2023 VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 Safety Overview

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V030000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to charge with chargers more than 220 Volts, and the message "Electrical System Not Working Correctly, Please Service Vehicle" was displayed. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000."

Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

"My car spontaneously accelerated out of control, onto my neighbor's lawn. I had to brake hard to stop the car from crashing into their house. This could have injured myself and my neighbors, if the car did not stop. The car has not yet been inspected by Volkswagen, I am in contact with their customer service about this issue. There were no warnings or issues with the car before this occurred."

Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"Sudden acceleration while parking in my garage. Very low speed,then sudden “explosive “ acceleration smashing the front end and garage contents"

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

"I am driving home from work and I’m right around the corner from my house. As soon as I try to make a turn, the car begins beeping and the faults “Electrical system malfunction” and “12V power supply” show up. My car does not accelerate, I lose power steering, and I can no longer move while I’m still in the middle of the road with cars around me. Thankfully, there was a slight downhill that allowed me to coast somewhat off the road, but I had to push this 4600+ lbs car (by myself) further so it wasn’t sticking out. I had to get 4 other people to help push the car to my house across a residential collector road which took ~20 mins just to go a couple hundred feet. This is the THIRD time of this occurring, twice I’ve been to the dealership, and twice they told me they couldn’t replicate the issue. The other times “thankfully” occurred when the car was already parked, but one of the instances required a tow; this was not even a week after buying the car. The second time occurred not even 5 hours after getting my car back from the dealership service center, requiring me to ditch the car in the parking lot (dealership was closed). I’ve had the car for a little under a month. This is incredibly unsafe. I work in downtown and go on many major roads/interstates during my commute. If this would’ve happened on the freeway or a busier road, a serious accident and/or injury could’ve occurred."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

"My primary safety complaint is that the automatic emergency-call function failed during an actual airbag-deployment collision even though the SOS indicator was green and appeared to show that the system was operational. The vehicle is a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, VIN [XXX]. On XXX, at approximately 8:04 a.m., while traveling southbound on Columbia Pike near Trader Joe’s, the vehicle was involved in a collision that deployed the airbags. The vehicle automatically initiated the emergency-call sequence but announced words to the effect of, “Your call cannot be completed.” The Montgomery County Police Department investigated the collision under Incident Number XXX. Fortunately, a passerby witnessed the collision and assistance was available. Without that person, emergency assistance could have been delayed, increasing the risk of serious harm. An injured, disoriented, trapped, or unconscious occupant may not be able to locate a phone and call [XXX]. The vehicle had a prior history of recurring GPS, SOS, and connected-services failures. It was presented to authorized Volkswagen dealers four times while under warranty, and a Volkswagen TAC case was opened, but no root cause or permanent repair was documented. Shortly after Volkswagen was notified that a lemon-law filing would proceed, the GPS, green SOS indicator, and some connected functions appeared to return for about two days without any explanation of a repair, software update, reset, remote action, or configuration change. The GPS then became inaccurate again, while the SOS indicator remained green. I request that NHTSA investigate why the indicator remained green when the automatic crash call could not connect, whether Volkswagen verifies actual voice and location functionality before displaying the green indicator, and whether affected vehicles require a safety recall or other corrective action. The complete statement and supporting evidence are attached as Exhibit 0. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)"

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"I received a factory recall notice from Volkswagen regarding the high-voltage battery in my ID.4 (Recall 93EA). I brought the vehicle to Volkswagen South Coast ([XXX]) for the recall repair on XXX completed XXX where the dealer found the battery testing "not OK" and replaced Modules 1, 5, and 12. On XXX — less than three months later — a battery warning light returned. The dealer found fault code P0BBD00 and identified Module 3, a different module not replaced during the recall, as internally defective, and quoted $5,301.68 to replace it. I contacted Volkswagen Customer CARE requesting confirmation of whether this is related to the recall and a technical basis for their determination. Volkswagen responded stating the dealership found the two issues unrelated, but provided no technical explanation for that conclusion. I believe the original recall defect was not fully remedied. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)"

Component: AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"7/14/26 my wife attempted to park our 2023 VW ID.4 Pro S AWD. She pulled into the spot with two hands on the steering wheel, her foot off of the accelerator, with the car being slowed by regenerative braking, and the car suddenly accelerated and crashed through a fence and hit a cement barrier. The air bags did not deploy. After the accident that most likely totaled the car, my wife's foot was on the brake. The two challenges we noted were 1. The car should have not accelerated on its own and 2. The air bags should have deployed given the violence of this crash."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"See attached document for complaint."

Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"1. My tires are half recommended pressure on ALL tires yet yet the automatic monitoring system does not record any abnormality. This is a dangerous system because it tells me everything is ok when it is not. This is on all four tires. 2. When backing up with a trailer the car slams on the brakes as it thinks someone is there and you can’t always turn it off. There is an X you hit to turn off but if you forget…. Sometimes the X doesn’t appear and you have to shift forward then reverse then forward then reverse to get the X to appear and so you can back up without brakes slamming on. Hard to use bike rack because of this."

Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES

"I was parked in front of my townhouse I have a witness who saw me at a stop. Next thing I know car accelerates and hits my townhouse. I did not accelerate I was not speeding and I have a witness who saw me stopped"

Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER

"We are experiencing ongoing connectivity and safety‑related issues with our Volkswagen vehicle that have remained unresolved for more than six months. The vehicle is not connecting to the VW app, which has resulted in the SOS emergency call function being inoperable. Additionally, the vehicle’s built‑in GPS system is displaying our location in an entirely different state, which raises significant concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the system. We have visited multiple Volkswagen dealerships and contacted Volkswagen customer support numerous times by phone. Despite these repeated attempts, the issue has not been diagnosed or corrected. As a result, in the event of an accident or emergency, we currently have no functioning means of alerting emergency services through the vehicle. Furthermore, the navigation system—specifically the feature that locates charging stations and was included in our original purchase—has not worked since approximately six months after we acquired the vehicle and continues to be nonfunctional. The VW app has also been inoperable since May 19, 2026, and despite contacting two dealerships and VW support, we have not received any follow‑up or resolution. Without app connectivity, we cannot determine whether the vehicle is locked, fully charged, or if it has been accessed. At this time, neither we nor Volkswagen appear to know the cause of these failures. Our primary concern is safety, and we are requesting that this matter be addressed promptly and thoroughly."

Component: SERVICE BRAKES

"I have experienced braking issues with my 2023 ID.4. It would randomly require me to put press the brake pedal all the way to the floor and would still roll past stop lines, and near miss with cars in front of me. It happens more often when the road is wet and raining weather. I was told by two VW service centers that my breaks were normal and they found nothing wrong with the car as they couldn't replicate the issue. After doing some digging online I found out other ID.4 owners had to go to multiple service centers working with offsite EV team to have a proper diagnosis for the problem. They found that the ABS module was offline so the Brake Booster was not functioning. The scary part is that there was NO lights or errors indicating this. The biggest issue at the VW service centers are lack of EV knowledges, tools for proper diagnosis, and overwhelm by too many complaints from owners. My lease was ended and I returned the vehicle to VW informing them of faulty part/breaking issues with no warnings. The scary part is that there could be many people driving these cars that can have this happen randomly without ANY warning. I was lucky that I did not cause harm or liable for any loss during my 3 years of ownership. I am sure the issue is known from corporate level and just got ignored."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"This is a follow-up to my previous complaint #XXX regarding my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 (VIN [XXX]). The defect remains unresolved. My vehicle received Recall 93EA (high-voltage battery) on XXX, during which only 3 of 12 battery modules (Modules 1, 5, and 12) were replaced. On XXX, a different module (Module 3) in the same battery pack failed with the same type of fault (P0BBD00 - Hybrid Battery Pack Voltage Variation Exceeded Limit). This was independently confirmed by a second authorized Volkswagen dealership (Norm Reeves Volkswagen Irvine) on XXX. Volkswagen has denied that this failure is related to Recall 93EA, but has not provided any technical explanation for that conclusion despite multiple written requests. Volkswagen Customer CARE has stated they only rely on dealership findings and do not independently investigate root causes. The dealership, in turn, has said it does not know the underlying cause of the recall and directed me back to Volkswagen. Neither party has explained the actual root cause of the defect that led to Recall 93EA or why a second module failed the same way just months after the recall repair. The vehicle has been effectively undriveable since XXX due to this unresolved safety defect. I have consulted multiple attorneys, all of whom declined to take legal action primarily because the vehicle's mileage places it outside standard state Lemon Law protections — despite the fact that this concerns an open, unresolved federal safety recall with no mileage limitation under 49 U.S.C. § 30120. I am submitting this follow-up to ensure NHTSA has current, updated information on this ongoing and unresolved defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)"

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

"The J949 Telematics/OCU Gateway Module on my 2023 VW ID.4 (VIN: [XXX]) has suffered a critical software lockup, causing a perpetual boot and local user login loop. This defect has completely frozen and locked out the User Privacy and Communication Settings menus. Because the telematics gateway is frozen and failing to authenticate, the vehicle’s cellular-connected SOS Emergency Call system and automated crash-notification telemetry are compromised and unreliable. The manufacturer (Volkswagen) has acknowledged the menu is missing under TAC Case #XXX but refuses to authorize a physical component power-cycle or warranty replacement, claiming a vehicle failing to load its safety and telemetry configurations is 'operating as designed.' Note: the Service Manager escalated to the TAC but they did not help and indicate 'operating as designed'. I called VW Customer Care and asked it to be escalated to a Regional Case Manager but they won't escalate given TAC says its operating as designed. Customer Care did issue a ticket, ref# XXX to have a supervisor call me back within 24 hrs...but I have not received any calls from a supervisor. I escalated by email to Executive Care and have not received a response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)"

Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"While driving very slow in a subdivision to enter a driveway my car suddenly accelerated and the peal went down. I steered to the right to avoid hitting the garage door and the car crashed against the wall at the side of the garage door. The distance between the curve and the house in very short. The friend I was visiting was by the door and the neighbor right in front of the house witnessed all. My wife was in the passenger side. By coincidence the lady across the street that saw the incident came running towards us point at the car and screaming :"those cars have a sensor problem". I made the claim to insurance and open a case with VW USA. VW USA sent a technician to the shop and concluded that the pedal was pushed all the way down and therefore it was my fault. My take is it was the adaptive cruise control that was triggered the cruise control (which by the way I NEVER USE) when I was turning right to enter the driveway at very low speed. There was no lights indicating malfunction prior to the incident. I was very concerned that I could have hit either my friend or any other person near the house. When I came back home I googled by "VW ID.4 sudden acceleration" and saw many many incidents with ID.4 and other models using adaptative cruise control."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"Backup camera does not work. Pulling the fuse will fix it for 1-2 trips and then will stop working again. Error pops up on dashboard: backup camera error. Affects safety while reversing. Possible safety risk to children and pedestrians if not working properly."

Component: POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

"Pulled into a parking space with foot on the brake and accelerator pedal. The vehicle sped forward, pushing a car parked in front of me into the driveway, just missing another vehicle"

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

"My 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S AWD (approximately 40,000 miles) has a persistent GPS navigation system failure where the vehicle displays an incorrect location. This is a safety concern as the navigation system cannot be relied upon for accurate directions or location awareness. The following repair attempts have been made at the dealership: - TSB 91-24-05 was performed and was unsuccessful - The OCU (Onboard Communication Unit) was fully replaced and was unsuccessful - A VTA (Volkswagen Technical Assistance) case was opened VW Customer Care, Car-Net, and two separate dealerships have been unable to resolve this issue. I was told by multiple VW representatives that there is currently no available fix and that Car-Net will contact me when a resolution is available — which has not happened despite months of waiting. I am currently within my 4 year/50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. Volkswagen has been unable to fulfill their warranty obligation to repair this known defect. This GPS failure affects safe navigation and represents a safety concern for the driver.""

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE

"I am reporting a potential safety-related defect in my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro involving GPS location, SOS/Car-Net/connected services, and driver-assistance availability. The vehicle has repeatedly shown an incorrect GPS location. Authorized VW dealers documented related SOS/connected-services concerns, including “no green light,” “no satellites seen,” an open TAC/Techline case, and no completed verified repair. On a later visit, the dealer documented that there was still no Techline update and no fault codes present for this issue. I have been advised to wait for Volkswagen/Techline/Connected Services because the issue may require a future software, backend, or OTA update. However, the vehicle remains unrepaired while the GPS/SOS/connected-services condition continues. The absence of fault codes may mean the vehicle is not recording a conventional hardware diagnostic trouble code, but the problem is still present. My concern is not merely an infotainment inconvenience. The issue may affect the vehicle’s ability to determine or report its location, the status of SOS/connected services, and the availability of Travel Assist/adaptive cruise-related functions. I did not activate the SOS emergency button as a test because I did not want to initiate a false emergency call. I cannot determine whether this is caused by hardware, software, backend systems, module firmware, or a combination of factors. I also cannot determine whether other vehicles are affected. I am submitting this complaint so NHTSA can review whether this GPS/SOS/connected-services condition warrants further safety review."

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

"Potential undercounting of safety defects through Volkswagen’s no-DTC/no-repair process. I recently located and reviewed a video recorded on February 18, 2025. It was originally made to document a remote climate-control malfunction, not a GPS problem. While reviewing it because of recurring GPS and SOS failures, I noticed that the same video also captured an incorrect speed-limit display. While traveling south on US-29/Columbia Pike near Greencastle Road, the vehicle was traveling at 53 mph with cruise control set at 55 mph. Google Maps displayed a 55-mph speed limit while the Volkswagen instrument cluster displayed 35 mph. My 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 remains under warranty. I have taken it to Volkswagen dealers four times for recurring GPS-location, SOS/emergency-communication, and connected-services failures. No permanent repair was completed. Dealers told me that because no relevant diagnostic trouble code was stored, they could not replace a component or perform another repair without Volkswagen authorization. During another failure, when the SOS indicator was not illuminated, I pressed the service-call button. The call did not connect. The system announced vehicle coordinates, but they were incorrect. This raises concern that inaccurate location information could be provided during an emergency if the SOS system relies on the same data. A Volkswagen TAC case was opened, but there was no meaningful progress or documented repair. After escalation, the SOS indicator and some functions appeared to return without an explanation of what action had been performed. The GPS later became inaccurate again. The SOS light remains illuminated, but Volkswagen has not verified the emergency-location function or identified the root cause. My concern is that Volkswagen’s no-DTC repair requirement leaves an observable, recurring safety defect unrepaired and may prevent these events from becoming completed warranty claims or being recognized as part of a broader defect pattern."