RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has recalled the entirety of its first major shipment of cars to the U.S.
All of the VF 8 vehicles shipped to the U.S. by VinFast in 2022 fall under the recall after a safety warning was issued by U.S. authorities, Reuters reports.
In a May 18 recall notice, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said a potential of 999 VF 8 vehicles had suffered a software error in the dashboard display. The error, the report said, prevented critical safety information from being shown and “may increase the risk of a crash.”
At this time, VinFast said a fix is already underway.
VinFast is releasing an over-the-air software update beginning May 25, free of charge, the NHTSA said. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 29.
As CBS 17 previously reported, VinFast announced plans in March 2022 to invest more than $4 billion in North Carolina as it builds a plant in Chatham County that will bring an estimated 7,500 jobs. This represents the largest economic development deal in North Carolina history.
In March 2023, the plans in the Triangle were paused with a delay from an expected start of production in July 2024 to sometime in 2025. The delay, the company said, was because it needed “more time to complete administrative procedures.”
Delay or not, the project is still a game changer for North Carolina, accordidng to Michael Walden, an Extension Economist at North Carolina State University and William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
“I think this is normal when you’re dealing with a multi-billion-dollar construction project, you’re dealing with changing a lot of land, you’re dealing with environmental concerns,” Walden told CBS 17.