Volkswagen ID.4 2021 — Reported problems

Update to my NHTSA complaints 11772122 (battery, October 19, 2026) and 11771852 (door handle recall, October 17, 2026) for my 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. What failed: the high voltage battery and charging. On November 1, 2026, the vehicle either did not charge or stopped charging with about 38 miles of range. On November 2, 2026 at 9:32 AM it showed 8% and 15 miles while charging. Cause: UNKNOWN. Confirmed by a dealer: yes. On October 16, 2026, a Volkswagen dealer's diagnostic found fault codes P0BBD00 (battery pack voltage variation exceeded limit) and P0AA600 (high voltage isolation fault, sporadic) and uneven cell voltages in battery module 6, which it said needs replacement. The vehicle is available for inspection on request. Warning lamps: an amber warning triangle and a yellow vehicle warning symbol are on. They were already on in my October 11, 2026 photo. When they first appeared is UNKNOWN.

While driving, the red "electrical system not working" error message displayed. The car lost control of acceleration and was non responsive. Loss of vehicle control while driving at freeway speeds is a safety risk to myself and others. The dealer (kearny mesa vw) says that it can not replicate the code, but sent me an estimate with error code 1208 battery and hardware with a $5, 000 replacement fee. When I asked for error codes and a detailed printout of required service, they then messaged me that it is covered under the vw pre-owned service contract for only the $50 deductible. I only have a text message from a service representative, nothing written. The red error message first appeared 48 hours ago while driving and subsequent loss of vehicle control. It appeared again while pressing the brake pedal. I did not drive it then, per instructions, and had it towed to the vw dealer. They don't know when the parts will arrive or when the car will be ready.

This is related to my earlier NHTSA complaint 11771852 for the same vehicle. On 10/16/2026 a Volkswagen dealer ran a diagnostic on a yellow dashboard electrical warning light on my 2021 ID.4 and reported fault codes P0BBD00 (hybrid battery pack voltage variation exceeded limit) and P0AA600 (high voltage battery voltage system isolation fault, sporadic). The dealer found that battery module 6 has uneven cell voltages and needs replacement, and stated that other modules or components may fail in the near future. The warning light remains on, and the displayed range for a given charge level has dropped. Dashboard photos: 10/11/2026 8:03 AM, 65% charge, 109 miles; 10/17/2026 8:09 PM, 73% charge, 86 miles; 10/18/2026 9:41 AM, 85% charge, 88 miles. Between the last two, the charge rose 12 points but the displayed range rose only 2 miles. I understand range is an estimate and I am not stating a cause. I am concerned about the safety of driving with a failing high voltage battery. The vehicle also has an open door handle recall, 24V-651, that has not been completed.

My 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 is subject to open NHTSA Safety Recall 24V-651 (Volkswagen recall 57J9) for the exterior door handles. The recall states that water can enter the door handle electronics and cause a door to open unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion, which increases the risk of injury to occupants and others. On 10/16/2026 I took the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealer in Tracy, California, specifically to have this recall performed at no cost. The dealer’s own check-in estimate recorded the recall as “verified open.” The dealer kept the vehicle from 7:43 AM until about 11:00 AM and returned it without performing the recall. Recall parts were reported as not available, and the recall job no longer appears on the final invoice. As a result, the recall remedy for a door that can open unexpectedly while driving has still not been completed on my vehicle. I ask NHTSA to note that the remedy was not completed at this dealer visit, and I ask Volkswagen to provide the parts and a free recall appointment as soon as possible. The door handles are available for inspection on request.

High voltage battery modules fail often and continuously. I am on my third battery module replacement of the year taking up to two weeks for repair. There is also a lighting failure when the weather is hot. All lighting system fail and dont turn on until car is driven for a while and the system cools down. This happens often as I am located in florida. During the summer its almost every day. Dealer hasnt been able to fix. All they have said was that VW told them that is due to the UV of the sun. Nothing they can do. I have never had a car fail its whole lighting system when its hot outside. This is extremly important as front lights wont display turn signals while the system is in this state. Only when the system cools down does the turning signals work again. Dealer has confirmed this but never given me a resolution. The whole dashboard displays light system, sounds system, and turn signal unavailable while the issue is present.

The SOS/ GPS system in my car failed a few days after the warranty expired. So my car no longer knows where it is and if I press the SOS (Emergency Call) button (or if it was automatically triggered after an accident), it does not work and it does not summon help. I asked VW to cover all or part of the cost as "goodwill" for an important safety system and they refused. Failure of the SOS system (either the battery or the communication module) is a known common failure on VWs and on the ID.4 in particular. VW should recall these vehicles so that this important safety system works.

For approximately the past month, the steering-wheel controls for the vehicle’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) have intermittently become completely unresponsive while driving. When the vehicle is first started, the buttons work normally and can be used to activate ACC, adjust the set speed, and change the following distance. However, after several minutes of driving, the steering-wheel ACC controls suddenly stop responding. When this occurs, the driver is unable to reduce the ACC set speed or increase the following distance using the steering-wheel controls. This creates a potentially dangerous situation because the vehicle may continue traveling at a speed or following distance that is no longer appropriate for changing traffic or road conditions, while the driver has lost immediate access to the controls intended to safely adjust ACC. The problem is intermittent but has occurred repeatedly over the past month. Because the failure occurs while the vehicle is in motion and disables the driver's ability to make critical ACC adjustments, I believe this represents a significant safety concern that warrants investigation. Here's a link to a video of this occuring: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. While stopped at a light, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The contact frantically depressed the brake pedal with excessive force, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact veered to the right to avoid the vehicle stopped ahead but crashed into the rear passenger’s side bumper. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop. The contact sustained injuries to the left shoulder and arm. The driver in the other vehicle sustained unknown injuries. Both drivers required medical attention. The insurance company representatives were scheduled to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was 83,000.

Incident Summary VW ID.4 Loss of Power/Stall Date: Monday, September 7, 2026 Location: Highway (3-lane), traveling ~45 mph Vehicle: Volkswagen ID.4 Sequence of events: While driving at approximately 45 mph, multiple warning messages appeared in rapid succession: ESC Error "Electrical system not working correctly" "Front Assist is not available" Error Rear Traffic Alert Error "12V power supply. Safely park the vehicle! See owner's manual." The vehicle lost accelerator power and came to a stall on the highway. Driver performed a reset/restart of the vehicle. Vehicle moved approximately 100 meters before stalling again, with the same set of error codes reappearing. Prior history: Safety concern: Loss of propulsion and multiple critical system failures (ESC, electrical, driver-assist systems, 12V supply) occurring simultaneously while in highway traffic represents a significant safety hazard — both from the stall itself and from the affected safety systems (ESC, Front Assist) being disabled.

Faulty sensor under passenger seat will cause the airbags to go off while someone is in the passenger seat, buckled. Will go on and off intermittently. Alert on dash will illuminate and overhead notification of passenger airbag shutting off flashes.

After periods of rain or driving in wet conditions, when parking on an incline, the vehicle will not release the automatic parking brake without hard physical input to the accelerator causing a loud bang from the rear axle - this has happened numerous times over the past year

The vehicle developed a charging/electrical/high-voltage battery problem. Level 3 charging stopped first, then charging later stopped on all levels. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Volkswagen dealer on 08/06/2026. The dealer referenced high-voltage battery/module and charging-system issues, including fault/code information involving P0BBD00 / J840 / 008C and campaign/action history involving 93P7 / 97ZZ. The dealer quoted a very expensive repair involving a high-voltage battery/module condition and charging-system components. The unresolved safety concern is that the dealer/manufacturer have not provided a clear written answer on whether the vehicle can be safely charged, operated, towed, released, or repaired elsewhere while the high-voltage battery/module condition remains unresolved. They also have not clearly answered whether the charge-door / charge-port / connector-lock / socket / AX4-J1050 issue is separate from the high-voltage battery/module condition or whether it caused or contributed to the no-charge condition. The underlying diagnostic output, measured values, DTC/freeze-frame data, campaign/action history, technician notes, and written safety/repair-path explanation have been requested but not provided in the form requested. I am concerned the vehicle may have an unresolved high-voltage battery or charging-system defect and that prior/current campaign handling may be relevant.

The infotainment screen and heads up display screen are constantly going black and rebooting, causing a loss of the speedometer for up to a minute at a time. Occasionally, the entire vehicle loses power and the accelerator does not work for a few seconds. The shop says it is the 5F control module, which was described by the dealership as handling one half of the high voltage current, as well as controlling the infotainment screen. If this module is responsible for half of the high voltage current, I don't understand why they claim it is not covered by the 8 year/80,000 warranty on the high voltage battery and related components.

On board navigation has been lost since 1/26/2024 and shows me driving across lakes, rivers or 300 miles away from where my current location is. VW has continued to blamed Verizon wireless but that excuse is tired now 2.5 years later. This issue breaks the speed limit sign display so I have seen it showing a 70 MPH speed limit on a 25 MPH residential road or a 25 MPH speed limit on a 70 MPH freeway. Not to mention it is entirely useless if you get lost where you don't have poor cell service which did happen to me once back when this problem started. The Verizon blame is tired.

2nd time in under a month where the entire display system has gone blank while driving (this time at a slower speed but still to the point where speed, vehicle info, displays, etc all went black) - this is a serious safety issue when you lose all vehicle information while driving. This requires a recall for a fix asap before someone is seriously injured.

In the process of parking, vehicle was stopped in the parking spot and vehicle suddenly accelerated to a high speed and crashed into a brick column. Air bags did go off. The warning sound and diagram that indicates you may have gotten too close to the curb in front did not go off. Police were called and inspected the vehicle before it was towed.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V651000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the infotainment system glitched and turn off intermittently and the safety information and systems were inoperable. The contact received notification a software update for the infotainment system. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts to do the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V651000 (Structure) was not yet available. The dealer also informed the contact that the software update would be performed over the air. No repair was performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issues and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V651000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The contact stated that the infotainment system glitched and turn off intermittently causing the safety information and systems to become inoperable. The contact received notification of software update for the infotainment system. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts for NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V651000 (Structure) was not yet available. The dealer informed the contact that the software update would be performed over-the-air. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issues and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

While stopped at traffic light, and with foot depressing brake pedal, vehicle started to move forward on its own. Foot was fully depressed on brake and vehicle still rolled forward, almost causing accident. Extremely dangerous and seems to be a very common issue with this vehicle.

My 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S has unexpectedly lost propulsion and come to a complete stop while being driven on at least three separate occasions. When this occurs, the vehicle jolts, stops moving, and cannot be placed into Drive or Reverse. I am only able to shift it into Neutral. After the first incident, I took the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealership the following morning. The dealership stated they could not reproduce the problem or identify any faults. The same failure occurred twice in one day this week. During one of those incidents, the vehicle lost propulsion and stopped in the middle of a busy street, creating a serious safety hazard because I was unable to move the vehicle out of traffic. Immediately before and during the failure, the vehicle displayed multiple warning messages, including: Error: Drive system. Please safely stop the vehicle. Electrical system not working correctly. Please service vehicle. Error: Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Front Assist is not available. Lane Assist is currently not available. Rear Traffic Alert is currently not available. Park Distance Control is not available. Error: Auto Hold. These warnings appeared at the same time the vehicle lost propulsion. The vehicle stalled without warning while driving and became undriveable. This is extremely concerning because it can occur suddenly in traffic, placing the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists at risk of a crash. The vehicle is currently at the Volkswagen dealership for inspection, and I am awaiting their diagnosis. Because this dangerous condition has now occurred multiple times, I am concerned there is a serious defect affecting the vehicle's drive system or electrical system.

The previous recall to fix the screen issue did not work. Both screens, the infotainment and instrument cluster, continue to randomly go blank and reboot. This removes the backup camera and speedometer for a period of time while driving.

While driving on main road at approx 45 mph, information display screens both simultaneously went black - this left me without any information such as speed, range, vehicle performance etc. upon restart system was telling me my seatbelt was unfastened (was not), adaptive systems unavailable etc. system corrected itself approximately two minutes later.

The airbag error light has been coming on in the dashboard in the last few weeks. Sometimes it stays on for the whole trip, sometimes it intermittently comes and goes. If an airbag is disabled due to this error, that's a safety hazard. I found several reports of almost the same issue on this car online. Here are few: [XXX] [XXX] Looks like a systemic failure with the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While reversing out of a parking space, my 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 automatically braked and stopped abruptly. Immediately afterward, the vehicle accelerated forward unexpectedly. I pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not respond and crashed into a retaining wall. A forensic analysis of the vehicle’s event data showed the accelerator was at 100% and the vehicle was traveling approximately 22 mph at impact. The airbags deployed, the vehicle was totaled, and both occupants sustained injuries. I believe the vehicle experienced a serious malfunction involving the braking and acceleration systems.

The Led unit of the DRL has over heated and melted the plastic of the diffuser of the DRL light. I still have the original parts to have them inspected, There were no warning lights on the dashboard to tell there was something wrong

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID4. The contact stated that while the wife was parking and into a parking space, the brake pedal was released and the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward and crashed into a concrete barrier. During the incident front and side curtain air bags did deployed. Driver sustained an injured sternum and bruses and lacerations to both hands. The front passenger suffered a bruised sternum. both rear passenger sustained mild neck injuries. No medical treatment was provided. No police reported was taken. During the incident the building railing was also damaged. The vehicle was towed to the local repair shop but not repaired. The cause of the failure was not determine. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,095.

I am filing this claim because a mandatory remote software update pushed by Volkswagen, combined with recent invasive repairs to the interconnected safety restraint network (PODS), caused a critical emergency safety feature (SOS) to fail, and the manufacturer is refusing to restore the vehicle to compliance. 04-01-2026: Received mandatory manufacturer software update v3.8.1. Updated failed and had to be reset. 04-16-2026: Vehicle was brought to the dealer to repair the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS). The technician unplugged electrical harnesses and recalibrated the safety network to install the new sensor mats. 04-29-2026: Received mandatory manufacturer software update v3.8.1. 04-30-2026: Immediately following these two events, the emergency SOS system threw a critical hard failure light and became non-functional. 05-01-2026: The dealership and VW Corporate both denied Goodwill coverage, claiming it is an out-of-warranty hardware failure, despite it being a globally documented software side-effect. The v3.8.11 update is known to overwrite the measured state of health of the emergency backup battery, artificially timing it out after 5 years regardless of its actual physical health. The PODS system that the dealer just serviced actively talks to the vehicle's Supplemental Restraint System. I am requesting that Volkswagen covers 100% of the cost to restore the vehicle's emergency SOS system to working order—whether that requires a physical replacement of the telematics module/battery or a manual software reset of the battery history timer.

I am filing a complaint regarding a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 involving loss of propulsion and unresolved defects following manufacturer-directed repairs. On February 19, 2026, the vehicle lost propulsion twice, including in an intersection. The vehicle powered on and shifted into gear but would not move, requiring it to be pushed out of traffic. This is a serious safety hazard. The vehicle was repaired at a Volkswagen dealer under corporate technical direction, including replacement of the rear drive motor, replacement of control modules (gateway), and multiple programming attempts, including non-standard programming. After repair, new faults appeared. The vehicle now shows inconsistent odometer behavior, including “-- mi” and conflicting mileage values. The system continues to calculate range but does not reliably display total mileage. The dealer confirmed in writing that this issue is related to the prior repair, meaning the vehicle was returned defective. Despite prior loss-of-propulsion events and current system faults, both the dealer and Volkswagen corporate representative have advised me to continue driving the vehicle and have refused to arrange transport, even though the defect resulted from their repair. I have serious concerns the vehicle may again lose propulsion and that control systems and mileage recording are unreliable. The vehicle has been out of service over 60 days with no confirmed resolution. I request NHTSA investigate these failures and Volkswagen’s handling of this safety issue.

My 2021 ID.4 has experienced two separate incidents of sudden, unintended forward acceleration while parking. In both cases, I was maneuvering at very low speeds (less than 5 mph) and transitioning from a stopped position, or from reverse into drive, with the intention to move forward only a few inches. But instead of creeping forward as normal, the vehicle suddenly jerked forward approximately one foot. In the first of two incidents (approx. October 2025), it crashed into the car in front of me. In a second incident (3/14/2026), it crashed into an EV charging station. This is a safety concern and may be related to steering wheel capacitive touch controls, possible unintended activation of adaptive cruise control (ACC) or “resume” function, or erroneous or overly sensitive input from the steering wheel control module. No warning signs or messages appeared prior to the failure. Luckily, no one, including my young children, stood directly in front of the vehicle during either of the incidents; otherwise, they may have incurred serious bodily injury or worse. I was also luckily unharmed in both incidents. I am immediately taking the car to the dealership for a full inspection.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at an undisclosed speed, the doors opened unexpectedly. An unknown warning light was illuminated, indicating that the door was open. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V312000 (Structure). The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.

Vehicle charge door power locking mechanism failed in the locking position. Vehicle could not be charged and driver was stranded and forced to destroy the outer panel in a failed attempt yo open the door. Sufficient charge remained yo reach dealer. $900 repair.

Driver’s door electronic door handle failed and the door could not be opened. Interior handle should have a physical release but it took 6-8 attempts to open the door. These handles had already been replaced under a recall, and yet I was charged nearly $900 for replacing the door handle because the car was then out of warranty. This is shameful.

Infotainment freezes and backup camera not working. This immediately started to happen after recent ota update. I never had these issues before this software update. Uploading pictures which shows gear selector is being put in reverse multiple times but camera not displayed. Even infotainment doesn’t respond to any touch.

Vehicle has performed an OTA update to version 3.8.11 on Saturday April 4, 2026. Prior to that there were no failures or warnings reported. After the update has completed there is a warning “Emergency call function is limited. Please service vehicle”. The SOS button in the cabin is Red instead of Green. Other users in the N.A. as well users in Europe are reporting the exact issue in the forums: [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I am reporting a safety-related failure involving my 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The vehicle has experienced two separate incidents where it suddenly lost power while driving and became inoperable without warning. The first occurrence happened while I was in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle lost power and could not continue moving, creating a dangerous situation with surrounding traffic. The second occurrence occurred shortly after beginning a trip, approximately one thousand feet down the road. Again, the vehicle lost power without warning and became inoperable. In both cases, after the failure occurred, the vehicle would power on and could be shifted into drive or reverse; however, the vehicle would not move or provide any propulsion in either gear. The vehicle had to be manually pushed out of the roadway. The vehicle has been brought to the dealership multiple times over the course of ownership for issues involving the electrical and high-voltage systems. Service records show repeated diagnostic procedures, recall and campaign work, and repairs involving the battery system and related control functions. Diagnostic fault codes associated with this issue have included P0BEE00 and P0BE600 (drive motor current sensor circuit faults), along with communication-related faults. Despite these multiple service visits and repairs, the condition has not been reliably resolved, indicating an ongoing and intermittent system failure. Most recently, the dealer diagnosed a failure related to the drive motor system. The rear drive motor was replaced; however, after replacement, the vehicle still would not properly communicate with the motor. The dealer has since identified the issue as being related to the control module responsible for communication with the drive motor (gateway), which also requires replacement. The vehicle has been out of service for extended periods, including a current repair period exceeding one month. Given that the vehicle has lost propulsion without w

Car startup just fine and drive without issues but sometimes center console freezes or randomly restarts and when that happen even speedometer stays at zero even car moving about 30-40mph. It stays in frozen state for about 2-3min or unless I force restart it by holding power button for about 10-20seconds. I have seen backup camera sometimes failed to display images which supposed to resolved in last few updates but I only experienced it after updated to software version 3.5. Uploading images as slide because I can’t upload video file.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle shut off while driving to the residence from the dealer. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally. Prior to the failure, several software updates were performed under recall. The contact was referred to an out-of-state dealer to perform the software updates. No further information was available. Recently, the contact exited the vehicle and discovered that the doors would not open and the front headlights were illuminated. The contact crawled through the hatch to open the trunk and disconnect the 12-Volt battery. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

I was slowing down to park the car when it lurched forward in high speed and smashed into the wall. The front collision warning never went off, and the emergency braking never came on. My foot was on the accelerator and lifting off to park at low speed like I do all the time, so it wasn't like I was trying to slam on the brakes and pressed on the accelerator by mistake. The car was serviced at the dealership less than a week ago, but VW pushed out an OTA update 2 days ago. I don't know if the OTA update has anything to do with this scary behavior, but I have not experienced anything like this before.

GPS is indicating incorrect location. GPS routing is not accurate. Car essentially doesn't know where it is. Sign assist feature is showing wrong speeds on roads. This appears to be a common problem with VW cars. In an emergency help needs to know where the car is located. This is an ongoing problem that doesn't have a solution.

The vehicle has been in to the dealer multiple times for electrical system failures. The car is not safe to drive and has stalled multiple times while driving. The system has errors that light up stating there is an electrical system failure. The car has stopped driving in the middle of a trip, I have been stuck with my family multiple times while on short trips and long trips. The vehicle has been repaired multiple times for the same issue and it just came back again after several months being repaired. Each time the repairs occur, I end up renting a car and the time it sits at the dealer or repair shop has varied from 45 days to several days. This car needs to go. The issue first occurred a little over a year ago and has happened 3-7 times since and at random times. The issue has been reproduced by the dealer and reported to VW HQ.

Instrument panel went completely dark. Lost all information. Needed to pull the car over to the curb. Eventually the display reset and came back.

After rain or snow, vehicle will not release from park even when shifted to drive. After pressing accelerator a few times vehicle will make a loud bang from the rear (loud enough to sound as though something is coming apart) and then start to move. This happens in warm and cold weather

Multiple issues with this vehicle. Have had door handle recall completed, however now doors will randomly not open from inside or outside, even after verifying child lock is off and doors are unlocked. Same issue with trunk, almost always a fight to get it to open/release. Separate issue with windows, which will just randomly roll themselves down while driving, additionally they will roll themselves down when trying to close windows (lift switch to close windows and they roll down vs up)

The center display and the instrument panel on our ID4 reset unexpectedly while driving, even though recall with Campaing ID 24V344000 was performed on our vehicle. This caused both displays to turn off, first the instrument panel followed by the center display - we pulled over as we did not have any information of any kind of the status of the car. After a couple of minutes, it came back up again - restarted. We reported to our local VW dealer, who told us that there is no open recall.