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.
2021 Volkswagen ID.4: engine stalls while driving
9 of the 341 complaints about the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 describe engine stalls while driving.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Engine stalls while driving by model year
- 20241
- 202310
- 20221
- 20219
What owners say
My 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S has unexpectedly lost propulsion and come to a complete stop while being driven on at least three separate occasions. When this occurs, the vehicle jolts, stops moving, and cannot be placed into Drive or Reverse. I am only able to shift it into Neutral. After the first incident, I took the vehicle to a Volkswagen dealership the following morning. The dealership stated they could not reproduce the problem or identify any faults. The same failure occurred twice in one day this week. During one of those incidents, the vehicle lost propulsion and stopped in the middle of a busy street, creating a serious safety hazard because I was unable to move the vehicle out of traffic. Immediately before and during the failure, the vehicle displayed multiple warning messages, including: Error: Drive system. Please safely stop the vehicle. Electrical system not working correctly. Please service vehicle. Error: Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Front Assist is not available. Lane Assist is currently not available. Rear Traffic Alert is currently not available. Park Distance Control is not available. Error: Auto Hold. These warnings appeared at the same time the vehicle lost propulsion. The vehicle stalled without warning while driving and became undriveable. This is extremely concerning because it can occur suddenly in traffic, placing the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists at risk of a crash. The vehicle is currently at the Volkswagen dealership for inspection, and I am awaiting their diagnosis. Because this dangerous condition has now occurred multiple times, I am concerned there is a serious defect affecting the vehicle's drive system or electrical system.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle shut off while driving to the residence from the dealer. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally. Prior to the failure, several software updates were performed under recall. The contact was referred to an out-of-state dealer to perform the software updates. No further information was available. Recently, the contact exited the vehicle and discovered that the doors would not open and the front headlights were illuminated. The contact crawled through the hatch to open the trunk and disconnect the 12-Volt battery. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
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.
The 12v battery powering the electrical system failed. This caused the vehicle to stop unexpectedly in the middle of a busy street worth traffic on either side of the vehicle. All attempts to restart the vehicle resulted in an error stating the electrical system has failed. The problem was reproduced at the dealership. The techs were unable to diagnose the errors. The manufacturer is sending a District Representative to investigate. The vehicle component was recalled in 2023 and replaced by the dealer to address this specific issue and risk. There were zero warning lights prior to the vehicle stalling. Once stalled, the vehicle was able to start, but unable to drive, and all dashboard warning lights activated.
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V040000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the front driver’s side door latch opened independently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Dealer replaced infotainment unit but it continues to blank out, freeze and or restart. Very unsafe as you have to take eyes off road to force a restart, also if front windshield is foggy if infotainment system froze or restarting you are now driving with a fogged up windshield which you can’t see out off. Infotainment buttons do not work properly as they do not react to touch again take eyes off road to see whats happening. Infotainment screen and the other screen in front of driving wheel get very very hot. Only after showing dealer videos and recordings of all these occurrences with screen do they decide to do something about it such as change unit but problems persist. Vehicle rolls back on inclines when on a slight incline. Front end squeaks, VW dealer says is coming from the brakes and it’s normal operation. Stopping distances is increased in cold weather, in cold weather braking distances are longer. Side mirror buttons do not always control/adjust mirrors. Dynamic cornering headlight error/malfunction warning on screen constantly, safety risk. Vehicle cannot charge error (s) pop on screen and charging stops. After multiple tries and after changing to another charging stall, charging is able to resume. Factory celular connectivity drops for days and you have to pull fuse #17 or #19 to reset LTE connection. Vehicle has a lot of shortcomings which render it very very very unsafe.
I bought my ID4 new at the end of May 2021. When it started to get cold my car started losing Mileage Very Rapidly and I kept getting an Error for 12Volt power supply. Carnet would not work and car could not be opened without pushing unlock "key". Car was serviced Jan 24 and still had a problem. Next time the individual who works on EVs talked to VW and ordered a new battery, Feb 9. Battery replaced Feb 23. When leaving dealership and pulling out onto the main road the car appeared to completely stall out . Started right back on it’s own but I could have been hit by the car coming up behind me easily. When I mentioned it to the Service guy he stated it was proably the computer resetting the system. Fault notice appeared that stated Fault Electronic Child Safety Lock. Cook VW was notified when I took my car in for service. Since then Warning and Information not available light came on and they did not work. Interior ID lighting not working correctly. March 9 more alerts have come on. Individual that worked on the car has been great and listened to my concerns then gone back, rechecked, called VW and now has ordered more parts. The ID indicator light in front dash still not working. Passenger side door will not open until 3-4 attempts. Has been an ongoing problem Rear drivers side door will not open from the inside. March 30 2022. Fault Electronic Child Safety Lock keeps coming on when car is started (picture.) Unable to open Drivers rear side door in back from the inside. Light does not show it is locked.
On multiple occasions, my brand new ID.4 has shut down while driving giving various error messages relating to the electrical system and safety features--including with the electrical system generally, with the "12 Volt electrical system", with the auto assist braking, with lane assist, etc.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Another Bulletin, or Parts catalog notice leads to
- This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during...
- Identifying and Mixing Engine Coolant
- This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during...
- This communication is a notice for software changes with the ODIS program to correct the ECM...
- During vehicle inspection, maintenance, or repair, one or more diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) are found...
- This software update provides minor bug fixes and enhances the performance of the electronic control...
- Volkswagen Engine oil quality standards, update to attachments.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 stalling
Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4?
9 of 341 owner complaints about the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 (3%) mention engine stalls while driving. The model year with the most reports is 2023.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4?
There are 0 recalls and 25 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4
Door locks 33Backup camera 22Screen failure 19Adaptive cruise 15Sudden acceleration 13Loss of power 12Lane assist 11Tire blowout 7
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