Volkswagen is recalling more than 5,500 electric vehicles in the U.S. due to the potential for its motor to shut down unexpectedly.
The German automaker informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that oversensitive battery diagnostics in the 2015 and 2016 e-Golf could inadvertently classify a brief electrical surge as a critical issue.
In those circumstances, the high-voltage battery could shut down and deactivate the motor.
Although critical systems — such as power steering, brakes, lights and airbags — are powered by a different system and would be unaffected, the automaker said that the shutdown could nonetheless increase the risk of a crash.
The issue was first brought to the company's attention in early 2015. An internal test showed stalling in June and additional reports surfaced in December and January. VW notified affected owners and dealers will update vehicle software free of charge.
The company also remains in discussions with federal authorities about a recall of nearly 600,000 U.S. vehicles over excessive emissions from diesel engines.
