Feds look into reported problems with automatic steering on VinFast SUVs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into complaints that the system designed to keep VinFast SUV’s in their lanes doesn’t always work properly.

NHTSA says 14 drivers have complained of problems with the “lane keep assist” safety feature on their VinFast VF8 that in some cases require them to wrestle for control of the car. The mid-size SUVs are made in Vietnam, where VinFast is based, but the company plans to begin manufacturing them at its plant in Chatham County later this decade.

NHTSA says it will conduct a preliminary evaluation to “assess the scope, frequency and severity of the potential problem and to determine if a safety-related defect exists.”

According to a brief summary of the evaluation, drivers have reported that the lane assist system “has difficulty detecting lanes on the roadway, provides improper steering inputs and is difficult to override by the driver,” increasing the chances of a crash.

The agency is already investigating a crash of a VF8 in California in April that killed four members of a family. The owner of the vehicle, who was not in the car when it crashed, reported afterward that he had earlier had problems steering while the lane assist was on and wondered if it was a factor in the crash.

NHTSA says it has no evidence yet that the California crash was related to the lane assist system.

Drivers have reported difficulties with the lane assist system in both the 2023 and 2024 VF8, the only VinFast model available in the United States. NHTSA says the estimated number of vehicles affected is 3,118.

In a statement, VinFast says it is aware of NHTSA’s inquiry and will cooperate fully.

“We believe VinFast vehicles are safe. They are designed and manufactured to meet the highest safety standards,” the statement says. “We take all safety concerns seriously and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

VinFast reported in July that it had delivered 12,058 vehicles worldwide in the second quarter, a 24% increase over the same period a year earlier. The company also scaled back its sales forecast by 20%, saying it expected to deliver about 80,000 EVs this year.

VinFast broke ground on its plant near Moncure in July 2023, saying it hoped to begin producing cars there by 2025. It has since pushed back the start of production to 2028 .

The company received incentives from the state and local governments to build the $4 billion plant on a 1,765-acre site off U.S. 1, about 30 miles southwest of downtown Raleigh. The company said 7,500 people would eventually work there.

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