VW is recalling more than 70,000 electric cars worldwide due to the risk of fire

Due to the risk of fire, VW is recalling more than 70,000 electric cars worldwide As of: October 20, 2026 • 6:57 p.m

The recall of millions of VW vehicles was not long ago, and now Volkswagen has to rectify another defect. Many cars are also affected in Germany - because of faulty batteries.

The car manufacturer VW is calling almost 72,700 electric cars into workshops worldwide because of faulty batteries. In Germany, the three recalls involve around 10,000 vehicles, according to data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).

According to the KBA recall database, the VW models ID.3, ID.4, ID.7, ID are mostly affected. Buzz (KBA reference number 17137R), as well as the Cupra Born (KBA reference number 17103R). This involves vehicles from specific production periods.

For the models ID.3, ID.4, ID.7 and ID. Buzz includes two recalls involving vehicles built between 2022 and 2025. The Born model from the Spanish VW subsidiary Cupra is about vehicles from 2022 to 2024.

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It had been known since last week that Volkswagen was preparing a recall due to faulty batteries. According to the group, internal quality tests revealed that individual high-voltage battery cells in certain vehicles did not meet the quality requirements.

The reason for this are production errors at suppliers. "In rare cases, this can lead to increased thermal stress on these batteries; in extreme cases, a fire could occur," it said. According to KBA, incidents involving property damage or personal injury were initially not known.

The owners of affected cars will be informed by letter. It contains all the important information - including the exact process and the contact persons. Further remedial measures should also be communicated in writing.

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According to the information, the batteries must be checked in the workshops. Until then, owners should only charge their vehicles to a maximum of 80 percent and attach warning stickers.

Where it is technically possible, the system limits the available charging capacity itself. Only when a battery is assessed as OK can the limit be lifted.

According to previous information from a VW spokesman, battery modules affected by the error do not necessarily need to be replaced; a software update may be sufficient.

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At the end of September, VW had already called around five million cars into the workshops worldwide because of a screw on the steering that was susceptible to corrosion. In individual cases, the error can affect the attachment of the steering and thus its function. In Germany, almost 1.4 million vehicles from VW and the group brands Audi, Seat and Skoda are affected by the recall.

It is also not the first recall due to battery problems this year: VW and Cupra had already ordered more than 90,000 cars to workshops worldwide in March - 28,000 of them in Germany.

This topic in the program: tagesschau24 | News | Oct 20, 2026 | 6:00 p.m. MDR aktuell - The news radio | News | Oct 20, 2026 | 5:30 p.m