Earlier in the year, Volkswagen put a stop-sale on the ID.4 electric SUV after issuing a recall for potentially defective door handles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), water can get into the electronic door handles, short the circuit board, and open the doors while on the move. Since a door handle fix hasn’t been issued, VW decided to pause ID.4 production temporarily at the Chattanooga, Tennessee plant in the meantime.
“After extensive review, in response to the stop-sale of the ID.4, we will temporarily suspend production of the vehicle at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant until a remedy is available,” a Volkswagen spokesperson told The Drive in a statement.
In addition to pausing production, VW is also furloughing around 200 employees at the Chattanooga plant, starting September 23.
“While we address the issue, we are focused on doing right by our employees, dealers and consumers through this disruption,” the statement continued. “Approximately 200 employees in Chattanooga will be furloughed beginning Sept. 23 and we are supporting them by supplementing unemployment from the state of Tennessee so they will still receive 80 percent of their base compensation and will continue to be covered by all current benefits during this time. We are also exploring ways to support our dealers while we determine a remedy for our customers. This disruption in no way changes our commitment to the ID.4 and our growing BEV portfolio. The ID.4 remains one of America’s best-selling electric vehicles.”…