Less than a quarter after four household members, including a man, a girl, and two children, were killed in a single-car crash in the California Bay Area, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into VinFast’s second U.S. electric vehicle type.
The accident took place on April 24th, after the driver had borrowed a 2023 VinFast VF8 from a coworker. The VF8 allegedly crashed into a tree in the city of Pleasanton before catching fire, according to Bay Area news reports. The coworker who had lent the car filed a safety complaint with the NHTSA five days later, describing two previous incidents in which the vehicle’s automatic driving assistance technology appeared to have jerked the steering wheel in a dangerous manner.
According to the April 29 filing,” the contact was concerned that the failure recurred while the coworker was driving.”
The NHTSA confirmed to The News &Observer on Wednesday that its Special Crash Investigations division had begun an investigation into the accident and fire. According to the government, SCI provides” the most in- depth and detailed level of crash investigation data collected by the agency”, including reports from investigative teams on injury mechanisms, safety systems, the vehicles and riders.
Before deciding whether further investigation was necessary, NHTSA conducted a preliminary review of the consumer complaint. In the past 12 months, the agency has opened 51 investigations, NHTSA data shows, including investigations into Ford and Tesla surrounding their assisted steering technologies.
A VinFast spokesperson stated in an email to The N&, O that” VinFast and NHTSA are working cooperatively to determine the causes of the tragic crash in Pleasanton.” NHTSA is not investigating VinFast. When their work is complete, the Pleasanton police will report their findings regarding the cause of the accident.
VinFast has been hit by delays and negative publicity as a 7-year-old Vietnamese company has spent billions on developing electric vehicles for foreign customers. On a 1, 765 acre megasite in southeastern Chatham County, the automaker has pledged to construct its first North American assembly plant there. The county is reviewing VinFast ‘s , updated site plan , and must approve it before construction on the main assembly area may begin. Ten months ago, VinFast held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Chatham site.
A five- seat SUV, the VF8 remains the only VinFast model available to U. S. drivers. Customers in the Triangle area can now purchase or lease the vehicle directly from a Cary dealership after deliveries in North America begin in March 2023. In addition to introducing a seven-seat VF9 model later this year, VinFast also intends to introduce a mini-electric vehicle ( the VF3 ) to the United States starting in 2025.
In the first three months of 2024, VinFast reported delivering 9, 689 electric vehicles globally, a 28 % decrease from the previous quarter. About half of these sales were made to Green and Smart Mobility, a Vietnamese taxi service controlled by VinFast’s parent company, Vingroup. Last year, company financial records show 74 % of sales were made to Vingroup affiliates.
During its latest , earnings calls , in April, VinFast executives did not share how many VF8s have been delivered in the U. S.
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