What kind of problems does a Volkswagen ID.4 usually have? In this blog, we’ve outlined all of the most important things you should watch for when you’re in the market for an ID.4. However, let’s first start with a quick answer.
The most common problems of the Volkswagen ID.4 are brake or electronic stability control problems and electrical problems, which are both frustrating and can be significant safety risks. Other issues include faulty seat belt assemblies that provide inadequate protection, an unreliable battery connection that results in vehicle stalling, and misadjusted headlights that reduce visibility.
That was the most straightforward answer possible. In the article below, we’ll discuss every problem in detail. This includes identifying it, fixing it, and determining how much it costs to fix. Read on!
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1. Brake Problems
Consumers reported braking issues in the 2021 model on the NHTSA website. The issues varied in nature, and no faulty component has been pinpointed so far; Volkswagen has not responded to the issue with a TSP or recall either. One consumer stated that the brakes did not work, which resulted in a crash where even the airbags did not deploy.
Other complaints regarding brakes seemed to focus on the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or, more precisely, on its unexpected behavior and unnecessary activation. The complaints had a common theme; the ESC would activate on relatively normal driving conditions such as on dry roads or turns and corners. The ESC slowed down the vehicle, which could be dangerous and result in rear-end collisions with oncoming vehicles.
As we mentioned before, no solutions have been found for this problem at the time of writing, and not enough data is available to ascertain if the problem has made its way into the 2022 model. If you own a Volkswagen ID.4 or are planning on getting one, it’s best to watch the electronic stability control and if it is acting up on your vehicle. There is some hope that the ESC issue is just a software issue and will be fixed soon enough with a software update.
2. Electrical Issues
There were multiple complaints about electrical issues and glitches in the Volkswagen ID.4. Again, the problems varied in nature, and no faulty systems were identified for the problems. The most common issues are related to unnecessary flashing of the dashboard warning lights and problems with the infotainment system. The infotainments system has been the object of much discussion as consumers face issues such as the system taking time to boot or random shutdowns and reboots.
The more concerning electrical problems come from complete electrical systems shutdown or warning lights followed by the vehicle losing power. What was even more puzzling was that the issue completely vanished after a couple of minutes. Consumers who faced this problem stated that the complete shutdown incidents only occurred once but were especially puzzled since the vehicle hadn’t been driven a lot before or after the issue; The vehicle in question is the 2021 model year.
The shutdown and reboot of safety-related systems and complete shutdown of systems is a severe safety risk that could lead to crashes and injuries but, unfortunately, has no fix available.
We want to state that consumers facing serious and safety endangering electrical issues are few and most electrical problems are bearable as many consumers, despite the problems, are happy with their purchase. Most consumers with these problems hope for a future software update to fix these glitches and issues.
3. Vehicle Stalling
The Volkswagen ID.4 may stall due to an unreliable battery connection. The source of this unreliable connection is incorrect soldering within the high voltage battery. This stalling of the vehicle increases the risk of collisions and serious injuries.
Volkswagen issued a recall notice for this problem in May 2022 but is still working on a remedy. Once the remedy is available, a second notice will be sent out to the owners. This is a troubling situation as the owner of affected vehicles have no choice but to wait for the fix to become available!
We would recommend checking if your vehicle is a part of the recall and using a different vehicle if it is.
4. Seat Belt Problems
Volkswagen issued two recalls regarding their rear seatbelt assemblies. For both problems, in the case of a crash, the seat belts fail to secure the passengers properly, and the failure of such a vital safety feature could result in serious injuries.
The mechanism at fault in one recall was the automatic locking retractor (ALR) which deactivates early. Volkswagen had to issue a recall for this problem since it was a severe safety risk, and the vehicle failed to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
The other recall was made because the rear outboard seat belt assemblies were installed without the automatic locking retractor (ALR) function and violated the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards again.
The dealers will replace the rear seat belt assemblies as part of the recalls: the middle rear seatbelt assembly for the faulty ALR problem and the rear outboard seatbelt assembly for the missing ALR problem. All done free of charge.
The recalls were issued in August 2021 and are relatively new, so it’s best to check if your vehicle is part of the recalls and if your dealership has the available parts to carry out the fixes.
5. Headlights Problem
The headlights of the Volkswagen ID.4 can be adjusted or rather misadjusted so that the headlight beam increases glare and reduces visibility for the driver increasing the risk of a severe crash or injury.
An improper installment of caps causes the problem; the caps were installed on the horizontal aim but were installed on the vertical aim. This results in the safety risks mentioned above and means that the vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards.
Therefore, a recall was issued by Volkswagen to rectify the problem. The vehicles should be taken to the dealership, where the caps will be removed from the vertical aim and installed on the horizontal aim fixing the problem. This will, of course, be done free of charge.
The recall began in June 2021, so it’s best to check if your vehicle is included and get the problem fixed if it is.
6. Soy-Coated Wiring
Soy-Coated wiring has become a common issue for most brands, including Volkswagen. Most automakers switched to soy-based coating for their wiring because it was more biodegradable and so more eco-friendly. Although it’s better for the environment, it’s also better for the automaker as these soy-based coatings are cheaper than their plastic counterparts.
The problem with these soy-based coatings is that they attract rodents which then like to chew on them and use them as nesting material. This could cause an array of problems, any system that utilizes wires accessible to these rodents is at risk of failing. This has become quite the problem since there is no easy solution, and it’s a problem found in most vehicles by most automakers.
There are some simple steps to include into your routine to try and catch these rodents before they cause an expensive problem. This includes regularly opening the hood and looking for signs of rodent activity, looking for shredded pieces of wire where you park your cars and cleaning out all the food in your car.
What’s The Worst Year Of The Volkswagen ID.4?
The Volkswagen ID.4 is projected to be a reliable car that lasts you around 300,000 miles or 10 to 15 years. Of course, the ID.4 hasn’t been around long enough for an estimate based on actual figures, but the projections are made by experts who have based the battery life on estimated charge cycles, and the ID.4 battery size (82kWh), an impressive battery size for its price point. Even a conservative estimate would give you 250,000 miles of battery life for the ID.4.
What’s the worst year of the Volkswagen ID.4? That’s a difficult question to answer. There are only two models of the ID.4 in the market, the 2021 and 2022 models, and we don’t have enough information on the 2022 model to state whether it’s better or worse than the 2021 model. After all, most of this article and others online discuss the 2021 model.
However, we do expect and certainly do hope that the 2022 model fixes the common problems of the 2021 model. A detail that gives us hope for the 2022 model is that many issues with the 2021 model were based on software glitches, and so we hope that Volkswagen worked on them for the 2022 model.
There’s a good chance that the 2022 model beats out the 2021 model to become the top model year of the Volkswagen ID.4. After all, the first model in a generation is usually the model with the most problems and glitches, while the following models offer at least some fixes to those problems.
Nevertheless, we can’t know for sure until we get more data and feedback on the 2022 model, but things are looking good for the 2022 model with the information available now and worth checking out at your local VW dealership.
Sources
- https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2021/VOLKSWAGEN/ID.4/SUV/RWD#recalls
- https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2021/VOLKSWAGEN/ID.4/SUV/RWD#complaints
- https://lemberglaw.com/2021-volkswagen-id4-problems-complaints-lemon/
- https://luxurycarsa2z.com/common-problems-with-volkswagen-id-4/
- https://enginepatrol.com/how-long-volkswagen-id4-last/#:~:text=Considering%20the%20ID.,batteries%20can%20exceed%20400%2C000%20miles
His interests in cars, motorcycles, and machines led him to the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore where he is currently a mechanical engineering sophomore.
His future aims include the development of an energy-efficient prototype vehicle for the Shell Eco-Marathon competition and getting a Master’s Degree in Automotive Engineering from Germany.