Volkswagen’s entry to the EV world has come in fits and starts. Most of the company’s electrified ID line , and one of its two U.S.-bound models — the ID.Buzz — hasn’t even . 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 while the car is in motion.
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.
Earlier this year, the ID.4 was . 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. , water can leak into the door handle assemblies, causing them to open at random while the car is in motion.
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.