There are 12 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
For the second time, the car began burning and smoking from the windshield, melting parts of the car near the windshield wipers and the glass itself, and filling the car's cabin with smoke. The burning and smoking went on for 15 minutes after we safely escaped. Myself and my family, including a young child, inhaled a lot of smoke before we were able to exit the car. The car was towed to the dealer and they have so far claimed that the large, charred, burned out holes are "rock chips," which is certainly not the case. I have asked the manufacturer to come and inspect the car the first time this happened, when the car was brand new and I turned on the heated windshield for the first time and this happened, but they refused to do so. It's a known issue and there's a class action lawsuit in Canada, but the manufacturer is trying to cover it up in the US to avoid a similar suit. Reddit, Facebook groups, and other forums are filled with people who have had the same thing happen.
On April 1st I had my windshield replaced due to a crack in the upper central portion of the windshield. When the glass place took the windshield off my car they found a burnt section in the headliner. The glass place reported it immediately to the Volkswagon dealership and asked the device person at the dealership to come look at the burnt headliner before they placed the glass back. The service person at the dealer did go and look at the car so the glass people finished installing the windshield but took pictures prior to installing the new glass. The dealership then reach out to me and asked to bring the car in ASAP. The car was dropped off a few days later for the service department at the dealership to look into the burnt headliner. After the dealer has had the car for 10 days VW Corp is refusing to conduct a full investigation to determine the issue of this burnt area. Concerned this car is a fire risk and unsafe due to wire issues or overheating elements around the windshield. The risk and issue is completely hidden in the car and not easily known about or identified during an event. Could put my house in jeopardy if fire starts while in my garage. Manufacture/dealership has inspected the car. Insurance is determining if they will inspect the vehicle or not. No warning lights or any indication this area was hot or hot even to burn the headliner.
On multiple occasions the infotainment system/central control system has gone black and rebooted while driving without any prior notification or warning. The front two USB ports indicate they are producing 12.2 volts; however, as soon as anything is plugged in, they become disabled and will not work. The warning lights indicating the front passenger seat belt is not in use randomly turn on when there is no passenger present in that seat.
While driving, the center infotainment display repeatedly goes completely black and reboots without warning. This occurs while the vehicle is in motion. During these events, the touchscreen-based climate controls and infotainment functions are unavailable until the system restarts. The driver display (speedometer) remains active. This has happened multiple times under normal driving conditions. Volkswagen recommended disabling wireless Apple CarPlay and using a wired USB connection instead. We followed this guidance exactly, disabling Bluetooth and wireless CarPlay and using only a USB connection. Despite this, the infotainment system continues to crash and reboot while driving. Because the vehicle relies on the center screen for climate controls, vehicle settings, and camera access, this failure creates driver distraction and a potential safety risk. Loss of the center display while driving is not acceptable in a new vehicle. This appears to be a software or system stability defect affecting the infotainment system and is not limited to wireless phone connectivity. I have photographic documentation of the screen going black during these events.
On [XXX], shortly before 7:00 we parked our EV in the designated charging space at the EVgo charging station on at the EVgo charging station located at [XXX] and connected the charging cable to our 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 in the normal, intended manner, as we had done previously. We paid by credit card and watched the EVgo screen confirm proper connection and that charging had begun. We remained in the vehicle for several minutes to verify the session was proceeding normally and observed nothing unusual—no warning lights, error messages, or signs of malfunction. Only after confirming that charging appeared underway did we leave the car. We went into the Marshalls store across the parking lot. Inside the store, I monitored the charging progress through the Volkswagen mobile app, which showed the battery percentage increasing. When the battery reached approximately 23%, the charging session stopped abruptly and without explanation. I immediately went outside to check the vehicle and charger connection. When I reached the charging station, I found the ID.4 on fire, with flames visible and shooting high into the air. A police officer was already on scene and prevented anyone, including me, from approaching due to the risk of explosion, toxic smoke, or the fire spreading. Within minutes, Somerville Fire Department trucks arrived and took control. Firefighters extinguished the fire in approximately 15 minutes, smashing the windows to vent smoke and heat and then saturating the vehicle during suppression efforts, leaving it heavily damaged beyond the fire itself. The fire occurred while the vehicle was stationary, plugged into a public charging station, and engaged in normal charging. The sudden ignition during what appeared to be a routine charging session raises serious safety concerns regarding the vehicle and/or charging equipment. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Following the recent winter update, I noticed several faults during the weekend prior to the major incident described below: Child Lock Malfunction: The car entered "child mode" and the rear door could not be opened from the inside or outside until I exited and re-entered the vehicle. Driver-Side Control Failure: The driver-side door controls stopped functioning. They only reset after I exited and re-entered the car. Alarm Malfunction: The alarm triggered unexpectedly while we were exiting the vehicle. Incident Report: 12/22/2025 While taking my daughter to Taekwondo (TKD) practice, I positioned the vehicle to back into a parking spot. I shifted into reverse, and the backup camera activated. As I always do, I checked my mirrors and the camera to ensure the path was clear. The vehicle did not provide any proximity beeps as it usually does when near an object. When I released the brakes, the vehicle did not move. I pressed the accelerator, and the car suddenly jumped forward, striking two parked vehicles. Thankfully, it was only a "fender bender" and no one was injured. Following the collision, the ID.4 screen became unresponsive for a moment, and the vehicle refused to power down when I lifted my weight from the seat. I had to get back in, close the door, fasten my seatbelt, unfasten it, and exit again before the vehicle finally turned off. I reported the incident to my insurance, and the damage to all three vehicles was covered. Follow-up: 12/23/2025 During a test drive the following day, I noticed the parking sensors would activate and beep as I approached intersections. This would only last a few seconds, but the screen would indicate an obstacle in front of the car when the path was clear. I took the vehicle to the dealer, but they were unable to replicate the faults. They reset the computer but claimed they did not have access to the specific fault codes. I took the car to a repair shop for bodywork, but it still exhibits minor software "quirks".
The last two days I have been receiving a child lock error on my ID.4. Looking online, it seems like this is a common issue. When that issue occurs, it disables all window and lock functions in the car. Needless to say, I cannot engage the child lock, lock my car, nor roll down my windows. If I were in an accident, I cannot get out by rolling the windows down. Now, going back to researching online, I’m finding it comes down to a failed board or a failed software update. Either way, this is a huge safety issue/concern.
I am writing to formally report a serious and ongoing defect with my 2025 Volkswagen ID.4, purchased 3 months and 2 days ago and currently located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since purchase, the vehicle has experienced at least eight 8 separate failures of the infotainment / central display system, which controls essential vehicle functions including climate control, audio, vehicle settings, and camera systems. Description of the defect: The central display intermittently: •freezes. •becomes unresponsive. •shuts down completely. •or fails to boot properly. When this occurs, I lose control of critical vehicle functions, including climate control and camera access, which raises significant safety and usability concerns. Key concerns: •The vehicle is new and under full factory warranty. •The defect is repetitive, unresolved, and not isolated. •This is not a cosmetic issue, but a functional failure of systems essential to vehicle operation. •The frequency and persistence of this issue raise concerns regarding vehicle reliability and compliance with safety expectations. Given the number of occurrences within a very short ownership period, I am formally requesting that PLEASE Volkswagen: 1.Open an official case regarding this defect 2.Provide a permanent repair solution (not a temporary reset), and 3.Advise on next steps should this defect continue, including remedies available under warranty and applicable consumer protection / Lemon Law provisions. Please I ask for your support. I am prepared to provide service records, videos, dates of failure, and VIN information upon request. I expect this matter to be handled with the urgency appropriate for a repeated defect affecting essential vehicle systems in a new vehicle.
While driving, the infotainment and central control display on our 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 repeatedly crash without warning. During these incidents, the navigation, HVAC controls, audio, CarPlay, vehicle warnings, and backup camera all become inoperable while the vehicle is in motion, including at highway speeds. Volkswagen has confirmed that this is a known, widespread software defect affecting multiple ID.4 vehicles and that no repair or software update is currently available. The vehicle has been at the dealership since November 3, 2025, awaiting a fix. These failures create a serious safety hazard by eliminating access to vehicle controls and safety-critical information. Volkswagen has refused to provide a fix or timeline for correction. Case No. 07127932 – Volkswagen Customer CARE. VIN [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving the instrument panel reboots and or just goes blank, leaving the vehicle without any display. This will happen multiple times per week and has happened since I purchased the vehicle. I have reported this to the dealer without any solution.
While driving slowly in B mode, I began pulling into a parking space in Home Depot parking lot next to a planter, keeping my foot on the brake pedal. Suddenly, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated, surged over the tire stop, crossed a raised concrete center walkway, and continued over the planter on the opposite side. The vehicle finally came to a stop after traveling approximately 50 feet, despite my foot remaining on the brake pedal throughout the incident. One tire is flat and the wheel is damaged. There are scrap marks on the other tires. We can not see if there is other damages of the vehicle. Fortunately there were no other cars in the opposite parking spot or pedestrians on the walkway. Vehicle damage is one thing, the safety issue is another concern.
This vehicle was purchased new on May 23, 2025. On several occasions it has left us 'stranded' due to electrical failures. Dates: 06/09/2025, 07/03/2025, 08/06/2025, 08/08/2025
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026