(Yicai Global) Dec. 5 -- Many Chinese owners of Volkswagen Group’s ID new energy vehicles have complained on social media about the model’s software acting up.

The ID.4 Crozz and ID.6 Crozz models made by FAW-Volkswagen Automobile, a Chinese joint venture of Germany’s Volkswagen, often disconnect from the network and their screens go black, their Chinese owners said in an open letter posted on social media.

Information about the car’s speed, power, energy recovery, auto parking, air conditioning, and driving assistance disappear from screens, they noted, adding that the CarPlay navigation and entertainment systems do not work, with the vehicles restarting frequently. Sometimes when turning on the cars, diagnostic trouble codes pop up and the cars will not even move.

The ID series is Volkswagen’s main NEV offering in China. The automaker sold about 70,000 units in the country last year.

SAIC-Volkswagen, Volkswagen’s other Chinese JV, has also been the subject of customer complaints. It offered a stopgap solution: turn on the air-con from the steering wheel and start the central control screen once the car interior has warmed up, Securities Times reported today.

“NEVs have a lot of electronic components sensitive to temperature changes,” the report added, citing Qi Haishen, president of energy system supplier The Solar Tech. “This may be why the screen goes black.”

Most areas of China are experiencing cold weather at this time of year.

Most problems with a vehicles’ performance are caused by manufacturing failures or design flaws, according to Zhang Xiaorong, president of Shenzhen Institute of Deep Learning.

Editor: Martin Kadiev