Electrical system, acceleration, brake, and door latch issues are the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Volkswagen’s first fully-electric crossover SUV, the ID.4 is the automaker’s most popular all-electric model. Fully assembled in the U.S., this intelligent design (ID) vehicle is intended for the global mass market. And, by mid-2022, VW had delivered 190,000 SUVs worldwide. While it’s affordable and hugely popular, the 2022 ID.4 is not free of problems, with some owners claiming it’s simply not safe. Complaints draw attention to various electrical malfunctions, ID.4s that randomly accelerate and others that lose power and won’t accelerate, brake problems, and door latches and handles that are faulty.
Click on another model year to view more problems: 2023 2021
Following a similar pattern to the launch of the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 model, complaints to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the electrical system top the list. Similarly, they are varied, with some clearly more serious than others. Problems listed as forward collision avoidance and brake issues are also quite common. Other systems and components seen by consumers to be the cause of problems are back-over prevention, the engine, exterior lighting, the fuel/propulsion system, lane departure, powertrain, brakes, vehicle speed control, and visibility/wiper.
There are 2 recalls in place, both of which relate to the rearview camera. The first issued in October 2022 only affects 5 vehicles. It warns that the rearview camera image may be deactivated or delayed. This, of course, reduces the driver’s view of what’s behind the ID.4, which increases the risk of a crash.
The second, issued in November 2022, affects 2,607 VW and Audi vehicles, including the 2022 ID.4. This recall warns that the camera image may be unresponsive or black when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear or when the park function is activated manually. It also reduces driver visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings |
As mentioned above, complaints about the electrical system are very varied, and often owners combine different issues with what they perceive to be wrong.
A recent complaint listed as an electrical system problem together with unknown and other issues also refers to driver door latches malfunctioning and spontaneous acceleration. All, the complaint states, are “alarming malfunctions that threaten driver and passenger safety.” The dealership confirmed all the problems reported, but the owner is very unhappy. “Any one of these issues would be cause for great concern but taken together they have shaken my confidence in the ID.4 as a safe, road-worthy vehicle within which I can transport my wife and child. No vehicle should ever exhibit these types of alarming safety defects let alone one driven for only 6 months with less than 3500 miles on the odometer.”
An owner from Colorado reports major issues while driving on snow-covered roads. For example, the advanced driver assistance system wasn’t working and the computer system shut down. The complaint states that while he managed to drive about 3 miles to his home, “it was a scary experience.”
After taking the ID.4 to the dealership for repairs 3 times, an owner from Oregon laid a complaint with the NHTSA. Issues include the:
The dealership seems to agree that it’s a manufacturer defect but VW has not been able to resolve the issue.
An owner from Virginia states that the sensors for side assist and rear traffic alerts aren’t working. The issue started 10 days after taking possession of the vehicle. But the dealer said it was caused by “excess dirt around the sensors.” They “fixed” the problem … which recurred a week later. A technician said there had been other similar complaints. This is confirmed by an ongoing thread in the VW ID Talk forum.
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Complaints include problems with 2022 ID.4s accelerating spontaneously as well as others that won’t accelerate or accelerate very slowly. Most of the complaints are filed as electrical problems, although they are sometimes combined with other categories. However, some owners regard acceleration issues as engine, powertrain, or vehicle speed control problems. It makes sense, even though it can become problematic when trying to accurately categorize areas of concern..
An owner from Florida talks about “constant electrical gremlins” that include charging and other issues. But spontaneous acceleration is also highlighted. While coasting to a stop, “even though I was pressing the brake pedal the car suddenly lurched forward and started accelerating.” Able to stop accelerating, the driver found that the brake pedal was “firm and (I) had to press even harder to get the car to come to a stop.”
Another owner describes what happens when a car immediately in front changes lanes and moves forward out of the way. “The VW engages in high acceleration despite the fact that the next vehicle in front (already seen by the system) is totally stopped with stop lights on and the traffic light is red.”
An owner from Georgia describes what happened after getting into the ID.4, putting a foot on the brake, and then putting it into gear. “The car jumped forward and I had to press brakes with all my strength to keep it from accelerating to full ‘throttle.’ It did the exact same when I put it in reverse. I turned the car off, got out, gave it a couple of minutes, and tried two more times. It did the same thing every time.
“It is like the accelerator is pressed to the floor as soon as you put it in gear without you touching it. I almost hit my house due to the wheels being turned before the first try.” Having had the car for only two weeks, “I called a tow truck to take it to the dealer.”
Not all drivers experience spontaneous acceleration. Some find that they can’t accelerate.
An owner from New York was driving on the highway when the ID.4 suddenly slowed down. It wouldn’t go any faster than 27 mph. “regardless of how hard I pushed the accelerator. Very dangerous. Almost caused an accident.”
An owner from Washington tells how when pulling onto a highway from a residential street when the ID.4 suddenly lost power. At this point, “just about every warning imaginable popped up on the dash. The power loss was so sudden that it almost felt like hitting a curb. I was eventually able to get the car back up to speed but it accelerated very slowly. The dash flashed several warnings, including something about the electrical system, traction control system, AWD system, auto hold not available, ABS, lane keep, and travel assist not available, forward collision not available, parking assist not available, and probably others I missed as well.
“I was able to get it back home and after letting it sit for about five minutes I turned it back on and everything seemed to work normally.”
All the complaints about faulty latches and door handles are filed in the “unknown or other” category. Similar complaints about the 2021 model are filed as latches/locks/linkages problems.
All the complaints relating to this problem state that they are concerned about safety issues.
One of the complaints states that the driver’s door latch stopped working, first intermittently and then completely. This meant that the driver had to get into the SUV via the passenger door. The dealer wasn’t able to offer a solution “because the part was back ordered indefinitely.” Potentially this indicates that it isn’t an isolated or uncommon problem.
And the problem got worse, with the latch, “tumbling at random intervals while I was driving. Then it started unlatching while the car was stationary. Then it started unlatching while in motion when both my hands were on the steering wheel.” Eventually, VW agreed to tow the ID.4 to a dealer, agreeing that “it was unsafe to drive.” At the time of the complaint, it had been with the dealer for more than a month.
Another similar complaint states that the driver’s door “clicks as if someone is locking/unlocking the door.” Then there’s a warning that shows that the door isn’t locked. As the complaint states, an “unlocked door is (a) safety hazard to the driver and other passengers within the car, and passersby, as it’s likely that the door might swing open suddenly.”
Yet another complaint states that the problems with the door handle are inconsistent. Sometimes it works from outside and sometimes not. Sometimes the door would open on its own while the car was moving, though more often it was when the car was stationary. The dealer was waiting for a part to fix the problem.
Problems with the 2022 ID.4 brakes are varied. For example, an owner from Wisconsin was backing into the driveway in a month-old car when “the brake pedal went hard.” Then there were several warnings and an error message that said “Brake Booster is Limited.” He did manage to stop the SUV by “pressing really hard.” But the complaint states, “If I would have been driving in regular traffic I would have never been able to stop.” Additionally, “Many system lights also came on and the vehicle is not drivable. I will have to get it towed to VW.
Another owner maintains that when using the adaptive cruise control (ACC) and slowing down for traffic ahead, the ID.4 lessens “the amount of regenerative braking applied.” This is a dangerous situation. It happens whenever “added braking is needed for slowing traffic beyond what the car is automatically applying for ACC. The reduction in vehicle braking when depressing the pedal makes a collision more likely, and makes the car feel like it’s lurching forward.”
Do you think that your 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 may be a lemon? If you have recurring problems that affect the use or value of your 2022 ID.4 this might be the case. It doesn’t matter what the problems are. They may be totally different to those mentioned in this post.
Lemberg Law has lots of experience with lemon law vehicle cases and we have negotiated settlements with manufacturers for many clients. So, if you think you’ve gotten yourself a lemon, call us or fill out a contact form. We’ll do a free assessment of your problems to see if we can help you. Ultimately, the law will make Subaru pay if it’s a lemon law case.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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