Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle rear-ended the contact's other parked vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed into the contact's residential iron fence and the fence was damaged. In addition, the vehicle crashed into the contact's home and damaged the 6ft window. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the contact was parking the vehicle in the contact's driveway. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle was damaged. In addition, the rear end of the parked vehicle was damaged. There were no injuries sustained. No police or fire reports were filed. …
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID-4. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space at barely 2 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into the rear of a building. The contact stated that while reversing from the scene, the failure recurred, and the vehicle failed to stop upon depressing the brake pedal and was uncontrollable. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed into a big concrete and iron post and stopped. A nearby auto body shop technician informed the contact that the vehicle was a total loss. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the automatic emergency braking system failed to engage as designed. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. A police report was filed, but the contact did not have the police report information available. …
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH, the service brake independently activated and steered in the opposite direction in which the vehicle was being steered. The vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into the rear of a parked vehicle. The parked vehicle was damaged to the rear of the vehicle. The contact's vehicle was damaged to the front center of the vehicle. The contact's adult daughter and adult friend were passengers in the vehicle when the failure occurred. The contact stated that no injuries were sustained. No Police report was filed. The contact stated that the driver of the parked vehicle confirmed that the contact did not have control of the vehicle when the failure occurred. The contact's vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the contact was requested to pay a diagnostic fee. …
The contact owned a 2023 Volkswagen ID4. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle and attempting to remove the key from the ignition the vehicle erroneously accelerated forward driving over a curb and crashed into a traffic pole. The vehicle continued to accelerate forward into an intersection and crashed head-on into a second vehicle. During the crash, both vehicles were destroyed. The driver sustained a left arm laceration from the air bag deploying. The front passenger sustained a left arm laceration and abdomen contusion. The dog located in the rear passenger seat sustained an eye injury. All required medical treatment. No injury was reported from the second vehicle. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicles were towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 4,000.
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID4. The contact stated that while driving into his driveway at 20 MPH, his jacket brushed against the resume button for the cruise control, and the vehicle launched forward, causing him to crash into the curb on two occasions. While at a car wash, the contact brushed against the resume button, and the vehicle lunged forward, startling the car wash worker. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who dismissed his concerns and informed him that the type of failure was not possible. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
I was backing out of an outdoor shopping center slot located at the end by the curb. I had to attempt this three times due to traffic and another car that was also trying to back out. On my third attempt, I hit the curb with my passenger rear wheel. When I changed gear to move forward, the ID4 jerked violently three times. At this point my hands were on the wheel and my feet were not on either the accelerator or the brake. Immediately after the third jerk the engine revved up and car took off. I tried to brake but was flying over 2 curb hit the road and flew over 2 more curbs with plants in the middle. The braking did not stop the vehicle. Coming up over the last curb the vehicle hit a parked car sending backward and it hit 2 more vehicles. No one was injured, since the vehicles were empty. …
On October 04/2025 The vehicle was parked and stationary when it suddenly accelerated forward on its own. The brakes were completely unresponsive. I had a passenger in the front seat, and both she and I are certain that I was pressing the brake, but the car did not slow down at all. Within a few seconds, the vehicle gained speed, and I lost control. There was no space to maneuver, and I could do nothing but brace myself against the seat and watch my rear passengers. The vehicle continued forward and crashed into a tree directly in front, causing damage to the right side of the bumper, and a large rock in front also received the impact. The airbags did not deploy. The two rear passengers struck their heads during the impact and sustained bumps, and my dog was also affected in the collision.This accident occurred despite the car having a recent annual inspection and software update. …
Date/Time of Incident: 1/29/36 at approximately 5:44 PM Location: Small school parking lot Vehicle: 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 On 1/29/36 at approximately 5:44 PM, I was pulling out of a parking space at low speed in a small school parking lot in my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. As I began to move, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own, the steering would not turn left, and the car did not respond to braking, moving at an abnormal rate of speed over a very short distance. Prior to this, there had been no warning messages or alerts, except a routine notification to service the car in 1,000 miles. The collision involved three vehicles: my VW, the main car I hit, and a rental car. My car spun and veered sideways, the parked SUV on the right was pushed sideways, forming a rough "H" pattern, and the rental car went up onto a rail ramp where children walk. …
I have never been in an accident in my entire life, never got pulled over by a cop, and have only ever driven one car prior to the vw. I always have my car in "B" mode. During the crash on 4/02 I was going about 40 to 35 mph coming off the highway tried to slow down more to 25 to go on the roundabout but it wouldn't, I had the brake collision assistance on, but unfortunately it did not assist me in trying to stop, even when I pressed down on the brake pedal completely. When I tried to turn the steering wheel, that had locked and I was unable to avoid hitting the sign and curb and going over the cement median which cause both my left tires to go flat. I got a call from the Volkswagen SOS and at that time the person was talking to me, I had to maneuver my car off the cement median to move it to a safer road as I was in the middle of a dangerous place and it needed to be towed. …
I was easing slowly into a parking space, with plenty of room on both sides (no cars); there was a shopping cart at the front of the spot to my left. I was probably straightening the steering wheel back to the center. The car took over, accelerated suddenly to a very fast speed, jumped a high curb, and stopped hard in the lot's main drive. The front right wheel clipped a tree through the mulch. No safety features engaged. There was significant damage to the vehicle, and the impact badly bruised my right hand. I am very safety conscious, easy on the pedals, and cruise into stops. We have used the travel assist but not the cruise control function (which may have been set when the car was in transit). Several similar cases are reported on social media, with the leading theory being the accidental engagement of haptic steering wheel controls. …
Acceleration complaints in other ID.4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2023 Volkswagen ID.4?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, 12% of the model year's 463 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, though it has 15 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 14,000 miles, and 67% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 21 crashes, 0 fires and 10 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.