Lemberg Law is investigating hundreds of consumer complaints relating to concerns that ID.4 rearview camera displays could fail to display an image or may be delayed. The automaker has issued a recall for nearly 80,000 of its model years 2021-2023 Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles, but it admits it doesn’t have a fix.
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What’s Going On with the ID.4 Rearview Camera?
Volkswagen of America explains the issue in an interim safety recall notice that states clearly that a “recall repair is not yet available.” The recall is filed as an issue that affects several components:
Backover prevention — software
Electrical system — instrument panel and speedometer/odometer
Equipment — electrical, infotainment, and software
The letter to be sent to affected consumers states that because of 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 loss of speedometer information or loss of rearview camera image.”
What this means is that the vehicles do not comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, Control and Displays, and 111, Rear Visibility. “Displays that do not show critical information, such as vehicle speed or the rearview camera image, increase the risk of a crash.”
While there is evidence that some owners have experienced this issue since as early as 2021, documents on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) only date from May 2024. The first went to dealers to alert them of the problem.
An “advance notice” to dealers dated May 17, 2024, stated that 79,953 vehicles in the USA are affected, and a further 8,051 in Canada. It also stated the repair is not available. Another letter to dealers dated May 20, 2024 identified the remedy as a software update and stated that owners would be notified in July 2024.
NHTSA Safety Report
An NHTSA Safety Recall Report 24V-344, issued on September 9, 2024, states that the vehicles identified for the recall were determined by field data records. “Vehicles included in the recall are equipped with software versions prior to the introduction of certain bug fixes and robustness improvements. Vehicles not included in the recall already have updated software versions.”
It describes the safety risk, stating that if the ID.4 rearview camera display is delayed or not displaying an image, there is an increased risk of crash or injury when the vehicle is backing up. If the instrument panel display isn’t working or reboots, the driver wouldn’t be able to see important vehicle information (e.g. vehicle speed) which could result in an increased risk of a crash.
Interestingly, it states that the “root cause analysis” started in April 2023, was triggered by the NHTSA and not the automaker. And it was only in May 2024 that Volkswagen of America “decided to conduct a non-compliance recall.” The NHTSA also reports that the automaker was aware of 354 warranty claims between April 18, 2023, and February 27, 2021.
“To correct the non-compliance, a software update will be provided free of charge. Volkswagen will offer a reimbursement plan under this recall. The updated software will contain certain bug fixes and robustness improvements to prevent software resets and rearview camera/dashboard display issues.”
However, the report states that while dealers were due to be notified on or before May 17, 2024, owners would only receive the interim recall notice (mentioned previously) on November 8, 2024. A previous version of the NHTSA Safety Recall Report dated May 15, 2024, said the recall would be available on July 12, 2024.
This indicates that at least until November, there will still be no fix available.
What Owners Are Saying
There are complaints from VW ID.4 owners who state they have experienced the failure as well as those who have been notified of the recall but have been told there is no repair available. Here are a few examples of complaints.
2021 Model Year Complaints
On November 25, 2021, an owner of a 2021 model from California was driving when the “display screen seized and was displaying a black screen.” After this, the rear passenger door handle failed to unlock and open the door. He later received a recall notification, but by September 25, 2024, he was aware that the parts available to do the repair were not available.
Another 2021 model owner from California states that on May 15, 2024, “after starting the vehicle, the center display failed to turn on” While reversing at 5mph, the rearview camera failed to engage, causing the driver to crash into a tree, damaging the rear vehicle panel. The dealer determined that the issue was related to the recall but was unable to help. The owner received a recall notification in September. Source
2022 Model Year Complaints
The Virginia owner of a 2022 model experienced the failure for more than a year, from December 16, 2022. “While starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster and the backup camera display started rebooting independently, after starting the vehicle.” The failure was intermittent but recurred for more than a year. He received a recall notification in August 2024, but the recall repair wasn’t available.
A dealer in Massachusetts replaced the radio when yet another owner experienced the failure. While driving at 35 mph on August 2, 2023, “the center display went black and then turned white while rebooting.” Shortly thereafter, the failure recurred. The dealer tried a “hard reset,” but that didn’t work either. This owner also received a recall notice in August 2024.
Another owner from Massachusetts reports that in January 2024, there was a message to update the software displayed. While driving at slow speeds, the vehicle came to a complete stop. At other times, the camera and infotainment screen were inoperable. The vehicle sometimes failed to start. While the vehicle was idling, all the doors would lock while he was holding a key fob. The dealer determined that the sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. In July 2024, he received the recall notification, but, of course, there was no repair available. Source
2023 Model Year Complaints
Many of the complaints from owners of the 2023 model state that they have received a recall notification, which states that the repair is not yet available.
In March 2024, an owner from Virginia was reversing when the backover prevention screen became inoperable. It also became inoperable while driving at about 25 mph “and started to update without driver interaction.” Additionally, the vehicle wouldn’t start with the Push-to-Start button. It did start with the key. “While reversing, the vehicle stopped and stalled when the battery was at forty-four percent. The fast-braking message was displayed.” In July the owner received a recall notice.
An owner from California was very concerned because the failure occurred several times while children were in the vehicle. While reversing on May 16, 2024, the backover prevention system failed to function as intended and the control panel displayed a black screen. Like the others, this owner received the recall notice later (September), and the repair wasn’t available.
A complaint from an owner in Texas dated October 1, 2024, states that five months before, while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel frequently rebooted, causing the screen to go blank for an extended period. The story is the same. After receiving a recall notification, the dealer confirmed that the parts weren’t available, so no repair was possible. Source
What Should You Do If Your 2021-2023 VW ID.4 Has a Rearview Camera or Related Problem?
If you are experiencing any of the issues described in this post, Lemberg Law would like to hear from you. There is no guarantee when the recall repair will be available. All you have to do is call our Helpline or fill out a contact form and we’ll call you. We’ll assess your case to see if you are eligible to join our new class action investigation.
It’s not going to cost you anything because the law says Volkswagen must pay the legal bills for lemon law cases.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
