VinFast, a Vietnamese automobile manufacturer, has initiated a recall for their 2023 VF8 model due to a software glitch. The software error in question could cause the vehicle’s Multifunction Head Unit (MHU) display to go dark, meaning that important safety information such as speedometer readings and warning lights may not be visible to the driver.
In total, about 1,000 VF8 vehicles are affected by this recall. However, VinFast has specified that 735 of these vehicles are still under their “custody and control,” meaning they are likely still at dealerships or warehouses and have not been sold to customers. The remaining 264 vehicles have been sold and are with customers or fleet services.
VinFast discovered the issue after a customer reported losing the image on their display screen on April 27. Following that report, VinFast’s product assurance committee started investigating and found four other similar incidents reported between April 29 and May 4.
In order to remedy the issue, VinFast will deploy an over-the-air (OTA) software update starting May 25. Over-the-air updates refer to wireless delivery of new software or data updates to devices, in this case, vehicles. In this situation, the update includes a new “watchdog mechanism” that can detect and correct the software error in under 200ms. VinFast will also be sending out letters to affected vehicle owners by May 29 to inform them of the issue and the fix.
Despite the term ‘recall’ being used, this doesn’t mean that vehicles have to be physically returned to the manufacturer. As explained by the NHTSA, the term is still used when there’s evidence of a safety risk, and manufacturers must initiate a recall for any repair that addresses such a risk, even if it’s a software update.
