Volkswagen Pauses ID.4 Sales Over Doors Randomly Popping Open While Driving

Photo: Volkswagen

Volkswagen’s entry to the EV world has come in fits and starts. Most of the company’s electrified ID line isn’t available in North America, and one of its two U.S.-bound models — the ID.Buzz — hasn’t even technically been revealed yet. And now the ID.4, the only EV Volkswagen sells in the U.S., can’t even be sold — thanks to a stop-sale order from the automaker, after reports of doors swinging wide open while the car is in motion.

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Volkswagen has issued a stop-sale on 18,000 ID.4 cars in the United States and Canada, all related to the doors-flying-open issue. For VW’s first step into an electrified North American market, things aren’t going so hot.

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Earlier this year, the ID.4 was recalled for random power loss. Ironically, this new stop-sale has nothing to do with the car’s electric drivetrain. Instead, the problem lies with a much more banal part of the car: The door handles. According to Automotive News, water can leak into the door handle assemblies, causing them to open at random while the car is in motion.

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The issue is apparently isolated to Tennesse-built ID.4s, meaning those sold in Europe and China aren’t affected by VW’s stop-sale order. North American customers, however, will be stuck waiting for the automaker to develop a fix before buying their electric crossover — or, more likely, they’ll switch to another brand that can sell them a car immediately. For Volkswagen, this issue is yet another hurdle on the path to an EV future; but with such a small electric lineup, each small issue is a big step back.