VW’s battery recall affects 72,700 EVs – including 10,000 in Germany

A few days ago, it leaked that VW was preparing a battery recall for several ID. models. Now it’s official: due to faulty EV batteries, Wolfsburg is recalling nearly 72,700 electric cars worldwide to workshops. In Germany, 10,000 vehicles are said to be affected.

Image: Volkswagen

According to now official information, the issue affects specific batches of the ID.3, ID.4, ID.7, ID. Buzz and Cupra Born models. Vehicles from Volkswagen subsidiary Škoda are reportedly not affected. The initiative comprises three separate recalls. Two of these concern the aforementioned VW vehicles manufactured between 2022 and 2025, while the third pertains to Cupra Born vehicles produced from 2022 to 2024. Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by letter.

The recall is a precautionary measure. According to the KBA (German Federal Motor Transport Authority), there have been no incidents involving property damage or personal injury. Last week, _Handelsblatt_ reported that Volkswagen was preparing such a recall. The background involves potential production defects in individual high-voltage battery cells. Internal quality checks revealed that cells in certain vehicles of the ID. family do not meet quality requirements due to manufacturing errors by suppliers, a VW spokesperson told the publication. In rare cases, affected cells could overheat, and in extreme cases, there is a risk of fire.

As an immediate safety measure, Volkswagen intends to limit the maximum charge level of affected vehicles to 80 per cent via an over-the-air update. In the UK, a similar recall has already been initiated – covering the VW ID.3, ID.4, ID.7, ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo. There, the action pertains to high-voltage batteries from a specific supplier manufactured between 2022 and 2025; the charge level will also initially be limited to 80 per cent.

The permanent repair solution has not yet been finalised. According to information from _Handelsblatt_, workshops will inspect the high-voltage battery or individual modules in affected vehicles. While _Handelsblatt_ reports that the recall primarily affects Europe, the KBA refers to it as a global recall. However, the high number of affected vehicles in Germany suggests that the focus is at least primarily on Europe.

Meanwhile, in the US: a separate battery recall is already underway for 22,524 ID.4 vehicles from model years 2023 to 2026. There, Volkswagen also recommends charging the vehicles to a maximum of 80 per cent until a final fix is implemented. The manufacturer identifies SK Battery America as the supplier of the affected battery cells. The exact cause remains unclear; according to Volkswagen, certain charging profiles above 80 per cent could promote thermal runaway within the battery.

Separate from this are two earlier US recalls from early 2026 covering a total of 44,551 ID.4 vehicles. These exclusively affected vehicles from the Chattanooga plant with battery cells from SK Battery America in Georgia. The cause included, among other things, misaligned electrodes in individual cells. The European ID.4 models from Zwickau and Emden used different battery cells and were explicitly not affected by these actions.

heise.de (DE), kba-online.de (DE) (the relevant KBA reference numbers: 17137R, 17101R and 17103R)