Volkswagen has announced a recall of more than 60,000 electric vehicles across the United States due to a critical display error that poses a potential safety hazard. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported the recall on Friday, stating that the affected vehicles fail to properly display gear selection indicators. This malfunction can lead to the vehicles rolling away if the parking brake isn’t engaged.
The recall affects two electric vehicle models: the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Audi Q4 e-tron. According to the NHTSA report, a total of 60,490 vehicles are included in the recall. This encompasses model year 2021-2023 Volkswagen ID.4 cars and 2022-2023 Audi Q4 e-tron vehicles, as well as Q4 e-tron Sportback models.
Specifically, the gear indicator issue is caused by a software problem, as detailed in the report. Volkswagen, which acquired full ownership of Audi in 1966, first became aware of the problem in August after five incidents were reported outside the U.S. The company has advised owners of affected vehicles to ensure their parking brakes are fully engaged until they can take their car in for servicing to resolve the issue. Drivers are encouraged to contact their local dealerships for more information.
This isn’t Volkswagen’s only recent recall. Earlier this month, the company issued another recall for 30,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to issues with the rearview mirror display. The affected vehicles in this recall included the Audi Q3, as well as certain Volkswagen Tiguan and Arteon models. The specific models impacted were 2022-2024 Tiguans, 2023 Arteons, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3s.
Due to the display error, a rearview camera image may incorrectly read as ‘not displaying as intended.’ This could potentially impair a driver’s ability to see areas behind the vehicle, which elevates the risk of a collision, according to the recall notice. Owners of these vehicles will receive letters in the mail by April 11. The repairs can be performed at any authorized dealership.
In June of the previous year, Volkswagen recalled more than 271,000 SUVs due to concerns about potential failure of the front passenger airbag to inflate during a crash. The recall covered certain Atlas SUVs from the 2021-2024 model years and some 2020-2024 Atlas Cross Sport SUVs.
Volkswagen stated that a wiring fault could develop under the front passenger seat, which could disable the sensor responsible for detecting the presence of a passenger. If this happens, it could deactivate the airbag and increase the risk of injury in a crash. Drivers would receive a warning sound and error message on the instrument panel. At the time, Volkswagen also advised vehicle owners to avoid using the front passenger seat until repairs had been made. Dealers were instructed to replace the faulty sensor and wiring harnesses at no cost to owners, who received notification letters in August.
Volkswagen reported 1,730 warranty claims that may have been related to the airbag problem. Additionally, early in 2024, the company recalled over 6,000 Passat, Golf, and Arteon model cars in Australia, produced between 2019 and 2023. This was a result of a manufacturing flaw that could cause a ‘vehicle fire’ and increase risk of injury or even death. The Department of Transport issued the recall in January, affecting 5,997 vehicles on Australian roads.
