A software issue has prompted Volkswagen to recall more than 60,000 electric vehicles in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that the recall affects vehicles unable to display certain gear positions, which could lead to unintended vehicle movement if the parking brake isn’t engaged.
The recall includes the Audi Q4 e-tron and Volkswagen ID.4, both fully electric models. In total, 60,490 vehicles in the US are affected. According to Volkswagen’s safety recall report, the gear indicator problem stems from a software issue. The carmaker first became aware of the problem in August, after identifying five cases outside the US.
This recall is only the latest in a series of issues for Volkswagen. Earlier this month, the automaker issued another recall affecting approximately 30,000 vehicles in the US because the rearview camera wasn’t displaying properly. Last November, Volkswagen recalled nearly 115,000 vehicles in the United States due to ‘exploding’ airbags in certain Beetle and Passat models manufactured between 2006 and 2019. The NHTSA stated that ‘the driver’s side frontal airbag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures and high temperature cycling.’
Meanwhile, Tesla also faces a significant recall. Last December, the company recalled almost 700,000 vehicles due to a major fault in the warning system. The issue concerned malfunctioning dashboard warning lights, which could increase the risk of accidents. The recall, according to a letter from the NHTSA, includes certain 2024 Cybertruck, 2017-2025 Model 3, and 2020-2025 Model Y vehicles. Specifically, the tire pressure monitoring system warning light on the affected vehicles may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, potentially leaving drivers unaware of under-inflated tires. Driving with under-inflated tires increases the risk of a collision.
The US-based manufacturer is providing a free software update to fix the problem, which affects around 694,000 vehicles. Notification letters to owners were expected to be posted on February 15, 2025.
This follows a pattern of issues for Tesla in 2024, including seven recalls for Elon Musk’s much-discussed Cybertruck. In October, Tesla recalled over 27,000 Cybertrucks due to a delay in the activation of the rearview camera image when shifting into reverse.
