2021 Volkswagen Atlas Complaint Log

My car (2021 VW Atlas SE) has 63 xxx miles, and the left side running light just went out. I took it to the dealer, who informed me this wasn't covered by any warranty and that replacing the running light would cost $1400. This is ridiculous, and so after doing more research, I found that I am among hundreds of other owners of this vehicle type who are having the same issue around the 60k mile mark. This cannot be a coincidence. Other owners suggested that I submit my claim in the hope that you will get VW to do a recall to fix this issue.

My passenger side LED daytime running light failed. We just crossed over 50k miles. This is a 1300 part. After reading online it seems this is a major issue with these vehicles and around this mileage. This appears to be something that needs to be investigated and the manufacturer should have to cover under recall. It’s likely not a coincidence there are this many people reporting the same issue on the same vehicle models/years.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (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.

Hood release cable malfunctioned. Hood will not release. This is a known problem and recall on other VW models and should also be done on the atlas since multiple people, including myself, are having this issue.

the headlight LED strip failed at around 50,000 miles. If replaced, it is likely to fail again. VW dealers have had to replace the entire headlight assembly since the LED strip is integrated into it. The cost for this repair is approximately $2,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 2 MPH, the "Air Bag Error" message was displayed on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact researched online and was made aware of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

Upon starting car All ADAS functions did not work. Warning lights came on. Did not work for several days. Took to dealership and they found a sensor in tire to be faulty

I have had issue after issue with this car ever since I got it. Within the first year of my lease, my car was at the dealership for 4 to 5 months. Most of it in one long stint. The vehicle was consistently having problems. All the while, I’m paying for a car I wasn’t even able to drive for a huge chunk of year 1. One time, the car completely shut down and stopped in the middle of the freeway with my three young children in the car with me. The brakes on this car have been an issue since I bought it as well. Not only have the brakes squeaked the entire time I’ve owned the car, VW has since come out and said that the brakes are defective but they’re unwilling to offer any solution. There have been factory issues with this vehicle many many times that have caused real safety issues. Rarely did Volkswagon actually offer any sort of fix or realistic timeline for when I can expect things to be addressed. Even in some cases, they just completely ignored me as if I’m just a number and not an actual customer Who drives his children in this car. This was my third Volkswagen. I have always sang the praises of VW. But this experience has quite literally made me never want to buy another Volkswagon product again. I have about nine payments remaining on my lease and I am anxious to move on to a better safer vehicle with a brand that does right by the consumer. Volkswagon told me that even with all of what I’ve been through with Volkswagon, which is on the record by the way in the form of repair orders, as well as cost to customer service, I did not qualify for a buyback on my vehicle. Nor would they let me just return my lease. The dealership has basically said that their hands are tied. And corporate has repeatedly done nothing, and turned me away. I asked that you guys step in not only for me in particular, but for all the other Volkswagon owners who are unhappy. And there are many. Especially those who drive the same make, and model is me, the atlas. Thank you.

SOS light is not working with active subscription, showing error light. Seems to be a problem as multiple Volkswagen owner are having the same issue.

Brakes had to be replaced at only 19,500 miles and now the car has 38,000 miles and they sound horrible again. The entire time I’ve had this car the brakes have made squealing and grinding noises. The VW dealer couldn’t access VW brakes last year due to shortage so put after market rotors on my car without my permission. I had a loaner and they called and told me my car was “ready” out of the blue. Horrible experiences. Will never buy a VW again.

The LED parking light stopped working and we can change the entire headlight. About 1500$

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000(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 contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Brought car in for a noise 12k miles ago and dealer said all was well. I then brought the car back and they heard the sound, wanted to explore and take apart the engine and found I have a collapsed lifter on the exhaust cam which if a defect, should be completely covered by the manufacturer not just a portion of the repair. Also, this could cause further issues and damage with the car which is concerning since it had been going on for some time. I am just looking to see what further resolution can be made in regard to this. My car is still in the shop since last week. The dealership has been great in allowing me to have a loaner vehicle but I just want to make sure I don’t have more major issues form this not being taken care of as soon as it should have been.

Vehicle shuts off when coming to a stop with auto on off disabled. Driver gets message to “put vehicle in drive and start manually” . Have taken to VW for an inspection and they are unable to duplicate concern. Has happened multiple times at random and is a safety concern.

Right daytime running light went out around 60k miles.

Daytime running lights went out at around 72,000 miles.

coolant leaks and potential engine overheating. replaced water pump 6 months ago and have to replace again

The car stalls and turns off when operating at a slow speed, both in forward or reverse. This is a serious and potentially deadly problem. With my two young children in the car, I was turning left across three lanes of oncoming traffic. When I began to accelerate, my car stalled in the middle of the first lane. I had to figure out what happened, put it in park, restart the car and finish my turn before being hit by oncoming traffic. This has happened 2-3 times each day since this started last week. This has nothing to do with Eco mode or automatic start/stop feature. I am familiar with both of those and disengage them when I start the car. The car has approx 28k miles and is well maintained. It is still well within warranty. The check engine light came on and the code it throws is P0496 for a bad EVAP system. I took it to VW dealer and they re-created and diagnosed the problem. Essentially, the EVAP system has faulty parts and it is causing the gas tank to collapse. The EVAP canister, the purge valve and the gas tank all need to be replaced. The problem is they do not have the parts to replace the gas tank. And they have no idea when they are going to get them. Literally, no time horizon. The VW service advisor admitted that they’ve seen ‘some frequency’ with this problem lately, mainly on 2019-2023 models. It’s a parts issue, not a wear & tear nor maintenance issue. If you look this up online, you’ll see hundreds of posts about this issue with similar scary situations like mine. Couple this with the active recall already in place (passenger airbag may not deploy in an accident) and there’s no solution for that recall, either. My family feels in jeopardy every time we drive our family car. Why is there not a recall for the gas tank collapse? How can we compel VW to produce a remedy in a timely manner? This is going to be a fatal issue for some family. Please help. I am happy to document and share photos/ videos of the situation.

Vehicle shuts off when driving. No faults pop up on the dash until 2 days ago when i was driving on the highway and it completely turned off. Message on the screen told me to manually turn it back on but i could not. The vehicle could not turn back on.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (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.

In May I brought the vehicle to the dealership because the vehicle was turning off at low speeds (exiting a parking lot) or switching from Drive to Reverse. This was in conjunction with the check engine light coming on. The dealership diagnosed it as a fuel sensor failure, which they told me was safe to drive, and they'd order the part. I went back the next week when the sensor had been received and the repair was made. Last week, the low fuel alert flashed when I knew the vehicle was not low on fuel. The alert was not stable for a few days (it turned on and then turned back off, and then on again), and the vehicle started to have the same issue of stopping at low speeds. I had it towed to the dealership because I was too worried to drive it. The dealership diagnosed it with a 'swollen and leaky gas tank'. They sent photos upon request and the gas tank appears to have a tear. It is not due to any accident or road debris. The VW dealership has recommended a complete gas tank replacement, and let me know the gas tanks are on back order and did not have a date it would be available. This is extremely dangerous situation because 1. it was leaking gas and 2. it was coming to a stop. I drive around children (my own and others) and I can't imagine if something had happened while I was in driving around a car of kids. I read on different sites (Reddit and other car sites) and it seems the stopping problem with the Atlas is somewhat common, unfortunately. I am curious if it's due to a bad gas tank or if it is a separate malfunction with the vehicle. I called the Volkswagen Care Line and was told that they were sorry, but my vehicle was no longer under warranty, so they were unable to give me any information or guidance.

After the vehicle has sat for a couple of hours, when I get in to drive and come to a complete stop, there’s a gurgling/swooshing water sound coming from the front brakes. I confirmed my pads and rotors are fine, but the functionality of the brakes appear to act up when the noise happens. I’ve seen this reported on numerous forums and this is a huge safety issue. The dealership says there’s nothing they can do and the brakes are operating as they should, but this noise is not normal.

Tire: Continental CrossContact LX Sport 255/50 R20 105T Incident Description: While traveling about 65mph, in the center lane of I-40, under clear weather conditions, the vehicle, a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas SEL Premium, experienced a sudden and catastrophic failure of the left rear tire. No object or pothole was hit in the road. The failure was characterized by a loud noise, an immediate deceleration of the vehicle, and significant vibrations. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. Actions Taken: The vehicle was safely maneuvered from the center lane to the right shoulder of the highway without further incident. Upon exiting the vehicle, a visual inspection revealed that the left rear tire had exploded, causing extensive damage to the vehicle’s left side. The damage included significant harm to the wheel well, rear suspension, and other structural and mechanical components. Additionally, remnants of the tire were found in the middle of the highway that were unable to be retrieved safely. Subsequent Measures: The vehicle was towed from the scene on a flatbed truck to a repair center and damage was repaired. Tire was submitted to Continental for review under a property damage claim. Continental declined culpability, citing potential previous damage to the tire sidewall that may not have been visible. Tire had no visible damage prior to the blow-out.

Display screen goes blank and restarts after a few seconds

The vehicle would turn off randomly when stopped at a Stop sign or traffic light. It the had to be put in park and restarted. The dealership Kelly VW in Danvers, MA diagnosed the problem and this is what the invoice said. "cel is on code p0461 is active. performed tsb hooked up battery charger and updated ecm per tsb" Si, in my opinion this is at the least a potentially serious safety issue that should have warranted a recall and/or something that would be covered under the 80,000 mile or 8 year Federal Emissions Warranty

Engine nearly stalls at low speeds in either toward or reverse - such as in parking lots or when backing up a driveway. The car will also surge at moderate speeds (30-40 mph). Car hasn't actually stalled yet but feels like it's about to until I press on the brake. The problem occurs randomly and would be very difficult to reproduce. The transmission will also shift violently randomly during the 30 - 40 mph range.

VW Atlas front LED daytime running lamps stop working within first 4 years of ownership. Daytime running lamps are a standard safety feature of most new vehicles. VW dealership cost to repair $1,000, replace the entire headlight assembly. VW needs to extend warranty on this important safety feature for a vehicle designed to transport families.

My vehicle turned off while driving even though the start stop feature was deactivated. I’m scared that this might cause an accident on the highway.

Emergency SOS error. Dealership stated that the modulator is defective. It is draining my battery and requires to be jumped off to start. I have read in VW forums that this is a known problem effecting many VW, Audi and BMW owners.

On [XXX] my 2021 Volkswagen Atlas cut off on [XXX] at the red light and I was almost rear ended multiple times until a kind gentleman moved my car out of the intersection. It has been parked in my driveway since because the battery won't hold a charge. I had the battery tested but the machine read that something is draining the battery even without keys being in the car ignition switch. The windows goes up and down by themselves without the power being engaged. The car is surging and all of these things are included on a recall list for Volkswagen which I will include in this complaint but Volkswagen specifically Kurt O from VW Social Media said that won't do anything to help. I truly believe they are picking and choosing whose VIN number to repair and the rest are left to their own vices. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal fluttered while depressed. Additionally, the contact heard a loud grinding sound while depressing the brake pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Sunroof exploded while driving on the freeway with no other cars around

Right now there is a recall for an incorrectly working airbag for my volkswagon and i have a lease that is up next month. They will not buy back my vehicle because of the recall and the fact that they have no fix. I have a family of 5 and need all 5 seats and now cannot drive my car with everyone without a giant safety risk. This is happening in concert with a faulty air conditioning unit in the vehicle that has been serviced more than 5 times in a 3 year period and is currently at the dealership to have the a/c unti fixed but now is not willing to negiotate because they know they cannot resell the vehicle.

While driving at low speeds or accelerating from a stopped position, vehicle engine stalls out and the entire vehicle shuts down and prompts me to manually restart the engine by placing the vehicle in park. This has happened as I have tried to pull out of a parking lot onto a road with vehicles coming both ways. This is a safety hazard for passengers of the vehicle as well as others around if my car shuts down in the middle of the road. Inspection at Killeen VW, they were unable to replicate the issue so they were not able to diagnosis the issue. The problem occurred twice approximately two hours after we left.

My 2021 Atlas, has started to shut off by itself when put in park. "MESSAGE- engine will shut off automatically to conserve battery" it randomly shut off when the car slows down stopped or on in reverse. This has occur while stopped on red light, reverse or even when driving slow. . This is a very dangerous problem and safety issue that can result in collisions / injuries or worse.

Object, too small to be seen or causing sound on impact while driving on HWY, ruptured the gas tank, making it loose gas / heavily dripping gas. No warning on car computer. I did not notice the leak until arriving at my destination and I don’t really want to think about what could have happened. Gas dripping could have caused car go up in flames, causing severe damage to passengers, other vehicles, other people. Car was inspected at VW dealership, gas tank needed complete replacement. Same dealership advised same day another VW came into the dealership with exact same issue. VW states no warranty. I’m seriously wondering if VW gas tanks are made of such weak material / are insufficiently protected to cause such a huge safety concern.

Running lights (under headlight) went out before 60k Multiple vehicle report same problem

Driving and sun roof shattered while it was in closed position. nothing struck it. no temperature extremes.

On multiple occasions while driving the car engine will shut off - this has happened on the highway as well. I have taken the car to the dealer 4 different times and its the same thing every time - they tell me the charcoal canister has to be replaced. When they replace it the car is fine for a few months and then it happens again. If my family is in the car on the highway and the engine shuts off while in traffic this can be catastrophic. All they do is change the canister and send me on my way with no real fix.

This is regarding the passenger side airbag/sensor that needs recall in my 2021 VW Atlas. Is there still no planned fix for this? If so, why not? We are getting close to 6 months from the first notice and it is inconvenient to not have passengers be able to ride safely.

My 2021 Atlas with around 28,000 miles turned off on me instead of restarting while the auto start/stop function was engaged. This happened 3 times. 1) June 26, 2024 I was in standstill traffic. My auto start/stop was engaged and when I took my foot off my brake to move, my Atlas engine turned off (power stayed on) and a message appeared stating “please start engine manually”. I had to switch my car from Drive to Park and then turn it on again. 2) June 26, 2024 I was parking and when maneuvering in to a parking spot and took my foot of the break, my Atlas engine turned off (power stayed on) and a message appeared stating “please start engine manually”. I had to switch my car from Drive to Park and then turn it on again. 3) July 8, 2024 same as number 2. Except I know for a fact that my start/stop was turned off. I took it to the dealership and they found that my battery failed and replaced it. About a week later is when the 3rd incident occurred. My car is currently at the dealership where “they aren’t finding any faults”. It is incredibly dangerous to have a car unexpectedly turn off on you while in the middle of a highway, intersection, or really around any other cars. The dealership cannot reproduce the problem; however, it is sporadic. Multiple forums online mention other owners having the same exact issue.

Just purchased vehicle, light: SOS: EMERGENCY CALL FUNCTION, SERVICE VEHICLE is continuously turning on, you turn off car, it goes away. Start car and drive, turns right back on. Have been to dealer and was told module would need to be replaced car is 3 years old. It's a constant beeping/ distraction. The potential consequences of not addressing the issue are unclear. There exist numerous blogs and consumer reviews about this issue, indicating that consumers must constantly expend funds to rectify the issue, when it should ideally be managed by the manufacturer. This is unacceptable. Are we being sold lemons here in California?

Was advised recall is usually sorted out within 30 days. It has been 30+ days since the official passenger airbag recall. Purchased vehicle 60 days ago, Vehicle recalled 30+ days ago— no remedy available. Passenger airbag issue— Turo, Lyft, Uber will not allow me to earn income due to NHTSA recall regulations— not drivable due to safety issue. Unemployed 30+ days as well as no transportation for family. We are stuck at home this summer with car payment and house payment we cannot pay. Hoping this complaint may help my family get back on our feet and speed up a solution to the recall on our 2021 Volkswagen Atlas SE w/motion & technology R-Design.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (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.

Passenger air bag sensor defect Diagnosed by local dealership and quoted $800 for repair.

We bought this vehicle with 15,000 miles in January 2023. Since then, we have made close to 30,000 miles, currently sitting at 44,000 miles. Today, I discovered another crack in the windshield. This would be our 5th windshield since we own a car. I had numerous vehicles but never had a crack. Further investigation on my part revealed that this is an extremely common problem with the VW Atlas. It impairs my view; sun light is breaking over those cracks, and not to mention that glass can break if I hit a pothole.

LED strip for day time running light went out in both headlight assemblies within 9 months/14k miles of each other. Had to replace entire headlight assemblies. Passenger side at 49k September 2023 and driver side at 63k June 2024.

My vehicle while driving on the highway at 65-70mph had the automatic emergency brake system engage. We came to a complete stop and if the highway was not empty could have resulted in a traumatic incident for my family and I. I called Volkswagen and they do not have a fix for this issue. This is our only vehicle and we are not comfortable driving it. It could happen again and could be worse than the first time.

Frequently, the carbon/graphite canister causes issues - even the VW mechanic has admitted to me personally that it's a poor design. Other people mention this same issue here [XXX] This issue has caused safety issues for us several times during the time I've owned this vehicle. The vehicle can stall while backing up, or (less commonly) while driving forward at full speed. This did happen to us two years ago while driving over a bridge, the vehicle completely stalled while coming down the bridge on a highway. Fortunately we were able to pull off and restart the car which resolved the issue; we had to bring it into the dealership and they replaced the carbon canister. It's also happened while backing up out of parking spots and other times when the vehicle is in motion. This issue is common and VW has issued an extended warranty to cover the expenses incurred by this common issue, but they haven't recalled it, fixed it, or changed the design on newer cars either. I had to bring my car back today for this and am currently waiting for the parts - so here I have to drive it for at least another week while fully at risk of causing an issue; they also refused to give me a different car. Driving this car with such a frequent dangerous issue makes me wish I'd never bought a Volkswagen. I now need to get a different car purely because of this issue, so it's really just not right what VW is doing here. They need to be forced to fix this issue - I am not comfortable driving it or another VW knowing about this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (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.