Volkswagen Recalling 44,000 Electric Vehicles For Battery Fire Risks

Volkswagen is recalling more than 44,000 ID.4 electric crossovers in the United States for two separate issues that could cause the high-voltage battery to catch fire.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the larger of the two recalls affects 43,881 ID.4s from the 2023 through 2025 model years. In those vehicles, the high-voltage battery modules may experience thermal propagation due to misaligned electrodes, which could cause a vehicle fire.

In layman's terms, thermal propagation is the spread of thermal runaway from one failed cell to adjacent cells within a lithium-ion battery pack. The chemical chain reaction is an uncontrollable, self-perpetuating process that causes the battery pack to rapidly increase in temperature, which almost always leads to a fire. Volkswagen says owners of affected vehicles may "experience a loss of range and/or performance if the recall condition exists."

Vehicles included in the recall have no Self-Discharge Detection (SDD) software, which the automaker claims could have prevented at least three battery fires. ID.4s with 82kW/h batteries were produced with updated BMCe software installed starting in January 2024, while ID.4 vehicles with 62kW batteries stopped production before a change to their BMCe software was made.

Volkswagen’s fix will begin with a battery health check and a software update, which will install updated SDD software that should better monitor and manage the battery’s behavior. In cases where diagnostics show a problem, dealers will replace the battery pack altogether.

A second, much smaller recall covers 670 ID.4s from the 2023 and 2024 model years. In that case, Volkswagen says some battery cell modules within the high-voltage battery pack may have misaligned electrodes, a manufacturing defect that can also lead to overheating and fires.

NHTSA's recall documents detail five "thermal events"—one of which happened while the vehicle was underway, two while vehicles were "refuelling" at a Level 3 DC charger, and two while vehicles were parked and not in use.

Volkswagen will replace the affected high-voltage battery cell modules, but until that time, the automaker is recommending that affected ID.4 owners set an 80% charging limit and avoid using Level 3 DC chargers at all. In fact, out of an abundance of caution, VW is recommending owners park their vehicles outdoors immediately after charging and not to leave their vehicles charging in the garage overnight.

The ID.4 has been a key part of Volkswagen’s U.S. electric vehicle strategy, serving as its first mass-market EV built for American buyers.

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