VW Recalls 73,000 EVs Over Battery Fire Risk — SkimNews
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- Volkswagen is recalling 72,668 EVs globally across three separate filings with Germany's KBA, including 22,524 ID.4 SUVs in the U.S. and 9,881 vehicles in Germany.
- The recall covers ID. Buzz, ID.3, ID.4, and ID.7 models built between 2022 and 2025, plus 2022–2024 Cupra Born vehicles.
- An internal VW investigation traced the defect to battery cells from a supplier that failed to meet specifications; VW warned that certain charging profiles combined with a state of charge over 80% may trigger thermal propagation (battery fire).
- VW is temporarily limiting charging to 80% of maximum capacity on impacted vehicles, using a remote software update that U.S. owners receive on or about October 27, 2026.
- U.S. owners who do not opt out by October 21, 2026 will have the charging cap applied automatically; formal owner notification letters are scheduled to mail on November 27, 2026.
- VW's recall number is 93EX and the NHTSA campaign number is 26V630; the company is still working on a permanent remedy.
Why it matters: Roughly 73,000 VW and Cupra EV owners effectively lose 20% of usable battery capacity while carrying an unresolved fire risk, with U.S. software caps hitting automatically October 27 and remedy letters not arriving until late November — a supplier defect that VW hasn't fully fixed yet.
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