Volkswagen Atlas Complaints

981 consumer complaints on file.

#11701636November 26, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
I have a horrible noise when breaking it sound like scratching and water behind the dashboard it’s horrible noise. We are afraid to use it because we think that we can run into an accident because of the sound on the breaks. The vehicle is working normal it’s just the sound that Is horrible. Nobody wants to take responsibility we took it to the dealership many times and they are blaming to the manufacture breaks company and that is an issue that they are aware of the existence because every month they run certification to theirs cars and they experience the same issue with their breaks form Volkswagen atlas 2024 and they are blaming it to the manufacture for the breaks they install to many of this suv. My advisor recommend me to change the break pads be he wouldn’t take full responsibility that the noise can go away. He told me it’s normal sound and the sound is going to keep coming back because the problem comes from the breaks. Nobody have make this into a recall and no agents want to file this as a recall. We pay 1,200 dollars every month in this lease and the sound keep happening we need some solutions as soon as possible this need to be file a a recall so they can stop installing this breaks to future cars and the problem can get bigger than what’s already is.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701497November 25, 2025
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
The vehicle has experienced multiple serious safety failures involving the steering, electrical system, and powertrain. Most recently, while driving, the steering wheel locked unexpectedly, causing a temporary loss of control. Multiple dashboard warning lights began flashing, and the EPC light turned on and off repeatedly. I had to bring the vehicle to a complete stop and restart the engine to regain control. The camshaft/camshaft position sensor and steering system appear to be malfunctioning, and the issues have recurred multiple times. The vehicle has been taken to a dealer for inspection and repairs several times, but the failures continue. These problems have created a serious safety risk, as loss of steering and erratic electrical behavior can lead to accidents, putting myself, passengers, and others on the road at risk. Warning lamps first appeared intermittently after prior repairs, but the steering wheel lock incident is the most severe event to date.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701462November 25, 2025
STEERING
Steering wheel shakes at speeds over 65 mph, I had multiple repairs in 4 years and each time it is only a year fix. [XXX] [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
#11701460November 25, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The cars Headlight DRL burnt out and no way to replace them or turn of warning off without paying dealership $2K to replace whole light housing. See Reddit Post: [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
#11701091November 23, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
In low temperature conditions. Typically under 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the brakes will produce a high pitch grind/squeal noise. It’s a very concerning voice. Dealership says it’s normal, but there is no way it can be.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700610November 20, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
The brakes are extremely squeaky and it terrible grinding sound whenever I braked. It sounds like water going back and forth under the car. I have taken it to the dealership multiple times. I requested a test drive of the vehicle. Their response is yes, vehicle was driven. its the same noises my coworkers have with their own atlas.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700559November 20, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The brakes are grinding, pads were checked at local shop and were noted to be 11mm and should not be grinding
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700365November 19, 2025
ENGINE
On November 13, 2025, the vehicle, a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas 2.0T (EA888 Gen 3 engine), experienced a catastrophic engine failure while driving on the freeway at 71,602 miles. What Happened A loud bang was heard, followed immediately by heavy smoke billowing from the engine bay and profuse oil expulsion onto the engine, exhaust, and roadway. The failure caused the vehicle to lose all motive power, requiring an immediate, dangerous emergency stop on the freeway, placing the occupants and other motorists at risk. Component Failure and Safety Risk The root cause of the incident is the premature failure of the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) Valve / Oil Separator. This component is defective and subject to Volkswagen's Service Campaign 10LP. The PCV failure created excessive crankcase pressure, which physically blew the dipstick tube clear out of the engine block, demonstrating the catastrophic nature of the pressure spike. This failure forced hot engine oil out of the system. Safety Risk: The sudden loss of engine oil created a high risk of engine seizure and fire due to hot oil spraying onto the exhaust system. This condition resulted in the vehicle being disabled on a high-speed freeway, posing an immediate danger. Confirmation: The vehicle is currently held at an authorized VW service center. The technician's notes confirm the physical result of the pressure failure: ruptured seals (Upper Timing Cover and Cambridge seals) that were forced to leak due to the internal over-pressurization. Manufacturer Awareness: The manufacturer (VWoA) is aware of this specific incident under Case #07146593.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700226November 18, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I’ve owned the Atlas for a little over a year now and throughout the year the vehicles infotainment system and electrical system has had several recurring issues. I’ll get notifications while I’m driving of the front and rear sensors being inactive, the entire infotainment system will periodically reboot while driving, the automatic braking system unexpectedly engaged on a couple occasions - even when there was not a collision hazard, the systems Bluetooth connectivity will go on and off while driving which affects my ability to use gps and creates a distraction while trying to correct, the infotainment system will crash while I’m in reverse which takes away the use of the back up camera, and just the other day the voice control activated while I was driving (without being prompted) and I couldn’t deactivate it without manually rebooting it while I was driving. I did a few google searches to find a resolution but it appears many others are having similar issues. These recurring issues have distracted my attention while driving and have created some dangerous situations that could have easily caused a crash or incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699959November 17, 2025
SEAT BELTS
The seat belt receptacle on the rear passenger side seat has failed. The vehicle is barely 4 years old. The dealership offered to replace it at a cost of $808.00. There was no warning that it would fail, it simply quit working. There has not been any foreign substance spilled on the receptacle. There were no injuries, but the seat belt is a critical safety feature and should last longer than 4 years from new.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699655November 16, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Drumming/Grinding Brakes and my pads and rotors are still have life left on them. This is an ongoing problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699356November 14, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My daylight running headlights are out, went out before 40k miles. They said they would have to replace the whole assembly for over 1000 each. I have read many people’s complaints with the same issue. How can a car company not provide safe headlights that last more than 40k miles. I cannot afford to fix it and with all these atlas on the road with people in the same financial situation it is dangerous. They should have to replace these assemblies through recall before someone gets killed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699184November 13, 2025
ENGINE
Engine turns off completely traveling at moderate speeds in drive gear while approaching and then stopped at lights or stop signs. Issue became more constant and prevalaint with time. Message then shows up " Please start engine manually P". Vehicle then has to be put in "park" and manually restarted. All this is completed in a panic and a rush as your are on a road with traffic and cars behind you. Randomness and type of stall makes it difficult to document issue live and in it's entirety as it happens. Issue cannot be foreseen. This is a very dangerous situation and a accident waiting to happen. This is a known issue on this model VW commencing in prior year models as documented by thousands online on forums, chats with documented fixes. Such as one being extended warranty "VWP-23-04 on part. VW dealers visited refuse to address potential causes or related parts as issue cannot be "recreated". Have presented documentation of times and dates this has happened and pictures of dash message but since vehicle "technically" doesn't show a FAULT, issue is not being addressed by dealers. VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR DRIVER AND PASSENGERS, AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698325November 8, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When the weather is warm and the vehicle get washed or experience heavy rain fall and vehicle is exposed there is a strong mildew Oder coming threw ventilation. Definitely a air quality problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696592October 30, 2025
ENGINE
October 27th- As my husband was parking at work, the vehicle suddenly refused to shift into any gear—Park, Reverse, or Drive—and defaulted to Neutral. The dashboard displayed a warning message: “Risk of Rolling! P not possible. Please apply parking brake.” Despite multiple attempts, the Atlas could not be shifted or safely parked. After several failed tow attempts, VW Roadside Assistance successfully towed it to Ourisman Volkswagen of Laurel. As parents of young children (ages [XXX] , [XXX] , [XXX] , and [XXX] ), this experience was nothing short of terrifying. We drive this vehicle for school drop-offs and daily errands—had this malfunction occurred in traffic or at highway speeds, the outcome could have been catastrophic. We are grateful that no one was harmed, but this incident has left us traumatized and unwilling to transport our children in this vehicle again. This is not merely a mechanical inconvenience—it is a critical safety and reliability failure. A nearly new vehicle should never exhibit such dangerous behavior. For this reason, we are respectfully requesting that Volkswagen initiate a buyback of this 2024 Atlas and allow us to part ways with a vehicle we no longer feel safe operating. 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
#11696432October 29, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
daytime running lights are not functioning and vw wants $1500 per side to replace. this is not reasonable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695908October 27, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The braking system and driver assist feature (“Maneuver Braking Function”) on my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas have repeatedly malfunctioned. The vehicle displays the warning message “Maneuver Braking Function Currently Not Available,” accompanied by loud grinding and mechanical noises when braking. The issue began shortly after purchase and has persisted despite three separate service visits to Volkswagen of Wesley Chapel. During these visits, the dealership noted they are aware of an issue with the Atlas Brakes but they had not seen it occur with the error message coming up. Later, the service team claimed they replicated the issue and said it was caused by the car being left in “transport mode” at delivery. I was told that removing transport mode fixed the problem, but the same symptoms and warnings reappeared on my drive home. At my third visit, I was told the car was never in transport mode and that this was a known issue with the VW Atlas that could not be repaired but that they were concerned with the error message. They said they removed the error message- but did not actually fix anything that could prompt the error message. Upon leaving the car is contuing to make the same sounds, grinding and produce the error message upon braking. The problem has been reproduced and acknowledged by the dealership but not corrected. The braking behavior remains inconsistent, and the grinding sensation suggests a mechanical fault. Because this affects the braking system and a safety assist feature, it poses a risk of reduced braking performance or delayed response time in traffic, putting occupants and others at risk. The vehicle remains available for inspection upon request
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695860October 27, 2025
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
While driving down a one way, my infotainment system completely shut down. The infotainment system controls lane assistance, blind spot sensor, A/C, radio etc. So when this occurred, all of the sensors in the vehicle also stopped working. As I attempted to change lanes, another vehicle was approaching on by driver side but was located in my blind spot. Because I didn't see anyone and the alert on my side mirror didnt go off, I assumed the lane was clear and attempted to merge. As I began to merge I noticed another vehicle in the lane at the last minute and clipped it (front driver side fender with passenger side of vehicle) before returning to my lane and eventually pulling over to assess damage. Prior to the accident an attempt to have the infotainment system recall addressed by VW was made but they scheduled the appointment almost a month out (November 5th, 2025). Due to this, I had to continue driving an unsafe vehicle with no safety alert features placing myself and my family at a higher risk of danger.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695414October 24, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
software-related problem affecting the infotainment system and connected electronic sensors, including the loss of backup camera, loss of dash screen control information (black out). Loss of defrost control since it is part of hvac system controlled by video screen. Loss of sensors front and rear. Dealer has seen the car. We have called a week later. No expectation of a fix or timetable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694932October 22, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Dual Daytime running light (DRL) LED headlights failures. The LED DRL strips integrated into the headlight assembly stopped functioning within 3 years of ownership (60,000 and 75,000) miles.. The failure requires replacing the entire headlight assembly, which can cost over $2,000 per unit, as the LED strip is not separately serviceable. DRLs are critical for vehicle visibility during daylight, reducing the risk of head-on and front-corner collisions by making the vehicle more conspicuous to other drivers. There is absolutely no reason these lights should be going out when they are intended to last up to 20 years and I believe VW is at fault and this should be a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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