Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
A U.S. class action lawsuit claims touch-sensitive switches on Volkswagen’s ID.4 steering wheel pose a safety hazard, alleging they have caused fatal accidents due to unintended activation of cruise control.
A new setback for the German car manufacturer, this time in the United States: a class action lawsuit demands compensation on the grounds that the controversial touch-sensitive switches on the steering wheel of the ID.4 model constitute a safety risk.
Will Volkswagen be required to compensate?
The lawsuit, filed by two customers in federal court in New Jersey, alleges that the innovative touch switches installed by Volkswagen in its models, also marketed in Israel and widely criticized, may cause traffic accidents.
According to the claim, fatal road accidents have occurred due to unintentional presses on the switches, which operate by touch without the need for a physical press and without tactile feedback.
Unlike regular switches, which produce some movement and sometimes an on-off sound when activated, these touch switches provide no such feedback.
The plaintiffs state they possess evidence that the switches have already caused accidents with fatalities in the United States.
According to the lawsuit, drivers accidentally pressed the switches on the left side of the steering wheel, which control the cruise control system.
As a result, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly, leading to a loss of control.
Volkswagen has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit refers specifically to the ID.4, a compact electric SUV also marketed in Israel.
It is one of Volkswagen’s most successful electric models, manufactured not only in Germany but also at the company’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States.
Volkswagen’s touch switches, offered across several of the group’s models in recent years, have drawn widespread criticism from automotive journalists and customers for similar reasons: it is difficult to identify which switch a finger is placed on without taking one’s eyes off the road, and it is impossible to know if the intended function has been carried out with a single touch, since the switches lack tactile feedback.
As a result of the criticism, Volkswagen has recently reduced the use of these switches and has already reinstated physical buttons in several models on the steering wheel and in other parts of the front console.
Will Volkswagen be required to compensate?
The lawsuit, filed by two customers in federal court in New Jersey, alleges that the innovative touch switches installed by Volkswagen in its models, also marketed in Israel and widely criticized, may cause traffic accidents.
According to the claim, fatal road accidents have occurred due to unintentional presses on the switches, which operate by touch without the need for a physical press and without tactile feedback.
Unlike regular switches, which produce some movement and sometimes an on-off sound when activated, these touch switches provide no such feedback.
The plaintiffs state they possess evidence that the switches have already caused accidents with fatalities in the United States.
According to the lawsuit, drivers accidentally pressed the switches on the left side of the steering wheel, which control the cruise control system.
As a result, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly, leading to a loss of control.
Volkswagen has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit refers specifically to the ID.4, a compact electric SUV also marketed in Israel.
It is one of Volkswagen’s most successful electric models, manufactured not only in Germany but also at the company’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States.
Volkswagen’s touch switches, offered across several of the group’s models in recent years, have drawn widespread criticism from automotive journalists and customers for similar reasons: it is difficult to identify which switch a finger is placed on without taking one’s eyes off the road, and it is impossible to know if the intended function has been carried out with a single touch, since the switches lack tactile feedback.
As a result of the criticism, Volkswagen has recently reduced the use of these switches and has already reinstated physical buttons in several models on the steering wheel and in other parts of the front console.
