Volkswagen's US division says it has begun shipping replacement parts to its dealers, so that they can repair the defective door handles that led to the recall of the ID.4 electric SUV.
Recall that the automaker was forced to halt sales and production of its electric SUV last September due to a problem with the ID.4’s door handles, which could inadvertently open due to possible water infiltration damaging the electronic circuits.
Volkswagen quickly identified the problem, but couldn’t take action immediately due to a lack of spare parts to carry out the repairs.
Dealers were provided with a procedure in relation to the recall on December 19, according to the American NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the equivalent of Transport Canada.
Last Friday, January 3, Volkswagen announced that production of the ID.4 would resume at its American plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
For their part, dealers will be able to inspect the door handles of the 98,896 recalled vehicles in order to carry out repairs. A software update may be required in some cases.
According to the NHTSA, repairs are expected to take four hours.
As reported by Automotive News, the manufacturer of the door handle was Mexico-based U-Shin. The recall concerned ID.4 models from 2021-2024 model-years, and the problem affected all door handles.
The stop-sales order applied to new and unsold ID.4s, as well as to used vehicles. The impact on sales was obviously very strong, and the company is hoping for a return to normal over the coming weeks and months.
In the U.S., Volkswagen is promising attractive lease offers for the EV. It remains to be seen whether a similar decision will be taken on the Canadian side.