Over 60,000 Volkswagen and Audi electric vehicles have been recalled for a faulty gear display that could increase the chance of the vehicles’ rolling away, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Affected vehicles may not display the “N” gear position on the instrument panel, causing risk of driver confusion and failing to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
“If the correct transmission gear position indicator is not shown and the electronic parking brake is not engaged, the driver may be unable to identify the transmission shift position, increasing the risk of a crash and vehicle roll away,” a Volkswagen dealer communication reads.
The recall affects 2022-23 Audi Q4 e-Trons and Q4 Sportback e-Trons, as well as 2021-23 Volkswagen ID.4s. All affected vehicles are fully electric.
Audi is a subsidiary of the German company Volkswagen Group, among many other prominent car brands like Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini.
Affected owners will be notified by April 25, according to the NHTSA. They are encouraged to take the vehicles to dealerships that will “update the brake control unit software” at no charge to their owners.
Volkswagen advises dealers to “schedule owner repairs immediately” and cautioned owners to be diligent driving the affected vehicles.
“If the parking brake is not engaged, the red parking brake indicator light on the instrument cluster will not be illuminated,” Volkswagen said in its notice to dealers. “Before leaving the vehicle, owners are advised to confirm the parking brake indicator light has illuminated in order to help avoid a situation where the vehicle could roll when it is not intended to do so.”
The recall comes just weeks after nearly 30,000 Volkswagen and Audis were separately recalled for a faulty rearview camera display. Affected vehicles include 2024-25 Audi Q3s, 2023 Volkswagen Arteons and 2022-24 Volkswagen Tiguans.
People affected by vehicle recalls can contact the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9153) or visit nhtsa.gov.
