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2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems & recalls

NHTSA has issued 11 recalls covering the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 and owners have filed 335 complaints. The most-reported area is electrical system (178 complaints). 1 complaint describes a fire and 28 complaints describe a crash.

Other model years:2025202420232022
Recalls
11
Complaints
335
Crash reports
28
Fire reports
1
Injuries
24

Recalls (11)

Feb 27, 2025#25V120000

Power train › Automatic transmission › Gear position indication (prndl)

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2023 ID.4, 2022-2023 Audi Q4 e-Tron, and Q4 e-Tron Sportback vehicles. The instrument panel may not properly display the transmission gear lever indicator. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect."

Risk: Failure to display the gear position may result in a vehicle rollaway if the parking brake is not engaged, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the brake control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 14, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97H3. Audi's number for this recall is 454R.

Sep 4, 2024#24V651000

Structure › Body › Door › Handle › Exterior

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 ID.4 vehicles. The door handles may allow water to enter the circuit board assembly, which can cause the doors to open unexpectedly.

Risk: A vehicle door that opens unexpectedly while driving increases the risk of injury.

Fix: Volkswagen dealers will inspect and replace the door handles as necessary, and update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 27, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 57J9. This recall expands previous recall numbers 23V-312 and 23V-213. Vehicles previously repaired under 23V-312 and 23V-213 will need to have the new remedy completed.

May 15, 2024#24V344000

Back over prevention › Software

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 ID.4 vehicles. Due to a software issue, affected vehicles may experience center displays and instrument panel displays that do not boot, or that sporadically reset. This can result in loss of speedometer information or loss of rearview camera image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: Displays that do not show critical information, such as vehicle speed or the rearview camera image, increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 20, 2024. Owners may contact VW customer service at 1-800-893-5298. VW's number for this recall is 919A.

May 3, 2023#23V312000

Structure › Body › Door › Handle › Exterior

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 ID.4 vehicles. The affected vehicles may have been manufactured with door handles that allow water to enter the circuit board assembly, which can cause the doors to open unexpectedly when the vehicle is subject to high lateral forces at speeds below 9 mph/15 kmh.

Risk: A vehicle door that opens unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion increases the risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will update the vehicle software, and inspect the door handles as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 19, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall are 57J5 and 57J8. This recall was replaced by recall number 24V-651

Feb 1, 2023#23V040000

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery › Management system/energy control module (bms/becm) › Software

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID.4 vehicles. Software programing may cause the high voltage (HV) battery management control module to restart or the pulse inverter to deactivate.

Risk: A reset or deactivation may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the HV battery management control unit and the pulse inverter control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 31, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97ZZ.

Nov 2, 2022#22V858000

Air bags › Frontal

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID4 vehicles. The passenger air bag may be incorrectly folded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: An incorrectly folded air bag may not protect the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Volkswagen will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 14, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number to this recall is 69EH.

Mar 16, 2022#22V162000

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID4 vehicles. Incorrect soldering of the flexible printed circuit assembled (FPCA), inside the high voltage (HV) battery, may cause an unreliable connection.

Risk: An unreliable battery connection may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the battery cell modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 6, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 9302.

Nov 3, 2021#21V852000

Steering › Gear box (other than rack and pinion)

Volkswagen Group of American, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling one 2021 ID.4 vehicle. The steering gear may have an incorrectly assembled or missing drive bushing.

Risk: An incorrectly assembled or missing drive bushing may cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: A dealer will replace the steering gear, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 5, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 48Q7.

Aug 5, 2021#21V606000

Seat belts › Rear/other › Retractor

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).

Aug 4, 2021#21V607000

Seat belts › Rear/other › Retractor

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID4 vehicles. Incorrect rear outboard seat belt assemblies without an automatic locking retractor (ALR) function may have been installed, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the rear outboard seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69CQ.

Jun 2, 2021#21V413000

Exterior lighting › Headlights

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID.4 vehicles. Caps were installed on the headlight vertical aim instead of the horizontal aim, allowing for horizontal adjustment of the headlight beam. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk: Adjusting the horizontal headlight beam can increase glare, reducing visibility for the driver and increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will remove the caps from the vertical aim and install them on the horizontal aim, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 9406.

Owner complaints (335)

What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.

  • Electrical system178
  • Unknown or other59
  • Forward collision avoidance40
  • Service brakes37
  • Vehicle speed control35
  • Structure35
  • Fuel/propulsion system24
  • Power train22
  • Back over prevention18
  • Steering17
  • Engine16
  • Air bags12

Complaints over time

May 2021: 1 complaintJun 2021: 0 complaintsJul 2021: 2 complaintsAug 2021: 3 complaintsSep 2021: 6 complaintsOct 2021: 3 complaintsNov 2021: 1 complaintDec 2021: 3 complaintsJan 2022: 3 complaintsFeb 2022: 4 complaintsMar 2022: 10 complaintsApr 2022: 1 complaintMay 2022: 3 complaintsJun 2022: 5 complaintsJul 2022: 6 complaintsAug 2022: 3 complaintsSep 2022: 7 complaintsOct 2022: 3 complaintsNov 2022: 5 complaintsDec 2022: 4 complaintsJan 2023: 7 complaintsFeb 2023: 10 complaintsMar 2023: 9 complaintsApr 2023: 12 complaintsMay 2023: 13 complaintsJun 2023: 8 complaintsJul 2023: 9 complaintsAug 2023: 9 complaintsSep 2023: 13 complaintsOct 2023: 5 complaintsNov 2023: 1 complaintDec 2023: 3 complaintsJan 2024: 5 complaintsFeb 2024: 6 complaintsMar 2024: 1 complaintApr 2024: 5 complaintsMay 2024: 3 complaintsJun 2024: 4 complaintsJul 2024: 9 complaintsAug 2024: 5 complaintsSep 2024: 11 complaintsOct 2024: 8 complaintsNov 2024: 4 complaintsDec 2024: 6 complaintsJan 2025: 9 complaintsFeb 2025: 5 complaintsMar 2025: 6 complaintsApr 2025: 2 complaintsMay 2025: 3 complaintsJun 2025: 7 complaintsJul 2025: 4 complaintsAug 2025: 6 complaintsSep 2025: 1 complaintOct 2025: 2 complaintsNov 2025: 6 complaintsDec 2025: 4 complaintsJan 2026: 5 complaintsFeb 2026: 5 complaintsMar 2026: 1 complaintApr 2026: 8 complaintsMay 2026: 4 complaintsJun 2026: 1 complaintJul 2026: 7 complaintsAug 2026: 5 complaintsSep 2026: 5 complaints20222023202420252026
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 13 in May 2023. Hover a bar for its count.
Complaints filed per month
MonthComplaints
May 20211
Jun 20210
Jul 20212
Aug 20213
Sep 20216
Oct 20213
Nov 20211
Dec 20213
Jan 20223
Feb 20224
Mar 202210
Apr 20221
May 20223
Jun 20225
Jul 20226
Aug 20223
Sep 20227
Oct 20223
Nov 20225
Dec 20224
Jan 20237
Feb 202310
Mar 20239
Apr 202312
May 202313
Jun 20238
Jul 20239
Aug 20239
Sep 202313
Oct 20235
Nov 20231
Dec 20233
Jan 20245
Feb 20246
Mar 20241
Apr 20245
May 20243
Jun 20244
Jul 20249
Aug 20245
Sep 202411
Oct 20248
Nov 20244
Dec 20246
Jan 20259
Feb 20255
Mar 20256
Apr 20252
May 20253
Jun 20257
Jul 20254
Aug 20256
Sep 20251
Oct 20252
Nov 20256
Dec 20254
Jan 20265
Feb 20265
Mar 20261
Apr 20268
May 20264
Jun 20261
Jul 20267
Aug 20265
Sep 20265

Recent owner reports

Sep 26, 2026Electrical system

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.

Sep 25, 2026Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance

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 dangero…

Sep 21, 2026Vehicle speed control⚠ Crash

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…

Sep 10, 2026Power train, Electrical system, Engine

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 m…

Sep 7, 2026Air bags, Seats

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.

Aug 22, 2026Power train, Service brakes

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

Aug 19, 2026Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system

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/manufacture…

Aug 18, 2026Electrical system, Unknown or other, Visibility/wiper

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.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.