NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Front parking lights do not remain on. Including lights under headlights and side marker lights. According to owners manual the parking lights should remain on while vehicle is off. The rear lights do remain on. The front lights turn themselves off after approximately 9 seconds. Condition started when lights were replaced by dealer with official OEM replacement units. Dealer has confirmed other examples of this year and model behave as described in the manual. Dealer has worked with VWoA engineers and have replaced multiple components (headlights, control modules, body control module) and attempted multiple software coding adjustments with no resolution found. Dealer is saying VWoA has no fix after having my vehicle since November 8th. I am concerned as I park my vehicle on roadsides while visiting job locations and now my vehicle has no illumination at the front while parked. Is there any definition of how long parking lights must illuminate?
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal noise and the rear of the vehicle jumped. The contact exited the vehicle and became aware that the rear coil spring had fractured. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V904000 (Suspension). The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
Both backing up and at slow speeds, the engine stalls out and requires you to put it in park and restart the engine. We brought it into the VW dealership who provided a "fix" for a evap canister and charcoal filter 3QF201797A but the issue continues to occur
My driver side visor bulb started going on and off then eventually quit working. I brought the vehicle to my purchasing dealer who changed the bulb which then blew the fuse and caused almost every light to turn on on the dash screen. Most of the lights were cleared but there is still a front assist light remaining on and volkswagen has said it needs to be recalibrated. the electrical wiring of the visor has a short and needs to be changed but it is clear it is related to other electrical systems.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that an abnormal odor was coming from inside the cabin of the vehicle with the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a technician discovered that the carpet underneath the front passenger’s side floor mat was wet. The mechanic stated that the air conditioner drain had leaked inside the vehicle and onto the front passenger’s side carpet; the air bag sensor was replaced. Despite the repair, the carpet still retained moisture and the foul odor had remained inside the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V537000 (Air Bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the EPC (Emergency Parking Control) warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a tune up and that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The contact decided not to have the vehicle serviced at that time; however, the vehicle began to shut off while at a complete stop. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer for the repair; however, the vehicle continued to intermittently shut off. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V536000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); and linked the failure to the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning was illuminated. The failure mileage was 101,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
It is unreasonable that the safety recall on the airbags has not yet been resolved. The recall was issued in April 2023 and there is still no resolution coming. For passengers, this is a critical safety hazard.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being repaired under recall, the contact was informed that the fuel tank had collapsed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer and the contact was informed that there was a gap between the band and the fuel tank which caused the collapse. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,500.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the Auto START/STOP feature failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while pressing the START/STOP button, the vehicle failed to start immediately. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually started after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who retrieved several fault codes. The vehicle was also taken to the dealer where it was purchased, and the contact was informed that the START/STOP battery was likely the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagens Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown 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.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
It has been 6 months since NHTSA 23V215 recall notice was issued and VW has not issued a fix. That is too long, since someone sitting in the passenger seat is at increased risk for injury.
When starting up my vehicle the battery turns on but the engine will not start. My dash will light up with multiple warnings. These are the specific ones that warn me: Error: electronic stabilization control (ESC) Error: hill hold assist BRAKE - Brake booster faulty ERROR: Hill hold assist Front assist not available. ERROR: tire pressure monitoring system. Trans. in emerg. Mode. You can continue driving. FAULT: electronic parking brake. Eventually my car starts up, but this is after several attempts. Once I shut car off and go to start back up, it goes through the whole process again. My car was taken into Volkswagen dealership and they said it was my fuel pump, fuel filter & battery. They “fixed” that but by the time I drove my car home, the issue started back up again. My safety is 100% put at risk because not only does my car not start up right away but I can be driving my vehicle and it will slow me down on a main highway and make me brake and then I need to attempt to restart my car to get it started up again several times. I have children I drive around in this vehicle and it is not safe to drive. My car has been illuminating the check engine light and all the other ones for each error I stated above. The problem itself has not been identified. When I did research, the 2019-2020 VW Atlas’s were recalled for this same issue it seems. But mine wasn’t because it is a 2018.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I was driving the vehicle was in drive moving on the road and literally turned off. Completely disabled in the road. I purchased a new battery in September 2022, got the battery tested again and there’s no issue with it. Mechanics can’t find an issue. I had the engine stop feature off (the light is on when it’s off) and it turned itself off prior to the car shutting off completely. I was unable to restart and someone had to assist in Pushing my vehicle out of the road then jumpstart my car. Again I had everything thoroughly checked and there are no active issues.
While driving, the car suddenly slowed to nearly stopping and a "Brake Boost Faulty" red warning light displayed on the dashboard. I was not breaking at the time. The brake pedal felt soft and the car would not regain acceleration. I had to stop the car, turn off ignition, restart for the car to drive normally. This occurred twice once while driving over 40 miles per hour and again at approximately 25 mph. IN both cases I was not braking when the incident happened.
Recall has been issued nearly 6 months ago, and no remedy still has been offered. Manufacturer should be compelled to provide a fix soon
Passenger Occupant Detection System to detect a malfunction and switch off the passenger airbag, even though the seat may be occupied. In a crash with frontal airbag deployment, there would be an increased risk of injury to the occupant seated in the front passenger seat if the passenger frontal airbag is switched off or not working. Our airbag warning light, comes on and off. This happens sporadically whether the passenger seat is occupied or not. an error message displayed in the instrument cluster and by the status of the Passenger Airbag OFF indicator light. There is not a fix for this per the local dealership and when contacting Volkswagon directly. How is advising people not to use the front seat in their car the only option? This is not always possible for us.
Doors continue to lock and unlock in the back where my children sit. This is while we are driving down the road. Front passenger door does not unlock or lock.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the air bags warning light illuminated intermittently. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
2018 atlas 3.6 sel premium 4 motion. 3rd time in for service for fuel injector MIL code and misfiring with no resolve. Computer was reprogrammed from VW and compression test and replacement of injectors. Mil code turned on again for misfiring. Vehicle will loose full driving power and only drive at lower speeds without accepting the overdrive when depressing pedal.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
There is no fix for what is a very important safety feature in the passenger side of the vehicle
Our 2018 VW Atlas will randomly shut the engine off even with auto start/shut off disabled. This has happened 5 times in 3 months. It has done so on the highway and on main streets putting our family of 6 at risk of being in an auto crash every time. The brakes have automatically came on 2 times. Forward collision sensors come on with nothing in front of us which also puts the breaks on and makes a distracting loud beep which has made me jump out of surprise while driving. The EPA rated fuel economy is 26 highway and 22 city. We drive both and rarely get above 16 combined MPG even with multiple drivers and making an attempt at getting better economy. Our Atlas also makes a loud “clunk” sound from the undercarriage in the center/rear of the vehicle. It does this while driving or while parked with the vehicle idling. Also not major but sometimes when the front passenger window is half down, if you push the button to roll it up, it goes all the way down. We are going to take it in to VW soon but there is a lot wrong that either make driving it a hazard to ourselves and other drivers and makes us feel very uncomfortable. We love it but we are also afraid of it. There is currently no open recalls. I’ve been a mechanic, a machinist and an engineer for nearly 20 years. Some stuff just doesn’t make sense. I read the crank and cam pulses, usually you’d expect a drop in pulse that could cause the engine to shut down but there’s nothing. Nothing on the scan tool or on the onboard vehicle diagnostic.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15-20 MPH and approaching a stop, while decelerating, the vehicle inadvertently shut off. The START/STOP feature became inoperable. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle rolled into an intersection. While her husband was driving, the START/STOP feature became inoperable. The contact stated that the “START/STOP System/Restart Manually” message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who drove the vehicle for approximately four miles but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? We utilize all seats in our Volkswagen Atlas since we have a large family. We are being told that we no longer should allow a front passenger to sit in the passenger seat due to the airbag no longer deploying. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. We called VW Dealership in Melbourne, Florida on 6/28 and they confirmed that the vehicle had a recall on the airbag. No one has been injured but this poses a significant safety risk to our family.
I would be driving under 30mph and would get a warning on my dashboard that would say "Brake Booster Faulty", in addition the "Brake" light would illuminate and my brakes would become spongy and harder to engage.
Recall requested on VW Atlas 2017 with statement not to use front seat, but we only have 1 car. How are we to proceed as a family? Recall remedy stated as not being available. Manufacturer Recall Number69FB NHTSA Recall Number23V215
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Recall fix not provided in a reasonable time, resulting in mobility and financial hardship for owner - inability to sell vehicle.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealers were made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
When braking normally, the AEB alert tone sounded, and the display showed a red BRAKE warning with "Brake Booster Failure" displayed on-screen. The brakes then became extremely sensitive and caused the car to abruptly grind to a stop with full ABS action. This occurred in traffic, and the car behind me narrowly avoided a collision due to the uncommanded abrupt halt. I pulled over and the error cleared itself after a few seconds. I pulled the diagnostic error codes from the ECU, and this is the output: 0213 [0x0000D5] Archive (inactive) C10A329: Vacuum sensor, Implausible signal Single Vacuum Pressure Sensor sends no valid data Status bits: 1 Priority: 1 Frequency: 1 Unlearning index: 84 Odometer: 27031 km Date, time: 2023.03.27 09:34:50 Paramteric values: 00 00 80 18 32 00 00 00 CF 47 00 00 02 FF 00 5E 02 40 B0 00 00 00 10 Status: Confirmed (This is from a previous activation, but the recent one is the same). This is the third time this has happened, but the first to put me in actual danger of a crash. I have previously brought this to the dealer but no fix was applied. They were aware of this happening on other vehicles but they did not have a fix. The model year after was recalled due to wiring issues, but my car has never been recalled for anything related. I believe this is a significant safety issue and should be addressed by the manufacturer before it causes a serious incident.
The Passenger Air Bag light comes on at random times, even when sitting in seat. It says the airbag detection system may be faulty and the airbag may not deploy when needed. There is a recall for some Volkswagen's but not mine. This light has been coming on for 2 years and it sounds like the recall but since my VIN number is not in the recall, I cannot get it fixed. I believe this may be the same problem as can be life threatening in an accident or another time. I would like Volkswagen to check and fix this under the recall that was made in 4/2023. Please help if you can.
Brake booster fault warning, brakes want to lock up. Rear seat belt buckles won’t allow belt buckle to insert. Have received brake booster fault several times recently. If I stop motor and restart warning goes away and brakes function correctly.
I am writing in to complain about the recall associated with the passenger airbag for VW Atlas for which I received no information from the manufacturer or from my local VW dealer. The amount of time that this serious safety-related recall has been open is completely unsatisfactory. What is being done to resolve the situation?
Around May 2023, I received a passenger airbag safety recall for my Volkswagen Atlas. The letter states that the Passenger Occupancy Detection System (PODS) is faulty and that in the event of an accident, the passenger airbag would likely not work. They said that no one can sit in the passenger seat until this recall is fixed. The issue is that they have no way to repair it, no set time of when it will be repairable and have offered no type of solution or compensation in the meantime. I can no longer use my vehicle for rideshare to make money so my income is being affected, apps like Turo and Uber have told me that after running the VIN on my vehicle and seeing this outstanding recall, I can not use my car for their services. Not only that but it makes it extremely difficult to transport my family since the seat cannot be used. I can't in my right conscience sell the vehicle and potentially be responsible for another family to suffer an injury due to this recall so I am stuck and need a solution to this problem sooner than later. I have talked to others facing these same issues.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Airbag error light keeps popping on and beeping this is a problem because I have a family that ride in the car with me and this has been a problem long before I purchased the vehicle so why haven’t it been fixed yet
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
I am experiencing the airbag issue described in the recall campaign. The passenger seat airbag warning light goes off constantly. Current "solution" is to not use the passenger seat until a repair can be made... however it has been nearly 6 months without any updates.
I have a recall on my vehicle that is potentially life threatening if the vehicle is in an accident and the manufacturer has no remedy for it yet. What do I do?
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026