225 of the
1,779 complaints filed about the Volkswagen ID.4
are about the other systems —
13% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2023.
On board navigation has been lost since 1/26/2024 and shows me driving across lakes, rivers or 300 miles away from where my current location is. VW has continued to blamed Verizon wireless but that excuse is tired now 2.5 years later. This issue breaks the speed limit sign display so I have seen it showing a 70 MPH speed limit on a 25 MPH residential road or a 25 MPH speed limit on a 70 MPH freeway. Not to mention it is entirely useless if you get lost where you don't have poor cell service which did happen to me once back when this problem started. The Verizon blame is tired.
NHTSA complaint #11757727 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car was in neutral while in a drive through car wash. Then, when stopped and shifted to drive, the car bolted forward very suddenly and fast. Went through fence.
NHTSA complaint #11757476 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2nd time in under a month where the entire display system has gone blank while driving (this time at a slower speed but still to the point where speed, vehicle info, displays, etc all went black) - this is a serious safety issue when you lose all vehicle information while driving. This requires a recall for a fix asap before someone is seriously injured.
NHTSA complaint #11755421 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
Potential undercounting of safety defects through Volkswagen’s no-DTC/no-repair process. I recently located and reviewed a video recorded on February 18, 2025. It was originally made to document a remote climate-control malfunction, not a GPS problem. While reviewing it because of recurring GPS and SOS failures, I noticed that the same video also captured an incorrect speed-limit display. While traveling south on US-29/Columbia Pike near Greencastle Road, the vehicle was traveling at 53 mph with cruise control set at 55 mph. Google Maps displayed a 55-mph speed limit while the Volkswagen instrument cluster displayed 35 mph. My 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 remains under warranty. I have taken it to Volkswagen dealers four times for recurring GPS-location, SOS/emergency-communication, and connected-services failures. No permanent repair was completed. Dealers told me that because no relevant diagnostic trouble code was stored, they could not replace a component or perform another repair without Volkswagen authorization. During another failure, when the SOS indicator was not illuminated, I pressed the service-call button. The call did not connect. The system announced vehicle coordinates, but they were incorrect. This raises concern that inaccurate location information could be provided during an emergency if the SOS system relies on the same data. A Volkswagen TAC case was opened, but there was no meaningful progress or documented repair. After escalation, the SOS indicator and some functions appeared to return without an explanation of what action had been performed. The GPS later became inaccurate again. The SOS light remains illuminated, but Volkswagen has not verified the emergency-location function or identified the root cause. My concern is that Volkswagen’s no-DTC repair requirement leaves an observable, recurring safety defect unrepaired and may prevent these events from becoming completed warranty claims or being recognized as part of a broader defect pattern.
NHTSA complaint #11751392 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was trying to park the car in a parking spot. There was a curb to my right, So I was turning carefully to not rake my wheel against the curb. The car suddenly accelerated by itself, jumped the curb infront, hit a tree and stopped. It accelerated so much and hit the curb so hard, that the entire front right side was destroyed.
NHTSA complaint #11749746 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. My tires are half recommended pressure on ALL tires yet yet the automatic monitoring system does not record any abnormality. This is a dangerous system because it tells me everything is ok when it is not. This is on all four tires. 2. When backing up with a trailer the car slams on the brakes as it thinks someone is there and you can’t always turn it off. There is an X you hit to turn off but if you forget…. Sometimes the X doesn’t appear and you have to shift forward then reverse then forward then reverse to get the X to appear and so you can back up without brakes slamming on. Hard to use bike rack because of this.
NHTSA complaint #11748918 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We are experiencing ongoing connectivity and safety‑related issues with our Volkswagen vehicle that have remained unresolved for more than six months. The vehicle is not connecting to the VW app, which has resulted in the SOS emergency call function being inoperable. Additionally, the vehicle’s built‑in GPS system is displaying our location in an entirely different state, which raises significant concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the system. We have visited multiple Volkswagen dealerships and contacted Volkswagen customer support numerous times by phone. Despite these repeated attempts, the issue has not been diagnosed or corrected. As a result, in the event of an accident or emergency, we currently have no functioning means of alerting emergency services through the vehicle. Furthermore, the navigation system—specifically the feature that locates charging stations and was included in our original purchase—has not worked since approximately six months after we acquired the vehicle and continues to be nonfunctional. The VW app has also been inoperable since May 19, 2026, and despite contacting two dealerships and VW support, we have not received any follow‑up or resolution. Without app connectivity, we cannot determine whether the vehicle is locked, fully charged, or if it has been accessed. At this time, neither we nor Volkswagen appear to know the cause of these failures. Our primary concern is safety, and we are requesting that this matter be addressed promptly and thoroughly.
NHTSA complaint #11744068 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Complaint Summary I am filing a complaint against Volkswagen of America for excessive repair delays and lack of customer support for my ID.4. My vehicle has been out of service over a month, with a 7–8 week part delay, leaving me without transportation while still making payments. Details In May 2026, my ID.4 was diagnosed with rodent damage to the wiring harness (not under warranty). However, the part delay is unreasonable. My vehicle will likely be unusable for nearly four months total, and I have continued making full payments. Attempts to Resolve I requested: trade-in/lease option, buyback assistance, rental coverage, and help shipping the vehicle to Texas after relocating. All were denied. Impact I am without a vehicle, still making payments, incurring extra transportation costs, and may have to pay to ship the car. Resolution Requested Rental reimbursement, goodwill compensation, shipping assistance, or buyback/trade-in consideration. Conclusion While not a warranty issue, the prolonged delay and lack of support reflect poor customer care. I am seeking a fair resolution.
NHTSA complaint #11742965 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2023 Volkswagen ID.4 (VIN [XXX] ), purchased new [XXX]; now ~20,000 miles. Since the first months of ownership it has had recurring, intermittent electrical/software/capacitive-control and safety failures: the center infotainment screen and instrument cluster go blank while driving (loss of speedometer); the power windows operate opposite to the control input or fail to respond (about 1 in 4 drives); the vehicle intermittently fails to detect occupants and enters standby while people are inside, including while charging; door handles malfunction; and the high-voltage battery has recently been overheating. It is subject to recalls 919A/24V-344 (display software), 57J9/24V-651 (door handles), and 93EA/26V-030 & 26V-028 (battery fire risk), yet the defects persist after these remedies. Dealers repeatedly recorded "could not duplicate" - at times despite video I provided - but a second dealer verified the display and window faults and replaced the J685 display unit and the driver's-door master window switch ([XXX], May 2025). VW's own recall filing (24V-344) states a "definitive root cause could not be established." Dealers also clear the CAN bus / fault memory during recall service, erasing the intermittent codes and making the defects hard to document. These failures create genuine crash and fire risk. No crash or injury to date. Dated video and repair-order documentation available - some provided in packet below. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11740971 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
12-volt onboard battery error codes, stating battery charge is low, and to safely park the vehicle. Alternatively, drive the vehicle to charge the battery. Or charge the vehicle. The car has been to the dealer for testing, and they say that the on-board battery checks out without any problems, yet I continue to get the battery error codes. We don't feel safe to driving the car in fear of complete lockout failure.
NHTSA complaint #11740645 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Recall 91VH causes some cars to break carnet modules and other modules. If you google the issues, you will find that Recall 91VH (5.4.3) causes multiple cars to break. We should not have to appeal and plead with VW on a 2 year old vehicle to get it fixed. This puts saftey at risk as it causes multiple malfunctions and warning lamps to appear. The dealer says to replace the module, but VW denies the modules are affected by the update.
NHTSA complaint #11739204 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I had recall campaign 919A completed on 4/28/25. NHTSA Safety Issue 24V344000. In March 2926 I was driving on a highway and the same issue that was supposed to be corrected by the recall occurred. The screens went blank and rebooted and the odometer/speedometer display on the dashboard had its colors inverted while the system rebooted. Displays that do not show critical information, such as vehicle speed or the rearview camera image, increase the risk of a crash. NHTSA ID Number: 24V344000 Manufacturer Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. Components BACK OVER PREVENTION, EQUIPMENT, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Potential Number of Units Affected: 79965
NHTSA complaint #11738467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While entering a parking lot at a low speed, with my foot already firmly applied to the brake due to the close proximity of a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own unexpectedly. Despite continuous pressure on the brake pedal, the vehicle proceeded forward, struck another parked vehicle, and continued moving for approximately two additional seconds before coming to a stop on its own. Additionally, no forward collision/crash warning alert was activated prior to impact, and the airbags did not deploy during the collision.
NHTSA complaint #11738431 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The infotainment system in my Volkswagen ID.4 is experiencing intermittent failures while driving. The issue primarily affects the vehicle’s connectivity with my mobile phone (Apple CarPlay / Android Auto), music playback, and the use of navigation applications such as Google Maps. In several instances, the central display has also gone completely black, temporarily becoming unresponsive without warning. The affected component is the vehicle’s digital infotainment system, including the central touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, and multimedia and navigation functions. This system is available for inspection upon request. While driving, the system randomly disconnects from my phone, which interrupts Google Maps navigation, music playback, and other phone-based functions. This is particularly concerning because I rely on Google Maps for daily navigation, as the vehicle’s built-in navigation system is not sufficiently accurate or reliable. In my experience, the factory navigation does not provide strong real-time traffic detail and sometimes routes me through significantly longer or less efficient paths. The only advantage of the built-in navigation system is that it displays information on the driver’s head-up/front display, which Google Maps does not support. These failures create a potential safety risk, as the sudden loss of navigation while driving can lead to distraction when attempting to reconnect the phone or restore system functionality. Additionally, interruptions in audio guidance and the occurrence of a completely black screen may further affect driving focus. The issue occurs intermittently and has happened multiple times during normal vehicle operation. It is not consistently reproducible. To date, the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealership, the manufacturer, police, or any insurance representatives in relation to this issue. In most cases, there are no prior warning lights or messages; the system simply disconnects or the display goes bla
NHTSA complaint #11737336 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
UNKNOWN -- I was turning 90 deg from the street into my 30' driveway, going very slow as usual with foot on brake pedal to slow further before entering the garage (the door had just finished lifting). But as I was straightening the steering coming out of turn, the car suddenly accelerated, brakes and steering both were unresponsive and the car smashed into the garage. Slowed further by the impact, the car caromed into the garage stairs smashing them to pieces before coming to rest against the rear garage wall after I hit the OFF button (it's an EV). There was no alert from the onboard systems of a pending crash and the air bags did NOT deploy. I was uninjured. Posting my accident on a social media owners group, other owners have had similar experience of the electronics going out while driving. The car remains at a 45 deg angle inside the garage now 6 days later awaiting the insurance company to come and extricate it for their assessment of the damage to the car.
NHTSA complaint #11734381 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am filing a complaint regarding a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 involving loss of propulsion and unresolved defects following manufacturer-directed repairs. On February 19, 2026, the vehicle lost propulsion twice, including in an intersection. The vehicle powered on and shifted into gear but would not move, requiring it to be pushed out of traffic. This is a serious safety hazard. The vehicle was repaired at a Volkswagen dealer under corporate technical direction, including replacement of the rear drive motor, replacement of control modules (gateway), and multiple programming attempts, including non-standard programming. After repair, new faults appeared. The vehicle now shows inconsistent odometer behavior, including “-- mi” and conflicting mileage values. The system continues to calculate range but does not reliably display total mileage. The dealer confirmed in writing that this issue is related to the prior repair, meaning the vehicle was returned defective. Despite prior loss-of-propulsion events and current system faults, both the dealer and Volkswagen corporate representative have advised me to continue driving the vehicle and have refused to arrange transport, even though the defect resulted from their repair. I have serious concerns the vehicle may again lose propulsion and that control systems and mileage recording are unreliable. The vehicle has been out of service over 60 days with no confirmed resolution. I request NHTSA investigate these failures and Volkswagen’s handling of this safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11734178 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This is a supplemental report to my previous filing regarding a 2023 VW ID.4 battery fire. On May 28, 2025, while being operated, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic thermal event. White smoke emanated from the front compartment followed by active flames. The vehicle was a total loss. Critical Safety Finding: A subsequent forensic examination conducted on October 29, 2025 (File 27739-01) by a certified fire investigator confirmed that after the initial fire was suppressed, the vehicle reportedly caught fire an additional time while being held at a tow/storage facility. Component Failure: The fire originated in the front compartment area. The failure is consistent with the "thermal runaway" risks identified in Recall 26V030, involving defective battery cell electrodes. Safety Risk: The multiple ignition nature of this failure poses a lethal risk to occupants, emergency responders, and tow/salvage facility operators. The fact that the vehicle reignited twice in storage, long after the initial suppression, suggests that current safety protocols or the scope of the existing recall may not fully address the volatility of this specific battery defect. Inspection Status: The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer’s engineers and an independent forensic investigator. However, the manufacturer and the insurer are currently withholding the Photographic Report and Technical Field Report from the consumer. These records are vital to understanding the severity of the "multiple -ignition" event and should be subpoenaed or requested by NHTSA investigators to ensure the recall remedy is sufficient to prevent secondary fires in storage environments.
NHTSA complaint #11730514 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle has performed an OTA update to version 3.8.11 on Saturday April 4, 2026. Prior to that there were no failures or warnings reported. After the update has completed there is a warning “Emergency call function is limited. Please service vehicle”. The SOS button in the cabin is Red instead of Green. Other users in the N.A. as well users in Europe are reporting the exact issue in the forums: [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11730086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.