Volkswagen ID.4 Fuel System Problems

Fuel System complaints by model year

Mileage when the problem started

What owners report

I am reporting an unresolved safety recall (NHTSA 26V030, Volkswagen recall 93EA) involving a high-voltage battery defect with potential risk of fire. My vehicle (VIN: [redacted] ) was purchased in the United States but is currently located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The authorized Volkswagen distributor in the Dominican Republic has confirmed they are unable to perform the recall repair, as they do not service electric vehicles. As a result, I am operating a vehicle with a known safety defect and no available remedy, despite this being an active safety recall. I have contacted Volkswagen and requested assistance, but currently no solution has been provided. I am requesting guidance and intervention regarding how manufacturers are expected to address safety recalls for U.S.-sold vehicles located outside the country.

The car's position as shown on the navigation screen and as determined by the car's internal GPS was off by several hundred miles. While driving on the highway using adaptive cruise control, the car would frequently decelerate rapidly from 60+ mph to 30 or less. When it did this, it would display a message like "turn ahead - maximum 24 mph". Of course, there was no tight turn ahead as I was on an interstate highway in New York - the ACC was receiving messages to slow down because the location data was inaccurate. On two occasions this nearly caused a rear-end collision before I was able to disable the feature in ACC that would cause the car to decelerate because of small radius roadway curvature. During this time, the car's navigation system would continuously try to re-route, and the SOS functionality did not work.

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 was charging at Electrify America charging station for approximately 20 minutes when suddenly I felt the ID.4 shaking and then seconds later I was surrounded by smoke coming from outside and beneath the ID.4. The ID.4 was not turned on and was completely stationary. I unplugged the vehicle. During this time I made a best effort to not inhale but it happened so quickly that it was unavoidable. The smoke smelled really toxic and tasted like chemicals. I felt nauseous and woozy afterwards. I called 911 to report the smoke coming out of my ID.4. Call was made at 6pm, seconds after the smoke started pouring out. The vehicle was releasing extreme amounts of cloudy thick white smoke and it completely engulfed the ID.4 itself. There was also an orange/pink-like liquid pouring out of the left side of the vehicle from the bottom. …

While driving to work at 6:45AM, on a secondary road with the vehicle in "B" mode and the main cruise control switch active, but not on, I approached an intersection and was attempting to use the vehicle's regenerative braking. My right foot was off the gas and gently resting on the brake peddle. This is when I felt the car suddenly accelerate. I immediately pressed the break peddle which slowed the car appropriately, but not to a complete stop. I released the break at which point the car re-accelerated. I immediately reapplied the break and came to a complete stop. There was a car in front of me and if I had not reacted so quickly it's possible I would have run into that vehicle. After these two episodes I immediately pulled off the road into a parking lot and got out of the car to do a visual inspection. …

Got in car, put foot on the brake and put it in gear. The car jumped forward and I had to press brakes with all my strength to keep it from accelerating to full "throttle". It did the exact same when I put it in reverse. I turned the car off, got out, gave it a couple of minutes and tried two more times. It did the same thing every time. It is like the accelerator is pressed to the floor as soon as you put it in gear without you touching it. I almost hit my house due to the wheels being turned before the first try. I called a tow truck to take it to the dealer. I have only had the car for two weeks. The consumer stated that they discovered what the issue was and that they would like to cancel their complaint.

On March 26, 2024 the VW Id.4 caught fire while being driven on freeway. The driver was able to pull over and escape from the vehicle as it burned but sustained burns to his left arm, hand and face. The vehicle was engulfed in flames and destroyed. An inspection of the vehicle and battery modules in October of 2024 by VW experts and experts for the driver determined that the fire started in one of the battery modules and was not due to external causes or road hazards. The remains of the vehicle and battery modules have been preserved.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that the "Service Now" warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The contact stated that the issue was related to a Service action program regarding the hybrid battery pack. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.