10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 2,692 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Driving on the highway and with no warning got an -??error-?? message and a message that the electrical system was shutting down. Also popped up some reference about the 12 volt battery. Car went into a neutral type mode and started to slow due to complete loss of power. Luckily we were able to get to the emergency lane from the middle highway lane and coast to a stop. Extremely dangerous for a complete loss of power to occur with no warning. Car turned itself off while we were calling VW roadside assistance. It then was able to be turned back on and driven as normal. Based on VW id4 blogs, this is happening too often and dealerships are not able to determine it through diagnostics.
- Springfield , VA, USA
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V162000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Saint Paul, MN, USA
While driving, both the driver-??s and center console displays stopped displaying information and went blank. The panels were still on but nothing displayed. The ID.4 console panel is known to not turn on or be blank, the solution is to press the console power button for 10-15 seconds to reboot the system. I held the power button and the system did restart and both the drivers and center console panel turned on. However, upon turning back on, I received a progressive series of messages that each driver assist module/sensor was no longer available. Finally received a yellow message stating Electrical system not working correctly and to have the vehicle serviced. Pulled over and turned the vehicle off and on which cleared the electrical system not working message. The problem has not repeated itself. VW dealer has not yet seen the vehicle. This vehicle has not have an electrical systems failure warning before. Vehicle was at approximately 50% charge at the time and I was going 25 mph. Safety is at risk by losing all vehicle data and speed. Then rebooting system to get the screen back caused a start to electrical systems failure.
- Lilburn, GA, USA
An error message displayed while the vehicle was idle at a parking lot. "Electrical system not operating correctly" Everything worked fine but this message did not go away.
- Yorba Linda, CA, USA
I was on the freeway going 70 mph. Red warning lights came on saying to stop car immediately. The car lost all power. I was able to get on the shoulder and called State Patrol because I was barely off a busy freeway. They advised me to get a tow truck. The Infotainment system was completely blank. All that worked were my emergency flashers. After ten minutes of trying to turn car back on, everything re booted and I was able to drive home.
- Seattle, WA, USA
Driving at about 10mph in parking lot and car jolted to stop. Dash flashing electrical failure in 12v battery, service immediately. Car would not move then it released into N position and began to roll back award. Warning electrical system failure flashed in dash and had no power for 10-15 minute. Flashing continued and said service needed. Sitting in isle of parking lot until Car allowed to move into spot after that but continued to flash red and yellow lights in dash for service and battery. Tried to reset car by getting out and locking it but did not work. Towed to dealer.
- Lakeville, MN, USA
I bought my ID4 new at the end of May 2021. When it started to get cold my car started losing Mileage Very Rapidly and I kept getting an Error for 12Volt power supply. Carnet would not work and car could not be opened without pushing unlock "key". Car was serviced Jan 24 and still had a problem. Next time the individual who works on EVs talked to VW and ordered a new battery, Feb 9. Battery replaced Feb 23. When leaving dealership and pulling out onto the main road the car appeared to completely stall out. Started right back on it-??s own but I could have been hit by the car coming up behind me easily. When I mentioned it to the Service guy he stated it was proably the computer resetting the system. Fault notice appeared that stated Fault Electronic Child Safety Lock. Cook VW was notified when I took my car in for service. Since then Warning and Information not available light came on and they did not work. Interior ID lighting not working correctly. March 9 more alerts have come on. Individual that worked on the car has been great and listened to my concerns then gone back, rechecked, called VW and now has ordered more parts. The ID indicator light in front dash still not working. Passenger side door will not open until 3-4 attempts. Has been an ongoing problem Rear drivers side door will not open from the inside. March 30 2022. Fault Electronic Child Safety Lock keeps coming on when car is started (picture.) Unable to open Drivers rear side door in back from the inside. Light does not show it is locked.
- Bel Air, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The warning message "High Voltage - Electrical Hazard - Don't Drive - Park Vehicle" were illuminated. The contact turned the vehicle off and, on several times, until the warning message disappeared. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. No issues were found with the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated to an air pocket in the cooling system. The dealer bled the cooling system; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V162000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
- Norco, CA, USA
While backing out of the drive way, electronic console of the car went black, we lost control over steering and accelerator functions and potentially brakes (unsure) while car was still moving. This happened at low speed (5-10 MPH). The instrument panel showed message to call service immediately. To regain control, we pressed the start engine button, which allowed us to again control the car. The call service message disappeared.
- Belmont, MA, USA
On multiple occasions, my brand new ID.4 has shut down while driving giving various error messages relating to the electrical system and safety features--including with the electrical system generally, with the "12 Volt electrical system", with the auto assist braking, with lane assist, etc.
- Houston, TX, USA
In October, 11 weeks ago, while parallel parking, which I do everyday for work, I reversed back into an empty spot, toggled into Drive to straighten out my car and my car accelerated and hit the car parked in front of me. I kept stomping on the break pedal but it was stiff, I couldn't press it down at all. The break pedal was as if the car was turned off. Even though it has been 11 weeks ago, I will not drive the car because VW has not fixed the problem and I do not feel safe. The body repair has been done. The car remains at the dealership where I bought it and is available for inspection. I could of hit many children because I was parking at an Elementary school when this unintended acceleration coupled with no brakes happened. It is VW's first ever ALL ELECTRIC car and the ID4's have NEVER had a software update. VW says, no technicians or trained mechanics, software would have to be done at dealer and could take all day, no software to download using Wi-Fi, may need bigger battery and no parts available. VW corporate fly out to inspect the car and run reports but they refuse to give me a copy and so does the dealership. VW is taking no responsibility and said the brake peddle was never applied, only the accelerator. I never put my foot on or near the accelerator because I was only inching forward to straighten my wheels out. When the car was put into drive it does not need any gas to move only a few inches forward. My insurance representative tried to run a report but he said there was no information at all on the recorder. He said I shouldn't have towed my car back to the dealer because information may have been erased. There were no warnings or assist to stop the car. This has not just happened to me but to many others as well. I can send documentation for that if you need
- Huntington Beach, CA, USA
The car displays warnings such as "travel assist unavailable, " "electrical system not working properly, " "drive system error" and "please service vehicle. The warnings appear upon startup after entering the car, or when attempting to shift from park to drive, park to reverse, or reverse to drive. The warnings leave the car in "park" and it cannot be moved. When they appear, the driver must exit the car and leave it stationary in the parking lot or busy street where the errors occurred for up to 30 minutes before the car's electrical and drive systems will reset. After reset, the car may or may not have recovered and become drivable, requiring at times multiple attempts before car can be moved. Having to leave the car in a parking lot is a nuisance. Having to leave the car in the middle of a street is hazardous.
- Miami, FL, USA
I bought a new ID4 from VW, it is 2 weeks old. Multiple times it has shown multiple error messages such as "Electrical system not working" then stops in the middle of the road. I am unable to change the drive from neutral or move the car, sometimes pushing the start button several times finally turns it off. There have been three incidents so far with less than 20 miles on the car. There are dozens of repots of others with the same issue, with only 10-20k ID4s sold, this is a high number of faulty vehicles. See https://www.reddit.com/r/VWiD4Owners/comments/pd0jdf/electrical_system_not_working_correctly/ https://www.vwidtalk.com/threads/my-turn-for-electrical-system-failure-now-fixed.3693/ etc
- Redwood City, CA, USA
Pulling into a parking space, using reiterative braking (B Mode). When applying brakes, car bolted and could not be controlled. It jumped a curb and drove straight toward a building. Brakes would not respond. Steering would not respond. I managed to steer the car avoiding the building but taking down a bench and ripping up the turf in front of the building. Car made a complete u-turn before coming to a stop. At that point, all electrical systems shut down, including the outside mirrors--they retracted. There was damage to exterior of the car-- a torn side molding and scratches and minor dents from bushes and the bench that was destroyed. The infotainment completely shut down. when I finally was able to restart the car, the systems came back on slowly, one at time. The car was towed by VW Roadside Assistance to a collision center for body repairs. It will be towed to the dealership after body repairs to diagnose the problem. I did not want to drive the car, not knowing if it is safe to drive. I had to file an insurance claim for the damage to the car and to the property that was damaged in the process. No other cars were damaged.
- Scottsdale, AZ, USA
On 9/28, I purchased my vehicle from Fairfax Volkswagen. On that date, I noticed the error message on the display, but the salesman said it was nothing to worry about. That following week, I noticed several vehicles flashing their lights at me. Later that evening, I discovered the left headlight day running lamp was not functional, and the high beam would not turn off. In addition, I notice the right headlight was not functioning properly as well. The following day, I took the vehicle to be inspected at Ourisman Volkswagen of Waldorf Maryland. I was informed the left and right headlight would need to be replaced on the vehicle due to some form of electrical malfunction.
- Indian Head, MD, USA
The ID.4 (brand new - 5 days old) shutdown in the middle of a busy street in Altamonte Springs, FL (suburb of Orlando). There was a -??Electrical system not working correctly. Please service vehicle" warning so I began to pull off to the left turning lane. Then 12V battery errors started flashing and 5 seconds later the entire car shut down in the middle of the road. I was unable to restart it for 10-15minutes. I was able to drive 300 feet to a parking lot after. Will be taking the ID.4 to the dealership tomorrow morning (9/20/2021) assuming it doesn't shut down during the drive.
- Altamonte Springs, FL, USA
The vehicle went into complete shutdown, it was unable to be placed into Drive or Reverse and vehicle was completely immobile. Various warnings appeared on the instrument cluster. After letting the vehicle sit it was returned to the dealer, where they experienced the same issues, but eventually replaced various electrical components and re-booted/re-programmed the systems. Approximately 11 days after receiving the vehicle back from repair the same thing occurred, additionally the automatic hold feature, to prevent rolling in neutral, failed and the car rolled backwards in my driveway about 4 feet before I was able to apply the footbrake. Several warning signals said the vehicle should not be driven, the vehicle is now back at the dealer again.
- Fairfield, OH, USA
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Rear window defrost grid How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Potential electrical fire Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Confirmed by Galpin VW and Santa Monica Vw dealers and the manufacturer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes the vehicle has been inspected by Galpin VW Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" The defrost grid shows signs of "visual variance" according to manufacturer.
- Sherman Oaks, CA, USA
While pulling out of a parking garage at low speed, the car shut down/stopped/lost all power. Also, a second event occurred while backing into a charging station, the car shut down/stopped/lost all power.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Scottsdale, AZ, USA