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Before you buy a used Volkswagen ID.3 / ID.4 / ID.5 / ID.7 / ID.Buzz.

2020–2026 · Electric · 1 engine

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Volkswagen ID.3 / ID.4 / ID.5 / ID.7 / ID.Buzz, real photo of this generation
Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

Eléctrico

Electric

  • MEB platform 12 V battery and softwareElectrics and software
    Period mentioned
    2020–2026
    Mileage mentioned
    The sheet does not mention a mileage.
  • The ID.3 will not get ready to drive: flat 12 V battery and false warnings from the first softwareElectrical and electronic systems
    Period mentioned
    2020–2021
    Mileage mentioned
    What the sheet says: 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.

    Applies if: Mainly the 2020–2021 ID.3 with software before version 2.0; the ID.4 got 2.1 from the factory.

  • Yellow electrical system message and less range from cells that self-discharge (2021–2023 ID.4)High-voltage battery
    Period mentioned
    2021–2023 (US model years)
    Mileage mentioned
    The sheet does not mention a mileage.

    Applies if: US bulletin (93-24-01) for the 2021 to 2023 model year ID.4; in Europe, ask the dealer.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Volkswagen dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Excessive battery cell self-discharge (93MI)Electric drive

How to check it: Check modules and replace where necessary; the recall temporarily limits charging to 80% and outdoors.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 3 checked

Electrics and software

  • Look out for: The car will not start or wake up after standing even though the traction battery is charged; 12 V battery warnings; screens that freeze or go black; charging sessions that will not start or cut out.

    Ask them to check: Check the 12 V battery condition and the quiescent current draw, and confirm at the dealer that the car has the latest software. With ODIS: high-voltage battery (8B), high-voltage electronics (8C), charger (8E) and ICAS1 (C7).

Electrical and electronic systems

  • Look out for: 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.

    Ask them to check: 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.

High-voltage battery

  • Look out for: The yellow electrical system fault message appears with code P0BBD00 and the range can be lower or keep dropping.

    Ask them to check: Ask the workshop to read the battery control module (address 008C) and apply bulletin 93-24-01 if code P0BBD00 appears with one of the listed symptom codes.

OBD codes worth looking for

If they let you read the fault memory with an OBD reader, these are the codes mentioned in this model's sheets:

P0BBD00

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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