Complaint volume
317 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Complaints
317 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, grouped by component category.
317 Total complaints
26 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
14 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are electrical system, unknown or other, structure. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 26 crash reports, 1 fire report, 14 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 34 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 33,202 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to electrical system, unknown or other, structure?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Volkswagen ID.4?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Volkswagen ID.4
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 complaints?
26 Crash
1 Fire
14 Injury
0 Fatality
22 Towed
9 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 complaint categories?
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 72
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 31
STRUCTURE 16
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11
SERVICE BRAKES 9
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7
TIRES 7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT,BACK OVER PREVENTION 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 6
POWER TRAIN 6
317 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | My vehicle's stability control system will activate in error to slow the vehicle when traversing moderate corners at speeds of approximately 25 to 35 mph. When this happens the vehicle experiences no actual loss of traction but the ESC warning light will flash on the dash and the vehicle will cut power and slow the vehicle with pulsing applications of the brakes by 5 to 10 mph. This is an unsafe scenario because I am unable to accelerate during these episodes even if needed and the vehicle slows to a speed well below the normal traffic traveling speed. In long sections of winding road I have had to disable the system to be able to drive normally, without interference in my ability to accelerate, and even then the stability/abs system will activate if I touch the brake pedal at all, still with no true traction loss. I am confident that it is a system failure because it occurs very predictably on certain sections of twisty road. I have experimented and the system will inappropriately activate when I drive 30 mph on the curves but provide no interference when I drive the same section at 40 mph. This issue has been reported by numerous owners on the idtalk.com forum, seeming to be specific to the AWD models, with one owner reporting he was told it is a software related issue with no imeadiate fix after having his car inspected for an extended period of time. I have reported the issue to my local dealer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SEAT BELTS | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | AIR BAGS | When placing a laptop, a heavy bag, or any heavy item on the front passenger seat, the seat belt warning light with a ding. So, I have to connect the seat belt to make it stop. Though I do appreciate it working with a person sitting in that seat, it's just sort of annoying especially if you're moving items around. My small 10 pound dog does not activate the sensors. Most of the vehicles that I have had in the past automatically turn the airbags and seatbelt warning light off if it detects a nonhuman or or an inanimate object or there's a switch to turn off the passenger side. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | 4,000 |
| Mar 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The reverse illumination AT NIGHT is non-existant and this puts our safety and the safety of others at risk. When we called the dealership they told us we would be wasting our time to bring the car in, they knew of the problem and said it was a defect in the design and they could not fix it. We were put in contact with the VW Customer Service and spoke with Region Case Manager Kenneth Swantek and he denied the existence of a problem. To document the problem we brought our vehicle to the Tracy VW dealership and had it examined by a QTM. His response was that the vehicle is "operating as designed" without offering any solution to this problem. This problem has existed since the purchase of our vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | LANE DEPARTURE | Lane keeping assistance is enabled by default and can not be changed while driving. However on the lanes with partially erased lane markings , markings created due to previous road repairs - car thinks vehicle is going out of the lane and pulls the car in . significant places where i drive car keeps pulling to the side . If you are driving on a highway this is very pronounced . Driving on highway with high wind conditions this has created hazardous situation where I almost lost control (Highway 5 near coalinga Californai). This has been a problem in high traffic conditions , curvy roads (Highway 17 in California) . Current implementation of the feature is safety issue . either they shall disable this feature or ability to disable this feature permanently or need to fix. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Electronic Stability Control ESC activates briefly under certain conditions that are completely normal. Smooth dry pavement. It happens for me very predictably on a specific curve on a 2-lane road. Vehicle speed is about 30, the curve in the road is very gentle, nothing extreme. Drive through this curve and ESC activates (flashes). It also happens very predictably at a T intersection where I stop and then turn right. During the turn the vehicle is cresting a hill. I have video of this happening. Also many other owners have complained about the same issue in situations like freeway off-ramps. ESC activating for no reason at all could distract the driver and cause an incident. There's a rapidly flashing amber warning in the driver display and the car's handling changes suddenly. How do we know that ESC won't activate more aggressively in some certain situation that doesn't warrant ESC. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The automatic emergency braking system does not work at all. The lane keeping assistance feature has tried to ram me into concrete walls on the freeway. It has tried to ram me into metal exit fencing. It has tried to ram me into semi trucks. it has tried to run me off the road entirely. This system reacts inappropriately and when it reacts it over corrects by a large margin. It also cannot detect most types of lane markings. This happens all the time it isn't a single incident. Did I mention that there is no way to permanently disable the system? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | The stability control actives inappropriately in low speed corners, slowing the car down because it's activating the brakes. This is a known issue on AWD (dual motor) ID.4 and VW dealers have said VW is aware of it and confirmed it on road testing for multiple owners (see below). I would not call it a major/dire safety issue, but it limits forward momentum, which could be an issue in emergency maneuver, and could cause unintended slowing that may increase risk of rear end collision. It is unknown what effect inappropriate brake application could have in slippery conditions. I am one of the first AWD owners in the USA and started a discussion on the problem: https://www.vwidtalk.com/threads/esc-activating-in-off-ramp.3808/page-4 Subsequently, many AWD owners have noted the same glitch. It is believed to be a software glitch (one of many in this car). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is activating frequently and unexpectedly. Happens on dry roads, under normal and safe driving conditions. ESC is felt as braking one or more wheels, and indicator is flashing on instrument cluster. This is not expected behavior under the driving conditions. Actuation is 100% repeatable on the same routes and speeds (typically curving roads or highway on/off-ramps), at varying temperatures (above and below freezing), dry and wet conditions, with stock tires properly inflated, in "B" or "D" mode (and drivetrain set to Comfort or ECO mode). Happens when accelerating, coasting, or brake being applied by driver. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The information touchscreen is faulty and constantly needs to be touched multiple times. This is distracting and makes driver look away from road to double check if pushing correctly. This applies to ALL functions controlling everything from temperature, ride control, entertainment, navigation etc. There are times where I need to touch an area from 1-5+ times for response. The system is registering a touch because there is an audible sound when you he'd, but no response from system. This can be verified by thousands of users complaining about it on https://www.vwidtalk.com/forums/volkswagen-id-4.30/ VW has promised an update for over a year. It is very dangerous and i have wandered from lane trying to rectify it | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | Th contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH on a freeway, traffic seemed to be slowing down. The contact stated that when he depressed the brake pedal, his vehicle did not respond to the brakes causing his vehicle to crash in the rear of another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy at the time, however, he did not sustain any injuries nor did the person in the other vehicle. The contact stated that there was no police report filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where he was advised that his vehicle had been classified as a total loss. The contact stated that he felt as though there was not that much damage to his vehicle, however, he was advised that the damages were too expensive to repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000 | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | 8,000 |
| Feb 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that after he parked and secured his vehicle to proceed into his residence, he later found out that the vehicle had unintendedly rolled backward out of the driveway. The contact stated that the vehicle did not crash into any objects. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped without driver assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and an appointment was scheduled with a dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | the car gives zero audible warnings when the TACC + LANE KEEP turns off. On the freeway driving in a curb, it would turn off without warnings. I almost hit my car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | When driving in reverse my vehicle does not have a clear view based on the rear lights installed. The lighting design does not light the area behind the vehicle sufficiently and poses great risk of hitting child or object behind vehicle. Rear camera is essentially rendered useless during nighttime driving and or parking. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 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 | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that the tailgate of the vehicle would not fully open or fully close when engaged by pressing the button on the tailgate or by pressing the release button inside the vehicle. The tailgate warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the motors that opened and closed the tailgate had failed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,000 |
| Dec 2021 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | The back up camera lighting is so poor it poses a danger at night. Backing up at night even in well lit areas poses a threat to those around the car. If you apply the brakes this emits some light but if not braking the screen is almost black so it is difficult to see if you are on the road/driveway and if an object was below the camera would pose a threat to life or damage to the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |