Consumer Reports Ranked This Vehicle Least Reliable Due To Battery And Charging Problems

Volkswagen didn't have a great year in 2025. Volkswagen's reported $1.52 billion loss in the third quarter of 2025, per Reuters, reveals that President Donald Trump's tariffs continue to cost this German car company a lot of money. And it likely didn't help that Volkswagen was ranked at the very bottom of J.D. Power's vehicle dependability study released in early 2025. Per that study, Volkswagen vehicles that were on the road in 2022 had 285 reported problems per 100 vehicles. The average was 202 problems per 100 vehicles.

Yet even beyond the release of J.D. Power's study and Trump unleashing its new tariffs, one of Volkswagen's electric vehicles was named as one of the ten least reliable vehicles by Consumer Reports. The Consumer Reports piece, published in December 2024, gave the Volkswagen ID.4 a score of 29 out of a possible 100 in terms of reliability.

Among the reasons for the low reliability score were complaints about the ID.4's battery and charging system. Indeed, faulty battery and the EV's electric system was why thousands of ID.4s, and other electric Volkswagens, were recalled at the behest of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This includes 13,769 ID.4s from model year 2024 (along with Audi Q4s from 2024-2025) that were recalled in February 2025 due to a faulty on-board charger that couldn't properly power up the vehicles' 12-volt battery, which resulted in a loss of power that increased the risk of a crash.

Consumer Reports listed 11 recalls by the NHTSA for the ID.4's model year 2021, seven for model year 2022, 11 for model year 2023, and five for model year 2024. Serious electrical power issues include an unreliable battery connection that may cause the 2021 ID.4 to suddenly stall, a 12-volt charging cable in the 2023 model that may cause a short that can depower the vehicle or cause it to catch fire, a coolant leak in the high-voltage system that could cause the 2023 model to lose control or deploy an airbag, and the loss of speed displays and rearview cameras in the 2022 model.

CR also had numerous complaints about battery and other electrical issues for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 models including the software not working properly, vehicles being in the shop for weeks to solve battery recharge issues, intermittent working headlights, and display screens going black.

But battery and electrical glitches were just the tip of the problem iceberg. More than 99,000 ID.4s from model years 2021 through 2024 were recalled for a vehicle door that would suddenly open while driving. Plus there were recalls with various model years for improperly fastened airbags, poor service brakes and suspension, faulty gear lever display that could fail to notify if a parking brake is activated, and child restraint seat belts that tend to spontaneously unfasten.

Volkswagen's ID.4 earlier models caused plenty of headaches. Still, the company did get at the root of its problems and its criticisms. In response to gripes from past owners, enhancements were made for the ID.4s 2024 model, though mainly for its more expensive trims, according to Jalopnik.

As for the ID.4's 2025 model (which, so far, has no known recalls), it received a spot on Car & Driver's Editors' Choice list of 2025 for having a good price (starting at $41,420), a spacious and comfortable cabin, and a range of between 206 and 291 miles.

As for its used VW ID.4, it will cost $4,769 to maintain and repair in its first 10 years of service, which is $3,397 lower than other popular models, per CarEdge. This, of course, assumes that the used ID.4's serious recall issues are all addressed. Although, its past reputation may have increased the odds of a pre-owned bargain. The VW ID.4 can depreciate very quickly, losing 63% of its value in five years, according to CarEdge, to a resale value of about $19,540.