2021 Volkswagen Atlas complaints

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!

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 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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The front brake rotors on this VW model are faulty and unsafe from the factory and need to be recalled. They warp and squeal, and the issue seems to be starting at about 4 months. The brake rotors warp between 4-6 months and the front brakes start to vibrate when driving at 65 mph or more. The brake pads are fine, however the rotors need to be replaced. The rotors need to be inspected as they appear to be made out of inferior material/metal. The VW dealership refused to replace the rotors under warranty and I had to pay for the replacement. I contacted VW USA, but they were not helpful at all. [XXX] VW Bensenville, IL Based on my research through different VW online forums, there's a lot of people that were having the same issue. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall and referred the contact to another dealer. The contact stated that the closest dealer was too far for him to travel. The contact also stated that while traveling at slow speeds, the parking brake would independently engage without warning. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

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.

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.

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.

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 owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (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 contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Low Pressure in Tank Fuel Pump Failed - Car Towed to Dealer Vehicle lost all power at speed on highway Informed by dealer that issue is not uncommon, 1,800+ fuel pumps on backorder No warning prior to failure

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving approximately 2 MPH, the rear windows inadvertently rolled down independently. The contact also stated the vehicle stalled. The contact shifted to park(P) and restarted the vehicle. The contact also stated the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and while driving. The vehicle was shifted to park(P) and restarted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined failures with three recalls on the Volkswagen Atlas for low speed, intervention park brake, and NHTSA Campaign Number 22V152000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000.

My vehicle experience inadvertent windows rolling down, inadvertent parking brake engagement at low speeds and a warning regarding a faulty door sensor on multiple occasions.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the message "Apply Brakes" displayed and the vehicle abruptly stopped. During the failure, there were no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the Forward Collision Avoidance safety feature to be activated. In addition, the contact indicated that while driving the vehicle, safety messages would be displayed that included the cruise control and parking sensors unavailable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that the failure was related to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags); which included a wiring harness repair however, the parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was 31,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (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 failure mileage was approximately 20,000.VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (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 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (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.

VW Atlas 2021 is having issues with the driver side harness which there is an active recall without repair for. Car started to show error messages related to parking brake, air bag functionality, windows roll up and down, parking brake has engaged while driving in early April. Multiple dealers contacted and no loaner vehicle or repairs identified or offered. Car feels completely unsafe to drive due to random braking and error messages.

This vehicle will suddenly just stop driving, including highway speeds. There is no rhyme or reason why this happens. Volkswagen of America refuses to assist, along with Volkswagen of Boise, Idaho refuses to look at the vehicle. After several attempts to have them diagnose the vehicle they refuse as the Service Manager has “banned” us from coming there. The Service Manager and General Manager are racist since we were from California. We now have a vehicle that does not operate due to a recall and cannot service at the local authorized dealership. The next closest dealership is approximately 160 miles away. Many of my neighbors from California has said the same issue, and sold their vehicles just because they could not service the vehicle at Boise Volkswagen.

Car will brake unexpectedly while driving which almost caused me to have several accidents while approaching traffic lights. Windows also open unexpectedly. All dashboard lights turn on while driving. Not very safe to drive at all.

I am reporting a design defect in the VW Atlas second row bench. There is no sensor or warning for the driver when the bench seat is not secure. When the car came to a stop from a low speed, the bench fell forward with enough force to fracture my child's leg who was sitting secure in a child's car seat. We reported the design problem to the manufacturer. The vehicle manufacturer inspected the vehicle for a manufacturing defect, not a design defect. When asked to pursue an inspection on design defect, the manufacturer noted they would and did not. This problem is replicable. Our concern is that the car does not alert the driver that the bench is not secure. Our incident could have been avoided if there was a driver warning.

BROUGHT TO DEALER ON 3/04/2022 ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WAS COMING ON AND OFF AT TIME AND HILL START ASSIST ERROR, DRIVERS DOOR MODULE WIRE HARNESS HAS SHORTED OUT AND PARTS ARE ON BACK ORDER. POWER SEAT MOVING BY ITSELF. DRIVER SIDE REAR WINDOW GOING DOWN BY ITSELF. REMOTE START NOT WORKING. EMERGENCY BRAKE NOT WORKING AND APPLYING ITSELF WHILE DRIVING. ISSUE STILL HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED.

The auto stop start, stops requiring restarting of vehicle. When at a stoplight and removing foot from the brake to proceed, all the warning lights and sound notification along start. This is a huge distraction and dangerous driving condition. The start/ stop totally turning off the vehicle at stop lights and not restarting the engine is a collision hazard.

The emergency brake randomly turns on when starting the Atlas, the brakes will automatically brake at very low speeds, the windows randomly role down and/or will not be able to roll up, the car shuts off randomly after coming to a stop (I need to push the start button to start it again), the Atlas will begin to drift after shutting off. The Atlas currently has a recall for "Front Door Wiring Harness". I took it to the dealer and they did diagnose this. I do not feel comfortable with my wife driving the car with my kids. There is currently not a "remedy". Volkswagen would not provide a replacement and/or rental while waiting for a "remedy".

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The captain seats lurches forward at a high speed without any warning as well as without any precipitating event. This has occurred three times, once with the driver side captain seat and two times with the passenger seat. The indicator on the top of the seat was down before each event so the assumption was the seat was securely locked in position. A child was in a car seat on the passenger side captain seat during the last unlatching event resulting in the child hitting the back of the passenger seat knocking her front teeth loose and bruising her nose (pic attached). The driver stopped in traffic and put the car in park to get out and assist the child as this was the only way to get the seat back in position. The car is to be inspected by the dealer today.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V152000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing electrical issues. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the warning messages "Automatic Start/Stop Is Not Available", " Lane Assist Is Not Currently Available”, “Faulty Electronic parking Brake" "Door Is Ajar Fault" and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the front driver's side window was inoperative and the rear driver's side window would continuously roll up and down independently while driving. Additionally, the contact stated while coming to a stop, between 1-2 MPH, the parking brake would engage independently, causing the vehicle to jolt. The contact had to disengage the parking brake each time. Additionally, the contact stated that the front driver's side door lock chime reminder would engage while driving with the door locked. The local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to not drive the vehicle. However, the manufacturer provided no assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,150. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Vehicle’s electronic emergency brake system engaged while driving at low speed, below 15mph. Loud scraping sound repetitively heard from driver side tire.

3 notices come up on dash. “Attention:vehicle is on”, “error: driver door contact switch” & then “fault: electric brake. The car beeps like crazy, driver side windows roll down on their own about 4 inches (rear and front). E brake has come on while driving. Left mirror blinker does not work. This is started happening intermittently only when turning car on - turning it off and back on helped at first, then less often now even less often however it does happen randomly when I am driving or stopped at a stop sign/stop light. Have owned the Vehicle for only around 6 months, with 5k on odometer.