Transmission complaints by model year
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
When stopping on an incline: the vehicle comes to a stop with the brake pedal. If you let up on the brakes, the vehicle will start rolling backwards because the brakes are not creating enough pressure to hold the vehicle and the electric motor has disengaged to save energy. The infotainment screen will even recognize the vehicle is rolling backwards and engage the rear-view camera even though the vehicle is still in drive (D or B). I have almost rolled into several cars and pedestrians because the vehicle was rolling backwards unexpectedly. The vehicle does have an "Auto-Hold" brake feature but it only engages when the brake pedal is depressed to a certain point, which is further than it takes to bring the vehicle to a stop. I have also rolled forward unexpectedly having thought the auto-hold feature was engaged.
The car's turtle light was on, and the car started moving slowly with instructions to part the car immediately. I brought the car to the service on 10/18/2024, and they could not diagnose it after 3 hours. I returned the vehicle on 10/21/2024 with the same complaint, and the car has been at the dealership service since then. VW instructed the service to replace one battery module, which did not solve the problem. Now, the service is waiting on different back-ordered parts, and there is no timeline for the arrival of the parts, nor are they sure this is the resolution.
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V120000 (Power Train, Service Brakes, Hydraulic), 24V344000 (Back Over Prevention, Equipment, Electrical System), and 24V651000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that after shifting to park(P) on an incline, the hazard lights started flashing, and the indicator lights and horn were unintentionally activated. The contact reversed a little and shifted back into park(P), and the failure was self-corrected. The failure occurred again while parked in a parking lot with the vehicle unoccupied. The contact returned to the vehicle, and the failure was self-corrected. …
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V651000 (STRUCTURE) and 25V120000 (POWER TRAIN, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC), 24V344000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION, EQUIPMENT, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled, with unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle. On another occasion, the vehicle started to make a grinding sound and jerked abnormally. …
2/14/23, Longmont Colorado snow storm roads snowcovered. Vehicle in Traction mode, all wheel drive. Exiting an inclined parking lot cars rear end started sliding to left, gently accelerated to correct. Yellow caution lights illuminated for all systems. No advanced driver assistance systems were working. Car was extremely difficult to drive, braking was severely restricted as was acceleration and cornering . I believe the computer system was overloaded, "confused" and shut down. I honestly don't believe that I could have controlled the vehicle had I been driving any Colorado mountain pass. Managed to drive approximately 3 miles to home, but it was a scary experience. Facebook groups for ID-4, reported that when the computer crashes, to stop car, exit, lock and step away at least 50 feet for 5 minutes to reset. Not practical in a mountain blizzard! …
When my car starts in ECO mode, meaning ECO mode was the last setting on my last drive, the car appears to drive in ECO mode given the pedal's delay in power; however, on freeways, it can easily go pass 80mph, which it isn't supposed to. Then when I change my car mode to any other mode after starting my car in ECO mode, so Comfort, Sport, etc, and then switching back to ECO mode, I noticed the pedal now has more resistance then it did before. It feels like now, it's 100% ECO mode because I get way better efficiency now. For example, yesterday, when I drove to work and my car started up on ECO mode, it took 6% to get to work. Today, after starting up my car when it is already in ECO mode from the last drive, then switching to comfort or sport mode, then back to ECO mode, it took 4% to get to work. …
The car completely stopped without warning. The dashboard lit up with all the lights and informed me that the I need to pull over. There was no time to pull over as the car completely lost all power. The car was traveling on the freeway. It would not start back up and I needed to call 911 for help. The tow truck could not get the car started and the CHP needed to run a traffic break to get it towed off the road. The dealer could only find an NV-energy management alarm triggered and said it was ok to drive again. The next day driving on [redacted], when returning to my car the car said the vehicle electrical system had an error and I could not power it on. I requested a tow and the car is currently at the service department. Of note is when the car was pulled off the freeway I was able to start it and drive it home like nothing happened. …
The vehicle developed a charging/electrical/high-voltage battery problem. Level 3 charging stopped first, then charging later stopped on all levels. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Volkswagen dealer on 08/06/2026. The dealer referenced high-voltage battery/module and charging-system issues, including fault/code information involving P0BBD00 / J840 / 008C and campaign/action history involving 93P7 / 97ZZ. The dealer quoted a very expensive repair involving a high-voltage battery/module condition and charging-system components. The unresolved safety concern is that the dealer/manufacturer have not provided a clear written answer on whether the vehicle can be safely charged, operated, towed, released, or repaired elsewhere while the high-voltage battery/module condition remains unresolved. …
Related recalls (1)
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Volkswagen ID.4 years have transmission problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2023 (31), 2021 (23) and 2022 (13) model years. Transmission complaints make up 7% of all complaints for the 2023.
Is there a recall for Volkswagen ID.4 transmission problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 25V-120 (gear position indication (prndl), Feb 27, 2025). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Volkswagen ID.4 transmission problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 12,000 miles; 75% happened 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.