RoadVitals

2025 Volkswagen ID.4 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
25
Latest Jul 27, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
7
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
11

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

13
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

On 6/29/2026, While engaging the brakes on my leased ID.4, I was slowing down approaching another car, and suddenly the vehicle surged forward with full acceleration. It then suddenly re-engaged the brakes just before the vehicle in front of me. On 7/1/2026, I was stopped in traffic near Englewood City Center on I-285. Then with brakes engaged the ID.4 surged forward twice (2x's) striking the late model Chevy pickup in front of me both times. This resulted in a four (4) car chain reaction accident. To date, no one has claimed injuries, but the Chevy pickup was damaged. I received a summons to appear in court. Case yet to be adjudicated. On 7/2/2026, while taking the ID.4 to the dealership where I lease it to look into the problem of the previous two (2) days; the ID.4 again accelerated while slowing down at a stop light. This time no one was in front of me. At the dealership the service people have been unable to locate the issue nor have they been able to replicate it. I have left the vehicle with the dealer because of the dire safety issue this failure poses. Now, they say it is a Volkswagen (company) issue, and they have opened a case. They instructed me to contact Volkswagen USA. To date, I have not had any results from Volkswagen USA, the ID.4 is still a safety issue, I have a court date with no evidence of vehicle malfunction, and now the dealership is telling me that I have to come and remove the ID.4 from there premises. I have sent four (4) letters to dealership and to Volkswagen, and agreed to continue paying on my Lease until a definitive solution is found. On further investigation, there are numerous similar cases of the same/similar issues with 2025 and 2024 ID.4's. There are lawsuits and deaths from similar failures, but no one from Volkswagen mentions this. Until the issue is solved I do not feel this vehicle should be driven for my personal safety and for the safety of the public at large.

NHTSA ID 11753066 · filed Jul 27, 2026

Following the recent winter update, I noticed several faults during the weekend prior to the major incident described below: ​Child Lock Malfunction: The car entered "child mode" and the rear door could not be opened from the inside or outside until I exited and re-entered the vehicle. ​Driver-Side Control Failure: The driver-side door controls stopped functioning. They only reset after I exited and re-entered the car. ​Alarm Malfunction: The alarm triggered unexpectedly while we were exiting the vehicle. ​Incident Report: 12/22/2025 While taking my daughter to Taekwondo (TKD) practice, I positioned the vehicle to back into a parking spot. I shifted into reverse, and the backup camera activated. As I always do, I checked my mirrors and the camera to ensure the path was clear. The vehicle did not provide any proximity beeps as it usually does when near an object. ​When I released the brakes, the vehicle did not move. I pressed the accelerator, and the car suddenly jumped forward, striking two parked vehicles. Thankfully, it was only a "fender bender" and no one was injured. ​Following the collision, the ID.4 screen became unresponsive for a moment, and the vehicle refused to power down when I lifted my weight from the seat. I had to get back in, close the door, fasten my seatbelt, unfasten it, and exit again before the vehicle finally turned off. I reported the incident to my insurance, and the damage to all three vehicles was covered. ​Follow-up: 12/23/2025 During a test drive the following day, I noticed the parking sensors would activate and beep as I approached intersections. This would only last a few seconds, but the screen would indicate an obstacle in front of the car when the path was clear. ​I took the vehicle to the dealer, but they were unable to replicate the faults. They reset the computer but claimed they did not have access to the specific fault codes. I took the car to a repair shop for bodywork, but it still exhibits minor software "quirks".

NHTSA ID 11730071 · filed Apr 8, 2026
All 13 reports naming driver assistance

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

12
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

On April 1st I had my windshield replaced due to a crack in the upper central portion of the windshield. When the glass place took the windshield off my car they found a burnt section in the headliner. The glass place reported it immediately to the Volkswagon dealership and asked the device person at the dealership to come look at the burnt headliner before they placed the glass back. The service person at the dealer did go and look at the car so the glass people finished installing the windshield but took pictures prior to installing the new glass. The dealership then reach out to me and asked to bring the car in ASAP. The car was dropped off a few days later for the service department at the dealership to look into the burnt headliner. After the dealer has had the car for 10 days VW Corp is refusing to conduct a full investigation to determine the issue of this burnt area. Concerned this car is a fire risk and unsafe due to wire issues or overheating elements around the windshield. The risk and issue is completely hidden in the car and not easily known about or identified during an event. Could put my house in jeopardy if fire starts while in my garage. Manufacture/dealership has inspected the car. Insurance is determining if they will inspect the vehicle or not. No warning lights or any indication this area was hot or hot even to burn the headliner.

NHTSA ID 11731993 · filed Apr 17, 2026

Following the recent winter update, I noticed several faults during the weekend prior to the major incident described below: ​Child Lock Malfunction: The car entered "child mode" and the rear door could not be opened from the inside or outside until I exited and re-entered the vehicle. ​Driver-Side Control Failure: The driver-side door controls stopped functioning. They only reset after I exited and re-entered the car. ​Alarm Malfunction: The alarm triggered unexpectedly while we were exiting the vehicle. ​Incident Report: 12/22/2025 While taking my daughter to Taekwondo (TKD) practice, I positioned the vehicle to back into a parking spot. I shifted into reverse, and the backup camera activated. As I always do, I checked my mirrors and the camera to ensure the path was clear. The vehicle did not provide any proximity beeps as it usually does when near an object. ​When I released the brakes, the vehicle did not move. I pressed the accelerator, and the car suddenly jumped forward, striking two parked vehicles. Thankfully, it was only a "fender bender" and no one was injured. ​Following the collision, the ID.4 screen became unresponsive for a moment, and the vehicle refused to power down when I lifted my weight from the seat. I had to get back in, close the door, fasten my seatbelt, unfasten it, and exit again before the vehicle finally turned off. I reported the incident to my insurance, and the damage to all three vehicles was covered. ​Follow-up: 12/23/2025 During a test drive the following day, I noticed the parking sensors would activate and beep as I approached intersections. This would only last a few seconds, but the screen would indicate an obstacle in front of the car when the path was clear. ​I took the vehicle to the dealer, but they were unable to replicate the faults. They reset the computer but claimed they did not have access to the specific fault codes. I took the car to a repair shop for bodywork, but it still exhibits minor software "quirks".

NHTSA ID 11730071 · filed Apr 8, 2026
All 12 reports naming electrical

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

4
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

On April 1st I had my windshield replaced due to a crack in the upper central portion of the windshield. When the glass place took the windshield off my car they found a burnt section in the headliner. The glass place reported it immediately to the Volkswagon dealership and asked the device person at the dealership to come look at the burnt headliner before they placed the glass back. The service person at the dealer did go and look at the car so the glass people finished installing the windshield but took pictures prior to installing the new glass. The dealership then reach out to me and asked to bring the car in ASAP. The car was dropped off a few days later for the service department at the dealership to look into the burnt headliner. After the dealer has had the car for 10 days VW Corp is refusing to conduct a full investigation to determine the issue of this burnt area. Concerned this car is a fire risk and unsafe due to wire issues or overheating elements around the windshield. The risk and issue is completely hidden in the car and not easily known about or identified during an event. Could put my house in jeopardy if fire starts while in my garage. Manufacture/dealership has inspected the car. Insurance is determining if they will inspect the vehicle or not. No warning lights or any indication this area was hot or hot even to burn the headliner.

NHTSA ID 11731993 · filed Apr 17, 2026

For the second time, the car began burning and smoking from the windshield, melting parts of the car near the windshield wipers and the glass itself, and filling the car's cabin with smoke. The burning and smoking went on for 15 minutes after we safely escaped. Myself and my family, including a young child, inhaled a lot of smoke before we were able to exit the car. The car was towed to the dealer and they have so far claimed that the large, charred, burned out holes are "rock chips," which is certainly not the case. I have asked the manufacturer to come and inspect the car the first time this happened, when the car was brand new and I turned on the heated windshield for the first time and this happened, but they refused to do so. It's a known issue and there's a class action lawsuit in Canada, but the manufacturer is trying to cover it up in the US to avoid a similar suit. Reddit, Facebook groups, and other forums are filled with people who have had the same thing happen.

NHTSA ID 11729245 · filed Apr 5, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

On 6/29/2026, While engaging the brakes on my leased ID.4, I was slowing down approaching another car, and suddenly the vehicle surged forward with full acceleration. It then suddenly re-engaged the brakes just before the vehicle in front of me. On 7/1/2026, I was stopped in traffic near Englewood City Center on I-285. Then with brakes engaged the ID.4 surged forward twice (2x's) striking the late model Chevy pickup in front of me both times. This resulted in a four (4) car chain reaction accident. To date, no one has claimed injuries, but the Chevy pickup was damaged. I received a summons to appear in court. Case yet to be adjudicated. On 7/2/2026, while taking the ID.4 to the dealership where I lease it to look into the problem of the previous two (2) days; the ID.4 again accelerated while slowing down at a stop light. This time no one was in front of me. At the dealership the service people have been unable to locate the issue nor have they been able to replicate it. I have left the vehicle with the dealer because of the dire safety issue this failure poses. Now, they say it is a Volkswagen (company) issue, and they have opened a case. They instructed me to contact Volkswagen USA. To date, I have not had any results from Volkswagen USA, the ID.4 is still a safety issue, I have a court date with no evidence of vehicle malfunction, and now the dealership is telling me that I have to come and remove the ID.4 from there premises. I have sent four (4) letters to dealership and to Volkswagen, and agreed to continue paying on my Lease until a definitive solution is found. On further investigation, there are numerous similar cases of the same/similar issues with 2025 and 2024 ID.4's. There are lawsuits and deaths from similar failures, but no one from Volkswagen mentions this. Until the issue is solved I do not feel this vehicle should be driven for my personal safety and for the safety of the public at large.

NHTSA ID 11753066 · filed Jul 27, 2026

The vehicle has difficulty coming to a stop and requires slamming the brakes in full which causes a loud churning noise, the braking is intermittent, sometimes it works well and sometimes it works terribly. It is a huge safety issue. Also the lane keep assist seems to not work so well as well, it will drift out of the lanes at times when it is on

NHTSA ID 11688878 · filed Sep 22, 2025

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Body & structure

Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

For the second time, the car began burning and smoking from the windshield, melting parts of the car near the windshield wipers and the glass itself, and filling the car's cabin with smoke. The burning and smoking went on for 15 minutes after we safely escaped. Myself and my family, including a young child, inhaled a lot of smoke before we were able to exit the car. The car was towed to the dealer and they have so far claimed that the large, charred, burned out holes are "rock chips," which is certainly not the case. I have asked the manufacturer to come and inspect the car the first time this happened, when the car was brand new and I turned on the heated windshield for the first time and this happened, but they refused to do so. It's a known issue and there's a class action lawsuit in Canada, but the manufacturer is trying to cover it up in the US to avoid a similar suit. Reddit, Facebook groups, and other forums are filled with people who have had the same thing happen.

NHTSA ID 11729245 · filed Apr 5, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Airbags

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

On [XXX], I was parking my 2025 VW ID.4 car in a parking spot in B mode and applying the brake to come to a stop. The car suddenly accelerated forward (of its own will) at maximum speed such that the car ran over a bollard, a sidewalk and into a brick wall causing significant damage. In the space of perhaps 10 feet at most the car went from a stopping position to taking out a brick wall on a commercial building. This is so incredibly dangerous as someone could have been on the sidewalk and killed. I could have been killed as my airbag never deployed despite charging with great speed into a brick wall! NHTSA must do something to resolve this. VW has overwhelming knowledge of this defect. In June 2025 a class action lawsuit was filed against the VW for this exact reason - link here: [XXX] Per the lawsuit there have been deaths related to this defect. This was never disclosed to me when I bought the car....as a matter of fact, the EV safety features in their sales pitch was one of the overwhelming reasons I bought the car. There are also many blogs related to this issue describing almost exactly what happened to me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11683989 · filed Aug 29, 2025

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Interior & seats

Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

On multiple occasions the infotainment system/central control system has gone black and rebooted while driving without any prior notification or warning. The front two USB ports indicate they are producing 12.2 volts; however, as soon as anything is plugged in, they become disabled and will not work. The warning lights indicating the front passenger seat belt is not in use randomly turn on when there is no passenger present in that seat.

NHTSA ID 11725247 · filed Mar 18, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .