2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated that after being stopped at a traffic light, while making a left turn in the snow, the contact was unsure if the vehicle had fallen into a pothole or had driven over a speed bump when the driver's side curtain air bag, and the passenger's side curtain air bags, unexpectedly deployed. Additionally, unknown sensors were beeping, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the sensors beeped while driving in the snow. No warning light was illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. The Police Department was called to assist with traffic because the vehicle was blocking the roadway. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it remained unrepaired pending an inspection. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. However, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

Exactly at 50,000 miles, both Daytime Running Lights stopped working This is a very well known issue in the owners community and seems very o purpose, since to fix it, instead of just having to replace a bulb or small part, dealer requires to replace the whole headlight assembly

My car only has 58,000 and my car is leaking coolant and I was advised I need to replace the water pump at $15,000. I see there was a settlement already for Volkswagen’s however, my Volkswagen Atlas cross port is not included although it is in the same year as those cars with the settlement it needs to be added so that way the warranty can be extended by 80,000 miles.

The passenger day time running light quit working randomly. This also is part of the lamp that provides cornering light. Without this, it decreases visibility early morning or evening driving. The issue has been confirmed with a mechanic and is a huge impact for this vehicle model. There were no warning lights or alerts about an issue prior to the failure of the part.

I was driving on the freeway and the car slowed down on me, almost to a stop! This could have been fatal! I am glad I had the time to move the the right lane for emergency. This needs to be reported and don't let other VW owners deal with this issue! it's a BIG safety issue!

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The throttle and engine. Car is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle will lose ability to accelerate when crossing busy intersections or traveling on highways, resulting in the car slowing down significantly and not allowing me to accelerate out of the way of vehicles. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, I have given the dealership purchased from and the VW dealership many attempts to repair the problem, the car will work for 1-2 months before the problem occurs again, and it is back in the shop. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, only by VW service department. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, the EPC light comes on nonce I lose throttle is not warning prior to this occurring. Car has been in the shop multiple times since purchase in 2023 for the same issue, the car has been repaired multiple times for the same issue, and it continues to break. While driving the vehicle the EPC light comes on and I lose throttle control, the car will not allow me to accelerate the car will start shaking and I will be unable to accelerate, I will then need to put the car in park and shut the vehicle off and turn it back on to clear the EPC light. I have reported my concerns to the dealership I purchased the car from who has tried to repair in 3 times or more and the issues continue, the car is now currently in VW service department with the same EPC issues occurring again. I truly believe the car is a lemon I need this car to be replaced or recalled before a fatal accident occurs involving myself and my son. I have more service invoices I am waiting to receive from VW.

The Car has Stalled at Stoplights 3 different times. There was a message on the dashboard that told me to "manually restart the engine". I put the car in park and restarted the engine. Note: I don't use the "Eco Stop Start" mode. I'm not sure what caused this problem but in reviewing some forums it may be an N80 Valve and/or a Carbon Canister. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. Obviously, a stalled car could be a safety risk for the driver and others. I will be taking it to a dealer but they seemed to think it may be the battery. I don't think so, because the car started immediately once I pressed the Start Button. No Warning Signs or messages prior to Stall. Message to Manually restart after Stall.

Start stop error on 7/15/25. Engine light on 7/16/25. Drove the car to AutoZone and the diagnostic code was P0496 EVAP System High Purge Flow. VW dealership said it was okay to drive vehicle with engine on until my appointment on 7/24/25. Filled up the car with gas on 7/18/25, but the fuel gauge only went up to 7/8 of a tank and 365 miles to empty. After driving 51 miles, the fuel gauge was full and 430 miles to empty. After driving 116 miles, the fuel gauge dropped back down to 7/8 of a tank and 365 miles to empty. The car stalled today while going through the busy Burlington Road roundabout. There was a popping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle near the fuel tank after I shut it off when I got home. There was also a hissing sound coming from the fuel tank. The EVAP purge solenoid was replaced on 5/30/25, the evap system failed again on 6/19/25 at which point the vehicle was sent to VW for a software update. The engine light is on again for the same EVAP issue and now the fuel system appears to be failing because of it. I’m leaving the vehicle parked until my appointment. This vehicle is not safe to drive considering it stalls unexpectedly in stop and go traffic.

The daytime running lights are already out on a vehicle with less than 50k miles. It is a commonly reported problems with these vehicles and an expensive fix.

My vehicuel vibrate at low speed or hight speed, speed does not descrimita, the steering wheel vibrate in a very strange way, when the car hit a bump, at any speed, it vibrate like a motor, for a short period of time, and them it goes back to normal, until agiang I hit a bump

The daytime running lights have gone out.

One of the daytime running lights has gone out with only 45,000 miles on my vehicle. Dealership says they need to replace the entire headlight assembly, instead of the bulb, at a cost of $1,500. No prior warning as to this issue. There are a number of cases with this same problem at low vehicle mileage.

Driver side headlight stopped working after a little over 4 years but less than 50,000 miles. On coming drivers from other side of road are distracted by only one light working and tend to serve toward my car. No warning signs or messages appear in the car. Unfortunately, outside of warranty and the entire light console needs to be replaced. Appears to be a common problem on the Atlas Cross Sport 21' and per dealer parts on back order.

Car is stalling at slow speeds during heavy traffic, pulling into a parking spot, slowing down to cross a two lane highway, or moving slowly in a drive-through. This vehicle stalled unexpectedly on the tollway during the morning rush hour to Chicago. It also stalled at a four-way stop with limited visibility for drivers behind me on 6/18/2025. I had to call 911 because I was stalled at a busy intersection and the car would not restart. The engine light will come on and I’ll get a “start/stop” error even when I shut off that feature. The diagnostic code is related to the emissions system. I’ve had the car in the shop three times for this issue. The purge valve was changed, and the software was updated. I picked up my car two days ago after a three week stint at the dealership, and the car stalled already in the drive-thru. This vehicle isn’t safe to drive due to it stalling and sputtering unexpectedly in traffic.

White smoke coming from under the hood. Tire sensor has been replaced service several. One tire at a time

My vehicle turned off/stalled while driving. I had to throw on my hazards, stomp on the very hard break and turn the car on and off again. Very dangerous for me and other drivers. I see a lot of other customers with the same exact problem for the same model of vehicle. Definitely some type of recall that needs to be addressed.

Hood Release Cable. The hood release cable, which runs from the release lever inside the car to the latch under the hood, broke. I can't open my car hood. I've been looking online and it seems that this is a common issue and very expensive to repair and Volkswagen is the only onewiths the proper tools to fix the problem.

I own a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport with approximately 34,000 miles, purchased as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. The brakes make an extremely loud, metal-on-metal screeching noise when driving slowly, reversing or driving on hills. The sound is harsh and high-pitched, resembling worn-out or defective brake pads or rotors. I brought the issue to a VW dealership, and they confirmed the noise but claimed it is “normal” and offered no repair. The sound is consistent and worsens on incline. This issue raises serious safety concerns, including potential brake system wear/failure or lack of effective stopping power in certain conditions. After researching, I discovered many other VW Atlas and Cross Sport owners are reporting the same problem across model years 2020–2023. Some have resorted to replacing OEM brake parts with aftermarket components to resolve the issue. I believe this may be a design or materials defect affecting a large number of vehicles. I am requesting NHTSA to investigate this issue for potential safety implications and consider whether a recall or technical service bulletin is necessary.

Car dealership attempted to fix recall related to Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS). Dealership technicians experienced issues completing the repair and contacted the vehicle manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer claims that the issues experienced during repair are due to damage and are refusing the pay for any fix to the recall. I am not aware of any damage the system would have experienced, other than being known to be defective and under recall. The manufacturer's proposal is that I pay approximately $1,300 to replace the system, which is known to be defective and under recall, or accept my vehicle back with a faulty PODS. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to replace this system, which is known to be defective and under recall. The nature of the problem is extremely serious and could involve injury or loss of life to my family. Therefore, I am not willing to accept the vehicle back with a defective PODS.

While driving and coming to a stop or slowing down the cars engine will shut off. This is extremely dangerous when in traffic and you have to come to a complete stop and put it in park to manually restart the car. The dealer cannot seem to reproduce the issue but the same day I picked it up from having it looked at it died on me twice in the same day. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than the dealership as far as I know as we are the second owner. There was no warning when this started happening. It gives no warning when it will or will not die. However, a week after it started the check engine light came on and that’s when I took it into the dealership. They were able to replace the sensor but did not find a reason for the car to spontaneously die.