Vietnam's EV maker VinFast is recalling the entire first batch of VF8 electric SUVs it shipped to the US last year over a potentially dangerous software error.
The automaker announced the move after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said 999 of VinFast's VF8 City Edition vehicles suffered a software error in the dashboard display that prevented critical safety information from being shown.
More specifically, the dashboard screen goes blank while driving or stationary, and the NHTSA says this "may increase the risk of a crash."
The agency estimated that 735 of the 999 Vinfast VF8 City Edition vehicles are still in the automaker's hands and have not been delivered to customers or fleet customers.
VinFast confirmed to Reuters that it issued a voluntary safety recall of the VF8 City Edition. "VinFast is not aware of any field reports of incidents. The company is issuing this recall out of an abundance of caution," it said.
"A software error may cause the multifunction head unit (MHU) display to go blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, 'Control and Displays.'"
NHTSA recall notice
Gallery: 2023 VinFast VF8 City Edition: First Drive
In the recall report, VinFast said it first became aware of the dashboard issue on April 27 while reading customer comments and concerns. According to the NHTSA, the problem has been documented 18 times.
The safety agency said VinFast will introduce an over-the-air (OTA) software update that should fix the issue. The software fix is scheduled to go live on May 25, with owners expected to receive notification letters being by May 29.
VinFast has shipped a total of 2,097 VF8 electric SUVs to the US in two batches, the latest one earlier this month. The company also plans to start shipping its first vehicles to Europe in July.
This is the second recall involving the VF8 after the automaker recalled 2,781 VF8 SUVs sold in Vietnam over an issue with the front brakes. While the affected vehicles were all sold in Vietnam, VinFast said at the time that it would also verify the 999 VF8 City Edition vehicles shipped to the US for this issue.
VinFast recently shipped a second batch of VF8 SUVs to the US consisting of 1,879 longer-range vehicles – 1,098 for the US market and 781 for Canada. The company did not say if these vehicles are potentially affected by the software issue.
