Volkswagen recalls nearly 21,000 ID.4 EVs owing to a sudden stalling issue

German car major Volkswagen has issued a real affecting 20,904 units of the ID.4 pure electric crossover, as these cars have a potential power loss and stalling issue. The automaker claims that the issue lies with the software that controls the high-voltage battery, which can reset itself under certain conditions and resultantly deactivate the pulse inverter during its reset. This could cause the electric motor onboard the car to lose its power, leading to the vehicle stalling suddenly while driving, which could be fatal on a busy road.

The affected Volkswagen ID.4 models were built between 26th May 2020 and 20th January 2022. The problem was initially spotted in July 2021, and in January 2022, the investigation was concluded. A supplier of the automaker came forward and said that the pulse inverter software had problems, too, which could lead to the vehicle stalling.

The automaker reveals that the affected vehicles will show an alert on their dashboards by the end of March, instructing the owners to schedule a service appointment at a Volkswagen dealership for a software installation that will fix the high-voltage battery management control unit and the pulse inverter control unit.

This is not the first time the Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover has been recalled. Around 1,000 units of 2022 and 2923 Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUVs are part of another recall, where a cable for the 12-volt battery can rub against the crossover’s steering column and become worn, which could potentially lead to a short-circuit and possibly to a fire.

The ID.4 comes as a key model in the automaker's EV fleet. This electric crossover sold more than 300,000 units around the world in 2022, which was down almost 20 per cent from 2021.