Emergency Braking System Could Have Caused Wreck - Dealership and Customer Care Not Concerned - Could Use Advice
Well I will start this likely rather long post by saying I love my ID4. We purchased it in September 2025, our first EV. We had dreamed about an EV for years. What we loved was: Solid build. Inside dash does not give when you press on it like so many plastic cars. German suspension. 0-60 in under 5 seconds. AWD. Drives wonderfully. Overtaking cars on the freeway with ease (and some speed of course) never gets old. Enjoy the new roadtrip cadence where we charge near restaurants and take our time getting there. Etc. Etc. I really do love this car. But this car is beginning to concern me greatly. From a safety perspective.
We have had our fair share of issues with this car. We have warrantied the cruise control panel on the steering wheel and currently are trying to determine why I keep getting a front sensor warning like it is dirty (which it is not) as well as my passenger seatbelt warning goes off intermittently at times with nothing even on the seat and only buckling the seatbelt to remedy. This on top of endless infotainment issues since day one. The dealership has had the car a few times and even asked me to film it as they can never recreate the issue (which I have told them is intermittent). Against my better judgement I did while driving and caught both issues, which I guess serves well to have proof (but not super fun videoing and trying to drive at the same time). Even then, they just keep saying they cannot recreate the issue. I intend ever time it happens to film it and take it back. It is under warranty and honest, this car was a big purchase for us that we had high hopes for.
But the issue that takes the cake happened last week. The above issues, to be real, could care less if they get resolved given what went down. My wife was on her way home from taking my son to the doctor. She was on her normal roads she takes home and doing 50mph. There was no car in front of her, none in the oncoming lane and the only car around was quite a ways back from her (thankfully). Out of nowhere the car flashed the get back in center warning and within 1 second locked up the breaks on her with the red emergency warning and led lights going off. This obviously scared her and my son greatly. Had that car behind her been close, or worse yet still on the freeway like she had been ten minutes earlier where everyone tailgates out here, this could have been much much worse.
The dealership took the car in last Thursday. They have put 70 miles on the car to no avail. They said it shows no codes. They want me to take the car back tomorrow. I am not comfortable with this in any way.
I shared with them that if this happens again, I am not willing to have her get in a wreck for them to take this seriously. These cars are computers. I have the date and approximate one hour window this happened in. Surely these cars have logs.
The service advisor was kind. Said he hates these types of calls when they can't fix an issue. But then he tried this line with me that the service technician tried: "You know one way this issue could happen is if on your wife was riding on the line and had her hands off the steering wheel. It would then engage the brakes assuming something bad had happened to the driver." I told him BIG nope. Wife is a defensive conservative two handed driver who never even touches her cell phone. I told him this was not it. I shared I am very uncomfortable taking the car back. That they will be liable is something worse happens. I was very kind about it and I quickly realized he can't do anything, and I simply said I would drop the loaner off tomorrow. I did not say I was going to take possession of the car. He is a good guy who I have enjoyed getting to know less the circumstances.
I called customer care a few min ago. Told her they have a huge liability concern if she gets in a wreck with this happening again. She told me she would note my account and hung up. Could care less.
That is my story. I asked a few friends if I am overreacting and they all said they same thing: they would not want their wife driving the car again until VW found the issue.
Two things:
Has anyone else had the braking system lock up for no reason? Curious as I can't imagine we are the only ones.
Any advice? I am going to the dealership tomorrow and going the escalate to the service manager. I hate these types of conversations but know I need to grow a set.
Just not sure what to say or do. I don't want my wife driving this car again till they can tell me why and that it is fixed. Does that seem reasonable Reddit?