Volkswagen halts ID. 4 production and sales due to bad door handles

Volkswagen has a bit of a headache on its hands with the ID.4 crossover. There’s a problem with the electric vehicle’s flush-set door handles, which VW says don’t meet its waterproofing specs. Consequently, moisture can get into the door controller’s circuit board, possibly allowing the door to open while the EV is in motion.

As a result, VW has issued a recall for almost 100,000 ID.4s, as well as suspending production of the popular crossover at its factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and issuing a stop-sale to VW dealers. The stop-sale applies to preowned ID.4s as well as vehicles on lots yet to find their first owner.

The recall applies to all US ID.4s—99,064 in total, from the initial model-year 2021 cars built in Germany to the latest 2024 models made in the USA. VW first started hearing complaints in February 2024. By June, together with its suppliers, it had determined the problem was due to inadequate protection against water entering and then corroding the door handle electronics.

By this time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation had opened an investigation into the matter as well, following 12 reports of ID.4 doors opening while driving.

In fact, this is the second recall meant to fix ID.4 doors—in May 2023 VW recalled 35,325 ID.4s for the same issue. NHTSA found that the 12 reports in question had all had the prior recall applied and wanted to know why the problem was still happening. In some cases, doors would open intermittently while driving, although in other cases doors refused to open instead.

There have been no crashes or reported injuries as a result of the problem, but VW says it knows of 293 relevant warranty claims.

What’s the fix?

Owners will be notified about the recall by November 1, VW says. But unfortunately, the automaker doesn’t have a fix for the problem yet. Ars reached out to VW, which sent us the following statement:

After extensive review, in response to the stop-sale of the ID.4, we will temporarily suspend production of the vehicle at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant until a remedy is available. While we address the issue, we are focused on doing right by our employees, dealers and consumers through this disruption. Approximately 200 employees in Chattanooga will be furloughed beginning Sept. 23 and we are supporting them by supplementing unemployment from the state of Tennessee so they will still receive 80 percent of their base compensation and will continue to be covered by all current benefits during this time. We are also exploring ways to support our dealers while we determine a remedy for our customers. This disruption in no way changes our commitment to the ID.4 and our growing BEV portfolio. The ID.4 remains one of America’s best-selling electric vehicles.

Once a repair is available, ID.4 owners will be able to schedule an inspection with a dealer, who can identify if either door handle is compromised and needs repair.