Koenigsegg built the CC850 to give hypercar buyers a real clutch pedal and an open gated shifter again. It turns out the gated shifter comes with a parking-brake surprise, and one U.S. owner found it on a hill.
Koenigsegg’s Part 573 filing recalls “all CC850 vehicles delivered to the U.S. market,” and the total is 7 vehicles, with an estimated 100% having the defect. Koenigsegg’s own site describes the car as “A limited edition of 70 vehicles.” That means about one in ten CC850s worldwide is part of this recall.
The bug
The electronic parking brake (EPB) won’t stay on in one specific situation. “When the engine is running and Reverse is selected, the EPB cannot stay engaged unless the button is continuously pressed.” Press the button with the engine running and Reverse selected, and the brake doesn’t hold. Let go of the button and the brake lets go too. Koenigsegg is direct about what that means: “the vehicle can roll if the car is on a non-flat surface without driver input.” static.nhtsa.gov
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That’s exactly what happened. On Oct 12, 2026, Koenigsegg received a field report that “a CC850 vehicle had rolled after attempting to apply the parking brake.” The engine was running, reverse was engaged, and the driver had exited on a slope. The filing says “No injuries were reported.” It doesn’t describe any damage. static.nhtsa.gov
Why “leave it in gear” doesn’t work here
Every manual-car owner learned to park on a hill by leaving the car in gear. The CC850 invites that habit, and the transmission can’t back it up.
The car’s Engage Shift System “combines a 6-speed manual shifting experience, complete with clutch pedal” with a 9-speed automatic in the same gearbox. The gated lever and clutch pedal feel like a manual, but underneath it’s a multi-clutch automatic. In a traditional manual, leaving it in gear with the engine off locks the wheels to the engine, and the engine’s compression holds the car. A multi-clutch automatic doesn’t connect the wheels to the engine that way. When the car is stopped, the clutches let go, so being “in gear” holds nothing. With the engine running, it’s even less help. www.koenigsegg.com
Koenigsegg hasn’t explained why the software releases the brake in Reverse. Our best guess is that it’s a feature that went too far. Many modern cars automatically release the electronic parking brake when they sense the driver selecting a gear to drive away. If the CC850’s software reads “engine running plus Reverse selected” as “about to reverse,” it would keep releasing the brake as soon as the driver lets go of the button. That’s reasonable behavior when you’re backing out of a parking space. It’s a problem when you’re getting out on a slope.
There is a warning, though it’s easy to miss: “The EPB indicator illuminates red when the parking brake is applied and switches off when not engaged.” A light on the dash isn’t much help to someone already walking away from the car. static.nhtsa.gov
It passed the federal test anyway
Koenigsegg found “No non-compliance with FMVSS 135 or UN R13-H identified”. In other words, the car meets the U.S. and UN brake standards, because “the condition is outside the scope of the static parking brake tests.” static.nhtsa.gov
FMVSS 135 tests whether a parking brake can hold a car on a slope. It doesn’t test what the software does when a driver sets the brake in an unusual gear with the engine running. Passing it only means nobody wrote a test for this. U.S. law still requires a recall when a safety defect exists, even if the car meets the standards. That’s why this is filed as a voluntary safety recall rather than a compliance failure.
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Koenigsegg moved quickly. Koenigsegg spent a week on real-world testing and failure-rate assessment, then decided on Oct. 19 to run a voluntary recall. The report reached NHTSA two days later. That’s nine days from the rollaway report to the filing. static.nhtsa.gov
The fix
Koenigsegg will update the parking brake control software “free of charge.” The update is “delivered over the air (OTA).” If the customer cannot complete it, an authorized dealer will perform it. The software was ready on Oct 22, 2026. Koenigsegg also “will reimburse any owner who paid to have this condition remedied before the recall.”
What CC850 owners should do
- Install the update now. It’s been available since October 22. Owners can call Koenigsegg customer service at 703-712-8324, according to NHTSA’s recall record.
- Change how you park. Until the update is done, switch the engine off before setting the brake, and don’t rely on Reverse to hold the car on a slope. Wheel chocks are cheap compared with any CC850 repair.
- Check the dash. Before getting out, make sure the red EPB light is on. Your hand on the button isn’t proof the brake is set.
- Insurance. A car that rolls away with nobody in it is usually treated as a collision claim. That means your deductible applies, and on a car like this, so does a body-shop bill that could take months. Keep a record that the update was installed. If anything happens, that record helps your claim.
- Buyers and sellers. When a CC850 comes up for sale, ask for proof the recall update was done. With only seven cars in the U.S., an open safety recall is easy to spot, and any buyer will use it as leverage.
Does a real clutch pedal and a gated shifter still count as old-school if the software gets a vote on your parking brake?