2023 Volkswagen ID.4

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V030000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that the vehicle failed to charge with chargers more than 220 Volts, and the message "Electrical System Not Working Correctly, Please Service Vehicle" was displayed. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.

This is a follow-up to my previous complaint #XXX regarding my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 (VIN [XXX]). The defect remains unresolved. My vehicle received Recall 93EA (high-voltage battery) on XXX, during which only 3 of 12 battery modules (Modules 1, 5, and 12) were replaced. On XXX, a different module (Module 3) in the same battery pack failed with the same type of fault (P0BBD00 - Hybrid Battery Pack Voltage Variation Exceeded Limit). This was independently confirmed by a second authorized Volkswagen dealership (Norm Reeves Volkswagen Irvine) on XXX. Volkswagen has denied that this failure is related to Recall 93EA, but has not provided any technical explanation for that conclusion despite multiple written requests. Volkswagen Customer CARE has stated they only rely on dealership findings and do not independently investigate root causes. The dealership, in turn, has said it does not know the underlying cause of the recall and directed me back to Volkswagen. Neither party has explained the actual root cause of the defect that led to Recall 93EA or why a second module failed the same way just months after the recall repair. The vehicle has been effectively undriveable since XXX due to this unresolved safety defect. I have consulted multiple attorneys, all of whom declined to take legal action primarily because the vehicle's mileage places it outside standard state Lemon Law protections — despite the fact that this concerns an open, unresolved federal safety recall with no mileage limitation under 49 U.S.C. § 30120. I am submitting this follow-up to ensure NHTSA has current, updated information on this ongoing and unresolved defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The J949 Telematics/OCU Gateway Module on my 2023 VW ID.4 (VIN: [XXX]) has suffered a critical software lockup, causing a perpetual boot and local user login loop. This defect has completely frozen and locked out the User Privacy and Communication Settings menus. Because the telematics gateway is frozen and failing to authenticate, the vehicle’s cellular-connected SOS Emergency Call system and automated crash-notification telemetry are compromised and unreliable. The manufacturer (Volkswagen) has acknowledged the menu is missing under TAC Case #XXX but refuses to authorize a physical component power-cycle or warranty replacement, claiming a vehicle failing to load its safety and telemetry configurations is 'operating as designed.' Note: the Service Manager escalated to the TAC but they did not help and indicate 'operating as designed'. I called VW Customer Care and asked it to be escalated to a Regional Case Manager but they won't escalate given TAC says its operating as designed. Customer Care did issue a ticket, ref# XXX to have a supervisor call me back within 24 hrs...but I have not received any calls from a supervisor. I escalated by email to Executive Care and have not received a response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I received a factory recall notice from Volkswagen regarding the high-voltage battery in my ID.4 (Recall 93EA). I brought the vehicle to Volkswagen South Coast ([XXX]) for the recall repair on XXX completed XXX where the dealer found the battery testing "not OK" and replaced Modules 1, 5, and 12. On XXX — less than three months later — a battery warning light returned. The dealer found fault code P0BBD00 and identified Module 3, a different module not replaced during the recall, as internally defective, and quoted $5,301.68 to replace it. I contacted Volkswagen Customer CARE requesting confirmation of whether this is related to the recall and a technical basis for their determination. Volkswagen responded stating the dealership found the two issues unrelated, but provided no technical explanation for that conclusion. I believe the original recall defect was not fully remedied. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I am driving home from work and I’m right around the corner from my house. As soon as I try to make a turn, the car begins beeping and the faults “Electrical system malfunction” and “12V power supply” show up. My car does not accelerate, I lose power steering, and I can no longer move while I’m still in the middle of the road with cars around me. Thankfully, there was a slight downhill that allowed me to coast somewhat off the road, but I had to push this 4600+ lbs car (by myself) further so it wasn’t sticking out. I had to get 4 other people to help push the car to my house across a residential collector road which took ~20 mins just to go a couple hundred feet. This is the THIRD time of this occurring, twice I’ve been to the dealership, and twice they told me they couldn’t replicate the issue. The other times “thankfully” occurred when the car was already parked, but one of the instances required a tow; this was not even a week after buying the car. The second time occurred not even 5 hours after getting my car back from the dealership service center, requiring me to ditch the car in the parking lot (dealership was closed). I’ve had the car for a little under a month. This is incredibly unsafe. I work in downtown and go on many major roads/interstates during my commute. If this would’ve happened on the freeway or a busier road, a serious accident and/or injury could’ve occurred.

My 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S AWD (approximately 40,000 miles) has a persistent GPS navigation system failure where the vehicle displays an incorrect location. This is a safety concern as the navigation system cannot be relied upon for accurate directions or location awareness. The following repair attempts have been made at the dealership: - TSB 91-24-05 was performed and was unsuccessful - The OCU (Onboard Communication Unit) was fully replaced and was unsuccessful - A VTA (Volkswagen Technical Assistance) case was opened VW Customer Care, Car-Net, and two separate dealerships have been unable to resolve this issue. I was told by multiple VW representatives that there is currently no available fix and that Car-Net will contact me when a resolution is available — which has not happened despite months of waiting. I am currently within my 4 year/50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. Volkswagen has been unable to fulfill their warranty obligation to repair this known defect. This GPS failure affects safe navigation and represents a safety concern for the driver."

My primary safety complaint is that the automatic emergency-call function failed during an actual airbag-deployment collision even though the SOS indicator was green and appeared to show that the system was operational. The vehicle is a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, VIN [XXX]. On XXX, at approximately 8:04 a.m., while traveling southbound on Columbia Pike near Trader Joe’s, the vehicle was involved in a collision that deployed the airbags. The vehicle automatically initiated the emergency-call sequence but announced words to the effect of, “Your call cannot be completed.” The Montgomery County Police Department investigated the collision under Incident Number XXX. Fortunately, a passerby witnessed the collision and assistance was available. Without that person, emergency assistance could have been delayed, increasing the risk of serious harm. An injured, disoriented, trapped, or unconscious occupant may not be able to locate a phone and call [XXX]. The vehicle had a prior history of recurring GPS, SOS, and connected-services failures. It was presented to authorized Volkswagen dealers four times while under warranty, and a Volkswagen TAC case was opened, but no root cause or permanent repair was documented. Shortly after Volkswagen was notified that a lemon-law filing would proceed, the GPS, green SOS indicator, and some connected functions appeared to return for about two days without any explanation of a repair, software update, reset, remote action, or configuration change. The GPS then became inaccurate again, while the SOS indicator remained green. I request that NHTSA investigate why the indicator remained green when the automatic crash call could not connect, whether Volkswagen verifies actual voice and location functionality before displaying the green indicator, and whether affected vehicles require a safety recall or other corrective action. The complete statement and supporting evidence are attached as Exhibit 0. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Potential undercounting of safety defects through Volkswagen’s no-DTC/no-repair process. I recently located and reviewed a video recorded on February 18, 2025. It was originally made to document a remote climate-control malfunction, not a GPS problem. While reviewing it because of recurring GPS and SOS failures, I noticed that the same video also captured an incorrect speed-limit display. While traveling south on US-29/Columbia Pike near Greencastle Road, the vehicle was traveling at 53 mph with cruise control set at 55 mph. Google Maps displayed a 55-mph speed limit while the Volkswagen instrument cluster displayed 35 mph. My 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 remains under warranty. I have taken it to Volkswagen dealers four times for recurring GPS-location, SOS/emergency-communication, and connected-services failures. No permanent repair was completed. Dealers told me that because no relevant diagnostic trouble code was stored, they could not replace a component or perform another repair without Volkswagen authorization. During another failure, when the SOS indicator was not illuminated, I pressed the service-call button. The call did not connect. The system announced vehicle coordinates, but they were incorrect. This raises concern that inaccurate location information could be provided during an emergency if the SOS system relies on the same data. A Volkswagen TAC case was opened, but there was no meaningful progress or documented repair. After escalation, the SOS indicator and some functions appeared to return without an explanation of what action had been performed. The GPS later became inaccurate again. The SOS light remains illuminated, but Volkswagen has not verified the emergency-location function or identified the root cause. My concern is that Volkswagen’s no-DTC repair requirement leaves an observable, recurring safety defect unrepaired and may prevent these events from becoming completed warranty claims or being recognized as part of a broader defect pattern.

I am reporting a potential safety-related defect in my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro involving GPS location, SOS/Car-Net/connected services, and driver-assistance availability. The vehicle has repeatedly shown an incorrect GPS location. Authorized VW dealers documented related SOS/connected-services concerns, including “no green light,” “no satellites seen,” an open TAC/Techline case, and no completed verified repair. On a later visit, the dealer documented that there was still no Techline update and no fault codes present for this issue. I have been advised to wait for Volkswagen/Techline/Connected Services because the issue may require a future software, backend, or OTA update. However, the vehicle remains unrepaired while the GPS/SOS/connected-services condition continues. The absence of fault codes may mean the vehicle is not recording a conventional hardware diagnostic trouble code, but the problem is still present. My concern is not merely an infotainment inconvenience. The issue may affect the vehicle’s ability to determine or report its location, the status of SOS/connected services, and the availability of Travel Assist/adaptive cruise-related functions. I did not activate the SOS emergency button as a test because I did not want to initiate a false emergency call. I cannot determine whether this is caused by hardware, software, backend systems, module firmware, or a combination of factors. I also cannot determine whether other vehicles are affected. I am submitting this complaint so NHTSA can review whether this GPS/SOS/connected-services condition warrants further safety review.