VinFast recalls all of its US cars due to software glitch causing crash concerns

VinFast, the Vietnamese automaker building its first North American assembly plant in Chatham County, has recalled its initial batch of nearly 1,000 electric SUVs delivered to the United States.

The issue, according to a May 18 recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is that the car display screen, called a multifunction head unit, will unintentionally go blank while the vehicle is either driving or stationary.

In its recall statement, VinFast explained that when the head unit malfunctions, “the driver can see neither the display’s telltale warning lights nor the control icons, increasing the risk of a crash.”

VinFast said it was not aware of any incidents stemming from the issue.

The recall affects VinFast’s VF8 City Edition, to date the only model the company has released in the U.S. In December, VinFast shipped 999 VF8s from Vietnam to California, but as of last week, the company says only 310 had been delivered to customers.

Even before the recall, many critics panned the VF8’s performance, noting its software glitches and uncommonly bumpy ride.

According to the website InsideEVs, multiple other carmakers have recalled electric vehicles in the past two months, including Ford, Kia, Rivian and Volkswagen. Tesla, InsideEVs found, is the most recalled car brand overall.

VinFast was founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of VinGroup, the largest conglomeration in Vietnam. The company began producing gas-powered cars in 2019 before more recently transitioning to an all-electric lineup.

In 2025, VinFast intends to open a massive assembly plant on a megasite near the town of Moncure, about 30 miles southwest of Raleigh. The factory is projected to eventually employ 7,500 people and manufacturer hundreds of thousands of fully electric SUVs each year.

Between the state and Chatham governments, officials have allotted $1.25 billion in tax and other incentives for the project.

This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.

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