The main vehicle safety authority in the United States is looking into a crash involving the VinFast VF8 SUV that happened in April. This crash led to the deaths of a family of four.
The crash took place in Pleasanton, California, around 9 p.m. on April 24. Police said the car seemed to lose control, hit a tree, and caught fire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now investigating to find out exactly what happened.
The family involved in the crash were Tarun and Rincy George, along with their two children. They did not own the car. Someone else had loaned the electric vehicle (EV) to them.
After the crash, a complaint was made to the NHTSA. The complaint said that the person who owned the car had let a co-worker borrow it. The owner had experienced problems with the car’s lane assist feature before. According to the complaint, the lane assist feature suddenly made the car veer to the right.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they haven’t started their own investigation into the crash. The local Pleasanton Police Department is still looking into it. VinFast, the Vietnamese company that makes the VF8 SUV, hasn’t commented on the investigation.
VinFast started selling its VF8 SUV in the U.S. in early 2023. But things haven’t been smooth. Reviewers have criticized the car for its poor quality. In May 2023, VinFast had to recall some of the cars because the dashboard screen would go blank. Another complaint to the NHTSA mentioned that the driver assistance system unexpectedly turned the wheel while driving.
