Most common 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems
Share of the 338 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Volkswagen ID.4 complaints by model year
Best ID.4 years: 2024, 2025. Years to avoid: 2023. Compare all years →
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 recalls (11)
Power train › Automatic transmission › Gear position indication (PRNDL)
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.
Remedy: Dealers will update the brake control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 14, 2025.
Structure › Body › Door › Handle › Exterior
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.
Remedy: 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.
Equipment › Electrical › Infotainment › Software
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.
Remedy: 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
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…
Remedy: Dealers will update the vehicle software, and inspect the door handles as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 19, 2023.
Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery › Management system/energy control module (BMS/becm) › Software
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal
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."
Remedy: 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.
Show 5 more recalls
Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery
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.
Remedy: 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.
Steering › Gear box (other than rack and pinion)
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.
Remedy: 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.
Seat belts › Rear/other › Retractor
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,…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021.
Seat belts › Rear/other › Retractor
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the rear outboard seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021.
Exterior lighting › Headlights
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.
Remedy: 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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4:
Inadvertent Door Opening
On May 16, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Recall Query (RQ) RQ24010 to investigate the remedy and scope of recalls 23V-213 and 23V-312. The affected vehicles by these recalls included model years (MY) 2021 through 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles. ODI received reports of the vehicle's doors opening while the vehicle was in motion post recall remedy.
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
What 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 owners say
Electrical system all 180 →
The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving on a highway at a moderate speed, traffic came to a sudden halt. The vehicle's forward avoidance collision feature was activated; however, the feature did not perform at full capacity and hesitated to fully stop. The contact repeatedly pumped the brake pedal; however, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into the vehicle ahead which resulted in a five-vehicle accident. An unknown red warning light appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. The air bags deployed upon impact. Upon air bag deployment, the contact sustained burns to the left thumb and chest; additionally, the contact experienced soreness to the cervical spine, neck, both knees and ankles. The driver of the vehicle which the contact directly hit also sustained a sore neck but neither driver sought medical attention. …
I was driving my 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S on March 12, 2025, in Baltimore, Maryland, when I was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Although I maintained an adequate stopping distance from the truck in front of me, my forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assistance systems suddenly activated, causing my vehicle to make contact with the truck. My safety-and the safety of others-was compromised. My vehicle sustained front-end damage. This was not the first time these systems engaged without cause. I took my vehicle to Heritage Volkswagen Parkville (located in Carney, Maryland) due to unresolved recalls and these irregular system behaviors. The dealership claims that Volkswagen requires me to replace the tires, align the wheels, and install a new 12V battery before completing the recall work or troubleshooting the issue. …
Driver assistance all 64 →
The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving on a highway at a moderate speed, traffic came to a sudden halt. The vehicle's forward avoidance collision feature was activated; however, the feature did not perform at full capacity and hesitated to fully stop. The contact repeatedly pumped the brake pedal; however, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into the vehicle ahead which resulted in a five-vehicle accident. An unknown red warning light appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. The air bags deployed upon impact. Upon air bag deployment, the contact sustained burns to the left thumb and chest; additionally, the contact experienced soreness to the cervical spine, neck, both knees and ankles. The driver of the vehicle which the contact directly hit also sustained a sore neck but neither driver sought medical attention. …
I had backed in to a parking space in a parking lot. To exit, I shifted the car into Drive, gently touched the accelerator (which should have accelerated the car to 2 MPH) and turned the steering wheel about 90 clockwise with my left hand to straighten the wheels. In doing so, the base of my left thumb inadvertently pushed the Set button on the cruise control, causing it to set to 15 MPH, its minimum setting, and the car to rapidly accelerate. I jammed on the breaks but wasn't able to stop in time to avoid colliding into the side of a passing car. Because my right knee was locked in my effort to stop my car, the force of the impact was transferred to my hip and, though nothing was broken, I ended up spending two days in the observation unit of my hospital followed by eight days in residential rehabilitation. …
Brakes all 37 →
The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and there was a loud revving noise coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle then independently accelerated at full speed. The contact stated that her husband depressed the brake pedal several times, but the vehicle did not slow down, and the steering wheel locked, preventing the driver from steering the vehicle to safety. The vehicle then crashed into the back of another vehicle that was either stopped or was moving extremely slow. The contact's husband sustained back, and neck injuries but had not sought medical intention. The insurance company informed the contact the that the other driver had since sought medical attention. A Police report was filed but was not available. …
Th contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH on a freeway, traffic seemed to be slowing down. The contact stated that when he depressed the brake pedal, his vehicle did not respond to the brakes causing his vehicle to crash in the rear of another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy at the time, however, he did not sustain any injuries nor did the person in the other vehicle. The contact stated that there was no police report filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where he was advised that his vehicle had been classified as a total loss. The contact stated that he felt as though there was not that much damage to his vehicle, however, he was advised that the damages were too expensive to repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | Single-speed | RWD | 107 / 91 / 99 MPGe | 260 mi |
| Electric | Single-speed | AWD | 102 / 90 / 97 MPGe | 249 mi |
EPA ratings. Class: Small SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the ID.4 to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 338 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4?
The electrical system — 180 complaints, 53% of all complaints for this model year, most often about instrument cluster/panel. Next are the driver assistance (64) and brakes (37).
How many recalls does the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 have?
There are 11 recalls for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, the most recent from February 27, 2025 (gear position indication (prndl)). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Volkswagen ID.4?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2024 and 2025. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2023. See the full Volkswagen ID.4 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 27,000 miles; 76% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.