2023 Volkswagen ID.4

On May 16, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Recall Query (RQ) RQ24010 to investigate the remedy and scope of recalls 23V-213 and 23V-312. The affected vehicles by these recalls included model years (MY) 2021 through 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles. ODI received reports of the vehicle’s doors opening while the vehicle was in motion post recall remedy.  ODI, also, received similar allegations on vehicles that were outside the scope of the recalls. Volkswagen issued recall 23V-213 on March 29, 2023, and recall 23V-213 on May 03, 2023. These recalls addressed the defect of water ingress into the circuit board assembly of the door handle. Water ingress can cause communication issues between the door handle and the door control until. This malfunction resulted in the vehicle door inadvertently opening while the vehicle was in motion. Over the course of the investigation, ODI received 17 unique VIN VOQ complaints of the vehicle doors opening while the vehicle was in motion occurring either post recall remedy or on a vehicle that was outside the recall scope. Volkswagen submitted 190 unique VIN complaints reporting the same circumstances. On September 4, 2024, Volkswagen submitted recall 24V-651 to address the issue of inadvertent opening of the door while the vehicle is in motion. The scope of this recall expands the affected vehicles to include all MY2021-2024 Volkswagen ID.4 models, including those remedied under the subject recalls. The recall remedy consists of replacement of the door handle assembly on all four doors as well as a software update.  The software update is performed to update the door handle parameters. The new door handle will have the membrane relocated to the back of the handle to avoid standing water within the handle.  Also, a protective coating will be on the front and back of the circuit board to avoid direct moisture formation. In view of the action being taken by Volkswagen, Recall 24V-651, ODI is closing this Recall Query.  The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

COMPONENT & AVAILABILITY: Driver front seat assembly (tracks, lower frame, mounting hardware). Fully available for inspection upon request. SAFETY RISK: The driver seat exhibits physical play and a fore-and-aft rocking motion during acceleration, braking, and occupant weight shifts. Sudden or continuous seat movement reduces driver stability and raises concerns about occupant seating position and the effectiveness of safety restraints during driving or emergency maneuvers. REPRODUCED / CONFIRMED BY DEALERS & SERVICE HISTORY: Presented for service on 8 repair opportunities: a) at ~1,600 & ~2,100 miles: Reported seat track wobble; service denied as operating per design. b) at ~2,500 miles: Technician verified the defect, confirmed a mechanical malfunction in the seat bottom frame, and replaced the lower frame structure under warranty. c) at ~8,729 miles: Reported re-occurring play; service denied as normal operation. d) at ~9,637 miles: Tested with a replacement seat frame to compare, confirmed play, and reinstalled original frame; deemed operating per design. e) at ~19,000, ~21,000, & ~22,000 miles: Seat rocking reoccurred and was re-demonstrated to technicians, but further repairs were denied as normal flex or operating per design. MANUFACTURER ACTION: Escalated to corporate customer care, which acknowledged the rocking motion in writing but closed the case without repair. Corporate required a dealer fault diagnosis before dispatching a Field Technical Engineer. Concurrently, the servicing dealer, under technical support advisement, declined to declare a fault or call a field engineer for inspection. This administrative loop leaves an uncorrected structural seat issue. SYMPTOMS & WARNINGS: First appeared at ~1,600 miles and persists past 26,000 miles. No warning lights or diagnostic trouble codes. The only symptom is the seat assembly physically shifting during momentum changes.

NHTSA ID

11775490

Incident

Feb 24, 2024

• Date of Incident: [XXX] • Location of Incident: Electrify America Charging Station at Sheetz (Mentor, Ohio) • Incident Type: In-use battery thermal event during DC fast charging, resulting in total vehicle loss and extensive collateral property damage. • Status of Vehicle: Stationary / Actively charging. • Pre-Incident Warning Signs: None. No error messages, diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), or prior performance issues were present. • Vehicle Compliance Status: Fully up to date on all manufacturer-required maintenance, routine service, and active recalls. • Causality Confirmation: Confirmed by Volkswagen Investigator. • Current Vehicle Location: State Farm holding lot. On [XXX], while the vehicle was stationary and actively plugged into a DC fast charger at the Electrify America charging station in Mentor, Ohio, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe thermal event. Prior to the event, the vehicle exhibited no symptoms, dashboard warnings, or messages, and was completely up to date on all service, routine maintenance, and scheduled recalls. The high-voltage battery failed while charging, rapidly generating extreme heat and open flames, resulting in a total loss. The fire spread aggressively, completely totaling a second vehicle that was charging next to it, destroying the Electrify America charging stations, and causing extensive property damage to the surrounding Sheetz commercial property. Crucially, a corporate field investigator dispatched by Volkswagen subsequently inspected the vehicle and explicitly confirmed that the root cause of the fire was an internal failure stemming directly from the high-voltage battery defect. This severe thermal event and its significant collateral damage directly map to the critical risk parameters outlined in Volkswagen's safety recall, proving that standard charging operations under normal conditions trigger severe failure without prior warning and before a remedy INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11775385

Incident

Aug 7, 2026

The contact owned a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while charging the vehicle at a charging station, the vehicle caught on fire after removing the charger from the vehicle. The fire had originated from underneath the vehicle and quickly spread to another ID.4 parked nearby, which caused both vehicles to catch fire. The Emergency Services were called to the scene, and the Fire Department extinguished the fire. A Police report was filed. The fire caused significant damages to the concrete and other charging ports at the charging station. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and subsequently to an insurance holding lot, and the vehicle was declared a total loss. The manufacturer sent an investigator and confirmed that the failure was battery related. The manufacturer agreed to compensate the contact for the financial damage; however, the offer was rejected by the contact because the contact did not agree to the amount stated in the compensation. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

NHTSA ID

11774413

Incident

Aug 11, 2026

Mileage

33,000 mi

The built-in GPS navigation system on my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 is experiencing a severe location drift defect, causing the vehicle's onboard map to show the car miles away from its actual physical location. This is an active safety hazard. In the event of a severe accident, the vehicle's automated emergency services (eCall/SOS/Car-Net) rely on this built-in GPS module to transmit coordinates to first responders. Because the system is reporting completely inaccurate location data, emergency personnel would be dispatched to the wrong coordinates during an accident, causing catastrophic delays in life-saving medical response.

NHTSA ID

11773617

Incident

Dec 21, 2024

I was stopped in a friend’s driveway in front of her closed garage door to drop her off after an outing. The front sensor had not been alerting me to how close I was to any objects several times the same day. Before my passenger exited, the car suddenly lurched forward and smashed into my friend’s garage door, buckling several panels on the garage door and scraping the paint off the front of my car. I have contacted the dealership to have the car inspected and I’m waiting for an appointment. No police report has been filed. No injuries occurred. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms (aside from the front sensor not alerting me when I was close to objects in front of me) prior to this incident.

NHTSA ID

11773085

Incident

Oct 22, 2026

Vehicle: 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, VIN [XXX] (in service [XXX]) Component: Power Train – Drive axle / Driveshaft At 19,623 miles, a thumping and rolling noise developed in the rear, worst under heavy acceleration and deceleration. Volkswagen of Cool Springs (Franklin, TN) found the left rear CV axle loose where it fits into the rear drive motor. The dealer replaced the left rear drive axle (RO [XXX], 06/28/2025 to 07/14/2025). The same noise returned within 3 days. On 07/17/2025 (RO [XXX], 19,732 miles), the dealer ordered a second driveshaft. A later visit (RO [XXX]) again recommended axle replacement. Further axle and seal work was done on RO [XXX] (10/30/2025 to 11/05/2025, 22,199 miles). The problem has come back again. The vehicle has been at the dealer since about [XXX], now more than 50 days, with no fix or timeline. That makes at least four repair visits for the same defect, with the first two inside the first year of ownership. A recurring loose connection between the axle and the drive motor could cause sudden loss of drive power or axle failure at speed. I am asking NHTSA to investigate rear axle and drive motor defects in the 2023 ID.4. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11772848

Incident

Jun 28, 2025

Failure to stop, auto continued forward. I veered right to avoid heading collision with a tree. I veered right but was unable to prevent colliding with the tree, scraping the bark. The vehicle then spontaneously accelerated and I had to slam my foot on the brake to make it stop. This caused $8900 of damage to the body of the vehicle. The repairman at the collision shop expressed concerns with the brakes, and recommended the car be taken to the dealer to have the brakes checked..This EV has been reported as having this issue since 2021, for models 2021-2024; VW fails to install a safety recall. this problem. The car is a safety risk. I can’t drive it anymore because I fear a repeat of the incident. I injured my right shoulder with the sudden stop of the vehicle after the spontaneous acceleration. This vehicle poses a safety risk and I have to get rid of it, I can’t drive it for fear of a repeat of the malfunction.

NHTSA ID

11771885

Incident

Sep 27, 2026

On XXX, at about 10:22 PM, I was driving my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 southbound on [XXX] in [XXX], from [XXX] toward [XXX]. It was raining moderately, but the road and lanes were clearly visible. There was no vehicle, person or object in front of me. Adaptive Cruise Control was not engaged. I was traveling at about 55 mph. Without any input from me, the car suddenly applied full emergency braking. I did not press the brake pedal. The sudden braking on the wet road caused the car to spin around about twice. It struck the curb and the concrete barrier wall on the left side of the highway and came to a stop. The side airbags deployed and the seat belts tightened. The hazard lights came on by themselves. I believe the automatic emergency braking system falsely detected an obstacle, possibly due to the rain, and braked when there was no hazard. NC State Highway Patrol responded (report 261010168HA). The vehicle was towed and is being held so its event data can be preserved. [Injuries: none] I am reporting this because unexpected automatic braking at highway speed in rain caused a loss of control and could injure other drivers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11770704

Incident

Oct 10, 2026

Condensation and or water droplets visible on inside of exterior light lenses

Condensation

Water Migration under RAPGARD® during PDI

Installation of the service parts listed in the table below requires an ID.S compound update.

Do Not replace the Electric Drive Power and Control Electronics -JX1- before performing the update outlined in this bulletin.

We have deployed this consent email to approximately 6000 customers on 10/7