2021 VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 Recalls, Complaints & Safety

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

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."

Remedy: 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.

60,490 vehicles affected

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

60,490 vehicles affected

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.

Remedy: 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.

99,064 vehicles affected

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HANDLE:EXTERIOR

99,064 vehicles affected

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

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."

Remedy: 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.

79,965 vehicles affected

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

79,965 vehicles affected

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT:SOFTWARE

79,965 vehicles affected

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.

Remedy: 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

35,325 vehicles affected

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.

Remedy: 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.

20,904 vehicles affected

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY:MANAGEMENT SYSTEM/ENERGY CONTROL MODULE (BMS/BECM):SOFTWARE

20,904 vehicles affected

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."

Remedy: 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.

55 vehicles affected

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.

Remedy: 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.

356 vehicles affected

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.

Remedy: 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.

1 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

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."

Remedy: 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).

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

45,496 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

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."

Remedy: 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.

12,060 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS

12,060 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

12,060 vehicles affected

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

12,060 vehicles affected

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."

Remedy: 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.

3,240 vehicles affected

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Instrument panel went completely dark. Lost all information. Needed to pull the car over to the curb. Eventually the display reset and came back.

After rain or snow, vehicle will not release from park even when shifted to drive. After pressing accelerator a few times vehicle will make a loud bang from the rear (loud enough to sound as though something is coming apart) and then start to move. This happens in warm and cold weather

Multiple issues with this vehicle. Have had door handle recall completed, however now doors will randomly not open from inside or outside, even after verifying child lock is off and doors are unlocked. Same issue with trunk, almost always a fight to get it to open/release. Separate issue with windows, which will just randomly roll themselves down while driving, additionally they will roll themselves down when trying to close windows (lift switch to close windows and they roll down vs up)

The center display and the instrument panel on our ID4 reset unexpectedly while driving, even though recall with Campaing ID 24V344000 was performed on our vehicle. This caused both displays to turn off, first the instrument panel followed by the center display - we pulled over as we did not have any information of any kind of the status of the car. After a couple of minutes, it came back up again - restarted. We reported to our local VW dealer, who told us that there is no open recall.

Driver's side door cannot be opened from outside. Exterior handle pulls but produces only clicking sounds inside the door—latch does not release. Interior handle requires multiple pulls to open the door. Emergency release handle (pulling exterior handle fully upward) also fails to open the door. This vehicle has had both door handle recalls (23V-706 and 24V-329) performed by an authorized VW dealership. The problem has occurred intermittently since purchasing the vehicle over a year ago but is now persistent/permanent. This is a safety defect—the driver cannot exit normally in an emergency, and the vehicle cannot be accessed from outside through the driver's door by any means including the emergency release.

Vehicle is able to be shifted from park to drive or reverse without foot pressing brake pedal. On multiple occasions I have shifted from park to reverse and the vehicle has immediately started idling backwards.

The onboard system for connecting the car to the 4g data has failed. Many many people online are reporting this issue. It is a safety issue because there is a loss of the SOS system that alerts authorities that the car has crashed. It also controls the onscreen road sigh display, which could lead to excessive speed and increase the likelihood of a crash. I have been working with VW Connected Car since October 2025 and it still has not been fixed. Here is link to some of the many complaints about this safety issue. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My Id 4 Pro S has this problem more going back almost 3 years with 8k miles when first reported to the dealership and [XXX] [XXX], [XXX],[XXX]. The correspondences are there as proof. Dealership never fixed this issue or diagnoses this properly since it only happens in wet weather or rainy mist or rain. The issues is the front tires in the front wheel wells make a thumping sound when backing up and moving forward with the wheels turned in any direction and a crunching sound with the car shaking. I am concerned for my safety and VW will not fix the issue. They had it twice in servicing, did not wet the underside to create the wet symptoms so they dismissed the issue. It does not rain much here and I presumed all the over the air updates and 2 day mega update leaving my vehicle would resolve the issue only to find out now with the new rain the problem is still there. This is a manufacturer defect and was reported when my vehicle was under full warranty . Now they are giving me excuses and wont address the problem or diagnose this properly and want to charge me for there manufacturers defect . I only have 22,675 miles on the vehicle now and it is garaged all the time so this is not from wear and tear since it occurred at 8000 miles and was reported twice before. I have multiple case numbers on this and VW will not take responsibility to fix this defect, and malfunction . They had stone walled me and passed this off as no issue. I have videos of the issue on drop box I can sent to you if requested . See drop box videos. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] 2 Videos here from [XXX]. Please help ! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Dome lights in vehicle turn on and off on their own. Trying to turn them off does not work. They keep turning off and on. This seems to be a known issue by other owners and the dealerships. At night it is very distracting and could be dangerous when a lone driver is paying more attention trying to turn them off or having visibility issue with the light turning on inside the car.

The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and there was a loud revving noise coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle then independently accelerated at full speed. The contact stated that her husband depressed the brake pedal several times, but the vehicle did not slow down, and the steering wheel locked, preventing the driver from steering the vehicle to safety. The vehicle then crashed into the back of another vehicle that was either stopped or was moving extremely slow. The contact’s husband sustained back, and neck injuries but had not sought medical intention. The insurance company informed the contact the that the other driver had since sought medical attention. A Police report was filed but was not available. The other vehicle was driven from the scene; however, the contact’s vehicle was towed to a tow lot where it was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Crash 1 injured

Backup camera has failed and shows an error. This has created a safety risk when backing up.

The vehicle randomly gives warnings that road signs are unavailable. This is very distracting while driving. The vehicle software has no option to disable this.

My 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 frequently disconnects from the network while driving. When this happens, multiple vehicle systems stop working as intended. The built-in GPS begins to drift or shows incorrect vehicle position, making navigation unreliable and unsafe. Other connected features (such as driver attention and traffic signs alerts) also fail or freeze. This issue occurs repeatedly, often without warning, and does not resolve itself even if the vehicle is restarted. I am concerned this is a software or hardware defect that could affect driver safety. I have contacted VW but they have not offered a solution.

The main console display (e.g. Speedometer, Cruise Control, Dashboard) is displaying an error message: "Warnings and Information not available. Drive with Greater Care". I have tried to reset the system without success.

I have open recalls on my vehicle, and Volkswagen is refusing to fix them. This includes the door handles and the battery. The battery recall has been open for a while, and NO dealership is fixing it for me. Additionally, the local dealership refused service and tried charging me to fix the recall, which is supposed to be free. The "date this incident occured" below is today, because they are completely refusing service now.

Electrical system not working correctly. Powertrain maintenance needed. Vehicle randomly had a light come on the dash, and included the message about electrical systems. Vehicle lost power, when I tried to accelerate, it was accelerating extremely slow and finally was able to get to posted speed limit of 35 in 0.5 miles. Never had a light come on until now. Recently had the 10,000 mile safety check completed by the dealer.

The infotainment screen repeatedly resets/goes black, causing the backup camera to not be displayed. Also, less frequently, the instrument cluster reboots resulting in a lack of speedometer. This was supposedly fixed in an update during a prior recall but it is still happening.

I have been experiencing intermittent, now permanent, infotainment malfunctioning. At first, it would cut in and out, even while driving. The entire screen AND my speedometer would cut out. My car is a 2021 i.d.4 and JUST fell out of warranty, which means the repairs are not covered. The VW dealership told me the 12v battery has failed AND the 5F unit has also failed. The 12v is $713.25 to replace, and the infotainment 5F unit is $1,631.93 to replace. This is a safety hazard because not being able to see my speed or turn on/off my defroster in the morning (because the screen is black and cuts out) and should be covered under a recall, as this appears to be an issue across all i.d.4 2021 models.

My car is stopped and still due to heavy traffic . All of a sudden, while stopping, it starts moving and rolling away by itself. I try to stop it using the break pedal but it doesn’t stop.

Crash

I have turn signal lamps burned out on both sides of my 2021 VW ID4. When driving straight, the burnt out lights are part of daytime running lights. Half of the light is burnt out. But when you turn on your turn indicator, this light IS the turn indicator. So half my turn indicator on both sides, isn’t working. The only way to fix this where VW is concerned is to buy and install new headlight assemblies. The cost to replace both is $4300 as you must remove the bumper and other parts, install the new headlamps, put everything back together and then recalibrate everything. This is safety equipment on LED lights, something that was advertised and expected to last the lifetime of the vehicle, and it is failing only 2-4 years into ownership. There are many many people complaining about this exact failure on ID4 national websites and given this is a systematic failure of safety equipment, I feel VW should bear the entire cost of fixing it, not the consumer.

235/50/20 104T MFD: 0223 & 5022 (both on the front) Driven less than 15,000 miles so far. Started having this issue around 10k miles. Will have to swap soon before a major accident occurs due to tire failure and checking almost all the boxes that are below. I have no words to describe and neither does the firestone employee. I am attaching pictures. Chunks of tread are coming off from all around the tire. Inside, outside, 360 degree. In the picture you'll see how much tread there is and see how deep the chunks are. This is a major safety issue. I have 2 other tires same model but from 2024 MFD without issue. Please contact ASAP about this at [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Vehicle infotainment system displays "Rearview Camera Error" when putting vehicle in Reverse. As a result, the vehicle will not display anything when backing up, therefore causing a safety risk for the driver, and/or anyone behind the vehicle. Dealer has confirmed either a software glitch or a camera malfunction repair of at least $2500.00. Online consensus with other VW ID4 owners seems to be a software glitch, as the camera will work if the fuse from the main electrical panel is removed, then reinstalled. This fix only lasts for a couple of days before the camera error returns. There were no warnings or symptoms of the "camera error". In fact, all was working well before our last service visit when the vehicle's software was updated.

I was pulling into street parking spot behind a parked car at a slow speed and braking to stop. I put my foot on the brake to bring the car to a complete stop but instead of slowing down the car accelerated straight into the vehicle in front of me. The rear end of the car in front of me was substantially damaged.

Crash

The rear view camera does not display an image and states it's in error.

The car will periodically lock with the key inside the car. This is potentially deadly for women to keep their keys in their purses. When they exit the vehicle, the door may lock, trapping a small child in a hot car. I had this happen to me today, but luckily, no child was in the back seat. Browsing the VW forums, this is not an isolated incident. I contacted VW, and they did not seem to care.

After charging with my home charger, the electrical system has been one unusable or shown electrical error codes. In March 2025, the engine battery cells had a significant failure that required towing to the service center as it was completely unable to drive. This repair took 5 weeks to complete. The car had regular service and inspection 7/19/25 and issues with the navigation system and the charging port door were indicated. On 7/22/25 a warning light for electrical issues please service now came on. It was drivable to the service center but it is still not diagnosed due to another ID4 being serviced at the same time and they’re unable to work on 2. Of course with all of these downtimes we are still paying for a loan on a car we are not able to drive due to it being unsafe.

While attempting to reverse in vehicle, if you look over your shoulder to reverse, the car will intermittently turn off. There have been multiple instances on different surfaces where this has happened. The driver seat was occupied, restrained, looking over right shoulder primarily to reverse and the vehicle turns off. This is a huge safety issue, what if you are halfway into a roadway, triple checking over your shoulder and the car turns off.