2018 Volkswagen Atlas Brakes Problems

Automatic parking brake comes on every time I start my car or park. It won’t come out of parking brake. The auto parking brake will not turn off. I can get it to drive eventually but the parking brake light stays on.

I received a brake booster fault caution which was followed by the BRAKE warning light being illuminated. When I applied pressure to the brakes, it almost felt as if the ABS was kicking in, on a flat, dry road. The brake pedal would "jump" and depress farther on its own like there wasn't a good vacuum for the brakes. I've taken it to my local VW service center and was informed they had to call VW Corporate for assistance in a fix and was given a list of components to possibly replace that "may" fix the issue but even after replacement, some customers still experience the same issue. I am currently awaiting an estimate but have significant concerns that any repair work may not actually address the root cause of this issue and when it's related to a major safety feature like the brakes, that presents a significant concern.

I have owned this car since 2018. I’ve had the “Brake Booster Faulty” error come on at least once a year. It’s very scary as the car just locks up. Luckily it has only happened driving locally, without anyone behind me, but this could lead to a SERIOUS accident. I have brought this to the VW dealer at least 3 times over the years and every time they say they cannot replicate or find any issues. It happened again last week, and again today. I have read that many people have experienced this issue but there is not much info out there on whether there is a fix. I really wish this would be addressed.

Brake booster Faulty/Brake Booster Failure light displays on the dash along with the red Brake light and a loud beeping sound. The brakes feel shaky and the vehicle doesn’t brake well for about 30 second after. It feels as if the brakes are palpating or skipping instead of a solid grip. After about 30-45 second those lights go back off and brakes resume normal breaking but the ABS light comes on. This issue has happened twice so far and random times when not braking. It appears to be other reports of this issues in the 2018 models but not recall. Other year models have had brake issues recalled l. This is a major safety issue and should be addressed with Volkswagen to resolve it. This will and probably has cause accidents.

Driving on a single lane road with no other cars on road (in front or behind) and car suddenly brakes to a complete stop and the crash warning sound become audible inside the car. This happened 1 other time about 1 month prior but car did not come to a complete stop that time. That incident there were other vehicles on the road but were at a fair distance away from the car and those vehicles were not braking or slowing down.

Car starts beeping loudly and a “brake booster faulty” alarm pops up on the screen. Brakes become spongy during alarm and a little after. Issue has happened multiple times and has gone to the dealer multiple times for parts replacement/work. Other VW owners have complained of the same issue happening to them.

I have experienced an alert/alarm for a "Faulty Break Booster", "Break System Failure", as well as other Break related alarms go off while driving. Multiple times I have been going over 40 mph and the vehicle has instantly breaked and came to a stop on it's own. I have taken my vehicle to the dealer and was advised there is no issue. This issue seems to happen randomly as I have been unable to recognize any similarities between conditions and frequency.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the EPC (Emergency Parking Control) warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a tune up and that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The contact decided not to have the vehicle serviced at that time; however, the vehicle began to shut off while at a complete stop. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer for the repair; however, the vehicle continued to intermittently shut off. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V536000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); and linked the failure to the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

While driving, the car suddenly slowed to nearly stopping and a "Brake Boost Faulty" red warning light displayed on the dashboard. I was not breaking at the time. The brake pedal felt soft and the car would not regain acceleration. I had to stop the car, turn off ignition, restart for the car to drive normally. This occurred twice once while driving over 40 miles per hour and again at approximately 25 mph. IN both cases I was not braking when the incident happened.

Our 2018 VW Atlas will randomly shut the engine off even with auto start/shut off disabled. This has happened 5 times in 3 months. It has done so on the highway and on main streets putting our family of 6 at risk of being in an auto crash every time. The brakes have automatically came on 2 times. Forward collision sensors come on with nothing in front of us which also puts the breaks on and makes a distracting loud beep which has made me jump out of surprise while driving. The EPA rated fuel economy is 26 highway and 22 city. We drive both and rarely get above 16 combined MPG even with multiple drivers and making an attempt at getting better economy. Our Atlas also makes a loud “clunk” sound from the undercarriage in the center/rear of the vehicle. It does this while driving or while parked with the vehicle idling. Also not major but sometimes when the front passenger window is half down, if you push the button to roll it up, it goes all the way down. We are going to take it in to VW soon but there is a lot wrong that either make driving it a hazard to ourselves and other drivers and makes us feel very uncomfortable. We love it but we are also afraid of it. There is currently no open recalls. I’ve been a mechanic, a machinist and an engineer for nearly 20 years. Some stuff just doesn’t make sense. I read the crank and cam pulses, usually you’d expect a drop in pulse that could cause the engine to shut down but there’s nothing. Nothing on the scan tool or on the onboard vehicle diagnostic.

I would be driving under 30mph and would get a warning on my dashboard that would say "Brake Booster Faulty", in addition the "Brake" light would illuminate and my brakes would become spongy and harder to engage.

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.

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.

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.

My car recently started feeling like my tires or rubbing on something when I make sharp turns. Now when I brake my car feels and sounds like it is grinding on something. It started happening while on way home from a trip a couple of days ago. While I wait for service appt the car is unsafe to drive as I need to really push on brake to ensure complete stop, it feels like the car is rubbing on metal and is very bumpy when coming to stop. Have only driven in slow speeds since returning home bc we are afraid the brakes will fail.

I HAVE A 2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS SEL.. THE BREAKS KEEP GOING OUT RANDOMLY AND AN ALARM GOES OFF THAT THE BREAK BOOSTER IS FAULTY... IT MAKES A HORRIBLE CLICKING NOISE LIKE THE BREAKS ARE TRYING TO WORK BUT THERE IS NOTHING FOR LIKE 10-35 SECONDS. IT HAS HAPPENED MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT... I HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP (HALLMARK VOLKSWAGEN- COOLS SPRINGS, TN) AND THEY TOLD ME TO DRIVE SAFE VW WAS WORKING ON A RECALL!? WELL I HAVE ALMOST HIT A CAR AND BLOWN THROUGH A STOP SIGN BECAUSE MY CAR WON'T STOP' LOOKING FOR MORE HELP BC THE LOCAL DEALER IS USELESS. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR, NOR DO I FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CHILDREN IN IT.

THE BRAKE BOOSTER LIGHT APPEARED, THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME SPONGY, PULSED AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. THIS HAPPENED ON HIGHWAYS WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC WITH 4-5 CAR LENGTHS WITHIN THE SAME LANES MOVING 60 MPH AND DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT. THE MANUFACTURER SENT TECHNICIANS/ENGINEERS TO TROUBLESHOOT AND HELP RESULT. THESE OCCURRENCES THE WAS NOT VEHICLE GOING ON A ROAD THAT HAD AN INCLINE OR DECLINE. 1) THE WEATHER WAS DRY, SUNNY, WITH NO PRECIPITATION OF ANY KIND. 2) THE WEATHER WAS DRY, NIGHT, WITH NO PRECIPITATION OF ANY KIND.