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Volkswagen Recalls e-Golf over Software Problem

As if the Dieselgate emissions scandal weren’t enough of a handful for the biggest German car manufacturer of them all, Volkswagen has now identified a problem with the e-Golf. Believe it or not, cheating isn’t on today’s agenda.
Volkswagen e-Golf 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
According to a letter sent by the Volkswagen Group of America to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there’s a problem with the battery management of the 2015 and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf. The German automaker informs that 5,561 units of the electric hatchback are affected. The vehicles were built in the Wolfsburg plant from May 21, 2014, to March 1, 2016.

The summary of NHTSA campaign number 16V138000 describes the problem as follows: “Oversensitive diagnostics for the high-voltage battery management system may falsely detect an electrical surge resulting in the vehicle's electric drive motor shutting down unexpectedly.” In plain English, a little software gremlin could unexpectedly shut down the e-Golf.

Let’s suppose that happens when you’re behind the wheel, cornering at 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). The electric motor shuts down together with all auxiliaries, including the power steering and the sensors of the airbags. It is easy to determine that this type of situation is to be avoided if you don’t want to get wrapped around a tree by the side of the road, car, passengers, and all.

Volkswagen Group of America has notified owners about the iffy software via post mail, with dealerships instructed to update the software. Owners who haven’t checked their post can get more information on this recall by getting in touch with the nearest Volkswagen dealer or by contacting the NHTSA at the following number: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).

In related news, the e-Golf is set to receive a 30 percent boost in range (83 miles to 107 miles) thanks to improved battery cells. Volkmar Tanneberger, the manufacturer’s head of electronic development, has recently declared that the Volkswagen e-Golf battery will grow to 37 amp hours from the current 28 amp hours. This improvement will happen without any physical changes to the battery design.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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