(Yicai) Jan. 29 -- Volkswagen will recall 44,551 units of its top-selling battery electric vehicle, the ID.4, in the United States over potential safety issues with the high-voltage battery systems, according to a recent document from the US’ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The defective battery cell modules were all supplied by South Korean battery giant SK On.

The problem stems from a manufacturing defect in the high-voltage battery cell modules that were produced during a specific period, according to the report submitted by Volkswagen Group of America to the NHTSA. In some cases, misaligned electrodes could occur, which might lead to battery fires.

Volkswagen is advising affected car owners to set the charging limit to 80 percent, avoid using direct current fast charging and park their cars outdoors after charging, it said. The Wolfsburg-based company’s final solution is to replace the defective battery modules free of charge. The recall will take place in two separate batches.

The so-called “electrode misalignment” happens when the battery deforms, causing the positive and negative electrodes to shift out of place, an industry insider told Yicai. One visible sign of this is a bulging battery. Controlling this is a critical quality issue in battery manufacturing.

SK On is one of South Korea’s top three battery makers. The Seoul-based firm ranked sixth in the world in terms of installed battery capacity in the first 10 months of last year, according to the latest data from SNE Research. Of the other companies in the top 10, six were Chinese, two were South Korean and one was Japanese.

The ID.4 model is Volkswagen’s core EV in the global market. Last year, worldwide sales of the ID.4 surged 26.8 percent year on year to 163,400 units, making it Volkswagen’s best-selling battery electric car.

In China, the ID.4 series is mainly produced and sold by two joint ventures. Cumulative sales in 2024 were about 72,000 units and 34,000 units, respectively. Volkswagen has not yet announced a recall in China.

Editor: Kim Taylor