3 recalls have been issued, including the risk of fire.
Volkswagen is recalling more than 45,000 ID.4 examples it sells in the US on the grounds that its high-voltage batteries may pose a fire risk. The German automaker issued 3 separate recalls regarding this situation in less than 2 months; However, not all affected vehicles carry the same level of risk.
The group with the highest risk of fire includes 1,299 Volkswagen ID.4s produced between November 3, 2022, and September 22, 2024. Owners of these cars are advised to park outside their vehicles after charging due to concerns that some battery cells that are not aligned correctly could cause a fire.
Affected vehicles are also asked to charge only to 80% charge, avoid the use of DC fast charging until the problem is fixed, and charge with AC slow charging.
Volkswagen reports that 4 battery fires have been reported so far. To rectify the issue, the affected vehicles covered by two separate recalls will be inspected by dealers and the potentially affected battery cell modules will be replaced with new modules. The first recall related to this potentially dangerous situation was announced on December 3, 2025, when 311 vehicles were found to be equipped with faulty cells. However, Volkswagen updated this recall on December 15, adding 318 more vehicles to coverage.
Then, on January 21, Volkswagen issued a second recall on the same issue, which included another 670 vehicles. The third recall, announced on the same day, covers 43,881 Volkswagen ID.4s between the 2023 and 2025 model years; however, owners of these vehicles can continue to use DC fast charging and park indoors.
The recall is associated with potentially defective high-voltage battery cells that could overheat and increase the risk of fire. The problem with this recall is that Volkswagen and battery manufacturer SK Battery America have not yet been able to determine the root cause of the problem despite “extensive cell module and vehicle data analysis”.
This issue only covers vehicles manufactured in North America.
