2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
552 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 63/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 24,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings.
Avoid
Where 2021 sits among all ID.4 years
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V040000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 ID.4
“The car gives zero audible warnings when the TACC + LANE KEEP turns off. On the freeway driving in a curb, it would turn off without warnings. I almost hit my car.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 ID.4
“The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen ID4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V6510009 (Structure) and 24V344000 (Back Over Prevention, Equipment, Electrical System) would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 ID.4
“The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V312000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 ID.4
“My car is stopped and still due to heavy traffic . All of a sudden, while stopping, it starts moving and rolling away by itself. I try to stop it using the break pedal but it doesn’t stop.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 ID.4
“Got in my car today and have NO DASHBOARD INFORMATION, no speedometer, no battery information, no back up camera, no access to any software related information.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 ID.4
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 60 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 30,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 11,657 and 50,095 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
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. As such, these vehicles fail…
Fix: Dealers will update the brake control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 14, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2024 ID.4 vehicles. The door handles may allow water to enter the circuit board assembly, which can cause the doors to open unexpectedly.
Fix: Volkswagen dealers will inspect and replace the door handles as necessary, and update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 27, 2024. Owners may…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain 2021-2023 ID.4 vehicles. Due to a software issue, affected vehicles may experience center displays and instrument panel displays that do not boot, or that sporadically reset. This can result in…
Fix: Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 20, 2024. Owners may contact VW customer service at 1-800-893-5298. VW's number for…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 ID.4 vehicles. The affected vehicles may have been manufactured with door handles that allow water to enter the circuit board assembly, which can cause the doors to open…
Fix: Dealers will update the vehicle software, and inspect the door handles as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 19, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID.4 vehicles. Software programing may cause the high voltage (HV) battery management control module to restart or the pulse inverter to deactivate.
Fix: Dealers will update the HV battery management control unit and the pulse inverter control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 31, 2023. Owners…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID4 vehicles. The passenger air bag may be incorrectly folded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208,…
Fix: 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 Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID4 vehicles. Incorrect soldering of the flexible printed circuit assembled (FPCA), inside the high voltage (HV) battery, may cause an unreliable connection.
Fix: 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 Group of American, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling one 2021 ID.4 vehicle. The steering gear may have an incorrectly assembled or missing drive bushing.
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID4 vehicles. Incorrect rear outboard seat belt assemblies without an automatic locking retractor (ALR) function may have been installed, which can prevent the child restraint system…
Fix: 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…
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID.4 vehicles. Caps were installed on the headlight vertical aim instead of the horizontal aim, allowing for horizontal adjustment of the headlight beam. As such, these vehicles fail…
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 22V063000.
Technical service bulletins
391 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and body & structure — are on file for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 reliable?
The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 drew 552 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 63/100, scored against the model's worst year (2023).
What are the most common 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 are electrical (184 complaints), driver assistance (79), and other (68).
At what mileage do 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems around 30,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 11,657 and 50,095 miles.
Does the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.