Volkswagen Atlas Complaints (2018)

467 consumer complaints on file.

#11668026June 19, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
ECM light came on, while going 60+ on expressway. Car lost ability to accelerate and began to sputter. Unable to adjust speed and had to pull over to shoulder in fast moving traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667040June 15, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I buckled my son in his car seat and set my purse in the passenger seat and walked around the vehicle and in about 10 seconds it locked itself WITH the keys inside. The engine was off and I live in Tx so it was already very hot in the car. We used a pole through the cracked window to click the unlock button on the passenger door, we hit it twice and the car did not unlock, then I used a hanger to click the unlock button on the driver door. I clicked it and the car still did not unlock. We then tried breaking the windows and were unable to break the glass with a hammer, tire iron, rock, and even a high velocity Pellet gun. We were able to pull the trim from around the window on the outside and bend the glass out just far enough to use the hanger to pull the handle and get into the car. The car should never have locked with the keys inside, the unlock buttons INSIDE the car should have worked when pressed 3 times. Glass is great. Very strong but I was terrified when it would not break.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663475May 28, 2025
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In October 2024, my air conditioning was blowing hot when I had just had it recharged in June 2024. I took it to vw in pasadena, ca. They noted that there was an oil leak being caused by the breather valve aka the pcv valve which was making oil leak into the ac components. It took a few visits to get this resolved as a smell was in my car that was making me feel sick afterward. Eventually it was fixed and my car seemed to be okay. Until a month ago when my husband got into an accident and once we got my car back from the body repairs within 24 hours, my oil light came on. At first I thought it was because of the accident but it turned out it wasn't. It was due to the breather valve again. This was confirmed by vw covina. This is unsafe because it can cause oil to leak into other components of the vehicle and cause them to fail. Your head gasket and oil pan can also be affected and maybe more, I'm not sure what else as I am not a mechanic. But I know this is an issue with many atlases from a simple Google search, there are thousands of people experiencing the same. I do not have the documentation for the current repair as they are working on my car right now so I dont have the paperwork yet. If you all contact me in a few days, I'm sure I should have it by then and would be happy to provide it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663576May 28, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
ECP light came on and vehicle entered limp mode
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659675May 8, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
I have owned this car since 2018. I’ve had the “Brake Booster Faulty” error come on at least once a year. It’s very scary as the car just locks up. Luckily it has only happened driving locally, without anyone behind me, but this could lead to a SERIOUS accident. I have brought this to the VW dealer at least 3 times over the years and every time they say they cannot replicate or find any issues. It happened again last week, and again today. I have read that many people have experienced this issue but there is not much info out there on whether there is a fix. I really wish this would be addressed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657156April 28, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We replaced a cracked windshield in our VW Atlas, and we now need to replace it again. This vehicle seems prone to windshield cracks, as we are not aware of a rock hitting it. This crack started at the very top edge of the windshield, and has grown to about 20 inches.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657014April 26, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake booster Faulty/Brake Booster Failure light displays on the dash along with the red Brake light and a loud beeping sound. The brakes feel shaky and the vehicle doesn’t brake well for about 30 second after. It feels as if the brakes are palpating or skipping instead of a solid grip. After about 30-45 second those lights go back off and brakes resume normal breaking but the ABS light comes on. This issue has happened twice so far and random times when not braking. It appears to be other reports of this issues in the 2018 models but not recall. Other year models have had brake issues recalled l. This is a major safety issue and should be addressed with Volkswagen to resolve it. This will and probably has cause accidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654105April 11, 2025
ENGINE
Water pump failure of a 2018 VW Atlas with 69000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653353April 8, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The fuel tank system keeps failing. It will not show how much gas is in the car even after filling up. It is a risk because the fuel could run out in the middle of driving and leave the driver in an accident or stranded. The car stalls randomly when the fuel tank system error is on and it is very scary.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650448March 25, 2025
SEAT BELTS
Back seat belt won’t un latch buckled in behind diver seat daughter is skinny enough to squeeze her way out safety issue. Just stopped working and now is stuck.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650008March 23, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The low beams went out and you have to replace the entire front lighting assembly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11646925March 7, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
THE EPC LIGHT WILL COME ON AT ANYTIME. MEANING WHILE DRIVING ON A STREET HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY. WHICH IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE VEICHLE WILL LOSE POWER AND START TO SHAKE. THE LIGHT WILL GO OFF ONCE TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON. THERE MOST BE SOME ELECTRICAL ISSUE. NOT SURE WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THE 2018. THEY HAVE MANY COMPLAINTS AND ISSUES. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR MONTHS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11644452February 24, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was driving on the highway with my family in stop and go traffic when my car turned off on its own while still in Drive. The car has an "Auto On/Off" feature that we had disabled so it should not have, for any reason, done this. We had a semi-truck behind us that nearly rearended us. After putting the car in park, in the middle of the highway, and restarting the engine the car turned off again less than 10 minutes later. This car has a brand-new battery and purge control solenoid (after a check engine light) due to this issue, thinking it would fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11639431January 29, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The door actuator on the front passenger side of the vehicle stopped working. Here is a list of my concerns as a result: Security: Inability to Lock/Unlock/Functionality: - The primary concern is the inability to securely lock or unlock the vehicle. It creates a significant security risk, putting myself and my belongings vulnerable. - The alarm system is integrated with the door lock system and when I open the faulty door after locking my car, the alarm does not sound. - Keyless entry systems often rely on door actuators. A faulty actuator can render remote keyless entry inoperable. Safety Concerns: - If my child safety locks are electronically controlled, a faulty actuator can make it difficult to access the vehicle in an emergency. I have two young children, [XXX] Other concerns: A faulty door actuator can negatively impact the vehicle's resale value as it may require repair or replacement. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638964January 27, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
My wife was driving to the store on surface streets at about 9am on a clear morning. At a stop light, waiting for the green. After light turned green she accelerated at a normal rate. Midway through the intersection (at about 10 mph) the vehicles emergency braking system engaged for no reason slamming her to an immediate stop. There were no obstructions in front or to either side of the vehicle. There was another car behind her that almost rear-ended her. My wife's safety was at risk because she could have been involved in a collision which may have resulted in injuries to my wife and or others and she was sitting, shaken in the middle of an intersection thinking that someone had hit her from behind. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealership yet. My wife states that the vehicle displayed many indicator warning lights on the instrument panel after it stopped including the Advance Warning lights, but instead of just showing a collision warning with the car, 3-double bars and lanes in red, it showed (in red) a car with 4-double bars all around the vehicle, no lanes and the vehicle shut off. The car started again when she took her foot off of the brake.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638629January 26, 2025
ENGINE
The vehicle randomly shuts down when slowing to a halt or after coming to a halt..a prompt to manually restart the vehicle then pops up on he dashboard screen. The most recent event occurred on date below
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636569January 17, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Purchased Car with 17,000 miles on it. At 35,400 miles I had an electrical issue, cars was driving slow and jerking, sputtering while on the highway. the EMP ? light came on. I brought to the Clear Lake Volkswagen and they had to change our alot of the electronic system. I drove my car for about 9 months and my battery that was brand new died. There was a something with the electronic system. All along since I have owned the car, it would randomly stall when I would come to a stop. Never a big issue and just thought it was something with the stop/start. Last week while driving on the highway, 4-7 times when I would just take my foot off the gas the car would stall. I would have to pull off the the side of the highway, (NOT SAFE) put car in park and start it again. I again brought it to the dealership and they told me it is the Carbon gasket filter along with a clogged fuel line. I am hearing that has happened alot. I AM SELLING THIS CAR AS SOON AS I GET IT BACK. It has had engine issues since 6 months owning. NEVER BUYING VOLKSWAGON AGAIN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635820January 14, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When the outdoor temperature gets low, below 20 degrees fahrenheit, the vehicle thinks the driver-side front door is open, when it is closed. Because of this, the vehicle does not want to allow itself to be driven and will put on the electric parking brake. Even if released, the parking brake will automatically re-engage any time the vehicle speed drops below a couple of miles-per-hour. In addition, other errors persist with the electrical system, including error messages regarding the hill descent control, parking assist, passenger side airbag detection, internal lighting, etc. Based upon research, it seems this issue is identical to a recall issued for the same make & model, but for the years 2019-2022.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633478January 1, 2025
ENGINE
A dangerous cam shaft failure led to sensors near the cam shaft and a piece of the metal housing being broken off due to the cam shaft failure. The cam shaft failed at normal highway speeds and stopped the engine on the highway. Vehicle is still undergoing repairs at “Automotive Tech, Inc.”
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633060December 30, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Engine shuts down unexpectable at a stop sign/light and when driving in parking lots. A message on the dashboard comes on "Manually restart the vehicle" This has happen several times (at least 4 times) in the past few days
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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