Volkswagen Atlas Complaints
981 consumer complaints on file.
- #11457658March 21, 2022ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
On four occasions, (at a stop light/intersection, in a car line, in a drive thru, and in a parking lot), the engine has shut off while driving. All four times, I have been in Drive and the car will stall and a "start engine manually" message pops up. Each time, I had to completely stop, put the car in park, restart the engine, and put it back in Drive. This has definitely put myself and the safety of others at risk because it has caused my car to stop while on the road, as well as other locations where there are moving vehicles. If my vehicle were to stall at a time when I am in the middle of traffic, the time it takes to react to put the vehicle back into park, then restart the engine, then put it back into drive could lead to an accident. I.havw tried to call the VW dealership and left several messages to report these incidences, but they have not returned my calls. I have also tried to calW Customer Care, but I haven't been able to get through. The "start engine manually" alert only shows when the engine has cut off and the car stalls. No other indicator or warning lights are present.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457499March 20, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Our car starting firing many warning every time we would drive it including breaking without us telling it to. We took it in twice for it to be fixed, the first didn't work and the second they replaced a door chasey and I hope it works long term. Very scary to be driving with 2 little kids in the back and a possessed car. Super dangerous.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457468March 20, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When driving at roughly 50+ mph the windows roll down one their own and the driver door contact switch error comes on. Once slowing down, the parking break engages when you are still moving the vehicle. I have contacted VW to get this serviced and they have told me there is no fix currently and that I will be charged to provide my own rental vehicle.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457428March 19, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The shocks will all of a sudden come up with “parking brake Fault”, “start/stop” fault, “driver door switch fault”, Che j engine light comes on. It will then randomly throw on the parking brake while driving causing the vehicle to come to a complete sudden stop while driving then the back windows will roll down. It does this off and on…
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457395March 19, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Shortly after purchase, we would get warning signals, without cause. Then at 18000 miles, both passanger windows rolled down and would not roll up. After recycling the engine countless times, window rolled up. Took to dealer. They stated the window harness needs to be replaced, but not apart of a recall. Stated it could take six months to get replacement part, but it was safe to drive. The next day, warning signs all over dash went off, windows rolled down and would not go up. Contacted VW corporate. Was told by corporate, this part is the "heart" of the electric system and it could cause a safety issue, but they had no loaners. I was told the they are unsure went the part would be in. So now I have an undrivable, less than a year old vehicle, with no replacement. I am still making payments and I am expected to keep that update to date, even though VW has produced an undrivable, unsafe vehicle. I was told by VW American, I would be contacted again by 3/25/22. There should be no reason we have thousands of vehicles on the road, we know are unsafe. This is putting not just VW owners and their families at risk, but those who are on the road with them.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457389March 19, 2022AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Airbags Light on , associated with faulty wire harness. Car at dealer waiting for part. Back ordered for 5 months: told unsafe to drive. Dealer said airbag delay after collision
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457359March 18, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
After starting the car and trying to reverse, the car would not go into reverse. In addition all warning on the dashboard went off and the windows rolled down. The car would not move. After shutting down and restarting the car it proceeded to accelerate only to suddenly brake in the middle of the road as if the emergency brake was activated. The windows would roll down again and all the warning signs on the dash would appear. I took my car to the dealer and I was told that it was the door latch and there was no Estimated amount of time for completition. This has been 4 weeks now. I have had my car for only 6 months.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457335March 18, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1. My car has randomly slammed on the brakes while driving. I was driving with my daughter and when it happened, she thrusted forward and almost hit her head on the dash. The seatbelt did lock. I reported it to my dealer and the car was checked out and found no issues. They just said that people have been complaining about "squeaky" brakes, which I have taken my car in for before along with a grinding noise coming from my front driver side brakes and was told nothing is wrong. 2. Two times my car has turned completely off while driving. I brought it to the dealer and was told they couldn't find anything wrong. It happened 2 times in 1 week. One time was pulling into a parking spot and another time was when we were at a stop and the light turned green for us to go. I had to put my car in park and restart my engine. What would happen if I was driving 50 MPH on a highway and the power went off and I had no brakes and couldn't slow down? I was very upset that the dealer could not find anything wrong. I have left 3 messages for the service manager and he never returned my call. I do not feel safe in my car but am stuck with this car for another 2 years. Something needs to be done! My neighbor's Atlas is the same year and model and his car has been in the shop for over a month with the same issues. 3. I was in a drive thru last week and the "central warning light" went on with another light ( I can't rememberthe other light) and the service department couldn't find anything wrong.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457331March 18, 2022PARKING BRAKE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the parking brakes and alarms illuminated on the instrument panel. The driver’s and rear passenger’s side windows rolled up and down independently. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified; however, informed the contact that parts were not available. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457322March 18, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and decelerating, the vehicle stopped abruptly. The driver's side rear window independently rolled down and the parking brake inadvertently engaged. The contact was able to pull over and drive to her residence. Additionally, the alarm was beeping. The check engine and battery warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that a message was displayed that the engine was still running. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the door harness needed to be replaced; however, the parts were on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457300March 18, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle with the auto start first then after getting into the vehicle, there was a 12 volt battery in which was not charging, as well as, advising the contact to stop driving the vehicle warning displayed. The vehicle's start and stop failed to function. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the alternator had failed and the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The contact found that their vehicle's failure related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V616000 (Electrical System) however their VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet due to the necessary part was on back order. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case regarding the matter. The failure mileage was 6,009.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457231March 18, 2022AIR BAGS, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Could automatically brake at slow speeds, windows would go up and down basically the car would go crazy.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457229March 18, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My vehicle has had 2 fuel pump replacements, my emergency brake has gone off while driving and while idling 3x slamming me to a hard stop and end arguing my kids and I. I have also had multiple events of being in a turn lane or busy intersection with my automatic start/stop turned off and my car will not engage and throws a sign up on dash telling me to restart my car. This is dangerous! Consumer stated they knew it was a safety issue but could not help me.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457222March 18, 2022AIR BAGS
The air bar error light came on. The issue is the door harness wiring needs fixed. There are no parts available to fix this issue. I took the car in on January 27, two days after the light appeared. There is a possibility that the air bag would not deploy and the dealership said others with this issue deploy the emergency brake while driving.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457196March 17, 2022FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Drivers side wire harness. All sorts of alarms going off, windows going up and down on their own, parking break engaging on its own while driving!!! Absolutely unsafe vehicle & VW was not helpful or cooperative.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457167March 17, 2022AIR BAGS, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My airbag light randomly went on a few days after my 10k miles inspection at the Platinum VW dealership in Hicksville, NY. I brought it in and was told there is a safety issue due to a faulty sensor in the passenger side door which can both cause the airbag not to deploy (or to randomly deploy) and can also cause the parking break to automatically engage while the car is in motion. While the VW dealership was totally not transparent about this, the rental agency told me that i was there were more than 15 customers before me with the same issue in the same car, and that one such customer's breaks automatically deployed while the car was in motion at over 30mph. I called VK corporate and they
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457136March 17, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the highway, the brakes applied without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact was able to pull over and made it home safely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and it was diagnosed as the wiring harness needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457118March 17, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Between mid-November and early December 2021, my 2021 Volkswagen Atlas started randomly braking while the vehicle was in motion. There were loud beeping sounds, multiple error notifications on the dash, and the rear driver's side window kept randomly going down. I recently read an article from an online publication called autoblog, which indicated to me that this problem is occurring in these vehicles at an alarming rate. The dealership has provided a loaner, which is significantly less than the vehicle I purchased. Meanwhile I am paying $564 per month for a vehicle I cannot use, and the dealership is unable to provide me with a date that the vehicle will be repaired. We are not into month four of this issue with no resolution in sight.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457078March 17, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Hello, I'm writing to share a safety concern regarding the 2021 VW Atlas. In January 2022, I was driving with my small children in the vehicle. The alarm went off for no reason when I first entered the car. Next, my passenger side windows went down on their own and would not go back up. All sorts of alarms/light went off in my car. Next, it started to throw my vehicle into emergency brake while driving. VERY DANGEROUS! This should be a safety recall. The vehicle has been in the shop for 2 months, waiting on a part.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11457034March 16, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
We have 2021 Atlas purchased Nov. 2020 the AEB and parking collision sensors and system engage at random times while driving. The most recent incident was while parking the car 3/13/22 there were no cars in the parking lot and while turning into the lot and parking spot the AEB engaged and stopped the car completely this is not only unnecessary but while having kids in the car I was left to look around and be like what just happened. Finally parking the car the car was not near the curb on the front nor the side. This happens while driving and I would hate for it to happen on a freeway in rush hour traffic. Because of this feature defaulting like it has for the past months I know take surface streets on the way home from work. When taking the vehicle to the dealership they are dumbfounded have ran test and state there is nothing they can do- They are aware of the issue but its one of those things that "you had to be there" to experience what I am talking about. When i run the Car Net app - there are no recalls or updates or known issues with my vehicle. Yes the car is available for inspection. I would say in the past year this has happened 7-10 times. This feature is great when you need it or when it is supposed to work but at times when it is not needed puts our safety at risk.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0