Make that another recall for Volkswagen.
After announcing a recall for its Touareg SUV due to a potential problem with its pedal systems Thursday, there's now another recall for a different VW model. CNET's Road Show spotted a data sheet from the automaker dated March 7 on which it specifies a "critical battery condition" affecting the 2015 and 2016 models of the e-Golf, its fully-electric hatchback.
That data sheet was written under the topic of "high-voltage battery management system software" for immediate release to dealers earlier this month.
"Under certain conditions, oversensitive diagnostics in the high-voltage battery management system may inadvertently classify a brief internal electrical current surge/peak as a critical battery condition," Volkswagen wrote under the problem description on the data sheet. "This can cause an emergency shutdown of the high-voltage battery, which in turn deactivates the vehicle's electrical drive motor. Unexpected shutdown of the vehicle's electrical drive motor ('stalling') can lead to a crash. Other vehicles systems like power steering, brakes, lights and airbags remain unaffected as they are powered by the 12V low voltage system."
VW says an update to the high-voltage battery management system software will be the corrective action necessary to resolve the battery issue. Reuters reports the company is recalling close to 5,600 electric e-Golf cars.
This particular recall was spotted just four days after VW and Porsche announced a worldwide recall for about 800,000 Touareg and Cayenne SUVs due to their faulty pedal systems.
The troubling part of this e-Golf recall, though, is that it affects an all-electric model and EVs are part of the way that the embattled automaker could forseeably power out of its emissions scandal, getting away from diesels.
Last Thursday, a federal judge gave the automaker and U.S. regulators like the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board a one-month deadline to present a detailed proposal for how it's going to bring nearly 600,000 compromised diesel vehicles into compliance standards.
Under that extension, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer demanded to know the specifics of the timing of the massive fix and about any planned payments to affected owners from VW's emissions crisis by April 21.
"I would hope by the 21st that as many astounding issues as possible will be wrapped up," Breyer said, according to CBS, on Thursday.
Breyer sounded encouraged by the fact that ex-FBI director Robert Mueller informed him that VW, the EPA, CARB and attorneys representing class-action lawsuits for affected owners have made progress.
