Embattled German automaker Volkswagen said on Monday it is recalling about 5 200 VW e-Golf vehicles in the United States over a battery problem that can cause their electric engine to stall. Volkswagen Group of America, VW's US unit, is recalling certain 2015-2016 model years of the e-Golf. The company said "oversensitive diagnostics" in the high-voltage battery management system may inadvertently classify an electric surge as a critical battery condition. "This can cause an emergency shutdown of the high-voltage battery, which in turn deactivates the vehicle's electrical drive motor," stalling the engine and potentially leading to a crash, the company said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recall began on March 15. Volkswagen told owners to bring their vehicles to dealers for an update on the battery management software, the federal agency said. The move is the latest in a wave of recalls that Volkwagen has announced in the wake of admitting last September it had installed emissions-cheating software in 11 million vehicles worldwide. On top of still-unquantifiable regulatory fines from several countries, VW is facing a slew of lawsuits from angry owners of the diesel cars - notably in the United States and Germany - and from shareholders seeking damages for the massive loss in the value of their stocks since September. Last Thursday Volkswagen said it was recalling around 800 000 luxury sport utility vehicles worldwide over a potential foot pedal problem. On Tuesday it said it was recalling 177 000 of its new Passat cars in Europe owing to a potential electrical fault. And in February Volkswagen said it had to recall 680 000 cars in the United States due to possible faulty airbags supplied by Japanese maker Takata. AFP
Volkswagen has recalled 5,200 e-Golf vehicles in the US sold between 2015 and 2016 due to a battery issue that causes the electric engine to stall. "Oversensitive diagnostics" in the high-voltage battery management system may result in an electric surge being inadvertently classified as a critical battery condition, causing an emergency shutdown of the battery, stalling the engine and potentially causing a crash. Owners have been asked to bring vehicles to a dealer for a software update.