33 of the
1,779 complaints filed about the Volkswagen ID.4
are about the lighting —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2023.
Car has been in and out of various VW dealers since purchase at the end of August 2023. Car was purchased new. Immediately began receiving emergency “stop driving vehicle” messages on driver display. VW on call service advised if the car drives, I can operate it and no further action is necessary. Various Electical errors including charge 12V battery, infotainment screen going black or resetting while driving, no display while in reverse, car losing power on highway, car alarm going off while driving, if hazard lights are used, they do not shut off unless the car is off and driver is out of the car for at least ten minutes, interior lights flash on and off (this is a safety issue as is if incredibly difficult to see while driving at night, car has been in shop three times for this, no repairs, the car battery drains incredibly quickly; usually get about 2kWh in town driving, charging errors; charger not recognized, or car displays it is charging, but when complete, it didn’t charge, windows don’t respond to the controls, door handles don’t always work to open the doors; often have to access the car from passenger side (these have been replaced and still don’t work), emergency braking system doesn’t function, car ghost breaks (no objects ahead, clean sensors, driving and brakes slam on), multiple leaks in vehicle including headlights, rear driver tail light, and the light on top of the back hatch, car loses connection to emergency system, infotainment screen doesn’t respond to finger touches and must be reset, to initiate OTA updates, fuse needs to be pulled. I barely drive the car, and it’s my only vehicle. It’s not safe (lighting issues ongoing, alarms, safety features don’t work, can’t get into the car) and not reliable for travel as charging is hit or miss (at commercial charging stations and home charging station), and the battery life is extremely short, even in perfect conditions using cruise control in eco mode, the car only travels about 130 miles.
NHTSA complaint #11731530 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At 43k miles, 90F outside temps, battery SOC at 20%, charged the car at a fast charger getting 140kw. Daytime Running Lights, DRL, were on. After the charging session was over at 80%, the driver's side DRL went and stayed dim. Dealership replaced the entire headlight under warranty. At 77k miles, 94F outside temps, battery SOC at 20%, using a fast charger and getting 145kw with DRL left on. After the charging session was over at 80%, the passenger's DRL went and stayed dim. I normally turn off the DRL and forgot this one time.
NHTSA complaint #11724922 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle has a recurring door handle/door lock malfunction associated with Volkswagen safety recall 57J9. Symptoms include the vehicle unlocking and immediately re-locking, auto-unlock failure, and difficulty entering the vehicle. All four door handles were previously replaced under the recall (Feb 2025), but the malfunction recurred. On 01/26/2026 I delivered the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealer for recall repair; it was fully drivable at drop-off. During the recall-related software/coding procedure, the dealer reported the procedure could not be completed because the software would not accept the currently installed headlamp modules. A manufacturer Techline case was opened (SK-1561187) and the dealer reported they were advised to replace both headlamp assemblies due to part number incompatibility. After the attempted recall procedure/diagnostics, the vehicle became not drivable and has remained at the dealer continuously for over 30 business days. The manufacturer later denied warranty coverage and closed the case unless the owner pays to replace headlamps (approx. $3,887.79) in order to complete the recall procedure. The door locking/entry malfunction and inability to complete a safety recall repair creates a safety risk (potential inability to enter/exit and vehicle immobilization after recall service). The vehicle is available for inspection at the dealer.
NHTSA complaint #11723984 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11720381 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11707298 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Electrical gremlins present at time of purchase (3/14/2025). Entered service and repair on 3/17/2025 and remained for 30-45 days. Upon coming to retrieve vehicle electrical malfunctions still present upon entering vehicle in the service bay, alerted advisor. Car was checked back into service immediately and remained for 60-90 days. Between March and December I have had continuous electrical gremlins present from Dashboard and display malfunction, interior lights malfunction, trunk/doors/locks/windows malfunction to no end and no repair in sight. This specific vehicle is a lemon and riddled with irreparable electrical gremlins, it has cost me significant income loss and loss of faith in the reliability of Volkswagen brand that I love so much.
NHTSA complaint #11703505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This issue relates to NHTSA Recall 24V344 / VW Recall 919A as the repair for this recall has already been applied to my vehicle. Despite that, while driving, my vehicle experienced a complete electronics shutdown, including loss of the instrument cluster, center display, and rearview camera. This occurred after the recall 919A software update was applied. As such, I believe the safety of my self and others was put at risk. I brought my vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis and they identified fault code U111000 with symptom 7223 but informed me that this was classified “non-customer-relevant” and therefore should be ignored. I believe the repair that Volkswagen has provided for Recall 24V344 is ineffective and the conditions that instigated this recall still exist.
NHTSA complaint #11685605 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11681657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On 3 different occasions in the last 2 weeks, everything mechanical shutdown accept for the ability to drive. This means all lights, computer systems, dashboards, etc. It was everything electrical accept for the ability to press on the gas, brake, and steer as these 3 things were fine though I could not see my speed either. It, meaning all 3 occurrences, were a total blackout. Ciocca Volkswagon in Flemington tried to give me an appointment 1 month out. I got the manager and he said I will be in the shop 1 week and should get a call. No call to date.
NHTSA complaint #11627793 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Electrical- my windows do not roll up, when using the window switches the windows will go down if they are already down a little. I will have a window half down and try to roll it up and it goes down. -I have also had several occurrences of my screens becoming in responsive or not even displaying. -My doors: my doors do not open on the initial attempt to exit or enter the vehicle and my passenger handle sometimes comes off of the body. Lighting- I get popups telling me that my headlight system has a failure. Seats- it’s very common for my seat to just start the massagers or to start heating
NHTSA complaint #11620261 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The seals/bonding on the rear right tail light assembly failed under normal use. Water has recently accumulated in the assembly and caused part of the taillight to stop functioning. In addition to apparent defect in integrity of the light housing, it is likely that there is a secondary defect in the conformal coating that lead to the water being able to damage the light. The internal light monitoring feature also did not detect the failed light element until several days after we identified it was broken. Dealer is attempting to reject coverage for something that should clearly fall under manufacturing and workmanship warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11613036 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
During a recent trip to Oregon, my Volkswagen ID.4 experienced a critical failure of both the interior and exterior lighting systems, including the headlights and emergency lights. Initially, upon returning from a walk, I found the lights were on despite the vehicle being locked and not in the "Auto" mode as I had left them. Locking and unlocking the vehicle did not resolve the issue. When I entered the vehicle, a warning light indicating a malfunction in the lighting system appeared on the dashboard, and subsequently, all lights stopped functioning entirely. This malfunction posed a significant safety risk to both myself and other road users, as the failure occurred during a time when proper lighting was essential for visibility and safety, potentially leading to a dangerous situation, especially as it was almost evening. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center at this time. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or other relevant parties, although a video recording of the incident is available for review and is attached to the report in the PDF file. Prior to the failure, there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms indicating a potential issue. However, during the incident, a warning light for a lighting system malfunction appeared on the dashboard.
NHTSA complaint #11605019 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver's side Daytime Running Light (DRL) suddenly went and stayed dim. It's an amber color now, while the front passenger side is still lit up very brightly. My car had 35,000 miles when this occurred.
NHTSA complaint #11600667 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car suddenly developed a warning which read 'Warnings and information not available. Drive with greater care!'. All headlights, DRLs, and turn signals failed to illuminate. This caused a safety hazard while driving at dusk because there were no warnings regarding the lack of headlights and we didn't notice until it was too late and we were on a dark road.
NHTSA complaint #11590686 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down a highway traveling 59 mph around 5:20AM when my infotainment system and lights inside all went dark. The speedometer stayed lit up but changed to an alternate color while I was traveling. I slowed down to make sure I could brake and that all was working. Within about 20-30 seconds the whole system restarted and came back online. This was not necessarily a safety hazard, however the sheer shock of it made cause for my safety because I reacted to it in a somewhat panic sort of way by braking rapidly. I found this forum where others have reported the exact same thing. There were no warning lamps messages or any notice of the occurrence. It all started back up as if nothing happened. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11585604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle’s forward collision warning, the land departure warning, the rear cross traffic warning, the blind spot monitoring have all been having issues since the first week of the car. I’ve taken the car into the shop over 10 times since the summer of 2022 on initial purchase. Each time the vehicle comes in and Volkswagen says they cannot fix it and a future update is coming and will fix it. The update finally has come and the vehicle has all of the same problems and more. These cars are really dangerous to drive, please recall them off the road. You have a bunch of people driving malfunctioning vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11569294 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driver car door intermittently pops open, while driving, when stopped, and when parked (not occupied). Car door locks intermittently stop working, meaning passengers cannot enter from outside, cannot open door from inside, doors do not unlock when key fob approaches. Also when this is happening, charge port shorts ie. disconnects/connects. When these issues are happening, defogger runs intermittently when parked, unless I enter car to manually turn off heating system. Turning off defogger with app does not stop defogging even when it says "off" in app. Seems tons of water is down in door... If the car is dry, if I roll the windows down then up, windows are COVERED with water. At times, front windows go down when trying to roll them up. Not safety, but internal ambient lighting system has two colors, one for dash, one for door lights. Door light color selection does not work, and doors only will show color of dash color selection.
NHTSA complaint #11567679 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
30848 miles 1/5/24 – Drove to Cedar City UT for an appointment after picking the vehicle up. The elevation is 5846 feet and the weather was about 20f. While going uphill on the interstate I started to receive messages about the headlights not working. Electrical system not working correctly error message came back. The left headlight was going on and off on its own and an error "fault vehicle lighting". "Please check left front turn signal." "Error dynamic cornering light." Heat can be turned on hi but doesn't warm the vehicle up. Heated seats don't seem to be working even when on 3. There is also a burnt electrical smell entering the vehicle. Vehicle was parked outside Findlay VW St. George service and won’t be checked in until 1/8 as they are closed on the weekend.
NHTSA complaint #11563986 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.