2023 Volkswagen ID.4

The infotainment system in my Volkswagen ID.4 is experiencing intermittent failures while driving. The issue primarily affects the vehicle’s connectivity with my mobile phone (Apple CarPlay / Android Auto), music playback, and the use of navigation applications such as Google Maps. In several instances, the central display has also gone completely black, temporarily becoming unresponsive without warning. The affected component is the vehicle’s digital infotainment system, including the central touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, and multimedia and navigation functions. This system is available for inspection upon request. While driving, the system randomly disconnects from my phone, which interrupts Google Maps navigation, music playback, and other phone-based functions. This is particularly concerning because I rely on Google Maps for daily navigation, as the vehicle’s built-in navigation system is not sufficiently accurate or reliable. In my experience, the factory navigation does not provide strong real-time traffic detail and sometimes routes me through significantly longer or less efficient paths. The only advantage of the built-in navigation system is that it displays information on the driver’s head-up/front display, which Google Maps does not support. These failures create a potential safety risk, as the sudden loss of navigation while driving can lead to distraction when attempting to reconnect the phone or restore system functionality. Additionally, interruptions in audio guidance and the occurrence of a completely black screen may further affect driving focus. The issue occurs intermittently and has happened multiple times during normal vehicle operation. It is not consistently reproducible. To date, the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealership, the manufacturer, police, or any insurance representatives in relation to this issue. In most cases, there are no prior warning lights or messages; the system simply disconnects or the display goes bla

UNKNOWN -- I was turning 90 deg from the street into my 30' driveway, going very slow as usual with foot on brake pedal to slow further before entering the garage (the door had just finished lifting). But as I was straightening the steering coming out of turn, the car suddenly accelerated, brakes and steering both were unresponsive and the car smashed into the garage. Slowed further by the impact, the car caromed into the garage stairs smashing them to pieces before coming to rest against the rear garage wall after I hit the OFF button (it's an EV). There was no alert from the onboard systems of a pending crash and the air bags did NOT deploy. I was uninjured. Posting my accident on a social media owners group, other owners have had similar experience of the electronics going out while driving. The car remains at a 45 deg angle inside the garage now 6 days later awaiting the insurance company to come and extricate it for their assessment of the damage to the car.

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.

I am submitting this complaint as a follow-up to three prior NHTSA complaints regarding this same vehicle: Complaint #11714848 (submitted 2/1/2026) Complaint #11714852 (submitted 2/1/2026) Complaint #11716040 (submitted 2/5/2026) These prior complaints document a progression of serious electrical, charging, and vehicle control issues that have worsened over time. Initially, the vehicle experienced widespread software and electrical failures affecting core driving and safety systems, including loss of power while driving, unintended system activation, blank instrument displays, and failure of safety-related features such as the SOS emergency system. These issues escalated to include severe charging system failures, inability to reliably charge the vehicle, dramatically reduced range, and intermittent propulsion loss. On February 4, 2026, the vehicle became completely inoperable, displaying multiple critical warnings including “Drive system error,” “Electrical system not working correctly,” and inability to start or move the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership on February 5, 2026 for repair. I have now been informed by both Volkswagen and the dealership that they have been unable to identify or implement a repair for these issues. Despite this, they plan to return the vehicle to me without performing any substantive repairs. I have been told that diagnostic fault codes have been cleared and that the vehicle is now considered “safe” to drive. However, no root cause has been identified, and no repairs have been made to correct the underlying defects that led to loss of power, system failures, and complete inoperability. The issues previously reported remain unresolved and include: Loss of power while driving Dashboard and infotainment displays going blank while driving Vehicle shifting into park unexpectedly Cruise control activating without driver input Charging system failures preventing reliable charging Repeated warnings indicating unsafe oper

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.

The vehicle lurched forward as I was parking and hit a parked vehicle in front of me; it accelerated forward even though my foot wasn't on the accelerator. I have contacted VW and was told to take the vehicle to a VW dealer to be inspected; that is happening next week. I did not notice any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the accident. I had just installed the VW recommended software update 2 days prior.

The vehicle’s GPS/navigation system repeatedly misrepresents the vehicle’s physical location while driving. The defect includes incorrect vehicle positioning on the map display, including instances where the vehicle appears in incorrect geographic locations (including appearing in the middle of a river). While actively navigating, the system has recalculated routes incorrectly and changed estimated travel time from approximately two hours remaining to six hours, despite no change in route or conditions. This occurred during highway driving. The GPS malfunction also affects Apple CarPlay navigation when the phone is connected to the vehicle. When connected, the vehicle’s incorrect GPS data corrupts phone navigation routing. The defect further affects the vehicle’s heads-up display and traffic sign recognition system. The system has displayed incorrect speed limits (including displaying higher speed limits in lower-speed areas), which contributed to receiving a speeding citation. The issue makes reliable route planning and EV charging planning difficult or impossible during longer trips. The vehicle has been presented for repair three times. Dealership documentation verifies that the GPS and compass were incorrect. A technical case was opened with Volkswagen (Case RK-1536905), and I also opened multiple customer care cases on my own, to no avail. The vehicle was returned unrepaired with the statement that the concern is under review and no repair solution is currently available. The defect remains unresolved. This issue affects navigation accuracy, traffic sign recognition accuracy, and safe routing.

I am advised by VW to not charge this vehicle using the L3 super chargers along with not to charge it "inside" a garage. However, there is no way to charge the vehicle then without spending thousands to have an electrician move the plug outside. So I am forced to have this vehicle not usable and VW offers zero fix. I have written them a formal demand letter over 3 weeks ago requesting a fix or buy back and they ignore it. They have sold a vehicle which is clearly unsafe, however offer no fix

The vehicle continues to unlock itself. The dealer has been able to reproduce the problem. First repair. They said it was because of a recall to do with the door handles, even though the recall didn’t state any of that cause they were able to reproduce the vehicle unlocking itself after the recall so they did a software update once I took the vehicle home was able to reproduce, and the issue of it unlocking itself continued. I returned the vehicle to the same dealer and which they had the vehicle for an additional 26 days with another software update and then they had to call in to the tech line where they had to replace the control module that still didn’t fix the issue then had to replace a key then they released the vehicle back to me as they exhausted all their options and the issue is still present unable to drive the vehicle due to security concerns