Volkswagen ID.4 Complaints (2021)

339 consumer complaints on file.

#11750560July 15, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743626June 11, 2026
AIR BAGS
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)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739175May 20, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
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.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11738254May 16, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11737065May 11, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
4
Deaths:
0
#11735528May 4, 2026
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734178April 27, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734050April 27, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
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.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732843April 21, 2026
STRUCTURE
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731687April 16, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731686April 16, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730929April 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730086April 8, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729783April 7, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727391March 27, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11720381February 25, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719996February 23, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718299February 16, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717983February 14, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717148February 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Instrument panel went completely dark. Lost all information. Needed to pull the car over to the curb. Eventually the display reset and came back.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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