While driving, the red "electrical system not working" error message displayed. The car lost control of acceleration and was non responsive. Loss of vehicle control while driving at freeway speeds is a safety risk to myself and others. The dealer (kearny mesa vw) says that it can not replicate the code, but sent me an estimate with error code 1208 battery and hardware with a $5, 000 replacement fee. When I asked for error codes and a detailed printout of required service, they then messaged me that it is covered under the vw pre-owned service contract for only the $50 deductible. I only have a text message from a service representative, nothing written. The red error message first appeared 48 hours ago while driving and subsequent loss of vehicle control. It appeared again while pressing the brake pedal. I did not drive it then, per instructions, and had it towed to the vw dealer. They don't know when the parts will arrive or when the car will be ready.
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 engine problems
20 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 20
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Cooling system: radiator assembly2
- Cooling system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Volkswagen ID.4 engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Incident Summary VW ID.4 Loss of Power/Stall Date: Monday, September 7, 2026 Location: Highway (3-lane), traveling ~45 mph Vehicle: Volkswagen ID.4 Sequence of events: While driving at approximately 45 mph, multiple warning messages appeared in rapid succession: ESC Error "Electrical system not working correctly" "Front Assist is not available" Error Rear Traffic Alert Error "12V power supply. Safely park the vehicle! See owner's manual." The vehicle lost accelerator power and came to a stall on the highway. Driver performed a reset/restart of the vehicle. Vehicle moved approximately 100 meters before stalling again, with the same set of error codes reappearing. Prior history: Safety concern: Loss of propulsion and multiple critical system failures (ESC, electrical, driver-assist systems, 12V supply) occurring simultaneously while in highway traffic represents a significant safety hazard — both from the stall itself and from the affected safety systems (ESC, Front Assist) being disabled.
I am reporting a safety-related failure involving my 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The vehicle has experienced two separate incidents where it suddenly lost power while driving and became inoperable without warning. The first occurrence happened while I was in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle lost power and could not continue moving, creating a dangerous situation with surrounding traffic. The second occurrence occurred shortly after beginning a trip, approximately one thousand feet down the road. Again, the vehicle lost power without warning and became inoperable. In both cases, after the failure occurred, the vehicle would power on and could be shifted into drive or reverse; however, the vehicle would not move or provide any propulsion in either gear. The vehicle had to be manually pushed out of the roadway. The vehicle has been brought to the dealership multiple times over the course of ownership for issues involving the electrical and high-voltage systems. Service records show repeated diagnostic procedures, recall and campaign work, and repairs involving the battery system and related control functions. Diagnostic fault codes associated with this issue have included P0BEE00 and P0BE600 (drive motor current sensor circuit faults), along with communication-related faults. Despite these multiple service visits and repairs, the condition has not been reliably resolved, indicating an ongoing and intermittent system failure. Most recently, the dealer diagnosed a failure related to the drive motor system. The rear drive motor was replaced; however, after replacement, the vehicle still would not properly communicate with the motor. The dealer has since identified the issue as being related to the control module responsible for communication with the drive motor (gateway), which also requires replacement. The vehicle has been out of service for extended periods, including a current repair period exceeding one month. Given that the vehicle has lost propulsion without w
The vehicle has been in to the dealer multiple times for electrical system failures. The car is not safe to drive and has stalled multiple times while driving. The system has errors that light up stating there is an electrical system failure. The car has stopped driving in the middle of a trip, I have been stuck with my family multiple times while on short trips and long trips. The vehicle has been repaired multiple times for the same issue and it just came back again after several months being repaired. Each time the repairs occur, I end up renting a car and the time it sits at the dealer or repair shop has varied from 45 days to several days. This car needs to go. The issue first occurred a little over a year ago and has happened 3-7 times since and at random times. The issue has been reproduced by the dealer and reported to VW HQ.
After charging with my home charger, the electrical system has been one unusable or shown electrical error codes. In March 2025, the engine battery cells had a significant failure that required towing to the service center as it was completely unable to drive. This repair took 5 weeks to complete. The car had regular service and inspection 7/19/25 and issues with the navigation system and the charging port door were indicated. On 7/22/25 a warning light for electrical issues please service now came on. It was drivable to the service center but it is still not diagnosed due to another ID4 being serviced at the same time and they’re unable to work on 2. Of course with all of these downtimes we are still paying for a loan on a car we are not able to drive due to it being unsafe.
This vehicle has had multiple electrical system failures that minimally disable driver assist safety features. An error message is received that the vehicle is experiencing electrical system failure. This is the third such message recieved since July 2024. I have had the vehicle serviced to resolve the prior two instances, after which the message is produced again. Given the high number of recalls for the model and the stop sale order last year, I don’t believe the manufacturer is honestly addressing the safety defects for this model. I have reported the issue to VW of America and they closed my case pending evidence. The VW dealership who serviced the vehicle purged my service records. When I produced the evidence I had of the system failures, VW of America is unresponsive.
On [XXX] approximately [XXX], I was in the drive-up line for Starbucks. The drive-up line was very slow so we waited for about 1/2 hour and I ended turning off my engine. I had plenty of room at least between 2-3 feet between myself and the car in the front. Then the line moved so, I put the car in Drive and covered the brake. I tapped the Gas/electric pedal and the car accelerated from 0 to 30 and lunged forward and I hit the car in front of me and they were pushed into the car in front of them. No one was seriously hurt, but police were called and ambulance arrived and found no injury - so there wasn't a police report. I was completely shocked that this happened so fast and I wasn't able to stop my car. So, when I hit the people in front of me. Their car was a Ford Mini-van older model. I dented their bumper, but see attached photos of damage to my car. I went on a VD owner website to see if other volkswagen owners had any acceleration problems and I was surprised to find so many people affected by acceleration issues. I decided to call Volkswagen headquarters and a case was opened. Volkswagen set up a data review with a Volkswagen technician. I dropped off the car at the dealership in Ventura. I was not provided with a report from the Data retrieval. I just received a letter from the case manager, Sarah that they did not find anything unusual. After reviewing the letter, they had the wrong date of my accident. The accident occurred on [XXX], and Sarah said the accident was on April 8, 2024. Of course, they did not find anything??? I will enclose their letter and when I asked about the report or speaking with the technician, I was told that they do not give copies, nor provide information. On the website for Volkswagen ID4 owners, there are many claims of acceleration problems, This vehicle is an self-driving electric car. There is a recall for a software issue, that has not been established yet if it is related to acceleration. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C
Car stopped without warning on six lane road in busy traffic. Display indicated electrical system failure. Vehicle would not re-start. Fortunately I was able to exit the vehicle and make it to the edge of the road but this was a very dangerous situation. Car was traveling between 30-40 mph at time. All active recall work had been performed per the dealership.
Manufacturer and dealership in my area have been unable to schedule me for getting Safety Recall for High Voltage Battery Management Control Module Software (97ZZ) done to my vehicle. I have been in the waitlist for dealership to do this recall since May 2023. Several times the dealership has said that the battery modules are backordered with no ETA.
The car was inoperative because it would not allow the driver to shift from neutral to drive or reverse. There was an error code with the emergency break and the auto hold break.
Questions about the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 engine
Does the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 have engine problems?
Owners have filed 20 complaints about the engine of the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 engine problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Volkswagen ID.4 have bad engine?
The Volkswagen ID.4 model years with the most engine complaints are 2023 (26 complaints) and 2021 (20 complaints).
Other 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 problems
Electrical 183Driver assistance 64Body 37Brakes 37Acceleration 36Fuel system 26Transmission 23Steering 17Airbags 12Lights 10Tires 8Wheels 6Visibility 5Locks 4Suspension 2Seat belts 1Seats 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2021 Volkswagen ID.4?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history