A single father has described a harrowing experience with a leased Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle that he alleges repeatedly accelerated unintentionally, trapped his young family inside, and suffered numerous other malfunctions. Matt Hinton, 52, leased the ID.4 in 2022 through a salary sacrifice scheme for work and claims the vehicle was plagued by issues for three years.
According to Hinton, the problems began with a frayed driver's side seatbelt and escalated to the car's doors becoming difficult to open and close. He also reported that the dashboard repeatedly crashed, obscuring critical information like speed and fuel levels. The vehicle's sensors malfunctioned, disabling collision avoidance, parking assistance, and lane detection systems.
One of the most alarming incidents, Hinton recounted, involved the car losing all power to the screens and pedals, forcing him to roll to a stop and damaging two wheels. Weeks later, a similar event occurred while his children were in the car, leading him to refuse to drive it further. He stated that the car's autonomous system would misread speed limit signs, causing it to accelerate rapidly to higher speeds, such as reaching 70 mph in a 30 mph zone. He also described instances on the motorway where the regenerative braking system engaged suddenly while at high speeds, creating dangerous situations with surrounding traffic.
The persistent problems resulted in the vehicle being off the road for over a third of his lease period, Hinton claims. He detailed a cumbersome process of reporting faults, with the local Volkswagen dealership in Gloucester reportedly unable to replicate many of the issues and at times needing to consult with the company's headquarters in Germany. He alleged that the lease company, LeasePlan (now Ayvens), refused to replace the car and denied his requests for compensation, citing the salary sacrifice scheme.
Hinton’s employer eventually intervened, paying over £13,000 to terminate the lease early. The company also covered additional costs for wheels damaged during one of the incidents. The ordeal caused significant stress and impacted Hinton's ability to spend quality time with his children, particularly during holiday periods, as he relied on replacement vehicles that were not always suitable for family needs.
A spokesperson for Volkswagen stated they were disappointed to hear of the issues and noted that as a fleet customer, Hinton may not have had direct contact with their frontline customer service. The spokesperson added that according to retailer reports, faults were rectified when found, but others could not be replicated and diagnosed. They asserted that the company did all it could to resolve Hinton's technical issues.
Hinton has since leased a different electric vehicle from a different manufacturer and lease company, which he reports has been fault-free over 8,500 miles. He expressed a commitment to never deal with Volkswagen or LeasePlan again, noting that avoiding salary sacrifice for his current vehicle means he is now paying more in taxes.