2021 Volkswagen Atlas Complaint Log

My error start/stop keeps coming on and off on my vehicle, and it randomly dies on my while driving. It has died about 10 times by now in a week and a half. I have to put the car in park, then crank it again. I have contacted my dealership, but they state they can’t get it in until December.

The Day Running Light LED strip of both headlights stopped working at around 55,000 miles. The fix for this includes replacing the whole unit which comes to around $2k for both headlight units. It seems unreasonable to have to replace both units at around every 55,000 miles. Many people might not have the funds and this could also lead to people buying third party headlights that might be installed incorrectly since it isn’t just a lightbulb and people might also not find a need to replace it at all which could lead to a safety issue. In conclusion it’s unreasonable to have to pay $2k every 55,000 miles to replace both headlight units. These LED strips also can’t just be replaced as they’re incased in the unit and can’t be changed out like you would be able to with a regular lightbulb.

The viechle appears to be having a very common issue of the Hood Latch being broken or snapping. I was left stranded with my car with a dead battery unable to access the battery to jump it.

I have been having issues with GPS navigation with my car for over a year without a fix from VW. I cannot use Google Maps, Apple maps or the car's own internal maps becuase the GPS can't identify where I am on the map. When I choose a location and start directions, it doesn't know where I am, telling me to turn down wrong streets, showing my location in lakes or miles away. When I unplug my phone from the car, it works just fine. But once I'm connected to my car (either wirelessly OR through cable) the GPS then works off the car's system which cannot identify my lcoation. This is incredibly dangerous and I'm unable to know where I'm going or it will tell me to turn in the wrong place. VW is blaming this on Verizon and does not have a fix. I'm left without a working GPS for well over a year.

When coming to a stop, the car RMP's fluctuate up and down, jerk/jolt, and stall while still in drive. The only way to restart the vehicle is to put it into park and then hit start. Sometimes, vehicle status indicates a start/stop error, but no check engine light would come on. I have a huge safety concern about this because the vehicle is in motion when it stalls, and the only way to restart is to put it in park. This causes the flow of traffic to stop abruptly, increasing the outcome of an accident.

Vehicle stalled on highway while driving. Vehicle stalled on secondary highway while driving. Check engine light came on and vehicle inspection revealed fuel level sensor A circuit range performance. Mechanical fuel pump failure.

Battery died, needed to jump battery. Hood latch cable snapped when pulling hood lever.

1. STEERING MAKING NOISE DURING TURN/REVERVSE/ FORWARD/PARKING ETC.. DEALERS TRIEDD TO FIX IT BUT NOT SUCESS. 2. ERROR: START / STOP ENGINE AT CERTAIN SITUATION AND STALLING WHILE DRIVING. INCIDENT ON VARIOUS DATE

I have several issues. My main concern is when turning on an incline (hill or mountain), my vehicles rpm's rev up and I am unable to stop it for several seconds. Sometimes, it will clunk and the rpms will go back to normal after sever seconds but most times the vehicle just jerks and the rpms come back down. I drive through a street with a 4 way stop very often and the issue happens every time. Secondly, i am not sure if its my steering or my brakes but when i come to a stop there is a clicking noise at my pedal and it makes it a little tougher to stop the vehicle. I can be at a full stop and if i push my brake pedal down more, it will click multiple times. I have also noticed this jerk/click when i make a sharp left turns such as in a parking lot. My vehicle jerks a bit while it clicks and i am concerned something will brake while i am turning or stopping and my wheels wont stop.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start due to battery failure. The contact attempted to open the hood of the vehicle to charge the battery; however, the hood failed to unlock. The contact stated that an unknown dealer had previously replaced the hood release due to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who completed the first repair. The dealer determined that the hood release needed to be replaced with a stronger part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer documented the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a vehicle safety complaint. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

Air bag error, recommendation PODS wiring be replaced, active recall is listed but this vehicle is not included

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.

Sitting in a parking spot and receive an airbag error and now the airbag light is on. Did not hit anything. This should not happen and should be fixed at dealer cost.

Within a week of our purchase of a brand new atlas, we started hearing squeaking and grinding noises with the front brakes. I’ve taken it into multiple dealerships for them to inspect and ensure the safety, and I’ll have given me the same spiel, that the brakes are working just fine. The grinding noise is clearly beyond normal and I’m concerned for my family safety.

Passenger airbag light coming on and off. VIN is not associated with the widespread VW recall but it is affecting my 2021.5 VW Atlas currently. Decided to look it up and saw the recall however my VIN currently isn’t listed.

The brakes make a deep grinding sound every 4000-8000 miles. A typical sound of failing brakes. When I took the vehicle into the dealership they let me know they have a defective brake pad system. When they changed the compound in 2019/2020 this has been an issue. The pads are showing in good acceptable range. However when driving the vehicle you do not know if it is safe or not unless you take the vehicle in to make sure l. Again every 4000-8000 miles. I do not see how they are able to sell you a car with a known issue and not disclose this. This should be covered or recalled. It absolutely is a safety issue when you cannot tell if your brakes are working properly! They are telling me they see 4-5 people a week with the same issue. How is this not being recalled!

My 2021 Atlas has been giving me an “error: airbag” warning for the last 12 months, off and on. I’ve taken it to the shop multiple times for this issue and there are no codes that indicate anything is wrong. The first time the issue occurred, it would ding and pop up the warning while driving, and would only pop up one time over the course of my drive. The shop checked it out and said the “sensor was loose”. The second time it happened (3 or so months later), it would ding at me multiple times over the course of my drive and while I was parked. I took it in yet again and they said it was just messy under the seat and that’s probably why. Four weeks later, it’s happening again. I am beyond fed up with having to take it in over and over again for the same thing, and they never find a problem. I need a reliable car as I have kids and a husband and I’m not willing to risk their safety. I am strongly considering getting rid of the car, due to this issue alone.

Vehicle will shut off completely while in motion without any warning. It’s a danger when vehicles are behind you and not paying attention that can cause an accident. It’s done it multiple times. I’ve had what they “thought” was the issue fixed but the check engine light came came back on three weeks later. The auto start/stop button works when it wants to. It’s at the dealership now (day 3) hopefully they will find the issue. Not to mention I’ve only had it for 6 months now

Due to a faulty door wiring harness (a VW recall) the car has multiple electrical issues. The car shuts itself down, loss of blinkers, speedometer, brake lights, parking brake engagement and ALL electrical functions, every alarm goes off in the car, windows roll up and down, doors will lock and unlock while driving. Which is terrifying/life threatening while driving 65 MPH on a highway with kids. We have this on video. Most recently, it shut down and would not start again. The dealership has now attempted to fix this problem 5 times and cannot get the alarm lights to turn off so now the car is not even drivable. We have tried to work with VW for a buyback twice and started this process (16 months into owning the car) when the car was under full warranty. They continued to deem the car safe and fixed and the same issues would sporadically happen. After these two cases for VW to buyback the car and them rejecting it, we are now out of warranty and they will not work with us. We bought the car brand new.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while approaching a stop light, the brakes failed upon depression of the brake pedal, and the vehicle rolled to a stop. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the ABS was replaced; however, the failure recurred soon after the repair. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was advised to file a claim with the manufacturer. The manufacturer denied the claim but offered her a buy back. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, and while accelerating from a stop light, the vehicle occasionally lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted and operated as normal; however, recently the failure reoccurred, and the battery had to be jumpstarted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. There was no service performed. The manufacturer has not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 48,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the front passenger’s side air bags warning light was blinking off and on. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not including in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

Our vehicle has an auto start/stop function. At least a dozen times since we've owned the vehicle, the engine does not RESTART after a stop at a traffic light or in stop go traffic. The vehicle must be placed in park and the engine must be restarted. An error displays on the dash that says "please start engine manually" with the graphic for the start/stop system. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE CAR BASICALLY STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND NEEDS TO BE RESET. I have brought this in to two separate dealers for diagnostics and least 3 times. The dealers say they cannot replicate the issue and there is no error recorded to the OBD-II computer so they cannot diagnose. In online forums, this appears to be a common problem and dealerships refuse to diagnose or fix. It is extremely unsafe and NHSTA should investigate.

The ac on driver side went out. I seen online where a recall was in the process. I want to know if this is true before I have to pay all this money out of pocket. I don’t understand how this can happen when the car is practically brand new not even two years old yet.

Got Error: Start-Stop

The vapor canister (charcoal canister) and related parts have failed on 3 different occasions over the past 1.5-2 years. This caused the car to stall while operating without any warning from the vehicle. The cars has to be put into park and the engine restarted before it can be operational again. The dealer has inspected and replace parts of the system each time it has happened, and has explained that this is a known problem for the vehicle. No final solution has come from VW corporate to solve the problem, so they have been instructed to keep replacing the components as necessary.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the message "Passenger Air Bag Off" was displayed. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) which she related to the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,614.

We just purchased a certified pre-owned vehicle from the dealership. Since we've had the vehicle, it produces a loud squeaking sound when braking. We took it to a brake shop and were advised the rear brakes get so hot and are glazed over and need to replace the rotors. When I look online I see this is a common problem for this vehicle and that the manufacturer has done nothing to get it fixed.

I purchased new fully loaded VW Atlas for around 50K in March 2021. I choose VW Atlas 4 wheel drive due to brand name and thought my family will be safer in it. On Sun - 03/26/23 afternoon my wife was driving locally with my two kids in the back on local road and all of sudden all side airbags deployed without any reason. My wife and kids got very scarred as airbags deployed all of sudden for no reason. The car got out of control a little and right side tires scratched against the curb before she stopped and everyone go out of vehicle. She drove the car straight to VW Dealership in Sioux City so we can have them look at this once they open on Monday. On Monday 03/27/23 I called VW customer care and gave them all this detail. They asked me to take the car to dealership so they can look at it which I had already done. On 03/29/23 Dealership called and said according to VW Product manager there was an impact and airbags deployed because of this and I have to get the car fixed myself. My wife was going at 35-40 miles and the tires rubbed the curb after airbags deployed all of sudden. VW also has a recall for 2020 and 2021 Atlas as their airbags are going off unexpectedly. My Atlas is 2021.5 model but it is too much of coincide and may be VW needs to add 2021.5 models to recall. The VW service manager showed me another blue Atlas with tire bent inside due to impact and the airbag was not deployed but their product specialist says my car rubbing the curb caused the airbag to deploy. There is no impact anywhere on the body, not even a hair line scratch besides tires rubbing curb. My family does not feel safe in this car anymore. I am glad that this did not happen on highway or sudden malfunction like this on highway could have caused collision impacting mine and other families. I am hoping that VW will step up, take responsibility and do the right by customers instead of giving me run around.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated causing the vehicle to suddenly stop in the middle of the road. The contact indicated that during the failure, no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the system to be activated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure occurred a second time. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,300. The dealer installed a new door ajar switch and safety harness service but not replaced.

I was sitting at a stop light and the car just SHUT OFF and would not re-start. It was very dangerous. The start/ stop system was enabled as it always is - since it defaults to this feature when you start the vehicle. The electronics starting glitching when the car shut off. This is not the 1st time the car would not start, it has happened 3x over the course of 3 weeks. When we try to jump start the vehicle it has taken up to 30 minutes to sit on charge to get the car to turn over. We have had the battery tested and charged at VW all test come back that it is a good battery. Seems that the start/stop system is faulty and drains the battery. I have spoke to VW and booked an appointment to have the look at this issue. Something is Seriously wrong with this vehicle and start/stop system. I have read many posts that I'm not alone with VW Atlas leaving families in dangerous situations because the car just shuts off and won't re-start.

I was hit from behind and slammed into the car in front of me while stopped at a light. The collision totaled my Atlas at 95% The air bags did not deploy nor did their give a warning for the collision. The damage was so severe that the inner frame of the vehicle is beyond repair. Recent warranty repairs were done to this vehicle prior to the accident one set to the dash electronics in the .ast 4 months. This car remains at the body shop awaiting INS settlement for the car

Engine cuts off at slow speeds or at a stop. Engine failure requires placing vehicle in park and restarting. This occurs at least once per day. Display notes that vehicle requires manual restart. Took to dealer and they advised nothing was wrong.

I hear a loud grinding, metal-on-metal noise when braking or while driving. I also notice vibrations or pulsation in the pedal or steering wheel. Whenever the car sits for a period of time, about 90% of the time, the car will produce a massively loud metal-on-metal grind that can be felt in the brake pedal and steering wheel for the first 3 or so stops from 30mph or higher. The dealership claims it's "normal," which is unacceptable for a vehicle bought in 2021.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was confirmed that no cause of failure was found. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

As part of the existing recall on my vehicle, I am noticing serious mechanical issues ranging from the parking brake engaging when approaching a stop, the rear window rolling down (it's 0 degrees out), failure of Adaptive Cruise Control and a host of other electrical issues. The dealer is unable to see the car for 3 weeks and despite acknowledging my problems are consistent with the recall and have no loaner available for me in the meantime. VW Care informed me that my only recourse is to "call around" until I find one that can help me sooner. They will not offer to reimburse for a rental vehicle. This is unacceptable, the problem is not the dealer but a mechanical issue and VW needs to recognize that if their dealerships can't help because of workload then they need to support their customers.

Atlas will just turned off while driving l at various speeds, you are forced to put in park and restart you Vehicle. If you do not get off to side of road and person behind you isn’t paying attention we will be rear ended. Has happened 5 times in the last 2 weeks. Volkswagen clear lake had car for 3 days and claim that all test came back good and they could not recreate the problem. Although they only touched my car on day one and did nothing the last 2 days. They claim there will be a recall but are not willing to do anything right now because they can not Re-create the problem driving it around the block for 2 minutes. Please help car is under warranty and dealership is no help. Only thing that shows up on dash is to put in park and restart. They also have no loaner vehicles and have put me in a bind the 3 days they kept it for nothing to be done.

While driving in a city, the emergency parking brake would switch on everytime i slowed down or came to a stop. Multiple other warnings happened such as lane assistance unavailable. And one of my windows would roll down part way.

The contact owned a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15 MPH, she had turned the air conditioner on and felt that hot air was blowing out. The contact stopped at a traffic signal turned the vehicle off and on again and noticed that the air conditioner was now blowing cool air. The contact had begun to smell a burning rubber smell and noticed that smoke was being emitted from under the hood on the driver's side. The contact stated that when she stopped at another traffic signal all of the dash alarms began to flash and she heard warning chimes sound as well. The contact pulled over into a parking lot and turned the vehicle off. The contact stepped out of the vehicle when she saw black and white smoke coming from under the hood, then flames burst out from under the hood. The contact stated that the entire front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames with water. The contact stated that the heat and flames melted the front tires. The fire department wrote a report. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated that the vehicle was declared a total loss by her insurance provider. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Once starting the vehicle, the light comes on the dashboard; the notification states that the start/stop function malfunctions, the emergency break malfunctions, other multiple errors come in effect. Once coming to a stop light and the brakes are engaged to slow down, the emergency brakes engage and the car locks up. Almost got into an accident 6x. Immediately made an appointment to fix the recall and request for a loaner or rental vehicle, ignored by the dealership with a message of “will call”. The door becomes inoperable; can only open and close. Does not unlock/lock or roll down the window. The back driver side window automatically opens about 4 inches without consent.

We have an open case with Volkswagen, but the remedy part is on back order, in the meantime we have to use this unsafe car. The dealership where car was purchased from is not providing a loaner/rental despite being told by our Volkswagen care team specialist that he is obligated to. The car emergency brake comes on at every stop(I’m shook at every stop, knots in my stomach every single stop I make, stop sign, trying to park, red lights), driver side front and back windows open spontaneously, non stop beeping(anxiety inducing) when car is parked idle, driver side window doesn’t open manually pressing the button, CAR DOES NOT LOCK On driver door, like not at all, alarm will go on sometimes when opening, but it is never locked posing a serious threat, anyone can open my door if I am stoped at a light, or idling in car. Car can be stolen at any point, I feel unsafe and very distressed.

2021 VW Atlas. Outside mirror heaters are not working. There is a VW Tech Tip 662003 that describes the problem, however, the dealership Bud Cleary in Auburn WA is refusing to perform repair, saying mirror heaters only work when the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees and here in Washington state our day time temperatures are almost always higher. I drive at night so I experience severe outside mirror fogging in all kinds of temperatures. Cleaning, wiping mirrors offers little relief. Rear window heater works fine. So I am caught in a Catch-22 situation. I can't "prove" that a problem exists, yet I experience it every night. VW knows that a problem exists, yet the dealership refuses to perform a simple firmware flush, hiding behind the curtain of "policy."

Airbag warning light has come on. VW refuses to address this as a safety issue.

The brakes make loud squealing and grinding noises and don’t feel like they are properly functioning when attempting to stop. I rolled through a stop sign when they were grinding loudly last week because the brakes would not engage. I immediately scheduled to have it diganosed again. I have had it diagnosed by VW 3 times and also contacted VW corporate and they have all stated to me that it is a known issue with the brakes on VW atlas and have had 1000s of complaints and will do nothing to repair or resolve the situation. They said they know it is an issue and not correct and they will not be doing anything to correct the situation or make sure the vehicle is safe.

I was driving my car and the moonroof exploded and shattered. Nothing his my car there were no cars in front of me, side of me, or behind me. There is no debris or any type of object. It is all over the internet about sunroofs and moonroofs exploding. The incident happened 09/16/2022.

As there are several recalls on this vehicle Service Action #'s 91CZ- 91DE I'm not sure if the vehicle is safe to drive. My dash information panel is always changing settings between start ups. There are numerous reports of braking issues with these models and side air bags malfunction. Have had the upgrades done by the dealership to correct my issue,but the problem still remains. Please advise on any action that I can take to get the issue resolved. Thanks

The contact leased a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the vehicle was initially taken to the dealer due to the brake service warning light being illuminated and scheduled maintenance. The maintenance was performed; however, the mechanic could not determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 22,564.

Brakes are making loud squeaking and grinding noises when brake is applied at low speeds. It feels like the entire braking system is about to fall apart. Took the vehicle to the Volkswagen dealership and they said Volkswagen brakes are know to make noise. I told them at the dealership, online customer support chat, and phone customer support that this should not be happening on a brand new vehicle. They said there is nothing they can do about it. The sounds are very loud even with all the windows up, it's like an old car. I can hear the brakes squeak from a third floor building.

When I was pulling out of a parking lot my rear drivers side mirror went down by itself and then my parking brake came on - I received an error saying "Error: driver door contact switch". I stopped my car and turned it off and then started it again and the error message went away. Four days later the same thing happened but I also received two more error messages "Fault: Electronic parking brake" and Error: Start/Stop as well as the same error as before :Error: driver door contact switch". I have my car scheduled to take it to the dealership tomorrow 8/4 at 8am and I am hoping this can be fixed as this is a big safety issue.... I have three children that are also in the car with me each day so it is imperative to have this rectified as safety is my top priority.

Upon stopping at an intersection, one of the bench seats quickly shot forward and slammed a child in a car seat into the rear passenger seat. Thankfully there were no injuries, but this required the driver to pull over and investigate what happened with the seat. There appeared to be nothing that would have caused the seat to move forward.