36 of the
1,779 complaints filed about the Volkswagen ID.4
are about the glass, mirrors and wipers —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2023.
36
Complaints
2%
Share of all complaints
0
Crashes
3
Fires
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers complaints by model year
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.
We bought our car in April, 2024 from Wellesley Volkswagen, [XXX] . The car has a problem with the windshield wiper Control (safety standard 101?). The car’s windshield wiper stalk is on the right side of the steering wheel. Moving the stalk up or down activates the front wipers. Pulling the stalk will activate the front wiper washer. Pushing the stalk away will activate the rear wiper and washer. Moving the stalk up from the off position will provide 1 wipe. Moving the stalk down from the neutral position will first activate rain sensing/interval wiping then slow continuous wiping and finally fast continuous wiping. There is also slider button on the stalk to vary the sensitivity of the rain sensing/ interval wiping mode. The first wiping position can be configured to operate at either interval wiping or rain sensing through the car’s customization setting (screen interface). We have the wipers set for rain sensing. The rain sensing is triggered by the stalk being in the first position and rain being “seen” by the sensor (camera) at the top center of the windshield. The slider adjusts the sensitivity so that it activates occasionally or aggressively depending on the rain level and the driver’s preference. From the time we bought the car to present day, we find the rain sensing will not work about 25% of the time: the wipers will not turn on when in the sensing position and it is raining. On one recent occasion during a light rain, the wipers went on full speed in the sensing position, and I had to move the stalk to the 2nd position (continuous slow wiping). There was nothing blocking the sensor which would cause this behavior. After a couple minutes I move it back to the sensing position and the sensing performed normally. I brought it to the dealer’s attention a few times over the past 2 years, but made them officially write it up and check on how to fix this at the April 13, 2026, 2nd year service with no resolution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11735491 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On April 1st I had my windshield replaced due to a crack in the upper central portion of the windshield. When the glass place took the windshield off my car they found a burnt section in the headliner. The glass place reported it immediately to the Volkswagon dealership and asked the device person at the dealership to come look at the burnt headliner before they placed the glass back. The service person at the dealer did go and look at the car so the glass people finished installing the windshield but took pictures prior to installing the new glass. The dealership then reach out to me and asked to bring the car in ASAP. The car was dropped off a few days later for the service department at the dealership to look into the burnt headliner. After the dealer has had the car for 10 days VW Corp is refusing to conduct a full investigation to determine the issue of this burnt area. Concerned this car is a fire risk and unsafe due to wire issues or overheating elements around the windshield. The risk and issue is completely hidden in the car and not easily known about or identified during an event. Could put my house in jeopardy if fire starts while in my garage. Manufacture/dealership has inspected the car. Insurance is determining if they will inspect the vehicle or not. No warning lights or any indication this area was hot or hot even to burn the headliner.
NHTSA complaint #11731993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
For the second time, the car began burning and smoking from the windshield, melting parts of the car near the windshield wipers and the glass itself, and filling the car's cabin with smoke. The burning and smoking went on for 15 minutes after we safely escaped. Myself and my family, including a young child, inhaled a lot of smoke before we were able to exit the car. The car was towed to the dealer and they have so far claimed that the large, charred, burned out holes are "rock chips," which is certainly not the case. I have asked the manufacturer to come and inspect the car the first time this happened, when the car was brand new and I turned on the heated windshield for the first time and this happened, but they refused to do so. It's a known issue and there's a class action lawsuit in Canada, but the manufacturer is trying to cover it up in the US to avoid a similar suit. Reddit, Facebook groups, and other forums are filled with people who have had the same thing happen.
NHTSA complaint #11729245 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I turned on the defroster for the front windshield for the first time on this new vehicle. I had it on for a few minutes to defrost ice from the windshield. Immediately after turning it off, I heard a loud cracking noise. The bottom of the windshield cracked violently at the bottom near the heating element, and some of the glass also heated up so much or sparked that it melted some elements of the car near there. The large cracks are spreading and are obscuring my vision while driving. I am also afraid to turn back on the defroster, despite needing it in the snow this week, fearing that the windshield will crack further or melt/catch fire again. I've read online that this is happening to others with the higher trims that include the heated windshield. The sudden cracks are appearing in the same place in others' cars after they use the defroster. There is now a class-action lawsuit against Volkswagen for this very issue in Canada. The dealer says that there must have been an existing chip in the windshield and that I am responsible, but that was absolutely not the case. And even so, the car shouldn't be melting or catching fire regardless!
NHTSA complaint #11714684 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
iD4 has had 2 recent recalls requiring software updates at the dealership. Vehicle was taken in 6/26/25 for door handle recall and software update. returned after 7 days, door handle replacement completed, but unable to do software update due to "server down". Dealer to call when server back up. The care began to have intermittent center screen going blank and backup camera not coming on in reverse. I called to confirm sever back up. took car in again 9/8/25, returned after 7 days after software update on 7th day. Back up camera was not working. It took a total of 14 days with car at the dealer to get software update completed. After the update, the schedule charging is no longer available and the back up camera no longer works. Took car back to dealer 9/18/25. The dealer says that the problem is caused by the camera, and that it needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, cameras are not available with no ETA when this issue will be resolved. The rear visibility without the backup camera is not very good and is unsafe to back out of parking spaces with limited visibility.
NHTSA complaint #11694483 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
To the left of the steering wheel, there is a button for “Max Windshield Defog”. When this button is pressed, the fan speed slows down and does not help clear visibility of a foggy windshield. Instead, the driver must navigate through several on screen menus to find and manually adjust for windshield defog, which is a safety concern while operating the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11687051 — 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.
3 times in the last 4 weeks, I have had a situation where I get into the car to drive it and the Infotainment screen is black and not functional. The only way to reset it is to get out, lock the car, and come back 15 minutes later and it resolves itself. During the time the Infotainment screen is not functioning, the car is still drivable, but if you put it into reverse the backup camera is not shown on the infotainment screen, nor are any other of the assistive/safety features involved with parking or safely backing up the vehicle. I've taken the car into VW Service and it came back "unable to reproduce" and "no trouble found", and they provided no assistance in how to quickly restore functionality of the infotainment screen, including use of the safety NHSTA-mandated backup camera. This is a safety hazard, as the car is still drivable and it's likely people who have this problem will still drive the car even though mandated safety features like the backup camera are inoperative.
NHTSA complaint #11675986 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
5/22/2025, Thursday morning I unplugged my car that was parked inside my garage. I sat down, tapped the pedal to turn on my “ignition mode” and within a few moments my windshield shot a massive flame in front of me and began sparking shooting glass from both heating elements. Glass shards landed on my hood and garage floor. My windshield was smoking and the amount of heat generated melted some of the glass around the area where the heating elements connect to the glass on the interior of my vehicle. My dealership fought me hard saying I had a crack that caused the fire and advised me to file an insurance claim for this “accident” and also continuing driving my vehicle that had just caught fire momentarily. Thankfully the fuse blew and that’s why the fire stopped but my concern is how much heat had to be generated to spontaneously combust my glass and then melt it! I refused to accept their response and after an entire day of arguing with VW customer support and the dealership. I repeatedly asked for a diagnostic of my windshield heating element module and the amount of electricity it was giving. The dealership declined to diagnose my car and removed the heated windshield fuse per my request. I spoke with the dealership owner who finally contacted their field service advisor who advised I should not drive my vehicle that caught fire and instead are going to further investigate my concern. I struggle to trust an actual investigation will be performed and hope they do not simply replace the windshield and ignore the safety hazard of my window shooting a flame and combusting glass.
NHTSA complaint #11662879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that after stopping the vehicle, the front driver’s side door erroneously opened, causing damage to the door stop and window. The contact stated that after the failure, the window failed to roll down completely. Additionally, whenever the door was opened, the door opened extremely wide. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the doorstop was damaged, and the door needed to be replaced. The door was not repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 30,000.
NHTSA complaint #11660646 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
(addressing the above bullets as numbered items) (1) OEM replacement windshield (after what seems to be impact damage, although there are some reports in social media about "spontaneous windshield breakage - i.e. no known impact). It is available (currently installed in vehicle) for inspection upon request. (2) Safety is currently at risk because of bad image distortion near the passenger "A-pillar". (3) Problem has been seen in a photograph by both a VW dealership, and (we've been told) by a VW "Regional Service Manager". We also scheduled and showed-up for a "Service Appointment" at the dealership, but they declined to either sit in the vehicle or go for a "test drive" to better observe this problem. (4) See (3) for mention of "inspection by photograph" by dealership. (5) Problem only appeared after replacement of the "as manufactured" windshield with that original windshield not having this problem. Windshield replacement occurred on April 4, 2025.
NHTSA complaint #11654916 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I use this car for work daily, see patients in their homes. The driver door won’t locked, for 2 consecutive days and this is not the first time incident. Whenever this happens, I notify the dealer but they said VW does not have repair/solution to it yet. So, the car’s safety features (emergency braking, lane departure assist, adaptive cruise control and etc) are not functional. This makes it dangerous for us/drivers. Because the door is unlocked and car is running, it sends signals/sounds warning the door is unlocked. It is terrifying driving the car while it’s raining. I am unsure if the car will suddenly stop. Also, the anti-fog doesn’t work unless I turn on the heater which reduces my mileage. I can barely see the road when it’s pouring rain. The car doesn’t charge to its usual 200 miles at 80% (recommended), only charging 180 miles at 90%. Hope you can help me please as I am the bread winner in the family. We do not have extra budget to get another car. Our old 2010 Prius is only good in town, not in major highways. If something happens to me due to this car’s manufacturing faults, my husband and child will be left destitute and end up homeless. Thank you for your assistance.
NHTSA complaint #11651201 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The OEM heated windshield has a relatively common defect where there is extreme distortion in the glass along the passenger side edge of the windshield. This is obviously a safety issue because that area is key for visibility of pedestrians and bicyclists and other vehicles when making turns. The vehicle is currently at the dealer pending repair with no updates.
NHTSA complaint #11632932 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADE CONTACT WITH THE WINDSHIELD. When there's drizzle or road splash in traffic the wipers don't seem to have enough down force to properly clear the windshield. It's dangerous driving at night when oncoming auto and streetlights reflect off the uncleared surface causing poor vision. I had the complete windshield replaced twice due to an accident and a crack. I ran a water-vinegar solution through the windshield washer system to clear any contaminate. I used several clay, and window products to properly clean off any road, tree, or weather residue. I also replaced the wipers with high end Bosch, Scrubblade, and Rainx Blades that did not help. The VW dealer advised me that there's no way to increase the down force of the wipers. It's a great car but I spent too much time, effort, and money on this scary dangerous issue and hesitate to drive when wet conditions exist. Any advice or fix would certainly be appreciated.
NHTSA complaint #11632831 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to slow immediately. The contact stated that his wife was able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by pump the brake pedal. The contact stated that while his wife was depressing the brake pedal, the radio volume was not working as designed, the windows were rolling up and down independently, and the headlamps were not functioning as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,000.
NHTSA complaint #11626675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the VW ID.4, one can retract the rear-view mirrors, making the car a bit narrower, for example for parking. Multiple times, I have started the car and been unable to extend the rear-view mirrors. Not only can I not use the rear-view mirrors, but also, I am distracted trying to figure out how to make them extend. For example, I turn the switch multiple times and failing that, I LOOK at the switch (instead of the road) to verify that I am moving the correct item. This problem has been temporarily mitigated by pulling over, turning off the car, and re-starting it.
NHTSA complaint #11619684 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
One week after buying the new car, the windshield cracked and quickly spread across the width of the car. There may have been a rock impact and I was on the highway. This is on a heated glass AWD Pro S model. It's apparently incredibly common for this to happen.
NHTSA complaint #11615099 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.