Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Complaints
360 consumer complaints on file.
- #11638247January 24, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
About 6 months after purchasing a new 2024 VW Atlas Cross Sport, I started smelling gasoline inside the vehicle. It was a very strong smell, like someone had poured it on the carpet. After a few days, I noticed the smell when walking up to the car, not just inside. At this time, an error message appeared on the dash saying the start-stop system was malfunctioning, as well as the ABS system. That day, I took a look underneath and spotted a leak; gasoline was dripping from the bottom of the car. So, I scheduled service at the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. After a week, I received a call saying a rodent had entered the engine bay and chewed through the engine harness and a fuel line, and that these damages were not covered under the warranty. I asked for pictures of the "chewing"; however, the images they provided were not conclusive, in my opinion. My insurance paid, and the repair was started, but when they went to fix it, they said they found extensive damage to the primary harness, secondary harness, and a bunch of other things. Insurance again approved; however, the dealership has said that these parts need 30-90 days to come in. I believe there to be a defect in manufacturing that allows rodents into the vehicle since I have parked vehicles, including VW and just about every other brand, in the same location for 30 years and have never had this issue. Also, when I pressed the service department at the dealership, they said they had other cars here for the same issue and that it was "not uncommon."
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11636753January 18, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The display unit continuously reboots or shuts down. When it does this, warnings go off stating safety features are all disabled and not available. This is very dangerous and they dealership says there is no fix. The monitor/display reboots every continuously through the drive and no matter how many hard resets we do it continues. Throughout the reboot cycles no safety features are available per the car display. You can't use backup camera, no cruise control, no braking/collision avoidance, ... none of the features work. This has been going on since October 2024 and the dealership says they have known about this for over a year and still no fix.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11636330January 16, 2025AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer had not informed the contact of the cause of the failure but informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to another unknown dealer, where the same information was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11636011January 15, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
This vehicle has an issue where the engine stalls when operating a slow speeds/a stop. When the engine stalls, a message appears on the dashboard stating that you must put the car in park, turn off the ignition, restart the car, and then put it back into drive. This has posed as a significant risk to myself, my wife, and our [XXX] daughter. Additionally, my wife is currently [XXX]. The engine has stalled on us in the middle of an 8 lane intersection when attempting to turn left, when merging onto a highway, and numerous other very dangerous situations. This issue begin about 1 year after purchasing the car (brand new) from Volkswagen. Since then, we have brought the car back to the dealership where we purchased it (Heritage Volkswagen Parkville) over 5 times to have them look into this issue. They have attempted to replace the gas tank (claimed it had shrunk) and reset the computer system, yet neither of these things have worked. Neither myself or the dealership can "make" the car stall as it happens very randomly (which increases the risk that this issue poses) and now we are stuck - where Volkswagen has won't continue to research the issue/attempt to fix it yet my family is still left at risk with a car we purchased brand new off of their lot. The vehicle has not been inspected by the police, insurance, or any other people outside of Volkswagen and the vehicle has no warning signals that there is an issue and no code that they have been able to pull at the dealership. 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
- #11635651January 13, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The Daytime running LED lights are commonly known to go out in this years 2021 VW atlas cross sports. The car gives a check light for these lights and each light had to have the entire headlight replaced. 1500 a peice. This causes issues with being able to get inspection stickers. I can’t even get a headlight bc this part is on back order bc this is such a common problem with this car. These parts need to be recalled
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11634033January 4, 2025ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Infotainment screen inconsistently displays static and will not display backup camera. Problem is intermittent.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11633740January 2, 2025STRUCTURE:BODY, SERVICE BRAKES, POWER TRAIN
There is a metallic rattle in the driver's side b-pillar (similar to the issue in the 2018 Tiguan LWB). Every component in the pillar has been replaced and the rattle persists. The first time I complained about it to the dealership the car only had 1,500 miles on it. 3 years and several months of the car sitting in the shop they have not been able to fix it nor have they bothered working with VW of America to find a solution. I'm guessing it is structural. The brakes are also very concerning and I have mentioned it many times over the last few years. It is not the normal VW squeal -- it is a grinding that causes the car to shake. I was told by my local VW that "Apparently you've never driven high performance vehicles before--that's normal". Uh, no it is not normal. Often times when shifting into drive from park (even on flat ground) the shifter is hard to move and then makes an awful clunking noise. Coolant disappears. And, indicator light does not come on. I was refilling the wiper fluid reservoir and noticed the coolant reservoir was almost empty, however, no light has come on. I've had to top off the coolant at least every couple months.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11633612January 2, 2025AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11632579December 27, 2024SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE
Multiple occasions the start/stop malfunction has turned on. The brakes grind and screech horribly and I’ll get breaking malfunction warning. It has been checked by vw and they state that the brakes are fine and they’ve had several come in with same issue but there’s no recall that has been issued. They stated it is the material that was used to manufacture brake parts that cause this problem. It worries me one day they will give out. Also the error drive system has come on and it feels I lose power. I stop car and sometimes that helps as I restart. They tell me the antifreeze needs to be topped off. I’ve already had to refill in less than 3 months which I find crazy with antifreeze. No other car I’ve owned have I had to refill this so much. So several issues have occurred with this vehicle.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11631101December 16, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Have had the car for about 3 months. In that time frame the main display for the radio and vehicle monitoring will go out and become unreadable. This will cause the various sensors to go inop, these include but not always the front collision/brake sensor, the lane departure system, adaptive cruise control, etc. I have had the car in three times and the dealership will reset the system, say they do a firmware update and it still has the same issues. According to the dealership VW is aware of this issue and it is affecting multiple vehicles manufactured in 2024. Have not had an incident, but have a concern that a failure could happen and the vehicle not perform as designed causing an accident. Iam not able to disable the various sensors that this head unit controls or links together with others. Not comfortable that the car is functioning to designed specs.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11630996December 16, 2024AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11630979December 16, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I noticed I had a crack in my windshield starting from the outer edge right at eye level. I got out to check what happened and noticed there was a Little Rock wedged between the windshield and the part of the car where the windshield is inlayed. There is not a weather strip or gasket covering the gap between the windshield and the car. It is exposed just enough for debris to be caught. Sure enough the pressure from that tiny rock caused my windshield to crack. I just bought my car August 2024 brand new. Had there been a protective coverings weather strip or gasket I would not be replacing a windshield. I started reading other complaints on vw forums and sure enough the new atlas’s do not have that covering. And there are numerous complaints of the same. It is continuing to crack due to the weather. Eventually it will be cracked the complete length of the windshield.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11629952December 10, 2024AIR BAGS
I own a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport that more recently in June 2024 received a recall on its Passenger Airbags stating that it may not function properly in event of a crash. I want to point out that this is the only vehicle in the family and teenagers do ride in the front seat. I was informed of the recall via my Progressive App in June 2024 and Volkswagen who issued the recall did not inform me until end of August 2024 a 3 month delay. I have been in communication with Volkswagen Corporation to work together to come up with a plan to resolve the issue in a manner that would work for both parties. I was notified by Volkswagen on December 4, 2024 that a repair for my vehicle is available and I should contact my local VW dealership to make an appointment to get this recall repaired. I went in person to VW of Tacoma, I made contact with one of their representative (not sure if this person even worked there as she had no proper name tag or proper VW uniform). The whole process seemed non transparent as when I asked for her name she would not give her name despite of multiple requests. My experience with this person was very nerve racking as it was unclear if I was being subject of fraud. I specifically asked to speak to the manager whose name was Jerry Podgoski. Despite of the information regarding the availability of the my recall repair part the dealership still refused to provide repair for my vehicle's recall. Jerry Podgoski gave me the false idea that their dealership would be in touch however to date I have not heard back. I later found out the name of the service tech who refused to give her name was Maile Magpoc, she was not a pleasant person to deal with and the whole interaction seemed shady. I would like NHTSA to be involved as the recall from VW involves airbag and from the information I received from VW America repair is available and VW of Tacoma is refusing to provide the repairs on the recall issued by VW of America.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11629921December 10, 2024AIR BAGS
I own a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport that more recently in June 2024 received a recall on its Passenger Airbags stating that it may not function properly in event of a crash. I want to point out that this is the only vehicle in the family and teenagers do ride in the front seat. I was informed of the recall via my Progressive App in June 2024 and Volkswagen who issued the recall did not inform me until end of August 2024 a 3 month delay. I have been in communication with Volkswagen Corporation to work together to come up with a plan to resolve the issue in a manner that would work for both parties. I was notified by Volkswagen on December 4, 2024 that a repair for my vehicle is available and I should contact my local VW dealership to make an appointment to get this recall repaired. I made an appointment with VW of Olympia for the repair of the recall on December 10, 2024 and at this time they are refusing to make the repair. I am concerned about the safety of my teenagers who ride on the passenger seat. This 2021 VW Atlas Cross Sport is the only vehicle in the family and at this time neither the VW nor the dealership are offering any alternatives nor loaner car disregarding safety of my teenagers who ride in the passenger seat. I am asking NHTSA to be involved to help offer a resolution so that I can get this recall remedied in a timely manner. I appreciate your time. Regards, [XXX] 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
- #11628902December 4, 2024ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to the vehicle, where coolant was added to the vehicle; however, the low coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cooling system was replaced. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed an abnormal coolant odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the front passenger's side air bag was replaced. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that coolant was leaking onto the top of the engine. The dealer replaced the cylinder head, the filters, the cooling system, the motor mount. Additionally, the dealer installed a new head gasket and new bolts, and the dealer rebuilt a new cylinder head. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle nearly stalled. The contact exited the highway and pulled to the side of the road. The contact called the dealer and scheduled an appointment for the following day. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine was taken apart for diagnostic testing. The dealer replaced the engine with a used engine; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the dealer had taken the dashboard apart to allow a Volkswagen engineer located in Germany to monitor the failure remotely. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11628739December 4, 2024ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
The info center becomes unreadable therefore, if you use the back up camera, you cannot see clearly the objects behind your car. Volkswagen does not have a fix on this. They just recommend for now doing a hard reset on the info center. This is a concern of mine because it is a safety hazard when I try to use reverse I have to rely on mirrors and otherwise I have blind spots that I cannot see whereas when using the backup camera, I have full visibility of what’s behind my vehicle. Secondly, the brakes make an unusual noise. Volkswagen claims it’s dust however I have audio recording of the squealing noise and as fact, the brakes sometimes engage in a rough way to where it almost seems like they are trying to grip the disc. This is extremely concerning as Ithe brakes make an unusual noise. Volkswagen claims it’s dust however I have audio recording of the squealing noise and as fact, the brakes sometimes engage in a rough way to where it almost seems like they are trying to grip the disc. This is extremely concerning as I have lost confidence in driving my vehicle.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11628224December 2, 2024FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Multiple error codes populated on my vehicle while driving to work. This occurred less than 3 months & less than 1500 miles since ownership. The car went into a reduced power/speed mode and advised for me to get service asap. I barely made it off the highway to my destination. Dealer said it was the fuel pump. If it was a faulty fuel pump - should I have been a part of the stop sale/recall? Engine/Transmission/PowerTrain- Error: Drive System. Please service vehicle. (Engine) Error: Start/Stop (Engine)
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11627927November 29, 2024ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CS screen is intermittently glitching and freezing resulting screen failure. This occurs at unexpected times before starting, while sitting, while driving, while sitting still, and while parking, This failure causes me to be unable to control air, radio, maps, backup camera, and music. The safety issues have occurred when backing, I nearly backed over a person because my backup camera was blacked out and they were in my blind spot, Two dealerships have seen film of the failures but not observed it in their shop. They are never able to get me in when the system is failing. The vehicle has been in shop at least 6 times for the failure. I have dealer service tickets and a a carfax report to document the attempted repairs. I also have photos and videos of failure. The dealership I bought it from, Fowler Volkswagon, and Oklahoma City Volkswagon have both tried to fix the problem. The dealership advised me that it could not be repaired. I submitted my problem to Volkswagon , Case # [XXX], they had me take to dealer again and it could not be fixed. Volkswagon said in their denial letter to help me, "but we are not able to assist in all cases". Yes Recall #91US. The screen was replaced but problem did not stop. I am still forced to a vehicle that is unsafe and a violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111. That nearly resulted in back over of a pedestrian on [XXX]. The first failure was in 2/2024. I bought the car on [XXX] from Fowler Volkswagon Norman, Oklahoma. The car had 19 miles on it. I have taken into the shop 6 times. I am [XXX], a student, and work as waitress to support myself. I bought a new car and make payments on it and it is defective and unsafe. I want my new car to function as it was designed and Volkswagon cannot fix it. They told me to go to the BBB or arbitration. 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
- #11627349November 25, 2024ENGINE
Car shut off randomly when driving
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11624133November 8, 2024FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 21 VW atlas cross sport now will not remote start. As well, it CONTINUES with the sputter and stall at low speeds. In and out of parking spots, backing in and out of driveway, the most important scenario being complete stall out crossing a median and multiple lanes of oncoming traffic…
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0