Not So (Vin)Fast: Vietnamese EV Maker Recalls First Batch of 999 Cars Sent to US

A month after beginning customer deliveries on its line of electric vehicles, Vietnamese automaker VinFast(Opens in a new window) has issued a voluntary recall on all 999 vehicles it shipped to the US last fall.

The issue causes the dash display, known as the multifunction head unit (MHU), to go blank temporarily “while driving or stationary,” reads the recall(Opens in a new window) fling with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“When this condition manifests, the driver can see neither the display’s telltale warning lights nor the control icons. After an ignition cycle, the MHU display screen returns to normal operation.”

VinFast has delivered 264 of the 999 vehicles to customers, a little over half of which are in commercial fleets. The company is aware of 18 instances of the dash screen issue, which occurred on 14 vehicles. Most, though not all, of them happened while the vehicle was in park.

VinFast vehicles contain one large dash screen.
(Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

To prevent this, an over-the-air (OTA) update going out today will introduce “a new watchdog mechanism that detects this process malfunction and subsequently reinitializes this small piece of software,” the recall says. “It is able to detect and recover this process error in under 200ms.”

It’s one of many hurdles VinFast has encountered since embarking on its mission to introduce its EVs to the US buyers. The company initially planned to begin customer deliveries in December 2022, as soon as the vehicles arrived at port. But in January, VinFast delayed deliveries.

The news coincided with poor reviews from journalists who first tested them. Buggy software and unstable suspension as the car bumped up and down the road contributed to a general sense that the vehicles were not up to the premium standards of US customers.

VinFast VF6 on display at CES. The company also offers the VF7, VF8, and VF9.
(Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

In January, VinFast also changed its pricing strategy. It abandoned a unique battery subscription model that would reduce the upfront price of the vehicle. After the change, the price of the VF 8 SUV went from $42,000 with a $169/month battery subscription, up to $59,000. Today, the VF 8 costs $46,000. (Tesla and Ford also regularly adjusted their EV prices in the same timeframe.)

In March 2023, VinFast began customer deliveries out of its showrooms(Opens in a new window) in California. Like Rivian, it does not have traditional dealerships and conducts all sales online.

VinFast is backed by Vietnam’s richest man, billionaire Pham Nhat Vuon, who chairs the larger VinGroup parent company; Madame Thuy Le serves as CEO. In July 2023, the company invested $1.2 billion(Opens in a new window) in a manufacturing facility in North Carolina—the largest incentive package in state history. Domestic manufacturing will help VinFast vehicles qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit and further appeal to US customers.

VinFast CEO Madame Thuy Le speaks at CES 2023 in Las Vegas.
(Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)