Volkswagen is recalling more than 110,000 plug-in hybrid cars, mainly in Europe. The cause ? A potential fault on a fuse. Faced with the risk of battery fire, the manufacturer prefers to play it safe.
While we have just given our first impressions of the ID. Buzz, the first electric combi from Volkswagen, the German brand has just made a disturbing announcement. In effect, the manufacturer is recalling 118,000 plug-in hybrid carsmainly in Europe.
According to a company spokesperson, these vehicles pose a moderate fire hazard. The cause ? A potentially faulty fuse in the battery which could lead to its overheating and cause a fire if the insulation is insufficient. “During extensive examinations, Volkswagen has discovered that a fuse in the drive system of certain plug-in hybrid vehicles may be defective in some cases. In the worst case, it may mean that this fuse does not work properly in the event of a power surge”, specifies the automotive group in a press release.
To solve the problem, Volkswagen must therefore carry out certain repairs on the vehicles concerned, namely installation of insulating material in the fuse box high voltage battery. According to him, the operation should not immobilize the vehicle of the customers concerned for very long. The brand has also indicated that it intends to notify customers one by one to inform them of an available slot to bring their car to the garage.
Volkswagen recalls 118,000 cars over fire risk
As mentioned above, most of the plug-in hybrid cars concerned mainly circulate in Europe. In Germany alone, there are no less than 26,000 cars potentially affected by this damageamong Arteon, Golf, Passat and Tiguan models, all manufactured between 2019 and 2022.
Please note, however, that this recall also concerns vehicles from other brands belonging to the Volkswagen group. This is particularly the case with Audi, which must recall 24,300 copies of Audi A3 and Q3 produced in 2021. Same observation at Skoda, which is returning 22,000 Octavia IV and Superb iV models. Some Seat brand plug-in hybrid vehicles are also impacted, without us having more details on the exact models for the moment.
As a reminder, Tesla has chained recalls in recent months. In February 2022, the American brand carried out a massive recall of 579,000 cars due to an option that put pedestrians at risk. A few days before, the manufacturer had already recalled 26,000 cars for a de-icing problem.
Source: Electric Cars Report
