The ID.3 will not get ready to drive: flat 12 V battery and false warnings from the first software

Engine / equipment

Early Volkswagen ID.3 electric (software before version 2.0)

Period mentioned

2020–2021

Symptoms

The car will not get “ready to drive” even with the main battery charged, because the auxiliary 12 V battery is flat. The first software also showed warnings with no real fault: an intermittent airbag light, a false electric-drive fault message, charging that does not start at some chargers or a temperature gauge that does not work.

Possible cause described

The 12 V battery discharge was one of the most frequent complaints on early ID.3s (according to L'argus, in 2020 54% of ADAC call-outs to these cars were for it). Volkswagen fixed it with software updates 2.0 (December 2020) and 2.1 (fitted in production from 22/2/2021), together with the other false warnings; to move to version 3.0 the car first needed 2.4, which required replacing the 12 V battery with a new model. In ADAC's long-term test, a 2021 ID.3 failed to start at 158,000 km because of the 12 V battery, and Volkswagen said a software update would have prevented it.

Check for the garage

Measure and test the 12 V battery and ask Volkswagen which software version the car has; if it is not up to date, ask for the update (it may require replacing the 12 V battery). If warnings appear with no clear fault, check the software first before replacing parts.

Cost cited in the source

The update, at the dealer; a new 12 V battery cost €456 in the ADAC test.A rough figure from the original database, not an up-to-date quote.

Sources from the original database