25 of the 1,791 complaints filed about the Volkswagen ID.4 are about the airbag system — 100% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2021.
25
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
9
Crashes
0
Fires
AIR BAGS
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.
NHTSA complaint #11762627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
My primary safety complaint is that the automatic emergency-call function failed during an actual airbag-deployment collision even though the SOS indicator was green and appeared to show that the system was operational. The vehicle is a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, VIN [XXX]. On XXX, at approximately 8:04 a.m., while traveling southbound on Columbia Pike near Trader Joe’s, the vehicle was involved in a collision that deployed the airbags. The vehicle automatically initiated the emergency-call sequence but announced words to the effect of, “Your call cannot be completed.” The Montgomery County Police Department investigated the collision under Incident Number XXX. Fortunately, a passerby witnessed the collision and assistance was available. Without that person, emergency assistance could have been delayed, increasing the risk of serious harm. An injured, disoriented, trapped, or unconscious occupant may not be able to locate a phone and call [XXX]. The vehicle had a prior history of recurring GPS, SOS, and connected-services failures. It was presented to authorized Volkswagen dealers four times while under warranty, and a Volkswagen TAC case was opened, but no root cause or permanent repair was documented. Shortly after Volkswagen was notified that a lemon-law filing would proceed, the GPS, green SOS indicator, and some connected functions appeared to return for about two days without any explanation of a repair, software update, reset, remote action, or configuration change. The GPS then became inaccurate again, while the SOS indicator remained green. I request that NHTSA investigate why the indicator remained green when the automatic crash call could not connect, whether Volkswagen verifies actual voice and location functionality before displaying the green indicator, and whether affected vehicles require a safety recall or other corrective action. The complete statement and supporting evidence are attached as Exhibit 0. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11752045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
7/14/26 my wife attempted to park our 2023 VW ID.4 Pro S AWD. She pulled into the spot with two hands on the steering wheel, her foot off of the accelerator, with the car being slowed by regenerative braking, and the car suddenly accelerated and crashed through a fence and hit a cement barrier. The air bags did not deploy. After the accident that most likely totaled the car, my wife's foot was on the brake. The two challenges we noted were 1. The car should have not accelerated on its own and 2. The air bags should have deployed given the violence of this crash.
NHTSA complaint #11750458 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The airbag error light has been coming on in the dashboard in the last few weeks. Sometimes it stays on for the whole trip, sometimes it intermittently comes and goes. If an airbag is disabled due to this error, that's a safety hazard. I found several reports of almost the same issue on this car online. Here are few: [XXX] [XXX] Looks like a systemic failure with the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11743626 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Recurring Defects – 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S Vehicle * Year/Model: Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S * Ongoing recurring defects across software, electrical, interior, safety, and mechanical systems. Aesthetic / Interior Defects Interior Trim and Structural Noises * Fading light bar panel. * Excessive interior plastic creaking during cold weather. * Roof creaking noises in cold temperatures. Software / Electrical / Safety Defects Infotainment System Failures * Infotainment center becomes laggy or unresponsive. * Touchscreen and touch-sensitive buttons frequently fail to respond. * Infotainment screen intermittently shuts down completely and remains black until the vehicle is powered off and restarted. Door Locking / Unlocking Malfunctions * Doors unlock randomly while driving. * Vehicle locks itself while key fob remains inside vehicle. * Trunk may remain unlocked while doors lock. Seatbelt Detection and Warning System Failures * Rear passenger seatbelt warning light activates while passenger is properly restrained. * Warning light cycles on and off intermittently while passenger remains buckled. * Rear seatbelt sensor eventually stopped functioning entirely. * Driver seatbelt warning now intermittently activates while driving at freeway speeds despite seatbelt being engaged. * Audible seatbelt alarm activates randomly while driving. Major Electrical System Failure While Driving Incident occurred while: * Driving uphill at approximately 35 mph. * Sitting stopped at a traffic light on city streets. Symptoms included: * All dashboard warning lights illuminated simultaneously. * Horn activated repeatedly (“beep beep beep”). * Hazard lights activated without driver input. * Turn signal sounds activated unexpectedly. * Event lasted approximately 2–3 minutes. * Vehicle then emitted a power-down sound. * Entire system shut off and later resumed normal operation. Navigation / Connectivity Failures * Satellite/navigation system unable to locate vehicle. * Maps and connected navigati
NHTSA complaint #11739806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I am filing this claim because a mandatory remote software update pushed by Volkswagen, combined with recent invasive repairs to the interconnected safety restraint network (PODS), caused a critical emergency safety feature (SOS) to fail, and the manufacturer is refusing to restore the vehicle to compliance. 04-01-2026: Received mandatory manufacturer software update v3.8.1. Updated failed and had to be reset. 04-16-2026: Vehicle was brought to the dealer to repair the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS). The technician unplugged electrical harnesses and recalibrated the safety network to install the new sensor mats. 04-29-2026: Received mandatory manufacturer software update v3.8.1. 04-30-2026: Immediately following these two events, the emergency SOS system threw a critical hard failure light and became non-functional. 05-01-2026: The dealership and VW Corporate both denied Goodwill coverage, claiming it is an out-of-warranty hardware failure, despite it being a globally documented software side-effect. The v3.8.11 update is known to overwrite the measured state of health of the emergency backup battery, artificially timing it out after 5 years regardless of its actual physical health. The PODS system that the dealer just serviced actively talks to the vehicle's Supplemental Restraint System. I am requesting that Volkswagen covers 100% of the cost to restore the vehicle's emergency SOS system to working order—whether that requires a physical replacement of the telematics module/battery or a manual software reset of the battery history timer.
NHTSA complaint #11735528 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
1. I still can't make sense of what exactly malfunctioned at my car accident on 9/26/2025 but I have reported to the Volkswagen Customer Service on 9/27/2025 and they couldn't give me a precise answer and told me they will have to research and call me back yesterday - 9/30/2025 but I haven't got a call as of this writing. It basically activated something that accelerated suddenly the car and it is like someone took control over the car causing me to crash with 2 cars in front of me. Yes, it is available for inspection. 2. I don't feel safe anymore with that car and also I am terrified that innocent people's lives will be put at risk. 3. I have seen some articles around the internet with the same experience that I had and it looks like Volkswagen has a law suit about it. 4. No, but I have reported to 911 and my insurance. 5. No, there's no any warning on the car dashboard before this incident happened.
NHTSA complaint #11690745 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The airbag sensor turns on and off, "airbag error", the charging door plate fell of the car while driving in the freeway
NHTSA complaint #11684125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
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 complaint #11683989 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
After the 3.5 software update OTAthe airbag error showed up and I am reading on forums that multiple folks have this issue but no recall
NHTSA complaint #11676912 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I get an airbag warning, after going to VW to get it looked at they said it was error with the POD’s system. The error is same as VW Safety Recall Code: 69FB. I think my model car should fall into this recall as well.
NHTSA complaint #11668713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
"Error: Airbag" periodically comes on, goes off at random times. Seems to be an issue with the Passenger Occupancy Detection System Module. Nothing spilled to make this module not work properly. With this error on, it turns off the airbag for the passenger. This has been confirmed by the dealer. This error appeared without warning or incident at ~45K miles on the car.
NHTSA complaint #11659139 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I was driving at 35 mph when the front doors began unlocking and locking rapidly three times, then both front doors fell open ajar, at the same time the screen went grey with a triangle ! icon as an audile alarm went off then the drivers side curtain airbag deployed forcing the steering wheel to the right causing the vehicle to collide head on into an electric utility pole. I tried to brake but was pushed by airbag from brake pedal. I was wearing a seat belt but suffered an burn from the airbag on right inner forearm that was impression of VW logo and has resulted in lasting scar, I had modest right wrist sprain and right shin contusion, abrasion. The vehicle rolled back in the road and was towed and later totaled by insurance. The automatic braking detection nor any other airbag deployed on collision.
NHTSA complaint #11657160 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I was backing out of an outdoor shopping center slot located at the end by the curb. I had to attempt this three times due to traffic and another car that was also trying to back out. On my third attempt, I hit the curb with my passenger rear wheel. When I changed gear to move forward, the ID4 jerked violently three times. At this point my hands were on the wheel and my feet were not on either the accelerator or the brake. Immediately after the third jerk the engine revved up and car took off. I tried to brake but was flying over 2 curb hit the road and flew over 2 more curbs with plants in the middle. The braking did not stop the vehicle. Coming up over the last curb the vehicle hit a parked car sending backward and it hit 2 more vehicles. No one was injured, since the vehicles were empty. The police did come and wrote an incident report, but not a police report because in California since it was property only they do not generate a report. However, this could have been fatal since people were waking about the parking lot. There were not any warning lights or messages. It has not as yet been inspected by by anyone . The car is available for inspection at a collision center. I am not sure which component failed and why it accelerated, or did not respond to the brake, or deploy the air bag upon impact.
NHTSA complaint #11620239 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
On multiple occasions this vehicle has failed to operate, a red hazard light goes on along with many other failure light indicators. I've been stranded where the car does nothing and also experienced the car dying while driving. When the vehicle comes to the airbag indicators come on warning that the airbags are not functioning. I have had to drive the vehicle this way. It's not the first time this car has had some type of electrical problems. It previously had an above lighting issue that had to be repaired. It's currently at Volkswagen of Leesburg in Florida, they are trying to figure out what is wrong with this car because they have not seen this type of failure before. It's been there for a week now. After getting stranded, vehicle failures, and electrical failures, I no longer feel safe in this vehicle. Im afraid this vehicle could have an electrical problem or fail while driving leaving me vulnerable to incoming traffic.
NHTSA complaint #11614757 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the "Travel Assist" and the "Forward Collision Avoidance" system warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while drifting into the lane in the past there was a vibration in the steering wheel to alert the driver. The contact stated that the steering wheel no longer vibrated while the warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the front passenger’s side occupant air bag sensor warning was displayed and stated that the sensor was off, with an occupant seated in the seat. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the failure with the Forward Collision Avoidance and the Travel Assist and a software update was performed. The contact stated that for the passenger’s side air bag sensor to be diagnosed, the dealer needed to remove the seat to determine the cause of the failure. The seat sensor was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure of the Forward Collision Avoidance and the travel assist had reoccurred. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
NHTSA complaint #11603106 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
No forward collisions warning prior crash. No emergency braking as the car can't sense the car in front. No post automatic braking after initial impact to prevent second damage like Volkswagen advertised.
NHTSA complaint #11588248 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
I am writing to file a formal complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding a critical safety concern with my recently purchased vehicle, a VW ID 4 model from 2021-2023. Vehicle Information: VIN: [XXX] Make: Volkswagen Model: ID 4 Year: 2021-2023 Date of Purchase: January 5th, 2024 Incident Details: On [XXX], I experienced a hazardous incident involving sudden acceleration when releasing the brake pedal as I was coming to a stop and pulling into a parking space. Despite the fact that the pedal was not fully released, the vehicle accelerated forward, colliding with another vehicle at an approximate speed of 40-50 MPH. Shockingly, neither the airbags deployed nor did the safety automatic braking system engage. The incident raised significant safety concerns, especially considering similar reports from other VW ID 4 owners. Actions Taken: I promptly took the vehicle to VW Marin Dealership in San Rafael, CA, where their report claimed no issues with the vehicle. However, further research on my part revealed that this issue is prevalent among VW ID 4 models from 2021 to 2023. Attached to this letter, you will find pictures of both vehicles involved in the incident for your reference. Request for Investigation: I urge the NHTSA to thoroughly investigate this safety issue with VW ID 4 models from 2021-2023. The potential risks associated with sudden acceleration pose a serious threat to the safety of vehicle occupants and others on the road. Identifying and addressing the root cause of this problem is crucial to preventing future accidents and fatalities related to this faulty vehicle behavior. Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated, and I trust that the NHTSA will take appropriate action to ensure the safety of all motorists. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11566271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
Passenger airbag error No passenger airbag Confirmed but no fix No inspection A warning light on dash screen
NHTSA complaint #11547307 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the control board needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V04000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000
NHTSA complaint #11535977 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.