Volkswagen ID.4

Where it stands out against its peers

• Electrical system: more complaints than 94% of 2021 cars — 53% of its 330 complaints, where an ordinary 2021 car has 22%.
• Structure: more complaints than 94% of 2021 cars — 11% of its 330 complaints, where an ordinary 2021 car has 4%.
• Vehicle speed control: more complaints than 95% of 2021 cars — 10% of its 330 complaints, where an ordinary 2021 car has 3%.
• Equipment: more complaints than 95% of 2021 cars — 3% of its 330 complaints, where an ordinary 2021 car has 0%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 74 owners reported this
• STRUCTURE — 16 owners reported this
• SERVICE BRAKES — 9 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE — 8 owners reported this
• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 7 owners reported this, 1 involving a fire
• TIRES — 7 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT,BACK OVER PREVENTION — 6 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN — 6 owners reported this
• VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — 6 owners reported this, 5 involving a crash
• AIR BAGS — 5 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — 5 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 5 owners reported this
• WHEELS — 5 owners reported this
• LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES — 4 owners reported this
• VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — 4 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

18% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 21V413000

  Adjusting the horizontal headlight beam can increase glare, reducing visibility for the driver and increasing the risk of a crash.

  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.

• 21V606000

  An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

  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).

• 21V607000

  An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

  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.

• 21V852000

  An incorrectly assembled or missing drive bushing may cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

  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.

• 22V162000

  An unreliable battery connection may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

  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.

• 22V764000

  A rearview camera with a delayed or deactivated image reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Dealers will update the vehicle's software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 17, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91EG.

• 22V823000

  An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners February 14, 2023. Volkswagen owners will receive an owner notification letter once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91EK and (Audi) 91EL.

• 22V858000

  An incorrectly folded air bag may not protect the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  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.

6 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Inadvertent Door Opening

  Recall query, opened May 2024, closed November 2024.

• Pedestrian alert sounds

  Defect petition, opened January 2023, closed August 2023.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Volkswagen filed 51 bulletins about the 2026 ID.4.

• Electrical system: 24
• Service brakes: 4
• Structure: 3
• Air bags: 2
• Engine: 2
• Exterior lighting: 2
• Steering: 2
• Suspension: 2
• Forward collision avoidance: 1
• Lane departure: 1
• Other: 8

• This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: DA 0019 -… · August 2026
• Diagnosis of low insulation resistance in the High-Voltage (HV) wiring. · August 2026
• Replace the rear Electric Drive Power and Control Electronics -JX1- with Three-Phase Current Drive -VX54- as an assembly · August 2026
• Checking Installation and calibration · August 2026
• Inquiries · July 2026
• Difference between Component fluid leakage and seepage · June 2026
• Condition is normal due to cold fresh air and humidity · May 2026
• Replace Battery Regulation Control Module Kit -J840- / -SX7- / -SX8- · May 2026

43 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.