Used Car Checklists

2023 Volkswagen ID.4: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 402 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, body and structure, and transmission. The 12 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

Volkswagen ID.42023
Owner complaints
402
Recalls
14
3 urgent
Crashes reported
42
27 injuries
Reliability
Mixed
42/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Three recalls on this model year told owners to park outside until the repair was done.

Do not buy until you have dealer paperwork or a recall lookup showing they were completed for this VIN.

Run the VIN before you go

A history report shows accidents, title brands, odometer readings, and open recalls for this 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. Ask the seller for the VIN; it is also on the dash at the base of the windshield.

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/12 checked

1

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/6

2

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/4

3

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

  • Electrical1766 crashes

    Sudden lurches at parking speeds are the most common serious report. Cars surge forward from a crawl or out of Auto Hold and hit fences, trees, and parked cars, and 6 complaints involve crashes. Fires are the other major risk. Of the 4 fire reports, several began at the charging port during DC fast charging or while charging at home. Some owners say they were told to park outside, avoid fast charging, and cap charging at 80% while repair parts had no timeline. Other reports include doors that won't open, front seats that recline on their own, and screens that go black.

  • Body and structure341 crash

    Doors open by themselves while the car is moving, or they won't open from outside, which leaves rear passengers to climb out over the seats. Most of these complaints are about waiting for a door-handle recall repair that dealers couldn't do because parts were back-ordered for months. Some owners also hear unlocking or clicking sounds from the doors while driving. In one case, a dealer found missing and loose door latch bolts after an earlier door-handle repair. A single crash report describes the car surging forward while held in Auto Hold in stopped traffic.

  • Transmission241 crash

    High-voltage battery and drive faults lead these reports. Owners cite fast battery wear, isolation and battery voltage fault codes, and repeated "Electrical system not working correctly" warnings. Charging stops early or quits at random levels, and DC fast charging is slow. One owner was quoted nearly $5,000 to replace a failed rear drive motor after hearing a clicking noise at 62,000 miles. Some cars die while backing up, then black out their screens and reboot. Others overheat in extreme desert heat or lunge forward from a stop.

  • Acceleration and cruise control229 crashes

    Accidental cruise activation is the most consistent pattern. A light brush of the touch-sensitive RES or SET buttons on the steering wheel while turning sends the car toward the last cruise speed, even in parking lots and driveways, and dealers say there is no fix. Separate reports describe full-power surges while parking with brakes that don't respond, and 9 complaints involve crashes, some with airbag deployment and injuries. Owners also report power cutting out mid-turn and speed-limit readouts that are wrong or missing.

  • Brakes146 crashes

    Unintended acceleration with the brake pedal pressed is the main crash pattern. Cars lunge into walls, fences, and light poles while pulling into parking spaces, and 6 complaints involve crashes. Phantom braking is the other common problem. The car slams on its brakes in reverse or at walking speed for things like leaves or trash bins and sometimes shifts into Park. Owners also describe the pedal sinking to the floor just before a stop, cars rolling back after being put in Park on a slope, and front brakes that squeak constantly.

  • Steering123 crashes

    Lane-keeping and Travel Assist pull the car out of its lane: toward a center divider, off the road on uphill stretches, or into oncoming traffic at intersections. Drivers have to fight the wheel to stay in their lane, and one such event caused a crash with an injury. Other reports describe a failed steering column module that locked the column and disabled the car, and a dead 12V battery that killed power steering days after delivery. Some cars move opposite to the selected gear during tight three-point turns. Steering wheel wraps peel early.

  • Automatic emergency braking114 crashes

    Unexpected driver-assist behavior shows up both ways. In some reports, adaptive cruise reengages while the driver is parking, or the car takes over in reverse and drives into houses or parked cars while the brakes have no effect. Four complaints involve crashes. In others, the car brakes hard for no reason, including stopping fully while merging and braking three times on one short drive. Travel Assist can switch off without a warning sound. Blackouts of the main screen can disable safety systems and the emergency call feature while driving.

  • Airbags43 crashes

    Most of these reports are sudden-acceleration crashes in which the airbags did not deploy. Drivers describe the car surging while pulling into parking spaces or after a change of gear. The brakes did not stop it, and in one case the steering locked. Three of the four complaints involve crashes. The one non-crash report describes an airbag warning light caused by a failed driver seat sensor, with the replacement part back-ordered for 3 months.

In owners' own words

Excerpts from complaints ID.4 owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.

Electrical
It seems the computer is not calculating correctly the vehicle performance. After charging the vehicle to 90% (73.8KW) of the 82KW only delivers a portion of what the computer states. at 90% delivers 210 mile; however , the onboard computer states that the performance is 3.2Miles/KW, which should translate to a performance of 236.16 miles (73.8 KW X 3.2Miles /KW = 236 miles Is the data being altered by the vehicle's computer?

Filed with NHTSA, April 2023

Electrical
Error: Surround View which is the full 360 view camera system that is new with the 2023 Plus model didn't work the day I picked up the car. Brought it back in and they changed all the cameras and it only worked for 1 day. brought the car back in and now they say the control unit has failed and currently there is no eta on the part. Car has under 300 miles and i don't have the car in my possession.

Filed with NHTSA, March 2023

Body and structure
Driver's door is malfunctioning: Randomly popped open while at a stoplight without being touched. Won't open from the outside via the handle. Central locking function of the car is not working properly (doors don't lock while at speed like they normally do). The car is now at dealership waiting for repair; am told the necessary replacement door handle part is on a nationwide backorder with VW with no estimate given for arrival and completed repair.

Filed with NHTSA, March 2023

Body and structure
While stopped at a red light, the passenger door opened unprompted & by itself twice. I tried to lock the door on the driver panel, however that seemed to not work as the light did not illuminate signaling the doors locked. When I began driving, the same door opened again by itself. This is a major safety risk to have the doors open by themselves while driving.

Filed with NHTSA, January 2023

Transmission
5264 miles – Red warnings come on after charging vehicle. Pulled over and turned vehicle off. Took vehicle to AutoNation VW. By the time I arrived at dealership the red triangle and warning were no longer on the screen. Jeffrey Lopez had me sit in the waiting area. Tech scanned the vehicle but claimed they were unable to duplicate the concern. Nothing was documented; I was given no paperwork and was sent on my way.

Filed with NHTSA, January 2024

TransmissionCrash reported
I was halfway into a parking stall. There was a cement sign post at the end of the stall and a truck facing me opposite. About six feet from the post the car accelerated and glanced off the post and hit the truck slightly. It happened very fast but I am 99% sure the car accelerated on its own. We did a search afterwards and found many reports of our model doing similar things.

Filed with NHTSA, June 2024

Acceleration and cruise control
It is very easy to inadvertently touch the "SET" button for the cruise control. The button is capacitive so a very light touch activates the button, and it is on the outer edge of steering wheel spoke, meaning a light brush while turning the wheel activate the button. When maneuvering at slow speeds (such as in a parking lot) this results in the car accelerating, uncommanded, and without warning, up to the minimum speed of the cruise control.

Filed with NHTSA, August 2025

Acceleration and cruise control
As I was driving, the infotainment screen went black and Apple CarPlay stopped playing. As this happened, the driver’s information screen still worked but changed to grey scale colors. After about 4 minutes of the infotainment screen being black, the driver’s info screen also went black. This continued for about one more minute when both screens rebooted on their own.

Filed with NHTSA, October 2024

How the 2023 compares with other ID.4 years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2023 has the most owner complaints of the 5 ID.4 years we cover, about 3.3 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2023 Average of other years
  • Electrical17655
  • Body and structure347
  • Transmission246
  • Acceleration and cruise control227
  • Brakes146
  • Steering125

Where the 2023 fits in the ID.4's history

Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.

The 2023 is the third model year of the ID.4's first generation (2021–2024).

It is also the first year of a mid-cycle update.

What changed for 2023

  • New 62 kWh battery option
  • Redesigned center console
  • 12-inch infotainment system

Recalls to confirm (14)

Recall repairs are free at any Volkswagen dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.

  1. 26V028000ElectricalPark outsideJan 2026

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. The high voltage (HV) battery cell modules may contain misaligned electrodes that can result in a battery fire.

    Risk: A vehicle fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

    Fix: Owners are advised to park outside immediately after charging and not leave their vehicles charging indoors overnight until the recall repair is complete. Also, owners are advised not to use Level 3 DC chargers and to limit the maximum charge of the battery to 80% until the remedy has been completed. Dealers will replace the high voltage battery cell modules as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed February 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 93EW. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 23, 2026.

  2. 25V836000ElectricalPark outsideDec 2025

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. The high voltage (HV) battery cell modules may contain misaligned electrodes that can result in a battery fire.

    Risk: A vehicle fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

    Fix: Owners are advised to park outside immediately after charging and not leave their vehicles charging indoors overnight until the recall repair is complete. Also, owners are advised not to use Level 3 DC chargers and to limit the maximum charge of the battery to 80% until the remedy has been completed. Dealers will replace the high voltage battery cell modules as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 11, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 93EV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 5, 2025.

  3. 22V956000ElectricalPark outsideDec 2022

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 ID4 rear-wheel drive vehicles. The 12-Volt battery charging cable may contact the steering column shaft and cause the cable insulation to wear, possibly resulting in a short circuit.

    Risk: A short circuit may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. A short circuit also increases the risk of a vehicle fire.

    Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the remedy has been completed. Dealers will inspect the 12-Volt battery charging cable and repair or replace it, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed February 27, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97HA.

  4. 26V030000ElectricalJan 2026

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2025 ID.4 vehicles. The high-voltage battery may overheat.

    Risk: A high-voltage battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Dealers will update the high-voltage battery software, and replace the high-voltage battery, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 20, 2026. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 93EA. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 23, 2026.

  5. 25V434000BrakesJun 2025

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport and 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. Certain bolts on the chassis, brake system and/or suspension (such as bolts for certain cross member, engine mount, control arm, subframe, rear brake carrier, etc.) of affected vehicles may not have been correctly tightened during the manufacturing process.

    Risk: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 25, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 42HX.

  6. 25V120000TransmissionFeb 2025

    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 to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect.".

    Risk: Failure to display the gear position may result in a vehicle rollaway if the parking brake is not engaged, increasing the risk of a crash.

    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 customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97H3. Audi's number for this recall is 454R.

  7. 24V875000Backup cameraNov 2024

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 ID.4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse or when the park function is manually activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility.".

    Risk: A blank rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the peripheral camera control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 26, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91B3.

  8. 24V651000Body and structureSep 2024

    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.

    Risk: A vehicle door that opens unexpectedly while driving increases the risk of injury.

    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 contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 57J9. This recall expands previous recall numbers 23V-312 and 23V-213. Vehicles previously repaired under 23V-312 and 23V-213 will need to have the new remedy completed.

  9. 24V643000AirbagsAug 2024

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain 2023-2024 ID4 vehicles. The fasteners securing the passenger frontal air bag inflator may be loose.

    Risk: An improperly secured air bag inflator may not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the air bag as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 10, 2024. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 69E8.

  10. 24V344000Backup cameraMay 2024

    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 loss of speedometer information or loss of rearview camera image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 111, "Rear Visibility.".

    Risk: Displays that do not show critical information, such as vehicle speed or the rearview camera image, increase the risk of a crash.

    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 this recall is 919A.

  11. 23V750000Body and structureDec 2023

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023-2024 ID.4 vehicles. The interior sunshade for the panoramic glass roof may be insufficiently fire retardant. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 302, "Flammability of Interior Materials.".

    Risk: In a fire, fabric that is not fire retardant may further fuel a fire, increasing the risk of injury.

    Fix: Dealers will apply flame retardant to the sunshade fabric, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 15, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 60G3.

  12. 23V213000Body and structureMar 2023

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 ID4 vehicles. The affected vehicles may have been manufactured with door handles that allow water to enter the circuit board assembly, which can cause the door to open unexpectedly when the vehicle is subject to high lateral forces at speeds below 9 mph/15 kmh.

    Risk: A vehicle door that opens unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion increases the risk of injury.

    Fix: Volkswagen dealers will inspect each door handle and replace them, if necessary, free of charge. A vehicle software update will also be performed to update the door handle parameters. Owner letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 57J4. This recall was replaced by recall number 24V-651.

  13. 22V830000ElectricalNov 2022

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 ID4 vehicles. The electric motor sealing ring was improperly assembled, which may allow coolant to leak into the high-voltage system and interfere with the CAN communication and power supply.

    Risk: Coolant that leaks into the high-voltage system may impact safety-critical systems and warning lights, causing a loss of vehicle control or unintended air bag deployment, and increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

    Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the electric motor, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 6, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19Q9.

  14. 22V823000Backup cameraNov 2022

    Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8, Audi S3, RS3 Sedan, Q4 E-Tron SUV, A3 Sedan, and 2022-2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI, and ID4 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be blank or unresponsive when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear or when the park function is manually activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility.".

    Risk: An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners February 14, 2023. Volkswagen owners will receive an owner notification letter once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91EK and (Audi) 91EL.

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