Volkswagen ID Forum banner

ID.4 recall notice from Consumer Reports

29K views 245 replies 78 participants last post by  NiaMoonStoneProS 
#1 ·
Car Recall Tracker Notification

You have 1 new recall

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Feb 1, 2023
A reset or deactivation may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Summary:
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID.4 vehicles. Software programing may cause the high voltage (HV) battery management control module to reset or the pulse inverter to deactivate.
What should you do:
Dealers will update the HV battery management control unit and the pulse inverter control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 31, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97ZZ.
For more information:
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 23V040000
Potential Number of Units Affected: 20904
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Number of Units Affected: 20904
Well that's damn near all of us.

This could be the smoking gun behind the sudden termination of the update campaign, and if so, explains the "avoiding additional dealer visits" or whatever it was VW wrote about having to return.

As for applying this OTA, I'm guessing that it involves the locked BMS module, so dealership umbilical cord to mothership is required.
 
#4 ·
Well that's damn near all of us.

This could be the smoking gun behind the sudden termination of the update campaign.

As for applying this OTA, I'm guessing that it involves the locked BMS module, so dealership umbilical cord to mothership is required.
VW needs to eat it and give early adopters a buyback option like Toyota with BZ4X, unless they don’t care about loyalty or the impending class action lawsuit.
 
#8 ·
Car Recall Tracker Notification

You have 1 new recall

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Feb 1, 2023
A reset or deactivation may cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Summary:
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 ID.4 vehicles. Software programing may cause the high voltage (HV) battery management control module to reset or the pulse inverter to deactivate.
What should you do:
Dealers will update the HV battery management control unit and the pulse inverter control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 31, 2023. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97ZZ.
For more information:
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 23V040000
Potential Number of Units Affected: 20904
Could this be the reason the 3.1 update was paused/canceled?
Maybe they discovered this problem and wanted to include the fix in the update.
 
#16 ·
For anybody not clicking links, here is VW's timeline as presented on NHTSA's site.

By this accounting, it seems VW fumbled – even if this only rose to the level of recall last week (January 25), they identified it as a service campaign in October. Knowing it's the BMS, it's certain they understood it would require a dealership visit. Why wouldn't they have pegged it at that time as a rider for the 3.1 update?

Font Number Document Screenshot

Rectangle Font Circle Screenshot Number
 
#17 ·
Isn’t the update the service campaign they are referring to? Not aware of another service campaign related to software. I think they just decided since 32 of the 20k vehicles have had an issue with the pulse inverter that could lead to a “stall” they will treat BMS software as a recall instead. Since they spoke of minimizing dealer visits, I suspect they will call us in for the recall + software update.
 
#33 · (Edited)
I'm pretty sure that recalls in the US are not a reason for a stop sale for used cars. For new it can be, but only if it's considered a safety defect. You can, for instance, buy a Chevy Bolt that has yet to have the battery replaced all over the place, as I recently bought a 2019 myself. In my case, I checked that the car I bought had the replacement already done. But there are/were several I looked at where when I used GM's site it wasn't. All the dealer has to do I believe is inform you that the car is subject to a recall, though that's subject to state law as a used car.

Since all the cars in the recall are 2021s, and there are none of those being sold any longer as a new car, only used, they won't be blocked from any sale.

The interesting thing to me is that they article linked above says new software was introduced in December of 2021 and May of 2022 respectively. But by May 2022, pretty sure they were only building 2022s in Germany.

EDIT: here is the text from the NHSTA letter back to VW confirming what I noted above RCAK-23V040-7196.pdf (nhtsa.gov):

Rectangle Font Number Circle Handwriting



And further looking up 49 U.S.C. § 30112(a)(3) here 49 USC 30112: Prohibitions on manufacturing, selling, and importing noncomplying motor vehicles and equipment (house.gov) states the following as exempt (my highlight):

(a) General.-Except as provided in this section, sections 30113 and 30114 of this title, and subchapter III of this chapter, a person may not manufacture for sale, sell, offer for sale, introduce or deliver for introduction in interstate commerce, or import into the United States, any motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment manufactured on or after the date an applicable motor vehicle safety standard prescribed under this chapter takes effect unless the vehicle or equipment complies with the standard and is covered by a certification issued under section 30115 of this title.​
(b) Nonapplication.-This section does not apply to-​
(1) the sale, offer for sale, or introduction or delivery for introduction in interstate commerce of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment after the first purchase of the vehicle or equipment in good faith other than for resale;
(2) a person-​
(A) establishing that the person had no reason to know, despite exercising reasonable care, that a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment does not comply with applicable motor vehicle safety standards prescribed under this chapter; or​
(B) holding, without knowing about the noncompliance and before the vehicle or equipment is first purchased in good faith other than for resale, a certificate issued by a manufacturer or importer stating the vehicle or equipment complies with applicable standards prescribed under this chapter;​
(3) a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment intended only for export, labeled for export on the vehicle or equipment and on the outside of any container of the vehicle or equipment, and exported;​
(4) a motor vehicle the Secretary of Transportation decides under section 30141 of this title is capable of complying with applicable standards prescribed under this chapter;​
(5) a motor vehicle imported for personal use by an individual who receives an exemption under section 30142 of this title;​
(6) a motor vehicle under section 30143 of this title imported by an individual employed outside the United States;​
(7) a motor vehicle under section 30144 of this title imported on a temporary basis;​
(8) a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment under section 30145 of this title requiring further manufacturing; or​
(9) a motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old.​
 
#34 ·
On a different note, if you read the actual document you can see that they note that it's actually been happening since they expanded the market to include the US:

January 25, 2023: Topic was presented in Volkswagen Product Safety Committee. An update of potential field data from the US market was presented. Based on this information a recall was decided. The recall decision is based on identified fault entries in US vehicles which indicate that the recall condition could have been present: HV battery CU 384/pulse inverter 32. (my bold and italics)
That said, it also notes that you will be warned immediately in the instrument cluster. It may very well be the problem that some others have noted when they get the 'electrical system' fault and why in some further cases people have noted that resetting the car and starting again clears it and the car drives normally again. Personally has never happened in our car, though our VIN also doesn't show up in the recall tool, assuming it's been updated.
 
#41 ·
VW’s document says only 32 cars out of 20,000 are affected with the issue causing a stall - odds are quite low! That’s why it’s not a stop driving type of recall.

And unlike a gas car stalling (which has happened to me on highways) you don’t lose power steering and power brakes.
 
#58 ·
And unlike a gas car stalling (which has happened to me on highways) you don’t lose power steering and power brakes.
That is why I am not overly anxious about this issue. I want it fixed of course, but this sounds less worrisome than the Takata airbags, the most concerning recall I have been affected by.

VIN range excludes all First Editions (position 4 = D)
I guess all of us early adopters are affected if going by build dates. I wouldn't count on the lack of a D in the VIN, the parts and software were all the same.
 
#46 ·
Your dealer can look up the exact build date in their system as well as all the other dates associated with your car like in service date, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CroFab
#52 ·
Interesting coincidence that Siemens exited it's JV with Valeo in the months leading up to the end of the manufacture date range associated to this recall (model year changeover and presumably change in modules).

 
#65 ·
Right now, this recall repair is not yet available
Currently your dealer does not have the recall remedy available to perform the recall work. Volkswagen is working to make the recall repair available as quickly as possible. By March 31st, 2023, you will receive the official recall notification letter via first class mail. This recall notification letter will provide information of the next steps you can take to obtain this software update.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top