Readers Say Weren’t Really That Special
- New Cars Really Are Just for Rich People Now
- 2024 Toyota Tacoma Leaks Show Off a Gnarly New ‘Taco
Door handles on these ID.4s may not have been built to factory specifications for protection against water getting in. According to NHTSA, if water gets in, it could damage the printed circuit board and lead to malfunctions causing an “open command” to the door lock.
But wait, there’s more! The ID.4’s door could then unexpectedly open if it’s “subject to high lateral forces at speeds below 9 mpg.” Basically, if you take a turn too quickly in your ID.4 with all of its 200-ish horsepower, your door may swing open. That – as you may have guessed – is not a good thing. NHTSA says it could put not only the occupants inside the vehicle at risk, but it could also hurt people outside the car as well as damage objects nearby if it swings open.
There isn’t too much of a warning that something like this could happen, either. NHTSA says that the only real tell is an audible clicking noise – similar to the sound of doors being locked or unlocked. However, if you’ve got the radio on or something of that nature, it would be pretty easy to miss the noise completely, and then be very surprised when your door swings open.
The faulty door handles were made by WITTE Automotive, a Czech supplier, according to NHTSA’s report.
The report says that at no cost to customers, Volkswagen dealers will inspect each door handle and replace it if necessary. They will also perform a software update to the door handle parameters. NHTSA notes that Volkswagen isn’t going to give any sort of reimbursement plan under the recall.