Just like pure electric cars, plug-in hybrids should not start to burn, because the fire is extremely difficult to extinguish because of the battery. But that is exactly what is threatening several series of the Volkswagen Group. That is why the Wolfsburg-based company has to recall at least around 118,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide.
The reason is that if the battery fuse blows, there is a risk of fire or electric shock. Around 42,300 cars are model series from the core brand such as the Golf, Tiguan, Passat or Arteon, as the company announced on Thursday be affected. Fuse in the drive system may be defective “During extensive checks, Volkswagen found that a fuse in the drive system of some plug-in hybrid vehicles may have defects in individual cases,” reported a spokesman. “In the worst case, this can lead to this fuse not working properly in the event of an overvoltage.” As part of the recall, risk models are to have an insulating mat installed on the switch box of the high-voltage battery as a precaution. Customers would be informed and invited to the workshops. In order for a fire to really ignite, VW emphasized that several factors first had to come together – including an actual short circuit. But the problem is taken very seriously. So far, a specific incident from last year is known, in which there was a fire in a Golf. There was initially no information on the exact number of affected models in other group brands that are based on the same basic technical platform.
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