Vietnamese automaker Vinfast has issued its first recall for some of its 2023 VF8 vehicles due to a software issue that caused the dashboard screen to go blank.
The recall followed afterwards warned federal regulators that drivers were at increased risk of crashing because a blank screen does not display critical information such as the speedometer or warning lights. Vinfast said it can fix the problem with an over-the-air software update starting Thursday.
Vinfast did not respond to a request for comment.
About 999 vehicles are involved in the recall, the first batch of electric cars Vinfast shipped to the United States. according to a report with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of these 999, 111 are in customer hands and 153 in fleet service. Vinfast still owns 735 vehicles.
VinFast said it was aware of 18 reported occurrences on 14 vehicles.
The recall comes nearly three months after the company delivered his first VF8 City Edition to a US customer. The vehicle has received a lot of criticism from auto media outlets, largely due to its ride quality and other issues, including software glitches.
Vinfast has big ambitions to take a slice of the North American car market with a slew of all-electric SUVs.
The company, which is owned by conglomerate Vingroup, was founded in 2017. The company debuted its first internal combustion engine vehicles at the 2018 Paris Motor Show and later added a range of e-scooters and vehicles for the Vietnamese market. The company has said that within a year of launch, vehicles will be the fastest selling in Vietnam.
VinFast then pivoted into a pure EV company, and as it continued to make its way into Vietnam, it also set its sights on the US market. VinFast said it has introduced six EV models, one electric bus model and nine electric motors. About 3,000 electric cars have been exported to foreign markets.
Since then, Vinfast has released several EV models. The VF8 is the first to hit the US market.
The company has also sought capital to fuel its plans. In April, the company said billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, who founded Vingroup, pledged to invest $1 billion of his personal wealth through a grant in the EV business. Vingroup invests 500 million dollars. The parent company has also agreed to lend VinFast an additional $1 billion with terms of up to five years.
The company has since turned to the public markets. Vinfast announced plans in May to make public through a merger with specialty firm Black Spade Acquisition in a deal with an estimated enterprise value of $27 billion.
