2023 Volkswagen ID.4: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Oct 12, 2026 · Driver assistance · NC · crash

On XXX, at about 10:22 PM, I was driving my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 southbound on [XXX] in [XXX], from [XXX] toward [XXX]. It was raining moderately, but the road and lanes were clearly visible. There was no vehicle, person or object in front of me. Adaptive Cruise Control was not engaged. I was traveling at about 55 mph. Without any input from me, the car suddenly applied full emergency braking. I did not press the brake pedal. The sudden braking on the wet road caused the car to spin around about twice. It struck the curb and the concrete barrier wall on the left side of the highway and came to a stop. The side airbags deployed and the seat belts tightened. The hazard lights came on by themselves. I believe the automatic emergency braking system falsely detected an obstacle, possibly due to the rain, and braked when there was no hazard. NC State Highway Patrol responded (report 261010168HA). The vehicle was towed and is being held so its event data can be preserved. [Injuries: none] I am reporting this because unexpected automatic braking at highway speed in rain caused a loss of control and could injure other drivers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 19, 2026 · Electrical · MD

Potential undercounting of safety defects through Volkswagen’s no-DTC/no-repair process. I recently located and reviewed a video recorded on February 18, 2025. It was originally made to document a remote climate-control malfunction, not a GPS problem. While reviewing it because of recurring GPS and SOS failures, I noticed that the same video also captured an incorrect speed-limit display. While traveling south on US-29/Columbia Pike near Greencastle Road, the vehicle was traveling at 53 mph with cruise control set at 55 mph. Google Maps displayed a 55-mph speed limit while the Volkswagen instrument cluster displayed 35 mph. My 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 remains under warranty. I have taken it to Volkswagen dealers four times for recurring GPS-location, SOS/emergency-communication, and connected-services failures. No permanent repair was completed. Dealers told me that because no relevant diagnostic trouble code was stored, they could not replace a component or perform another repair without Volkswagen authorization. During another failure, when the SOS indicator was not illuminated, I pressed the service-call button. The call did not connect. The system announced vehicle coordinates, but they were incorrect. This raises concern that inaccurate location information could be provided during an emergency if the SOS system relies on the same data. A Volkswagen TAC case was opened, but there was no meaningful progress or documented repair. After escalation, the SOS indicator and some functions appeared to return without an explanation of what action had been performed. The GPS later became inaccurate again. The SOS light remains illuminated, but Volkswagen has not verified the emergency-location function or identified the root cause. My concern is that Volkswagen’s no-DTC repair requirement leaves an observable, recurring safety defect unrepaired and may prevent these events from becoming completed warranty claims or being recognized as part of a broader defect pattern.

Filed Jul 1, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · MD

I am reporting a potential safety-related defect in my 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro involving GPS location, SOS/Car-Net/connected services, and driver-assistance availability. The vehicle has repeatedly shown an incorrect GPS location. Authorized VW dealers documented related SOS/connected-services concerns, including “no green light,” “no satellites seen,” an open TAC/Techline case, and no completed verified repair. On a later visit, the dealer documented that there was still no Techline update and no fault codes present for this issue. I have been advised to wait for Volkswagen/Techline/Connected Services because the issue may require a future software, backend, or OTA update. However, the vehicle remains unrepaired while the GPS/SOS/connected-services condition continues. The absence of fault codes may mean the vehicle is not recording a conventional hardware diagnostic trouble code, but the problem is still present. My concern is not merely an infotainment inconvenience. The issue may affect the vehicle’s ability to determine or report its location, the status of SOS/connected services, and the availability of Travel Assist/adaptive cruise-related functions. I did not activate the SOS emergency button as a test because I did not want to initiate a false emergency call. I cannot determine whether this is caused by hardware, software, backend systems, module firmware, or a combination of factors. I also cannot determine whether other vehicles are affected. I am submitting this complaint so the federal safety agency can review whether this GPS/SOS/connected-services condition warrants further safety review.

Filed Jun 16, 2026 · Driver assistance · FL · crash

While driving very slow in a subdivision to enter a driveway my car suddenly accelerated and the peal went down. I steered to the right to avoid hitting the garage door and the car crashed against the wall at the side of the garage door. The distance between the curve and the house in very short. The friend I was visiting was by the door and the neighbor right in front of the house witnessed all. My wife was in the passenger side. By coincidence the lady across the street that saw the incident came running towards us point at the car and screaming :"those cars have a sensor problem". I made the claim to insurance and open a case with VW USA. VW USA sent a technician to the shop and concluded that the pedal was pushed all the way down and therefore it was my fault. My take is it was the adaptive cruise control that was triggered the cruise control (which by the way I NEVER USE) when I was turning right to enter the driveway at very low speed. There was no lights indicating malfunction prior to the incident. I was very concerned that I could have hit either my friend or any other person near the house. When I came back home I googled by "VW ID.4 sudden acceleration" and saw many many incidents with ID.4 and other models using adaptative cruise control.

Filed Apr 16, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · MA

Car has been in and out of various VW dealers since purchase at the end of August 2023. Car was purchased new. Immediately began receiving emergency “stop driving vehicle” messages on driver display. VW on call service advised if the car drives, I can operate it and no further action is necessary. Various Electical errors including charge 12V battery, infotainment screen going black or resetting while driving, no display while in reverse, car losing power on highway, car alarm going off while driving, if hazard lights are used, they do not shut off unless the car is off and driver is out of the car for at least ten minutes, interior lights flash on and off (this is a safety issue as is if incredibly difficult to see while driving at night, car has been in shop three times for this, no repairs, the car battery drains incredibly quickly; usually get about 2kWh in town driving, charging errors; charger not recognized, or car displays it is charging, but when complete, it didn’t charge, windows don’t respond to the controls, door handles don’t always work to open the doors; often have to access the car from passenger side (these have been replaced and still don’t work), emergency braking system doesn’t function, car ghost breaks (no objects ahead, clean sensors, driving and brakes slam on), multiple leaks in vehicle including headlights, rear driver tail light, and the light on top of the back hatch, car loses connection to emergency system, infotainment screen doesn’t respond to finger touches and must be reset, to initiate OTA updates, fuse needs to be pulled. I barely drive the car, and it’s my only vehicle. It’s not safe (lighting issues ongoing, alarms, safety features don’t work, can’t get into the car) and not reliable for travel as charging is hit or miss (at commercial charging stations and home charging station), and the battery life is extremely short, even in perfect conditions using cruise control in eco mode, the car only travels about 130 miles.

Filed Apr 5, 2026 · Electrical · ME

I am submitting this complaint as a follow-up to three prior the federal safety agency complaints regarding this same vehicle: Complaint #11714848 (submitted 2/1/2026) Complaint #11714852 (submitted 2/1/2026) Complaint #11716040 (submitted 2/5/2026) These prior complaints document a progression of serious electrical, charging, and vehicle control issues that have worsened over time. Initially, the vehicle experienced widespread software and electrical failures affecting core driving and safety systems, including loss of power while driving, unintended system activation, blank instrument displays, and failure of safety-related features such as the SOS emergency system. These issues escalated to include severe charging system failures, inability to reliably charge the vehicle, dramatically reduced range, and intermittent propulsion loss. On February 4, 2026, the vehicle became completely inoperable, displaying multiple critical warnings including “Drive system error,” “Electrical system not working correctly,” and inability to start or move the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership on February 5, 2026 for repair. I have now been informed by both Volkswagen and the dealership that they have been unable to identify or implement a repair for these issues. Despite this, they plan to return the vehicle to me without performing any substantive repairs. I have been told that diagnostic fault codes have been cleared and that the vehicle is now considered “safe” to drive. However, no root cause has been identified, and no repairs have been made to correct the underlying defects that led to loss of power, system failures, and complete inoperability. The issues previously reported remain unresolved and include: Loss of power while driving Dashboard and infotainment displays going blank while driving Vehicle shifting into park unexpectedly Cruise control activating without driver input Charging system failures preventing reliable charging Repeated warnings indicating unsafe oper

Filed Feb 1, 2026 · Electrical · ME

Vehicle has widespread software/electronic failures affecting driving and safety systems. Failures cause erratic, loss of information while driving, unintended systems activation, and loss of emergency services. While operating the vehicle during routine driving, multiple safety-related electronic systems malfunction. The instrument panel and center display intermittently go completely blank while driving, removing speed and warning information. The vehicle has shifted into Park on its own while stopped at traffic lights (with the driver seated and seat belt fastened). Cruise control activates without driver input. Voice control activates repeatedly without pressing the steering-wheel button. Intermittent, but significant loss of propulsion power has occurred while driving. The backup camera intermittently remains on while driving forward and backup sensors intermittently fail. GPS location is severely inaccurate, the dynamic road sign display does not function, and the Emergency Call (SOS) system does not function. Car will not connect to the app, leaving many functions unavailable, including the ability to condition the battery before driving in cold conditions. Many of these issues have occurred multiple times over the course of the vehicle's history, but Volkswagen was able to fix many of these issues for a time. The date I have input below represents the approximate time the issues started to reoccur. I have made multiple attempts to resolve these issues with both the dealership and directly with Volkswagen.

Filed Nov 20, 2025 · Electrical · IN

This event occurred on the night of Saturday, October 25. The entire software system crashed while driving on the highway in downtown chicago. This blacked out both the HMI screens (the driver "cockpit" and the media / vehicle management screen). This rendered the speedometer, battery charge indicator, cruise control indicator, media center, and advanced sensors unusable. I still able to accel/decel, use turn signals, and steer the car as normal but I could not tell how fast I was going nor how much remaining charge there was. After 1-2 minutes, the system fully rebooted and worked fine the rest of the trip. This was the first blackout we'd experienced--and it was the first time the cockpit (speedometer and such) was affected. However, the media center HMI regularly locks up and glitches: loading menus not linked to the certain buttons, lockups when multiple devices are connected, inability to reach VW servers,...) Software is on the most recent version available for my vehicle trim, though versions with many issues fixed have since been released. (We are stuck on ID software version 3.5 despite the most recent version being around 3.8.)

Filed Sep 9, 2025 · Acceleration · 14,000 miles · UT · crash

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID4. The contact stated that while driving into his driveway at 20 MPH, his jacket brushed against the resume button for the cruise control, and the vehicle launched forward, causing him to crash into the curb on two occasions. While at a car wash, the contact brushed against the resume button, and the vehicle lunged forward, startling the car wash worker. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who dismissed his concerns and informed him that the type of failure was not possible. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

Filed Sep 6, 2025 · Driver assistance · CA

A message stating forward collision assist is unavailable. The adaptive cruise control does not see the vehicle in front of you. The vehicle randomly emergency brakes. And a four Mile drive it would emergency brake three times. Dealer stated it was fixed. I return to the vehicle an hour later stating the problem persists and it is not fixed or safe to drive. I have a text from the dealer confirming the problem persists they have unable to diagnose or repair. The car is in their possession since June 7th 2025

Filed Sep 5, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CO

The cruise control failed to slow down , instead it accelerated . My safety and the safety of my families was put at risk due to a sudden stop in I25 southbound cause us to slow down and when I pushed the down arrows to slow us down and pushed the brake pedal we didn’t slow down, instead we were jolted forward in accelerating speeds. Thankfully we missed the car in front of us due to us me swerving into the shoulder to assure no collision. The problem has happened on 4 different occasions. Volkswagen is aware of the issue and we have not received any kind of update or remedy for the defect. No one has inspected it , we were to have an appointment this Monday Sept 9th to have it all checked out. The gps , sos button , road side assistance and speedometer aren’t functioning properly in our car as well. No warnings lights were on and no notifications of any problems.

Filed Aug 11, 2025 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · AZ

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.