2021 Volkswagen Id.4 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (74) · Vehicle Speed Control (36) · Service Brakes (21)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volkswagen Id.4 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
37 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (11)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2025-02-27 · campaign 25V120000 · 60,490 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: Failure to display the gear position may result in a vehicle rollaway if the parking brake is not engaged, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Structure:body:door:handle:exterior 2024-09-04 · campaign 24V651000 · 99,064 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A vehicle door that opens unexpectedly while driving increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Equipment:electrical:infotainment:software 2024-05-15 · campaign 24V344000 · 79,965 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: Displays that do not show critical information, such as vehicle speed or the rearview camera image, increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Structure:body:door:handle:exterior 2023-05-03 · campaign 23V312000 · 35,325 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A vehicle door that opens unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:management System/Energy Control Module (Bms/Becm):software 2023-02-01 · campaign 23V040000 · 20,904 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A reset or deactivation may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:frontal 2022-11-02 · campaign 22V858000 · 55 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: An incorrectly folded air bag may not protect the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2022-03-16 · campaign 22V162000 · 356 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An unreliable battery connection may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Steering:gear Box (Other Than Rack And Pinion) 2021-11-03 · campaign 21V852000 · 1 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An incorrectly assembled or missing drive bushing may cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:rear/Other:retractor 2021-08-05 · campaign 21V606000 · 45,496 vehicles
Defect: 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 ear
Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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).
Seat Belts:rear/Other:retractor 2021-08-04 · campaign 21V607000 · 12,060 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2021-06-02 · campaign 21V413000 · 3,240 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: Adjusting the horizontal headlight beam can increase glare, reducing visibility for the driver and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (396)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-09-30 · V9324012073298_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
range reduction / battery cell replacement
Electrical System 2026-09-23 · V9326032083367_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
steps to take if dtc p0aa500 (da:008c)
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-09 · SM 39-2026 · Other
this special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed if it meets the criteria provided.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-26 · VOS-26-50 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a notice for software changes with the odis diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: a software fix is needed to correct various flash programming errors.
Electrical System 2026-08-17 · V9326052081829_2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
diagnosis of low insulation resistance in the high-voltage (hv) wiring.
Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection 2026-07-30 · TT 96-26-01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
checking installation and calibration
Showing the 6 most recent of 396 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Vehicle Speed Control“while driving, the red "electrical system not working" error message displayed. the car lost control of acceleration and was non responsive. loss of vehicle control while driving at freeway speeds is a safety risk to myself and others. the dealer (kearny mesa vw) says that it can not replicate the code, but sent me an estimate with error code 1208 …”
2026-10-19 · Electrical System“this is related to my earlier nhtsa complaint 11771852 for the same vehicle. on 10/16/2026 a volkswagen dealer ran a diagnostic on a yellow dashboard electrical warning light on my 2021 id.4 and reported fault codes p0bbd00 (hybrid battery pack voltage variation exceeded limit) and p0aa600 (high voltage battery voltage system isolation fault, spora…”
2026-10-17 · Structure:body“my 2021 volkswagen id.4 is subject to open nhtsa safety recall 24v-651 (volkswagen recall 57j9) for the exterior door handles. the recall states that water can enter the door handle electronics and cause a door to open unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion, which increases the risk of injury to occupants and others. on 10/16/2026 i took the …”
2026-10-05 · Power Train“high voltage battery modules fail often and continuously. i am on my third battery module replacement of the year taking up to two weeks for repair. there is also a lighting failure when the weather is hot. all lighting system fail and dont turn on until car is driven for a while and the system cools down. this happens often as i am located in flor…”
2026-09-26 · Electrical System“the sos/ gps system in my car failed a few days after the warranty expired. so my car no longer knows where it is and if i press the sos (emergency call) button (or if it was automatically triggered after an accident), it does not work and it does not summon help. i asked vw to cover all or part of the cost as "goodwill" for an important safety s…”
2026-09-25 · Vehicle Speed Control“for approximately the past month, the steering-wheel controls for the vehicle’s adaptive cruise control (acc) have intermittently become completely unresponsive while driving. when the vehicle is first started, the buttons work normally and can be used to activate acc, adjust the set speed, and change the following distance. however, after several …”
2026-09-21 · Vehicle Speed Control · 83,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2021 volkswagen id.4. while stopped at a light, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. the contact frantically depressed the brake pedal with excessive force, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. the contact veered to the right to avoid the vehicle stopped ahead but crashed into the rear passenger’s side bumper. no warning lig…”
2026-09-10 · Power Train“incident summary vw id.4 loss of power/stall date: monday, september 7, 2026 location: highway (3-lane), traveling ~45 mph vehicle: volkswagen id.4 sequence of events: while driving at approximately 45 mph, multiple warning messages appeared in rapid succession: esc error "electrical system not working correctly" "front assist is not available"…”
2026-09-07 · Seats“faulty sensor under passenger seat will cause the airbags to go off while someone is in the passenger seat, buckled. will go on and off intermittently. alert on dash will illuminate and overhead notification of passenger airbag shutting off flashes. …”
2026-08-22 · Service Brakes“after periods of rain or driving in wet conditions, when parking on an incline, the vehicle will not release the automatic parking brake without hard physical input to the accelerator causing a loud bang from the rear axle - this has happened numerous times over the past year…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.