2018 Volkswagen Atlas Complaint Log

In June and early July of 2023 the vehicle’s engine shut off while driving at least 4 times. Shut off occurred while driving at low speeds while in a parking lot, coming out of an intersection, and when approaching a stop sign. When the car shuts off you lose control of steering and braking is difficult. You have to shift the vehicle into park and restart the engine. We took the vehicle to VW dealership who inspected and replaced the charcoal canister and N80 purge valve. Vehicle operated normally for 10 months until late April 2024. In the past month the vehicle has shut off a dozen times while in operation. Similar to before it occurs at low speeds while starting, stopping, turning, and even while driving in reverse. The vehicle is currently back at the dealership to address this. Their initial response was that they couldn’t reproduce this condition, and the check engine light doesn’t come on for this issue, so there’s nothing mechanically that they need to fix. I’m escalating this issue with VW service. This issue has not caused an accident yet, but very likely will if not addressed. Some basic research online indicates that this is a somewhat common issue with VW Atlas models. Someone needs to look into this situation before someone is killed.

Vehicle would indicate normal assistance features were no longer available. Then after sitting for the evening and trying to start in the morning the car would not turn over. Could recharge the battery and turn over no issues. Again after sitting for a little while the car battery would be dead again and not want to turn over.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to stop and shift to park (P) and restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000. The VIN was not available.

I am experiencing issues related to the airbag sensor recall as the sensor does not know if someone is in the seat or not - it thinks someone is there when they aren't, and vice versa. This recall was announced in April of 2023, and since then, I have been unable to have any passengers ride in my front seat. Needless to say this is not only very inconvenient but also impacts my ability to trade in or sell this vehicle.

Please it’s been almost a year with no resolution from Volkswagen. It’s insane!

We pulled into a parking space and the second row disengaged, propelling the seat quickly forward. Our four-year old was sitting in a car seat in the second row when this happened. The car seat went forward, slamming our child's nose, face, and head into the back of the driver's seat. The second row then lodged in the eject position, with our child stuck at an angle, tipped over into the driver's seat. We had to pull the driver's seat as far forward as it would go in order to undo the car seat straps and extricate our four year old from the car seat through the small opening between the second row and the driver's seat. Our child was terrified, with a hurt nose, though thankfully not badly injured. We were not able to get the second row back up, it stuck forward. We have dropped the car off to the Volkswagen dealership and are awaiting repairs. There were no lights or warning prior to this incident. This is the second time the row has dislodged. Another time it happened while the car was in motion and again propelled our child (different child) forward into the back of the driver's seat, slamming our child's face against the driver's seat.

Passenger air bag recall

The vehicle is a 2018 VW Atlas SE w/Tech 2.0T FWD. The manufacturer recall number is 69FB. The NHTSA recall number is 23V215. The recall status is incomplete because a remedy is not yet available. I have called several VW dealerships and they are all saying there is no remedy identified yet for this. This has been a known issue since April 2023. It has now been 8 months. How long does a manufacturer have to NOT remedy a SAFETY situation?

Manufacturer has no resolution for this issue. I contacted dealership and manufacturer for resolution as my vehicle is unable to be used in the manner in which is intended and was told that they have no resolution for me. It has been a year with no communication or resolution.

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 the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. 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 the parts were not available for the recall repair and no further assistance was provided. 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 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 the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available for the recall repair. 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 not made aware of the issue. 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 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.

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.

My vehicle was recalled 3/29/23, and no attempt has been made to fix the problem. At this time, the dealer has no remedy. I do not have full use of my vehicle as the manufacturer suggests that no one ride in the front passenger seat due to the potential fault in the system. The extended wait to have a fix for the problem is unacceptable. No dealership will want to purchase this car with the current recall so I am stuck. The NHTSA should immediately do something about this manufacturer recall. VW should be made to repair the problem ASAP and pay for the loss of the full use of the 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the air conditioning system would activate unintendedly. Additionally, the windshield wiper blade speed would fluctuate while functioning. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

There has been an airbag recall on my 2018 VW Atlas since March of 2023 with no remedy from the manufacturer even though it’s been almost a year. Manufacturer has advised that passengers should not use the front passenger seat until a remedy is available. I have not been able to have someone ride in my front passenger seat for almost a year with no advice or remedy from VW. Vehicle has been in dealership to try to fix this 3-4 times but fix has not worked.

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 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 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.

My atlas just stalls out and shuts off completely when I’m at a light or just sitting… sometimes it’s starts back up sometimes I have to wait . The engine light come on or I would get a reading my auto /shutoff is error.

My vehicle keeps giving me the message that “Park Pilot is not working” and the backup camera does not work.

Adaptive cruise control malfunctioning. Sometimes it Does not turn-on , and shows an error message

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while reversing, the backup camera became inoperable. During the failure, the message "Park Pilot Inoperable" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

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 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.

Front steering knuckles fractured on the vehicle while driving, causing me to lose control of the vehicle. Other Volkswagen Atlas' have been recalled for this same issue, but not my specific model. If this is a problem for similar vehicles, people will be at risk of serious injury or death if not fixed immediately. I currently am on a military assignment in Germany and am having difficulty working with the dealers here to confirm the issue. Luckily I was in a parking lot when my steering knuckles failed and was able to park the vehicle safely. There were no warning indicators on the vehicle before I lost control. The vehicle did have a few symptoms of failing steering knuckles, like grinding and shaking sounds.

Automatic Emergency Braking when driving across a light rail track. The location: an intersection at north San Jose, CA area. Google map location and street view attached The issue: 1) only at this location + for more than 3 times, when approaching or over the light trail track, my car dashboard displayed frontal collision imminent warning and the emergency brake was automatically triggered. One time it almost caused the car behind mine to rear me. 2) during all the incidents, there were no light rail train nearby. It didn't matter if there were cars in front of or beside mine. Traffic light were green. All day time; clear weather. 3) reported the issue to Volkswagon service station, technician checked but found no defect. 4) my car was purchased 2018. it didn't have this issue until starting from 2021 The workaround: it appears, while approaching the track, don't hit the gas pedal, then it will be fine. It could be there are some train signal system interfered with my car's collision warning system.

I noticed about 6 months ago on a couple of occasions, while walking in front of my running 2018 VW Atlas. The sweet smell of antifreeze. I looked under my Atlas and did not see anything on the ground ( water, antifreeze ) and this happened just a few times. Then one 2/2/2023, I started up my Atlas to move it over and the low coolant warning signal came on my dash as soon as I started my vehicles. I did not have any of the specific coolant that the manufactured ask for it the time and after checking the reservoir tank the coolant level was down to the low mark on the reservoir tank. So I was able to put some distilled water in it which was about two cups 16 oz. Now after I have read all of the other issues that owners have had I am really worried that my vehicle will get worse. Then yesterday when I started my car in the morning I had a error message I shut the car off and restarted it and the message went away. I'm really worried that it is going to get worse and become more and more expensive. I am the second owner I bought it in April of 2020 it has a little over 28,000 miles on it yes 28,000 Mi for a 2018. I don't go very many places I take care of my elderly mother. I have looked at the VIN number to see if it is part of any of the recalls and it is not. It was part of the drivetrain recalls and that was fixed last year.

Car automatically brakes driving down road and all the dash lights come on.

First time-Driving on road at 45 mph when my car started flashing red for a forward collision and my cars automatic emergency brake stopped me immediately with nothing in front of me on a clear road. The stop was so forceful we thought we were hit from behind with no one around us. The force causing both my teenage son and I to have strained necks with the force of us stopping immediately. I was forced so far forward my head hit the windshield. Second time-driving in a parking lot at 10 mph when my cars emergency red flashed in dashboard then immediately stopping my car with no car or speed bumps ahead of me. The car behind me nearly hitting me. We got out of car to ensure they had not hit us because again with the force of the immediate stop, all in the car were forced forward in a jerking position. Took into manufacture and they said nothing was showing up and they have no idea what I’m talking about

Car hesitating and sounding as if it would shut down while lunging while idle. While braking downhill, car shakes violently, when either braking or coasting to a stop car begins lunging back and forth, while stopped or parked, car shakes back and forth from engine area. Fuel pump replaced, spark plugs and coils replaced. Did not fix the issues. Within 600 miles same issues started to come back. Check engine light started flashing again today and is now steady. Car seems to be extremely unsafe and of course all warranties expired. I started contacting the dealership before it expired and they did not return any of my messages. I was never able to talk to a person when calling the dealership.

Vehicle @ Danbury VW for repairs; per service advisor rear passenger seat belt was ripped/damaged; this seat belt is used on my child’s car seat and has not been involved in any incidents that would cause damage. The contact stated that the damage to the seatbelt in the second passenger seat row was repaired by the dealer. It was brought to their attention that the child car seat used in second row was the cause of the damage. However, upon trying to begin using the second row seating again, another fray in the seatbelt was found by the contact.

On several occasions when braking to come to a stop at a relatively low speed, the car began lurching as pressure was applied to the brake pedal. The brake pedal was jumping up and down and making a hydraulic-type noise. At the same time, a message indicating "Brake Booster Failure" appeared on the panel, and the parking brake light illuminated. The problem resolved after sitting still for approximately 30 seconds. The car is currently being serviced at a Volkswagen dealership, and they have not been able to diagnose any issues.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The front brakes unevenly wore to the point where the driver side brake is like new and the passenger side brake is a safety issue. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk Because of the extreme wear on the passenger side braking system the whole front braking system needed to be replaced prematurely to ensure safety. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? A simple Google search shows that this is a common issue with the 2018 VW Atlas. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected by the manufacturer, but VW insists there is nothing wrong with the components despite not being able to explain why the passenger side front brake was so significantly more worn than the driver side front brake. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. This was identified during an oil change. I was told that it was a safety issue for me to be driving on a front brake that was so worn. When I brought it in for the brake work, I suggested there was a defect in the design and the brake replacement should be covered by the warranty. I was then informed that I really didn't need to have my brakes replaced at this time.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that after turning the ignition to the off position, the engine remained running but then turned off after a short while. The check engine and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had misfired and the ABS was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH with her children in the rear seats, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assistance of bystanders. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle and drove to her destination. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred on another occasion. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

Twice over last few months the vehicle has just stopped on me on its own. Yesterday it said brake floater faulty and brakes didn’t work right. I pulled over, shut truck off and restarted and went away. It was fine after that.

Similar issue to the current recall on VW Atlas SEL 2019. The suction jet in the fuel tank may have been welded in the incorrect position allowing fuel to leak. Additionally, the vehicle may stall due to uneven fuel distribution. Car will stall out (not auto shut off) and gas tank will airlock / leak depending on fuel levels. Gas guage will show 0 fuel when fuel tank is full.

The ACC and lane assist will not work. There is no obstruction of view from any sensor or camera. This is a known problem with VW and they haven’t done anything about this. This is a 2018 model. There is no reason for this to be happening.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The stated while his wife was driving during heavy rain conditions, the front driver’s side windshield wiper failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The vehicle was pending to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

Airbag error light

Alarm brake booster fault goes off and the brakes are harder to use and the brake effect is reduced. Have happend daily the last week.

We are RANDOMLY having our brake light come on, followed by an alarm and a “BRAKE BOOST FAULTY “ warning on out dash. While this is going on…the brakes will start “pumping” a few times with just a light touch of the brakes. This is starting to happen every day or two. The warning lasts about 30-45 seconds typically.

Brake Booster faulty sensor, brakes spongy driving under 30mph happened twice now.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approxi8mately 25 -30 mph the vehicle's brakes suddenly activate causing the vehicle to suddenly stop. The contact stated a warning light stating a failure with the brakes would illuminate. The contact would be able to continue operating the vehicle as normal. The vehicle had not been taken to a certified mechanic or dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,880.

While I was driving the automatic braking system engaged on 3 separate occasions last night, thankfully there was no one behind me or it would have caused an accident. A warning light did appear on the dash that read faulty brake system. I am going to contact a dealer to have it looked at.

Water pump failure

Inspected vehicle ac system due to foul odor. In pulling back the passenger seat footwell panel I checked for ac drain blockage around the evaporator system. Drain tube was clean/clear but there was quite a bit of puddling around the airbag module located directly under the ac system. This is a known issue with the VW Atlas but my VIN was not included in the recall.