by Volkswagen has announced two urgent vehicle recalls due to serious safety issues. The first concerns the risk of fire in ID.4 electric vehicles, and the second involves incorrectly installed wheel bolts, which could cause wheels to detach while driving.
Fire Hazard in ID.4 Electric Vehicles
The most serious problem has led to the recall of 311 ID.4 electric vehicles from the 2023 and 2024 model years. These vehicles have been found to have defective battery modules with misaligned electrodes, which can cause ignition.
Owners of these vehicles have been given strict recommendations:
These measures were taken following an incident in Illinois at the beginning of last year, when an ID.4 caught fire during fast charging. Further investigation revealed several more cases:
In July 2024, another ID.4 caught fire while parked and not charging. Soon after, another fire occurred with a parked crossover under similar circumstances. Another ignition incident happened on December 6th.
Initially, Volkswagen and battery manufacturer SK Battery America could not determine a single cause due to the different nature of the incidents. A breakthrough came after a fire in Colorado, when the vehicle was charging at a fast station. Inspection of its battery revealed modules with “misaligned electrodes.” Subsequent review of computer tomograms of batteries from previous incidents confirmed the presence of the same problem.
The recall is linked to a “quality deviation” in production at SK Battery America. Replacement of the battery modules is planned for all 311 affected vehicles. Official notifications to owners are scheduled to be sent out on January 30th, but due to the seriousness of the situation, Volkswagen advises ID.4 owners to independently check if their vehicle is subject to this recall.
Wheel Fastening Problem
The second recall concerns 27 vehicles from the 2026 model year, including the ID.4, Atlas, and Atlas Cross Sport. During assembly, these crossovers may have been fitted with incorrect wheel bolts, which could lead to them detaching while driving.
This defect has been deemed extremely dangerous, so a stop-drive order has been issued for the vehicles. Owners are recommended to immediately contact a dealer for transportation of the vehicle to a service center and to obtain alternative transportation during the inspection and repair.
The problem was detected by an assembly line worker at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga on October 31st, after which production was halted for inspection. The investigation established that the cause was a “parts mixing error” at the supplier, which resulted in incorrect bolts being installed in the vehicles.
It is believed that up to 40% of the affected vehicles have incorrect bolts, and most of them are Atlas crossovers. However, all models are subject to inspection. Dealership technicians will replace the wheel bolts as necessary.
These two recalls clearly demonstrate how critical quality control is at all stages of modern vehicle production, especially when it comes to new electric powertrains and chassis safety. The swift detection of the problem by a factory worker and subsequent investigations allowed for prompt action; however, the fire incidents point to the complexity of diagnosing defects in high-tech batteries. For owners of the affected models, the most important thing now is to strictly adhere to the temporary restrictions and contact official service centers as soon as possible to rectify the faults, in order to ensure the safety of themselves and others.
