Volkswagen ID.4 recall over battery fire risk

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 22,524 of its ID.4 electric SUVs in the United States over a fire risk linked to the high-voltage battery pack. The Volkswagen ID.4 recall covers model year 2023 to 2026 vehicles produced between January 1, 2023 and February 1, 2025, according to the NHTSA recall notice posted on the agency's website. It is the latest electric SUV recall affecting the brand in the US. The agency said the high-voltage battery in affected vehicles may fail and lead to a fire.

The Volkswagen ID.4 recall was filed under NHTSA designation 26V630000 and Volkswagen recall code 93EX. Vehicle identification numbers in the campaign became searchable on the NHTSA database on October 6, 2026. Volkswagen estimates just 0.1% of the recalled vehicles actually have the battery defect, the agency said, but the company is recalling the full group because it has not yet pinned down which vehicles are affected.

What the Volkswagen ID.4 recall covers

The ID.4 battery fire risk comes from certain high-voltage batteries in the affected vehicles. The NHTSA recall notice said that in certain charging profiles combined with a state of charge over 80%, the fault "may trigger thermal propagation within the high-voltage battery." Until the recall remedy has been performed, owners are advised to limit vehicle charging to 80%, the notice said.

Volkswagen said it was aware of 23 claims related to the issue behind the Volkswagen ID.4 recall in the United States between January 18, 2024 and August 7, 2026. The company has not yet found the root cause of the defect, and the remedy is currently under development, according to NHTSA. Alex Ansley, chief of NHTSA's recall management division office of defects investigation enforcement, said interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed November 27, 2026.

This is not the first Volkswagen ID.4 recall over batteries. Volkswagen Group of America had already recalled more than 44,000 model year 2023 to 2025 ID.4 electric SUVs for battery fire risk across two separate recalls notified to NHTSA in January 2026. That followed another recall in December 2025 covering 629 ID.4s linked to the same ID.4 battery fire risk. The repeated recalls show a problem the company has been working on for months without a final fix.

Why the Volkswagen ID.4 recall limits charging

The 80% charging cap in the Volkswagen ID.4 recall is a precaution while Volkswagen works on a permanent remedy. Charging a battery to full puts more stress on its cells, and the recall notice links the fire risk to charging profiles combined with a state of charge over 80%. Keeping the charge lower reduces that stress until a repair is available.

Volkswagen is also acting directly on connected vehicles. The company emailed owners of vehicles included in the recall, saying that unless they opt out by October 21, it intends to apply a temporary vehicle setting that limits charging to 80%. The update is done remotely and was reflected in the mobile app on or about October 27, 2026, according to Electrek. Owners will also get warning stickers as a visual reminder, AutoGuide reported.

The Volkswagen ID.4 recall reaches beyond the United States. Information from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority shows 72,668 electric vehicles affected worldwide across three separate recalls, including 9,881 in Germany. The wider electric SUV recall covers certain ID. Buzz, ID.3, ID.4 and ID.7 models produced between 2022 and 2025, as well as Cupra Born models from 2022 to 2024. Volkswagen issued the recall after an internal investigation found some battery cells produced during that period do not meet specifications, Electrek reported, and the company traced the fault to a supplier defect.

What owners should do next

Owners of a 2023 to 2026 ID.4 should check whether their vehicle is included by searching its vehicle identification number on the NHTSA website. If it is included in the Volkswagen ID.4 recall, they should limit charging to 80% and watch for the interim letter arriving from November 27, 2026. A second letter will follow once Volkswagen finalises the root cause investigation and releases a complete remedy.

No reimbursement plan will be offered under the recall because the affected vehicles are within the new vehicle limited warranty period, the NHTSA document said. Owners with questions can contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and reference recall code 93EX. The Volkswagen ID.4 recall leaves owners waiting for a final repair, with the 80% charging cap as the protection in place until then.