Page 7 of 7 · complaints 301–339 of 339

2021 Volkswagen Id.4 complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2021 record →

Electrical System
Filed May 15, 2022WA

I was on the freeway going 70 mph. Red warning lights came on saying to stop car immediately. The car lost all power. I was able to get on the shoulder and called State Patrol because I was barely off a busy freeway. They advised me to get a tow truck. The Infotainment system was completely blank. All that worked were my emergency flashers. After ten minutes of trying to turn car back on, everything re booted and I was able to drive home.

Electrical System
Filed May 3, 2022MN

Driving at about 10mph in parking lot and car jolted to stop. Dash flashing electrical failure in 12v battery, service immediately. Car would not move then it released into N position and began to roll back award. Warning electrical system failure flashed in dash and had no power for 10-15 minute. Flashing continued and said service needed. Sitting in isle of parking lot until Car allowed to move into spot after that but continued to flash red and yellow lights in dash for service and battery. Tried to reset car by getting out and locking it but did not work. Towed to dealer.

Electrical System
Filed Apr 18, 2022MD

I bought my ID4 new at the end of May 2021. When it started to get cold my car started losing Mileage Very Rapidly and I kept getting an Error for 12Volt power supply. Carnet would not work and car could not be opened without pushing unlock "key". Car was serviced Jan 24 and still had a problem. Next time the individual who works on EVs talked to VW and ordered a new battery, Feb 9. Battery replaced Feb 23. When leaving dealership and pulling out onto the main road the car appeared to completely stall out . Started right back on it’s own but I could have been hit by the car coming up behind me easily. When I mentioned it to the Service guy he stated it was proably the computer resetting the system. Fault notice appeared that stated Fault Electronic Child Safety Lock. Cook VW was notified when I took my car in for service. Since then Warning and Information not available light came on and they did not work. Interior ID lighting not working correctly. March 9 more alerts have come on. Individual that worked on the car has been great and listened to my concerns then gone back, rechecked, called VW and now has ordered more parts. The ID indicator light in front dash still not working. Passenger side door will not open until 3-4 attempts. Has been an ongoing problem Rear drivers side door will not open from the inside. March 30 2022. Fault Electronic Child Safety Lock keeps coming on when car is started (picture.) Unable to open Drivers rear side door in back from the inside. Ligh

Air Bags
Filed Mar 31, 2022WA

When placing a laptop, a heavy bag, or any heavy item on the front passenger seat, the seat belt warning light with a ding. So, I have to connect the seat belt to make it stop. Though I do appreciate it working with a person sitting in that seat, it's just sort of annoying especially if you're moving items around. My small 10 pound dog does not activate the sensors. Most of the vehicles that I have had in the past automatically turn the airbags and seatbelt warning light off if it detects a nonhuman or or an inanimate object or there's a switch to turn off the passenger side.

Electrical System
Filed Mar 28, 20224,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The warning message "High Voltage - Electrical Hazard - Don't Drive - Park Vehicle" were illuminated. The contact turned the vehicle off and, on several times, until the warning message disappeared. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. No issues were found with the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated to an air pocket in the cooling system. The dealer bled the cooling system; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V162000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Mar 23, 2022MA

The reverse illumination AT NIGHT is non-existant and this puts our safety and the safety of others at risk. When we called the dealership they told us we would be wasting our time to bring the car in, they knew of the problem and said it was a defect in the design and they could not fix it. We were put in contact with the VW Customer Service and spoke with Region Case Manager Kenneth Swantek and he denied the existence of a problem. To document the problem we brought our vehicle to the Tracy VW dealership and had it examined by a QTM. His response was that the vehicle is "operating as designed" without offering any solution to this problem. This problem has existed since the purchase of our vehicle.

Lane Departure › Assist
Filed Mar 18, 2022CA

Lane keeping assistance is enabled by default and can not be changed while driving. However on the lanes with partially erased lane markings , markings created due to previous road repairs - car thinks vehicle is going out of the lane and pulls the car in . significant places where i drive car keeps pulling to the side . If you are driving on a highway this is very pronounced . Driving on highway with high wind conditions this has created hazardous situation where I almost lost control (Highway 5 near coalinga Californai). This has been a problem in high traffic conditions , curvy roads (Highway 17 in California) . Current implementation of the feature is safety issue . either they shall disable this feature or ability to disable this feature permanently or need to fix.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 17, 2022OR

Electronic Stability Control ESC activates briefly under certain conditions that are completely normal. Smooth dry pavement. It happens for me very predictably on a specific curve on a 2-lane road. Vehicle speed is about 30, the curve in the road is very gentle, nothing extreme. Drive through this curve and ESC activates (flashes). It also happens very predictably at a T intersection where I stop and then turn right. During the turn the vehicle is cresting a hill. I have video of this happening. Also many other owners have complained about the same issue in situations like freeway off-ramps. ESC activating for no reason at all could distract the driver and cause an incident. There's a rapidly flashing amber warning in the driver display and the car's handling changes suddenly. How do we know that ESC won't activate more aggressively in some certain situation that doesn't warrant ESC.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking
Filed Mar 15, 2022OH

The automatic emergency braking system does not work at all. The lane keeping assistance feature has tried to ram me into concrete walls on the freeway. It has tried to ram me into metal exit fencing. It has tried to ram me into semi trucks. it has tried to run me off the road entirely. This system reacts inappropriately and when it reacts it over corrects by a large margin. It also cannot detect most types of lane markings. This happens all the time it isn't a single incident. Did I mention that there is no way to permanently disable the system?

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 15, 2022OR

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is activating frequently and unexpectedly. Happens on dry roads, under normal and safe driving conditions. ESC is felt as braking one or more wheels, and indicator is flashing on instrument cluster. This is not expected behavior under the driving conditions. Actuation is 100% repeatable on the same routes and speeds (typically curving roads or highway on/off-ramps), at varying temperatures (above and below freezing), dry and wet conditions, with stock tires properly inflated, in "B" or "D" mode (and drivetrain set to Comfort or ECO mode). Happens when accelerating, coasting, or brake being applied by driver.

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 15, 2022CA

The stability control actives inappropriately in low speed corners, slowing the car down because it's activating the brakes. This is a known issue on AWD (dual motor) ID.4 and VW dealers have said VW is aware of it and confirmed it on road testing for multiple owners (see below). I would not call it a major/dire safety issue, but it limits forward momentum, which could be an issue in emergency maneuver, and could cause unintended slowing that may increase risk of rear end collision. It is unknown what effect inappropriate brake application could have in slippery conditions. I am one of the first AWD owners in the USA and started a discussion on the problem: https://www.vwidtalk.com/threads/esc-activating-in-off-ramp.3808/page-4 Subsequently, many AWD owners have noted the same glitch. It is believed to be a software glitch (one of many in this car).

Steering
Filed Mar 11, 2022MA

While backing out of the drive way, electronic console of the car went black, we lost control over steering and accelerator functions and potentially brakes (unsure) while car was still moving. This happened at low speed (5-10 MPH). The instrument panel showed message to call service immediately. To regain control, we pressed the start engine button, which allowed us to again control the car. The call service message disappeared.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 7, 2022NC

The information touchscreen is faulty and constantly needs to be touched multiple times. This is distracting and makes driver look away from road to double check if pushing correctly. This applies to ALL functions controlling everything from temperature, ride control, entertainment, navigation etc. There are times where I need to touch an area from 1-5+ times for response. The system is registering a touch because there is an audible sound when you he'd, but no response from system. This can be verified by thousands of users complaining about it on https://www.vwidtalk.com/forums/volkswagen-id-4.30/ VW has promised an update for over a year. It is very dangerous and i have wandered from lane trying to rectify it

Electrical System
Filed Feb 22, 2022TX

On multiple occasions, my brand new ID.4 has shut down while driving giving various error messages relating to the electrical system and safety features--including with the electrical system generally, with the "12 Volt electrical system", with the auto assist braking, with lane assist, etc.

Service Brakes, Air › DiscCrash
Filed Feb 16, 20228,000 milesCA

Th contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH on a freeway, traffic seemed to be slowing down. The contact stated that when he depressed the brake pedal, his vehicle did not respond to the brakes causing his vehicle to crash in the rear of another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy at the time, however, he did not sustain any injuries nor did the person in the other vehicle. The contact stated that there was no police report filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where he was advised that his vehicle had been classified as a total loss. The contact stated that he felt as though there was not that much damage to his vehicle, however, he was advised that the damages were too expensive to repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000

Power Train
Filed Feb 14, 2022NY

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that after he parked and secured his vehicle to proceed into his residence, he later found out that the vehicle had unintendedly rolled backward out of the driveway. The contact stated that the vehicle did not crash into any objects. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped without driver assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and an appointment was scheduled with a dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.

Forward Collision Avoidance › Adaptive Cruise Control
Filed Feb 10, 2022CA

The car gives zero audible warnings when the TACC + LANE KEEP turns off. On the freeway driving in a curb, it would turn off without warnings. I almost hit my car.

Unknown or OtherCrash
Filed Jan 9, 2022CA

When driving in reverse my vehicle does not have a clear view based on the rear lights installed. The lighting design does not light the area behind the vehicle sufficiently and poses great risk of hitting child or object behind vehicle. Rear camera is essentially rendered useless during nighttime driving and or parking.

Service BrakesCrash
Filed Jan 6, 2022CA

In October, 11 weeks ago, while parallel parking, which I do everyday for work, I reversed back into an empty spot, toggled into Drive to straighten out my car and my car accelerated and hit the car parked in front of me. I kept stomping on the break pedal but it was stiff, I couldn't press it down at all. The break pedal was as if the car was turned off. Even though it has been 11 weeks ago, I will not drive the car because VW has not fixed the problem and I do not feel safe. The body repair has been done. The car remains at the dealership where I bought it and is available for inspection. I could of hit many children because I was parking at an Elementary school when this unintended acceleration coupled with no brakes happened. It is VW's first ever ALL ELECTRIC car and the ID4's have NEVER had a software update. VW says, no technicians or trained mechanics, software would have to be done at dealer and could take all day, no software to download using Wi-Fi, may need bigger battery and no parts available. VW corporate fly out to inspect the car and run reports but they refuse to give me a copy and so does the dealership. VW is taking no responsibility and said the brake peddle was never applied, only the accelerator. I never put my foot on or near the accelerator because I was only inching forward to straighten my wheels out. When the car was put into drive it does not need any gas to move only a few inches forward. My insurance representative tried to run a report but he s

Electrical System
Filed Jan 4, 2022FL

The car displays warnings such as "travel assist unavailable," "electrical system not working properly," "drive system error" and "please service vehicle. The warnings appear upon startup after entering the car, or when attempting to shift from park to drive, park to reverse, or reverse to drive. The warnings leave the car in "park" and it cannot be moved. When they appear, the driver must exit the car and leave it stationary in the parking lot or busy street where the errors occurred for up to 30 minutes before the car's electrical and drive systems will reset. After reset, the car may or may not have recovered and become drivable, requiring at times multiple attempts before car can be moved. Having to leave the car in a parking lot is a nuisance. Having to leave the car in the middle of a street is hazardous.

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Tailgate › Latch
Filed Dec 30, 202115,000 milesTX

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that the tailgate of the vehicle would not fully open or fully close when engaged by pressing the button on the tailgate or by pressing the release button inside the vehicle. The tailgate warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the motors that opened and closed the tailgate had failed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Dec 22, 2021KY

The back up camera lighting is so poor it poses a danger at night. Backing up at night even in well lit areas poses a threat to those around the car. If you apply the brakes this emits some light but if not braking the screen is almost black so it is difficult to see if you are on the road/driveway and if an object was below the camera would pose a threat to life or damage to the vehicle.

Electrical System
Filed Dec 14, 2021CA

I bought a new ID4 from VW, it is 2 weeks old. Multiple times it has shown multiple error messages such as "Electrical system not working" then stops in the middle of the road. I am unable to change the drive from neutral or move the car, sometimes pushing the start button several times finally turns it off. There have been three incidents so far with less than 20 miles on the car. There are dozens of repots of others with the same issue, with only 10-20k ID4s sold, this is a high number of faulty vehicles. See https://www.reddit.com/r/VWiD4Owners/comments/pd0jdf/electrical_system_not_working_correctly/ https://www.vwidtalk.com/threads/my-turn-for-electrical-system-failure-now-fixed.3693/ etc

SteeringCrash
Filed Nov 10, 2021AZ

Pulling into a parking space, using reiterative braking (B Mode). When applying brakes, car bolted and could not be controlled. It jumped a curb and drove straight toward a building. Brakes would not respond. Steering would not respond. I managed to steer the car avoiding the building but taking down a bench and ripping up the turf in front of the building. Car made a complete u-turn before coming to a stop. At that point, all electrical systems shut down, including the outside mirrors--they retracted. There was damage to exterior of the car-- a torn side molding and scratches and minor dents from bushes and the bench that was destroyed. The infotainment completely shut down. when I finally was able to restart the car, the systems came back on slowly, one at time. The car was towed by VW Roadside Assistance to a collision center for body repairs. It will be towed to the dealership after body repairs to diagnose the problem. I did not want to drive the car, not knowing if it is safe to drive. I had to file an insurance claim for the damage to the car and to the property that was damaged in the process. No other cars were damaged.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Oct 21, 2021MD

On 9/28, I purchased my vehicle from Fairfax Volkswagen. On that date, I noticed the error message on the display, but the salesman said it was nothing to worry about. That following week, I noticed several vehicles flashing their lights at me. Later that evening, I discovered the left headlight day running lamp was not functional, and the high beam would not turn off. In addition, I notice the right headlight was not functioning properly as well. The following day, I took the vehicle to be inspected at Ourisman Volkswagen of Waldorf Maryland. I was informed the left and right headlight would need to be replaced on the vehicle due to some form of electrical malfunction.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Oct 7, 2021NC

After receiving a service on the vehicle, I pulled out of the dealership and went left to go up a slight hill, I got half way out and the accelerator pedal would not work. I pushed down to the ground and the car would not go. There was a car coming towards me and swerved to avoid me after a second it kicked back in. This hasn’t happened since, and I have heard of this happening after a service appointment from another owner. Note this has not happened since. No warning lamps or other messages. I scanned the car with OBD device and no warnings found. Car is available for inspection upon request. This impacts safety as after service the car should not have any acceleration issues, in this scenario if the car will not go, there is a potential of a crash.

Service Brakes
Filed Oct 7, 2021NC

We vehicle is stopped in any type of grade (hill, incline, or decline) when releasing the break pedal the vehicle will roll in the direction of the grade, power must be immediately applied to prevent roll. This could potentially cause a crash if a vehicle is behind/in front of another. The system should employ an auto hold type of grade breaking system. Vehicle has not been inspected, and is available upon request. This can be reproduced.

Steering
Filed Sep 27, 2021CA

Warning indicator came on several times, brake and steering problems.

Power Train
Filed Sep 19, 2021FL

The ID.4 (brand new - 5 days old) shutdown in the middle of a busy street in Altamonte Springs, FL (suburb of Orlando). There was a “Electrical system not working correctly. Please service vehicle" warning so I began to pull off to the left turning lane. Then 12V battery errors started flashing and 5 seconds later the entire car shut down in the middle of the road. I was unable to restart it for 10-15minutes. I was able to drive 300 feet to a parking lot after. Will be taking the ID.4 to the dealership tomorrow morning (9/20/2021) assuming it doesn't shut down during the drive.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Sep 15, 2021TX

While operating the vehicle at stop lights on a grade or any situation the vehicle stops on a grade when releasing the brake the vehicle rolls back potentially causing a collision. Power must immediately be applied in these situations.

Service Brakes
Filed Sep 6, 2021CA

I will not stop!

Engine
Filed Sep 6, 2021CA

It will not stop, can not stop!

Service Brakes
Filed Sep 6, 2021CA

It will not stop! Break don’t work!

Electrical System
Filed Aug 30, 2021OH

The vehicle went into complete shutdown, it was unable to be placed into Drive or Reverse and vehicle was completely immobile. Various warnings appeared on the instrument cluster. After letting the vehicle sit it was returned to the dealer, where they experienced the same issues, but eventually replaced various electrical components and re-booted/re-programmed the systems. Approximately 11 days after receiving the vehicle back from repair the same thing occurred, additionally the automatic hold feature, to prevent rolling in neutral, failed and the car rolled backwards in my driveway about 4 feet before I was able to apply the footbrake. Several warning signals said the vehicle should not be driven, the vehicle is now back at the dealer again.

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 12, 2021FL

I was driving the car when a loud high pitched sound started coming from the vehicle. I am not a doctor, but the noise was probably loud enough to cause damage to human ears. Today, I picked up the car and was told "Contacted VW Techline. They been made aware of several other similar cases and engineering in Germany is looking into it. No resolution available at this time. Told to call VW Customer Care. I have been on hold for over 45 minutes. Called executive office and was transferred to Voice Mail.

Equipment › Electrical › Infotainment
Filed Aug 5, 2021CA

Multiple times while driving the car props an error where the speed become unavailable while driving.

Power Train
Filed Jul 30, 2021AZ

While pulling out of a parking garage at low speed, the car shut down/stopped/lost all power. Also, a second event occurred while backing into a charging station, the car shut down/stopped/lost all power.

Electrical System
Filed Jul 30, 2021CA

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Rear window defrost grid How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Potential electrical fire Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Confirmed by Galpin VW and Santa Monica Vw dealers and the manufacturer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes the vehicle has been inspected by Galpin VW Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The defrost grid shows signs of "visual variance" according to manufacturer.

Electrical System
Filed May 20, 2021MD

The infotainment panel sporadically shuts off. This has happened four times in the two months I’ve owned the car. Safety features like the backup camera, proximity sensors, and safety feature controls are not accessible.

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

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