Volkswagen is recalling a small number of ID.4 electric vehicles that may have improperly installed airbag inflators.
The recall includes just 837 vehicles from model years 2023 and 2024. In these vehicles, nuts securing the primary inflator of the passenger front airbag may have been left loose at the factory. This could cause airbags to inflate incorrectly, according to the NHTSA.
2024 Volkswagen ID.4
Owners may hear a rattling sound in the dashboard if the nuts securing the airbag inflator are loose, the NHTSA noted.
Dealers will check the torque of the airbag inflator screws, and replace the airbag if the screws are found to be loose, free of charge. VW plans to begin mailing owner notification letters October 18. Owners can also contact VW customer service at 1-800-893-5298 for more information.
2024 Volkswagen ID.4
VW also recently issued a much larger recall of 98,806 ID.4 EVs from model years 2021 to 2024 for improperly manufactured door handles. The door handle issue resulted in a stop-sale and stop-production order being given for the ID.4 until a fix is implemented. The affected vehicles could have door handles with insufficient sealing, which could allow water to seep into a printed circuit board and cause doors to open unexpectedly. This follows a recall announced earlier this year for 2021-2023 ID.4 models that addresses issues with gauge clusters and infotainment systems.
Launched for the 2021 model year, the ID.4 received substantial upgrades for 2024, including more range and improved infotainment hardware that seemed to address many of the issues Green Car Reports found in earlier models. However, these improvements came with a price increase that somewhat eroded the VW’s value proposition. U.S. assembly in Tennessee does at least maintain the $7,500 federal EV tax credit for models with locally-sourced batteries, though.