2023 Volkswagen ID.4: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Nov 3, 2026 · Electrical · OH · fire

• Date of Incident: [XXX] • Location of Incident: Electrify America Charging Station at Sheetz (Mentor, Ohio) • Incident Type: In-use battery thermal event during DC fast charging, resulting in total vehicle loss and extensive collateral property damage. • Status of Vehicle: Stationary / Actively charging. • Pre-Incident Warning Signs: None. No error messages, diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), or prior performance issues were present. • Vehicle Compliance Status: Fully up to date on all manufacturer-required maintenance, routine service, and active recalls. • Causality Confirmation: Confirmed by Volkswagen Investigator. • Current Vehicle Location: State Farm holding lot. On [XXX], while the vehicle was stationary and actively plugged into a DC fast charger at the Electrify America charging station in Mentor, Ohio, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe thermal event. Prior to the event, the vehicle exhibited no symptoms, dashboard warnings, or messages, and was completely up to date on all service, routine maintenance, and scheduled recalls. The high-voltage battery failed while charging, rapidly generating extreme heat and open flames, resulting in a total loss. The fire spread aggressively, completely totaling a second vehicle that was charging next to it, destroying the Electrify America charging stations, and causing extensive property damage to the surrounding Sheetz commercial property. Crucially, a corporate field investigator dispatched by Volkswagen subsequently inspected the vehicle and explicitly confirmed that the root cause of the fire was an internal failure stemming directly from the high-voltage battery defect. This severe thermal event and its significant collateral damage directly map to the critical risk parameters outlined in Volkswagen's safety recall, proving that standard charging operations under normal conditions trigger severe failure without prior warning and before a remedy INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 29, 2026 · Electrical · 33,000 miles · OH · fire

The contact owned a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4. The contact stated that while charging the vehicle at a charging station, the vehicle caught on fire after removing the charger from the vehicle. The fire had originated from underneath the vehicle and quickly spread to another ID.4 parked nearby, which caused both vehicles to catch fire. The Emergency Services were called to the scene, and the Fire Department extinguished the fire. A Police report was filed. The fire caused significant damages to the concrete and other charging ports at the charging station. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and subsequently to an insurance holding lot, and the vehicle was declared a total loss. The manufacturer sent an investigator and confirmed that the failure was battery related. The manufacturer agreed to compensate the contact for the financial damage; however, the offer was rejected by the contact because the contact did not agree to the amount stated in the compensation. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

Filed Apr 11, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · CA · fire

This is a supplemental report to my previous filing regarding a 2023 VW ID.4 battery fire. On May 28, 2025, while being operated, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic thermal event. White smoke emanated from the front compartment followed by active flames. The vehicle was a total loss. Critical Safety Finding: A subsequent forensic examination conducted on October 29, 2025 (File 27739-01) by a certified fire investigator confirmed that after the initial fire was suppressed, the vehicle reportedly caught fire an additional time while being held at a tow/storage facility. Component Failure: The fire originated in the front compartment area. The failure is consistent with the "thermal runaway" risks identified in Recall 26V030, involving defective battery cell electrodes. Safety Risk: The multiple ignition nature of this failure poses a lethal risk to occupants, emergency responders, and tow/salvage facility operators. The fact that the vehicle reignited twice in storage, long after the initial suppression, suggests that current safety protocols or the scope of the existing recall may not fully address the volatility of this specific battery defect. Inspection Status: The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer’s engineers and an independent forensic investigator. However, the manufacturer and the insurer are currently withholding the Photographic Report and Technical Field Report from the consumer. These records are vital to understanding the severity of the "multiple -ignition" event and should be subpoenaed or requested by the federal safety agency investigators to ensure the recall remedy is sufficient to prevent secondary fires in storage environments.

Filed Apr 10, 2026 · Fuel system · CA · fire

I was charging at Electrify America charging station for approximately 20 minutes when suddenly I felt the ID.4 shaking and then seconds later I was surrounded by smoke coming from outside and beneath the ID.4. The ID.4 was not turned on and was completely stationary. I unplugged the vehicle. During this time I made a best effort to not inhale but it happened so quickly that it was unavoidable. The smoke smelled really toxic and tasted like chemicals. I felt nauseous and woozy afterwards. I called 911 to report the smoke coming out of my ID.4. Call was made at 6pm, seconds after the smoke started pouring out. The vehicle was releasing extreme amounts of cloudy thick white smoke and it completely engulfed the ID.4 itself. There was also an orange/pink-like liquid pouring out of the left side of the vehicle from the bottom. The fire department came and from what they told me, they cut a "cut loop" to prevent the battery from continuing to get more power. They told me the cells in the battery were continuing to release energy and heat to the point that it was melting the carpets in the ID.4's floor. They hosed it down for over 2 hours until the battery was cooled off enough and safe to be towed to a safe area. There had been no warning leading to this. The car did not alarm of any issues.

Filed Mar 20, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · CO

1. The car accelerates erratically when it is charged to 90 to 100%. This just plain dangerous. 2. The battery is charging to 100% when it set to charge to 80%. I learned that there is a recall for this vehicle due to the battery overheating and possibly catching on fire. However as of yesterday, there are neither diagnostics available to show whether the recall actually applies to my car, nor is their a repair available. Given the nature of the recall, this puts me in the untenable situation of not trusting my car battery - to not overheat and to not catch fire. I brought the car into VW Glenwood Springs and asked them to diagnose the problems. VW Glenwood neither charged the car to 100% nor did they drive it other than around the block. Therefore they did not experience the problem - and of course could not give me any answers. They said that car is safe to drive! I can attest that this car is not safe to drive.

Filed Jan 7, 2026 · Electrical · UT · fire

My ID.4 was charging in the driveway and it started on fire. My daughter came home from a friends house, saw it had started on fire, and called 911. By the time the fire department got to my house the fire had spread to the attic and continued further. My wife and pets were in the house when the fire started, but got out quickly. The vehicle has been inspected by an independent inspector in my driveway and then it was taken to an offsite facility in California to have an additional inspection. VW and Farmers Insurance (my insurance) have been involved with both inspections, but i have yet to see any information about that inspection. We saw no warning lights or any reason that we would have thought the car would start on fire. Your website would only allow me to add one photo. I have more photos that i would be happy to provide.

Filed Dec 21, 2025 · CA · fire

On May 28, 2025, a 2023 VW ID.4 spontaneously caught fire while in use. The local Fire Department and County Hazmat responded to the scene. The vehicle was declared a total loss due to thermal runaway and lithium battery fume toxicity. Crucially, the vehicle experienced a secondary ignition/re-fire several days later while in the custody of a towing company, resulting in the total destruction of the vehicle and damage to third-party property. The manufacturer participated in a joint inspection of the remains in late October 2025 but has not provided an explanation for the failure. This vehicle represents a severe public safety hazard, as the fire occurred without warning and the high-voltage battery system proved unstable enough to reignite days after the initial suppression. I am requesting a formal investigation into the high-voltage battery stability and potential manufacturing defects for this model year to prevent similar life-threatening incidents for other owners.

Filed Oct 1, 2023 · Electrical · NJ

A few minutes after charging at an Electrify America location (JFK cell phone lot) I had to step out of the vehicle. Suddenly all sensors stopped working, I was locked out, key fob doesn't work, manual key didn't work either, truck locked out. Car would not connect to the app. I smell something burning but lightened after a few minutes. After 20 minutes of struggle, miraculously I got one door open and drove home. Speedometer stopped working on the way back and I cannot get the car to stop, ac would not turn off either on its own. I am trying to get a service appointment as soon as I can with my dealership.

Filed Jun 27, 2023 · Electrical · 2,494 miles · CA · fire

The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen ID. 4. The contact stated while the vehicle was charging at a Volkswagen charger center, the charging port that attach to the vehicle caught on fire causing the vehicle to burn. No one was injured. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 2,494.

Filed Mar 22, 2023 · Electrical · CO · fire

On 10 March 2033, our Volkswagen ID.4 caught on fire while charging on a DC fast charger. We charged on a 150kW charger (which was only giving us 20kWh) for 30 mins. We then moved the car to a 350kW charger where someone else was charging (same location) when we first arrived at the station. The fire started shortly after the car began charging at the second charger; the flames were shooting approximately one foot high, out of the charging port. Luckily, my husband was right there and thought/acted quickly; he stopped the charge via the EA touchscreen and removed the charging cable when the fire stopped and it was safe to do so. The lower portion of the (fast-charging) port is now damaged/burned, and a portion of it no longer exists. We attempted several times to contact Electrify America via the number listed on the charging station, but their phone number auto-hung up after certain dial prompts... So we called 911. The police and the fire department arrived soon after we called, and attempted to shut the charging station off. The fire department then (unsuccessfully) attempted to call Electrify America because they were unable to locate emergency disconnects for the charging stations. My husband was eventually able to contact Electrify America, and informed them of the situation. The police placed caution tape over the charger, and told us to head out. Q1: We don't know; VW is doing an investigation to figure this out. Q2:Our car was lit on fire. Q3: I don't know. It's in the process of being investigated, but as far as we've seen online, this is not the first vehicle to start on fire at an Electrify America charging station. Q4: The police and fire department were called to the scene. The fire department has an investigation open on this incident. The VW dealership currently has our vehicle, and told us they were going to be inspecting it as part of their investigation. Q5: No

Filed Mar 20, 2023 · Brakes · MA

On Saturday, December 24th, I was leaving to go to the gym with my wife. I pulled left out of the driveway and we heard a loud screeching type noise, very high-pitched. Many lights came on in the vehicle at that point. Too numerous to document actually which ones. We also smelled burnt smoke and there was actually some smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. I turned the car around which was difficult so I could get the car off the main road and back into the driveway where it was safe. Upon parking the vehicle I could see the rear, driver's side tire was damaged. The tire was not rotating and was locked there was about 20 feet of rubber marks coming out of the driveway into the street and back to the driveway. I called VW immediately and it was brought into service. See attached service report. Looks like the brakes were installed incorrectly at the factory. Imagine driving a car where the brakes lock on you and the tires do not move. Extremely scary. This incident could of been a lot worse. The electric battery could of seized and caused a fire.