2023 Volkswagen ID.4

This is a supplemental report to my previous filing regarding a 2023 VW ID.4 battery fire. On May 28, 2025, while being operated, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic thermal event. White smoke emanated from the front compartment followed by active flames. The vehicle was a total loss. Critical Safety Finding: A subsequent forensic examination conducted on October 29, 2025 (File 27739-01) by a certified fire investigator confirmed that after the initial fire was suppressed, the vehicle reportedly caught fire an additional time while being held at a tow/storage facility. Component Failure: The fire originated in the front compartment area. The failure is consistent with the "thermal runaway" risks identified in Recall 26V030, involving defective battery cell electrodes. Safety Risk: The multiple ignition nature of this failure poses a lethal risk to occupants, emergency responders, and tow/salvage facility operators. The fact that the vehicle reignited twice in storage, long after the initial suppression, suggests that current safety protocols or the scope of the existing recall may not fully address the volatility of this specific battery defect. Inspection Status: The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer’s engineers and an independent forensic investigator. However, the manufacturer and the insurer are currently withholding the Photographic Report and Technical Field Report from the consumer. These records are vital to understanding the severity of the "multiple -ignition" event and should be subpoenaed or requested by NHTSA investigators to ensure the recall remedy is sufficient to prevent secondary fires in storage environments.

My car failed to connect/stay connected to a charger. When a successful charge started, within 5 minutes , my dash lit up with warning messages to stop moving the car. Place car in park. Battery needs to be replaced. My car was in park at the time. Then the charging session ended and wouldn't reconnect. My car wouldn't start either. Leaving me stranded at the charging station . I called for towing service for which I was charged $122.88 for the tow. Then $479 for a new 12v battery. This didn't fix the issue. My car has been at Hawk since then waiting for a main battery. This is an unreasonable amount of time.

1. The car accelerates erratically when it is charged to 90 to 100%. This just plain dangerous. 2. The battery is charging to 100% when it set to charge to 80%. I learned that there is a recall for this vehicle due to the battery overheating and possibly catching on fire. However as of yesterday, there are neither diagnostics available to show whether the recall actually applies to my car, nor is their a repair available. Given the nature of the recall, this puts me in the untenable situation of not trusting my car battery - to not overheat and to not catch fire. I brought the car into VW Glenwood Springs and asked them to diagnose the problems. VW Glenwood neither charged the car to 100% nor did they drive it other than around the block. Therefore they did not experience the problem - and of course could not give me any answers. They said that car is safe to drive! I can attest that this car is not safe to drive.

This vehicle is a total safety hazard due to two distinct failures: ​1. Unresolved Door Defect (14+ Months): For over 14 months, the vehicle has suffered from 'Self-Opening Door Handles.' Despite 4 repair attempts, the manufacturer has failed to fix this, posing a risk of doors opening while driving. ​2. Fire Risk & Use Restriction (Current Recall 26V-028): Currently, the vehicle is under a 'High-Voltage Battery Fire Risk' recall. The manufacturer has no remedy available and advises to 'Park Outside' and 'Away from Structures,' while also advising against fast charging. ​Conclusion: I am stuck with a car that has doors that open on their own and a battery that might catch fire. The manufacturer refuses to repurchase this unsafe vehicle. I request an immediate investigation.

The high-voltage battery in my two leased Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles are subject to NHTSA recall 26V030 (VW campaign 93EA, Jan 2026) for potential overheating and fire risk due to missing Self-Discharge Detection (SDD) software updates. This can cause thermal propagation even when parked. No failure or fire has happened in my vehicles yet; the battery remains available for inspection. However we do have warning lights, messages, range loss, and other electrical symptoms that have appeared before the recall notice. The defect creates a serious safety risk for my family. Both vehicles normally charge indoors in the garage directly under my toddler's bedroom. A fire during charging could endanger my young child and home. Recall guidance requires parking outdoors, no indoor/overnight charging, 80% max charge, and no Level 3 (DC fast) chargers until fixed (remedy starts ~March 2026). These restrictions make safe, practical use impossible: outdoor charging in Philly winter is impractical and risky (damage/theft), and no fast charging limits daily family mobility severely. The issue hasn't been reproduced or inspected by a dealer in my case—it's precautionary based on other vehicles' incidents. No manufacturer, police, or insurance inspection has occurred for my cars. VW denied buyback or relief, saying it's covered under warranty. Combined with prior recalls (door handles, software glitches needing repeated visits), this substantially impairs safe use. The fire risk forces unsustainable charging changes with young kids at home.

After spending the past 3 hours with VW's customer care department I have a serious problem with their decision to close my case until VW determines a recall action plan even though... VW has instructed me not to park in my garage or charge overnight due to fire risk VW has no parts and no timeline Vehicle range is materially reduced from stated 290 miles to 160 in winter / 225 in summer VW refuses lease relief and refuses long term loaner car VW closed the case while the recall remains open

My Volkswagen ID.4 experienced a sudden crack in the windshield followed by smoke and fire near the dashboard/A-pillar area. The manufacturer denied responsibility and claimed the windshield crack caused the fire, but glass cannot ignite or cause an electrical fire. This is a serious safety hazard because the fire originated where electrical components and sensors are located. The incident occurred without any collision or external impact. The vehicle is still under lease, and Volkswagen refuses to investigate further. I am reporting this in case this defect affects more vehicles and poses a risk to other owners.

I am writing to bring to your attention an issue we recently encountered with our 2023 VW ID.4. We began hearing a clicking noise and brought the vehicle in for a diagnostic inspection. The dealership has informed us that the rear drive motor has failed and that the vehicle requires a full motor replacement, estimated at nearly $5,000. Our ID.4 is only 2.5 years old with 62,000 miles. We have truly enjoyed driving it and chose Volkswagen because of its reputation for quality and reliability. To see such a critical component fail this early is very disappointing.

The incident occurred on May 24, 2025, while preparing to park the 2023 VW ID4. I had two occupants in the car with me. At the time of the incident, I was moving very slow with my foot on the brake, just about ready to stop and put the car in the park position, when the ID4 suddenly violently lurched forward. The car went over a cement parking stop continuing forward on to a sidewalk and then hit a building. I tried to stop the vehicle as quickly as I could. No collision lights, none of the usual sensors, and no automatic Collison braking came on. The only braking was by me. If someone would have been walking in front of the car at the time of the incident there would have been serious injuries, or deaths. Had the car had more room to accelerate before it hit the building, I think myself & my passengers could have been injured. The vehicle was taken into VW dealership who had the car for five weeks. The car was inspected by a VW engineer, final report states driver pressed the accelerator causing the vehicle to go forward at 54% acceleration. I expressed to the VW dealership that the car DID lunge but that I did not touch the accelerator. I had 2 passengers that can also verify that there were no warning lamps, sensors, or symptoms prior to the incident and normally the front sensors start beeping when you get too close to anything! After this incident I started to do some research and found on a VW Vortex forum that this type of incident has happened to numerous owners of ID 4's. Some of the writers to the forum had the exact same incident as mine, stating they were pulling into a parking spot ready to park and the car lunged. I also found it was happening to Audi owners a sister company of VW. My greatest concern is the frequency of this incident and the company's refusal to take any responsibility which was also widely reported on line. We had owned the VW ID4 for 2.5 years and never had anything like this happened before.

On [XXX], our 2023 VW ID.4 Pro S which kept breaking down during our Vegas trip. It’s still under manufacturer warranty. 17,931 miles, VIN # [XXX] . We got home around 10:30 PM on July 7th after leaving Vegas before noontime, EV battery overheated in the 120 degrees heat at Baker and 112 degrees temperature at Barstow and couldn’t be driven until battery cooled hours later after each stop. It was a complete nightmare with my poor wife and kids in that super hot weather. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)