2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other ID.4 years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 6 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 11 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 336 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. That ranks 2nd out of 6 ID.4 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (179 complaints, 53%), typically at around 23,000 miles. Complaints mention 28 crashes, 1 fire, 24 injuries. There are 11 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 336owner complaints
- 11safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 28complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 179 | 53% | 23,000 | “software update” (6%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 59 | 18% | — | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 40 | 12% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 35 | 10% | 56,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 35 | 10% | 66,548 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 34 | 10% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 24 | 7% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 23 | 7% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 18 | 5% | 41,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 17 | 5% | 39,329 | — | — |
| Engine | 16 | 5% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 12 | 4% | 16,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 12 | 4% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 | 3% | 58,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 9 | 3% | 41,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 8 | 2% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 6 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 5 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 4 | 1% | 62,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 1% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 1% | 39,329 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 1 | 0% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 8,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 recalls (11)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl); service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/module
Problem: 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
Problem: 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; back over prevention:software; electrical system:instrument panel:speedometer/odometer
Problem: 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
Problem: 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
Problem: 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
Problem: 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
Problem: 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)
Problem: 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; seat belts:rear/other:retractor
Problem: 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 early, 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 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
Problem: 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
Problem: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Inadvertent Door Opening (RQ24010) — opened May 16, 2024, closed Nov 4, 2024.
- Pedestrian alert sounds (DP22005) — opened Jan 27, 2023, closed Aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V063000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
For approximately the past month, the steering-wheel controls for the vehicleâs 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…
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…
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…
Other Volkswagen ID.4 years
See all Volkswagen ID.4 problems by year, every Volkswagen model, or the Volkswagen VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4?
Owners most often report electrical system, unknown or other, forward collision avoidance problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 179 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4?
Yes, 11 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other ID.4 model years, the 2021 has far more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.