On December 17, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the recall of VinFast cars as the VF8 models from 2023 to 2025 have problems with the center airbag, mounted on the driver’s seat. Specifically, when there is a collision on the side of the car, the airbag is not activated properly, leading to hand injuries to the driver. The number of cars that must be recalled for repair is 4,888 cars.
Notably, the VF8 is a type of car manufactured in Vietnam and then exported to the US. However, VinFast boss Pham Nhat Vuong did not recall the VF8 in Vietnam. Moreover, this company also concealed the information, leaving customers using VF8 cars in Vietnam to face the “disaster” hidden in the car every day, without knowing it. This is a big question mark about the manufacturer’s responsibility.
VinFast cars in general and VF8 cars in particular are mainly consumed in the Vietnamese market. Car manufacturers around the world often recall cars of the same origin if they detect errors. VF8 in the US and Vietnam have the same origin, manufactured in the same place, so why, for American customers, VinFast recalls to fix errors, but not for Vietnamese customers? Is it because Vietnamese lives are cheaper in VinFast’s eyes?
The number of VinFast cars consumed in Vietnam is mainly based on the “patriotic” mentality that this manufacturer has built. When the “patriotic” factor is lost, VinFast cars will not be bought by many people, because of its many scandals, with quality still being unclear, and prices that are not competitive.
It is unclear what the people who own VF8 cars think when they know the above information. Each VinFast car is a large sum of money, compared to the average income of Vietnamese people. The Vietnamese car market has many big brands, which have affirmed their reputation, and some brands have even affirmed their position globally for hundreds of years. So customers have many choices.
Koreans are very fond of Korean cars, and Japanese people are also very fond of Japanese cars. In these countries, domestic car brands are everywhere. However, it is not that Koreans love Korean cars and Japanese people love Japanese cars, regardless of quality.
In fact, Korean car brands that are popular with Koreans are also popular around the world. Similarly, Japanese car brands are also famous worldwide, not just in Japan. Therefore, whether Koreans or Japanese people choose domestic brands, it is based on the kindness of the manufacturer, not blind patriotism, regardless of the poor quality of domestic brands.
The relationship between manufacturers and customers is a two-way, give-and-take relationship. If they want people to choose domestic brands over foreign brands, domestic brands must also show responsibility to their customers, regardless of whether they are foreign or domestic customers.
In recent days, videos and photos of VinFast cars causing accidents have been all over social media. In particular, an accident in which a VinFast car crashed straight into a house, causing the unjust death of a 17-month-old baby.
It is not known whether such accidents are due to technical errors or human error. If due to human error, then why do VinFast drivers cause so many accidents?
The above question will not have a satisfactory explanation in Vietnam, because in this country, “Vin” is the taboo name of the “king” which is not touched, even by the state-controlled press. Therefore, if a car with a potential problem like the VF8 causes an accident, there will be a cover-up from the press and the police. The customer’s rights will not be resolved if the car has a technical defect.
Using a car with a defect like that is too dangerous. Spending billions of dollars requires careful selection to find a safe product. Is it worth spending billions of dollars to get deadly risks?
