NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE MIDDLE ROW SEATS VIOLENTLY SHIFTED FORWARD WHILE OCCUPIED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE THE SEATS WERE NOT OCCUPIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, an abnormal odor was detected. The coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions and diagnosed with a faulty water pump and head gasket. The dealer was unable to identify where the coolant was traveling to. The dealer refilled the coolant and replaced the timing belt, head gasket, and water pump three separate times however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BEFORE 3,000 MILES. CYLINDER 2 MISFIRE. DEALERSHIP FIXED IT ON THE 3RD TRY AFTER GETTING VW INVOLVED. IT WAS A FAULTY GAS TANK, LEAKING FUEL INTO THE LINES. THEY REPLACED THE TANK AND THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. LANE ASSIST FEATURE SEVERELY MALFUNCTIONS SINCE DAY 1 OF OWNING THIS CAR. NEARLY EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT, THE VEHICLE STEERS ITSELF INTO MEDIANS, INTO CURVES OR INTERSECTIONS, INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, ALWAYS WHILE I'M ACTIVELY DRIVING STRAIGHT. I CONTACTED VW; THEY RECOMMENDED HAVING THE SYSTEM INSPECTED. DEALERSHIP COULD FIND NO PROBLEMS WITH IT, STATING IT WAS JUST A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR. I WILL NOT JUST TURN THAT FEATURE OFF WHEN I'M PAYING FOR IT. I ASKED VW TO BUY THE VEHICLE BACK, AS IT HAS INCREASINGLY BECOME MORE DANGEROUS FOR MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN. THEY DENIED MY REQUEST. I HAVE CONTACTED THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU IN HOPES OF GETTING A MORE SENSIBLE OUTCOME, BUT VW HAS ONLY OFFERED TO SETTLE MY CONCERNS FOR $2,500, WHICH IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.
I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND CAME TO A STOP IN TRAFFIC. THE AUTO START-STOP ACTIVATED, AND THE ENGINE TURNED OFF WHILE I WAS STOPPED. TRAFFIC STARTED MOVING AGAIN SO I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, WHICH IS TYPICALLY WHEN THE ENGINE RESTARTS, BUT THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY SILENT AND THE CAR WAS DEAD. I TRIED RESTARTING IT TO NO AVAIL. I HAD THIS SAME ISSUE TWO MONTHS AGO, AND VOLKSWAGEN REPLACED THE BATTERY. AFTER THE CAR DIED, I GOT AN ERROR MESSAGE SAYING THE BATTERY WAS LOW AND I SHOULD DRIVE TO RECHARGE IT, HOWEVER AT THAT POINT THE BATTERY WAS TOO DEAD TO DRIVE. I REALLY WISH THIS ERROR MESSAGE WOULD HAVE SHOWN UP BEFORE THE CAR DIED. WHY DID THE AUTO START-STOP ACTIVATE IF THE BATTERY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH JUICE TO ACTIVATE THE ENGINE?? TWO DIFFERENT BATTERIES, SAME ISSUE.
AS I'M DRIVING AND TAP MY BREAKS, MY STEERING WHEEL SHAKES. I TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR AND THE DEALER TELLS ME MY FRONT ROTORS ARE WARPED. I'VE ONLY DRIVEN 20,000 MILES AND I'VE GOT TO REPLACE THE ROTORS? THEY TELL ME I'VE GOT TO PAY AND IT'S NOT UNDER WARRANTY, I CALL THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY REFUSE TO HELP ME. ITS A LOW MILEAGE SUV WITH ROTOR ISSUES, THAT TELLS ME VW USES LOW QUALITY PRODUCTS AND WON'T STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT.
EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY PREVIOUS RECALLS I HAVE JUST HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE BRAKE PETAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING LESS THAN 5 MPH. ACTIVE START STOP SYSTEM (FUEL EFFICIENCY) WAS ENGAGED BUT I DO NOT KNOW IF IT WAS ACTIVE. VEHICLE WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC HEADED DOWNHILL. I WAS EXITING A PARKING GARAGE ON A CITY STREET.
BATTERY DIES WITH SHORT IDLE. WAITED LESS THAN 10 MINUTES FOR MY HUSBAND AND WARNING CAME ON TO DRIVE THE CAR TO CHARGE THE BATTERY. I WAS IN A PARKING LOT WITH AIR CONDITIONING ON. ENGINE HAD MANUALLY SHUT OFF SO I WENT TO RESTART AND BATTERY WOULD NOT TURN ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated regarding the passenger’s side air bags. The steering wheel button functionality was inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel failure was repaired under an unknown recall campaign; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
WHILE DRIVING YESTERDAY I WAS EXITING A SHOPPING PLAZA ON A CITY STREET AND TURNED RIGHT AND MY CAR COMPLETELY STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. MANY CARS WERE COMING AND HAD TO SLAM ON THEIR BREAKS THANKFULLY AVOIDING A COLLISION. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE MANEUVER BREAKING SENSORS. I DRIVE AND CONSTANTLY HEAR BEEP BEEP BEEP FROM THEM SENSING SOMETHING, WHEN IN FACT NOTHING IS EVEN NEAR MY CAR. THIS IS A SERIOUS FLAW. PLEASE DO A RECALL ASAP TO FIX THIS.
BATTERY DIED OUT OF NOWHERE. NOW CAR RADIO IS TURNING ON BY ITSELF WHEN CAR IS OFF. HAPPENS REPEATEDLY AFTER ABOUT ONE MINUTE.
I WAS STOPPED AT A BUSY INTERSECTION WHEN THE BATTERY DIED. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME IN 2 WEEKS THAT THE BATTERY DIED. TRAFFIC HAD TO BE REROUTED AROUND ME AS I SAT WAITING FOR A JUMP START. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAY THE BATTER IS ON BACK ORDER WHICH MAKES ME THINK THAT THIS IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM AFFECTING THIS VEHICLE.
THE ANTI-COLLISION BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGES WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVING OUT OF DRIVEWAYS OR STORES WITH A DIP IN THE ROAD. THE SYSTEM IDENTIFIES THE ROAD AS A CAR OR OBSTACLE IN THE WAY AND HARD BRAKES THE VEHICLE LEAVING IS STANDING UNABLE TO MOVE. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!
THE BATTERY HAS GONE DEAD 3 TIMES,, ONCE AT A STOP LIGHT WHILE DRIVING AND ONCE AFTER DRIVING 45 MINUTES, TURNING CAR OFF FOR GAS, THEN DEAD AT GAS STATION ... JUST DROVE TO DEALERSHIP TODAY AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE IN THE WAITING BAY IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, JENNINGS VOLKSWAGEN HAD TO JUMP CAR TO MOVE IT ... WAS SITTING OFF FOR 5 MINUTES AFTER DRIVING FOR 1 HOUR
WAS DRIVING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY AND THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE ALL OF A SUDDEN MALFUNCTIONED AND TURNED ON, AND LOCKED UP ALL MOVEMENT. THE SYSTEM WAS SCREAMING ELECTRONIC BRAKE MALFUNCTION, DO NOT DRIVE, BRAKE IS ACTIVATED. I WAS ABLE TO EVENTUALLY PUT IT BACK UP NEAR MY HOUSE IN THE PARKING PORTION OF THE DRIVEWAY. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THE BRAKE HAS MALFUNCTIONED HOWEVER IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT IT HAS DONE IT WHILE I WAS DRIVING, NORMALLY I CAN TURN OFF THE CAR WAIT ABOUT 5 MINUTES OR SO AND THEN IT'LL STOP MALFUNCTIONING HOWEVER THIS TIME THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I COULD NOT GET THE BRAKE TO TURN OFF. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP (STILL SHOWING A MALFUNCTION AFTER VEHICLE WAS OFF ALL DAY). AT THE DEALER FOR SEVERAL DAYS, THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE INCIDENT AND THE CAR DOES NOT KEEP A LOG OF MALFUNCTIONS INTERNALLY SO THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE DONE. I HAVE A LONG LIST OF PROBLEMS WITH SENSORS, CAMERA SYSTEMS, AND OTHER ELECTRONIC FAILURES GOING BACK THROUGH AUGUST 2018
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK COOLANT INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEGEND VOLKSWAGEN (SIDE A, 158 MERRICK RD, AMITYVILLE, NY 11701) WHERE THEY REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND ADDED COOLANT. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE CONTACT SMELLED COOLANT OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS REGARDING THE COOLANT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COOLANT ODOR BECAME WORSE OVER TIME AND COULD BE SMELLED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,672.
BATTERY WENT DEAD WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER HAS CAR DOES NOT KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO GET NEW BATTERY. DEALER SAYS BATTERY PROBLEM
I PULLED UP TO A RED LIGHT AT A BUSY INTERSECTION AND THE AUTO START/STOP ACTIVATED STOPPING THE ENGINE. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART AND A WARNING POPPED UP STATING THE BATTERY WAS ALMOST DEAD AND I SHOULD DRIVE TO CHARGE THE BATTERY. IT WAS A LITTLE TOO LATE FOR THAT! I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY TYPE OF WARNING PRIOR TO THE BATTERY DYING, AND WHY ON EARTH WOULD THE START/STOP ALLOW THE ENGINE TO STOP IF THE BATTERY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH JUICE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE?? I RECEIVED A LOT OF ANGRY HONKING FROM PEOPLE STUCK BEHIND ME IN THE INTERSECTION, BUT THANKFULLY A COP NEARBY SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND STOPPED ALL TRAFFIC TO ASSIST WITH PUSHING MY VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. MY CAR IS BARELY A YEAR OLD, THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. I WAS THREE MILES FROM A HUGE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND ON MY WAY TO CATCH A FLIGHT, BUT INSTEAD I HAD TO WAIT ON ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO COME HELP MY STRANDED VEHICLE.
TWICE THE ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE WAITING AT A RED LIGHT. HAD TO PUT CAR IN PARK AND RESTART. BOTH TIMES IT WAS IN THE MORNING DURING RUSH HOUR ON A CITY STREET WITH INFANT IN THE CAR, VERY SCARY AND STRESSFUL! THE CAR USUALLY START/STOPS TO SAVE ENERGY BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE IT TURNS COMPLETELY OFF IF YOU'RE STOPPED AT A LIGHT!
2/20/2019 AT 16:19 PST - I WAS DRIVING ON A CLOUDY AFTERNOON, APPROACHING A RAILROAD CROSSING, ABOUT 100 FT AWAY. MY ATLAS' RADAR WAS TRIPPED BY SOMETHING AND THE CAR SLAMMED THE BRAKES TO AVOID A CRASH. EXCEPT THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE ROAD. I AM GLAD THERE WERE NO CARS AROUND ME OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A CRASH.
THE PASSENGER SIDE'S HEADLIGHT SUDDENLY SHATTERED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE CITY, ON A PAVED ROAD. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLE AROUND OR AHEAD OF ME WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 70MPH WITH NO OTHER CARS NEARBY WHEN I HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION/GUNSHOT SOUND AND THEN THE GLASS FROM SUNROOF RAINED DOWN ALL OVER ME. LUCKILY, I ONLY SUSTAINED MINOR ABRASIONS TO MY NECK/BACK FROM THE GLASS. WHEN I LOOKED UP, MOST OF THE GLASS FROM THE FRONT PART OF MY PANORAMIC SUNROOF WAS GONE. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO CLAIMED THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN A ROCK, HOWEVER, NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE NEARBY AND I WAS NOWHERE NEAR AN OVERPASS. THEY RECOMMEND FILING AN INSURANCE CLAIM, WHICH I DID, AND USAA COVERED IT.
VEHICLE DOES NOT STAY IN ECO MODE. DIGITAL DISPLAY SHUTS DOWN RANDOMLY (RADIO DISPLAY) STRUT NOISE UNIDENTIFIED
DRIVER SIDE B PILLAR RATTLE TAPPING. VISIBLE WELD GAP BETWEEN BODY AND SHEET METAL. THE WELD WAS NOT PROPERLY DONE. TAPPING NOISE IS NOTICEABLE WHEN DRIVING OVER BUMPY ROADS OR WHEN PRESSURE IS APPLIED AGAINST THE B PILLAR.
VEHICLE BATTERY STOPPED WORKING WITHIN LESS THAN AN YEAR, DEALERSHIP SERVICE IS HARD TO WORK UNLESS THE CAR IS COMPLETELY DEAD AND WILL INFORM CUSTOMERS THAT THE BATTERY WAS UNDERSIZED ON THE VEHICLE. IT WILL SUDDENLY DIE WHEN AUTO START/STOP FUNCTION IS ENGAGED, IT CAN HAPPEN WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT.
PURCHASED NEW 2018 VW ATLAS WITH NOW, 10K MILES. THE LAST 2 WEEKS THE DASH SENSORS HAVE BEEN RANDOMLY GOING OFF & ON. SUNDAY 02/10 I WAS DRIVING, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE IN MOTION. BRAKES LOCKED, NO STEERING CONTROL, NO ELECTRICAL. WHEN TRIED TO RESTART THE FIRST TIME -T HE SENSOR SAID TO 'DRIVE TO CHARGE 12V BATTERY' BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN BACK OVER TO DO SO. TOWING COMPANY WAS ABLE TO JUMP IT, THE BATTERY WAS RUNNING @ 15V WHICH IS TOO HIGH FOR VW (CONFIRMED WITH SERVICE TECH THIS IS ABNORMAL). WAS NOT ABLE TO KEEP IT RUNNING, SO WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP CALLED & SAID "BAD BATTERY VW ATLAS IS KNOWN FOR CHRONIC BATTERY FAILURE". I WAS TOLD A NEW ONE IS ON BACKORDER WITH NO ETA - BUT THAT MY ATLAS IS SITTING IN THE LOT NEXT TO ANOTHER ATLAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, THAT HAS BEEN WAITING ON A REPLACEMENT FOR 3 WEEKS. WILL USE A LOANER CAR FOR A MONTH UNTIL MINE IS FUNCTIONING. I WAS ALSO TOLD THE REPLACEMENT BATTERY MAY OR NOT BE A FIX/SOLUTION BUT IT'S ALL THEY CAN DO FOR NOW TO GET THE CAR RUNNING. BESIDE MYSELF THERE HAS BEEN NO FORMAL RECALL TO THIS TO PREVENT CATASTROPHIC INJURY TO VW ATLAS OWNERS WHO OWN A VEHICLE THAT FAILS WHILE IN MOTION. LOCATED ON A CITY STREET - DID INVOLVE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO PREVENT ADDITIONAL THREATS TO DANGER IN THE ROADWAYS.
SITTING AT A RED LIGHT AND WHEN IT TURNED GREEN, MY START/STOP FUNCTION WOULD NOT TURN MY CAR BACK ON. THE DASH HAD ALL SORTS OF LIGHTS FLASHING AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START. SAID THE 12V BATTERY WAS DRAINED. HAD TO PUSH MY CAR OUT OF THE WAY AND GET SOMEONE TO JUMP MY CAR.
I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A CITY STREET WHEN IT SUDDENLY JUST SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT COME BACK ON. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, AND THERE IS NO WARNING AND NO WAY TO GET THE CAR PULLED TO SAFETY.
MY ATLAS DIED IN THE DRIVE THRU WHILE RUNNING (STATIONARY BUT ABOUT TO MOVE WHEN IT DIED) WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 25,000 MILES AND HAD JUST BEEN SERVICED LESS THAN ONE MONTH PRIOR. WHEN IT DIED, THE CAR DASH WAS BLINKING DIFFERENT MESSAGES BUT ONE SAID, 'DRIVE TO CHARGE 12V'. I COULDN'T TURN THE ENGINE OVER; THE WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO UP; AND I WAS STUCK IN THE DRIVE THRU FOR ALMOST AN HOUR BEFORE SOMEONE WAS ABLE TO JUMP MY CAR TO GET IT TO THE DEALER. DEALER SAID THEY HAD CHANGED 4-5 BATTERIES OUT OF THE SAME TYPE OF CAR THAT WEEK. THAT WAS THREE WEEKS AGO. NO ETA ON WHEN A BATTERY WILL BE AVAILABLE. I WENT NEARLY 10 TEN DAYS WITHOUT A CAR AND NOW I HAVE A LOANER. NO INFORMATION ON CAUSE OF PROBLEM OR WHETHER A NEW BATTERY WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR VW HAVE GIVEN ME ANY INFORMATION OR GUIDANCE ON WHETHER THE VEHICLE WILL BE SAFE TO DRIVE AFTER BATTERY REPLACEMENT'I REPEATEDLY EXPLAINED THAT MY VEHICLE DIED WHILE RUNNING 'THANKFULLY NOT IN AN INTERSECTION OR RED LIGHT'BUT STILL NO INFORMATION ON THE ISSUE. I ALSO AM NOT GETTING ANY INFORMATION AS TO WHY IT COULD TAKE OVER A MONTH TO EVEN GET A BATTERY.
"ERROR AIRBAG "LIGHT WITH AIRBAG SYMBOL CAME DURING DRIVING ON 2-2-2019, ERROR WILL NOT GO AWAY AFTER TURNING ENGINE ON AND OFF VEHICLE,VW 2018 ATLAS V6 SE E-MAIL: (XXXX) PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
BATTERY DIED AFTER LESS THAN ONE YEAR (BAD CELL)
I WAS SITTING WITH MY CAR PARKED IN A SCHOOL PICK-UP LINE, NO-IDLE ZONE, SO I HAD MY VW ATLAS RUNNING ON IT'S BATTERY. THE BATTERY DIED OUT OF THE BLUE AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THERE SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING BATTERY ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE AS IT HAS HAD A HARD TIME TURNING OVER THIS PAST WEEK. THIS CAR IS ONLY 1 YEAR OLD AND SHOULDN'T BE FACING THIS ISSUE. I'M GLAD I WASN'T IN AN INTERSECTION WHEN IT HAPPENED, AS I'VE READ HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS. I'M TAKING IT IN TO VW FOR INSPECTION, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M ONE OF MANY WHO IS RUNNING INTO THE VW BATTERY ISSUE AND I WANTED TO MAKE IT KNOWN.
1/28/19 CAR STARTS FINE,DRIVE 15 MIN, RUN 3 ERRANDS, THEN CAN'T START CAR. ELECTRONIC DISPLAY HAS ALL WARNING ICONS FLASHING. BATTERY TEST 50% POWER.JUMPSTART CAR,EPC AND ENGINE ICONS STAY LIT. CHARGE BATTERY AT HOME. CAR RUNS FINE FOR 2 DAYS.THEN CAR WON'T START AGAIN, EPC ICON LIT, RUN CAR 20 MINUTES, THEN TRY TO DRIVE CAR BUT CANNOT EXCEED 13 MPH. CALL FOR TOW; TRUCK NEVER ARRIVES ( 3+ HOURS). ATTEMPT TO START CAR, STARTS FINE, NO WARNINGS LIT; DRIVE TO DEALER. DEALER SAYS BATTERY "DEFECTIVE", REPLACES UNDER WARRANTY. CAR HAS 26600 MILES AND I HAVE OWNED FOR 18 MONTHS. DEALER SAYS EPC NOT LIT WHILE THEY LOOKED AT THE CAR SO THEY CANNOT ADDRESS. RIDICULOUS. CAR FINE FOR 2 DAYS, THEN EPC LIGHT BACK ON. I HAVE SPENT PROBABLY 40 HOURS OR MORE AT VW DEALERSHIP WAITING FOR VARIOUS REPAIRS OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS. A GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALS MANY VW ATLAS HAVE EPC PROBLEMS, AND IF YOU JUST GOOGLE VOLKSWAGEN AND EPC YOU CAN FIND HUNDREDS OF POSTINGS FOR THIS ISSUE WITH ALMOST EVERY VW MODEL. I WILL BE TAKING THE CAR BACK IN BUT AM NOT CONFIDENT I WILL GET A SATISFACTORY REPAIR BASED ON ALL THE OTHER ONLINE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE
TWICE I HAVE BEEN STRANDED BECAUSE THE AUTO START STOP IS NOT PROVIDING ENOUGH POWER TO THE BATTERY AND THEREFOR THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START SOMETIMES WITHOUT BEING JUMPED. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED TWICE BECAUSE THE AUTO SHUT OFF HAS TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AT A LIGHT AND THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTARTE.
THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEM KEEPS ACTIVATING WITHOUT REASON, SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES, WHEN THERE ARE NO OBSTACLES IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENS EVEN WHEN 'FRONT ASSIST' AND 'LANE ASSIST' ARE SWITCHED OFF. DURING OUR TRIP FROM TEXAS TO ARIZONA AND BACK, THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 10 TIMES. IT ALWAYS OCCURS WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS SWITCHED ON, WHILE IN THE LEFT LANE, PASSING A SEMI TRUCK. EACH TIME, THE ATLAS WAS CLEARLY IN OUR LANE AND THE TRUCK WAS DEFINITELY IN ITS LANE, NOT WANDERING OVER THE LANE DIVIDER. IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN ON A STRAIGHT AWAY AND ALSO WHEN PASSING A TRUCK ON A LEFT CURVE. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD. IF ANY VEHICLE HAD BEEN CLOSE BEHIND US WHEN IT ACTIVATED, IT WOULD HAVE SLAMMED INTO THE BACK OF US.
BATTERY WILL NOT TURN ON, CAR IS ONLY 12 MONTHS OLD, THERE WERE NO ISSUES FOR THE REASONING FOR THE BATTERY TO NOT WORK.
THE BATTERY KEEPS DYING. I BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE THE START/STOP SYSTEM IS TOO MUCH FOR THE BATTERY. THE BATTERY DIES IF WE STOP THE CAR AND IDLE FOR MORE THAN 2-3 MINUTES, WITH THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM RUNNING.
ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND RED EXCLAMATION CAUTION WARNING LIGHTS ON VEHICLE COME ON FROM TIME TO TIME WITHOUT WARNING. THESE WARNING LIGHTS COME ON DURING NORMAL CITY DRIVING CONDITIONS. THESE LIGHTS USUALLY GO OFF ON THEIR OWN OR AFTER TURNING VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON.
VEHICLE HESITATES EXCESSIVELY UNDER ACCELERATION AT TIMES, IN BOTH FORWARD AND REVERSE GEARS. WON'T BACK UP A MILD GRADE (LIKE A DRIVEWAY) WITHOUT EXCESSIVE ACCELERATION, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH. WON'T ACCELERATE AFTER SLOWING BEHIND A TURNING VEHICLE WITHOUT EXCESSIVE ACCELERATION, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH.
MY CAR BATTERY HAS DIED TWICE NOW IN 2 MONTHS ON A CAR THAT IS ONLY ABOUT 1 YEAR OLD. WITHOUT WARNING AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET IT JUMPSTARTED AGAIN. TAKING IT INTO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT INSPECTED BUT HAVE SEEN SEVERAL FORUMS OF OTHERS WHO OWN THE SAME CAR THAT HAVE ALSO HAD THIS ISSUE.
The Blind Spot and Rear traffic alert keep on turning themselves off. This has been happening randomly since 2019 and the vehicle has been back to the dealer in excess of 20 times. This is a major safety issue as my wife doesn’t always realize that these systems have decided to go offline. The vehicle has been in and out of the dealer and VW technical services have been involved but is no resolution. The vehicle now has 80k miles on it but the problem first occurred at 25k miles.
THE VEHICLES BATTERY IS DYING.
THE BATTERY DIED WHEN THE CAR WAS SIX MONTHS OLD WHILE IN A STORE PARKING LOT. THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD FUEL CELL AND REPLACED IT WITH THE SAME BATTERY. 8 MONTHS LATER THE BATTERY DIED AGAIN IN THE SNOW WITH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR. WE WERE UNABLE TO JUMP IT. THE BATTERY DYING IS NOW A KNOW ISSUE AND THEY WILL REPLACE IT WITH A DIFFERENT BATTERY. BUT THEY ARE NOT RECALLING IT YET EVEN THOUGH IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. MY FRIENDS ATLAS DIED AT A STOP LIGHT DUE TO THE AUTO SHUT OFF FEATURE. IT IS INCREDIBLY UNSAFE.
I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE BATTERY DYING ON MY ATLAS FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. I HAVE DRIVEN IT, GONE INTO A STORE FOR 5 MINUTES AND COMING BACK OUT AND THE BATTERY IS DEAD. OR THE CAR WON'T START THE NEXT MORNING AFTER SITTING MY HEATED GARAGE OVERNIGHT. IN MY INSTANCE THE CAR HAS BEEN STATIONARY THE ENTIRE TIME BUT I KNOW OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN WHILE IN MOTION. THIS HAS HAPPENED 7-8 TIMES RECENTLY AND ITS UNACCEPTABLE FOR THIS TO BE HAPPENING ON A CAR THIS NEW. I HAVE NOT HAD THE CAR NOT RESTART IN AN INTERSECTION YET LIKE MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD HAPPEN BUT REGARDLESS ITS STILL A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN AND VW NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. I HAVE READ MANY ITEMS THAT PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN THEIR CARS INTO THE DEALER TO GET THE BATTERY REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. VW NEEDS TO RECALL 2018 ATLAS'S FOR THIS PROBLEM AND FIND A PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY AN ISSUE THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT AND NEED TO TAKE ACTION ON IT NOW. I CAN'T HAVE MY FAMILY IN VEHICLE THAT THAT I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WILL OR WILL NOT START.
THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START IF IT IS REALLY COLD OR IT HAS BEEN SITTING FOR DAYS WITHOUT BEING STARTED. I AM TAKING IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY.
EPC LIGHT PLUS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CAR WOULD NOT START. DEALER REPLACING BATTERY, BUT CONCERNED IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN BASED ON CASES I'VE READ IN VW FORUMS: HTTPS://WWW.CARGURUS.COM/CARS/DISCUSSION-T73111_DS837472. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, PARKED IN A SCHOOL PARKING LOT.
AT ROUGHLY 5000 MILES 2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS SE 2.0T BEGAN HAVING A LOT OF NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT SUSPENSION. NOISE HAPPENED MOSTLY AT LOWER SPEEDS AND WAS A RATTLE AS WELL AS A BOTTOMING OUT SOUND. VEHICLE WAS ALSO PULLING HARD TO THE RIGHT AND ALIGNMENT SEEMED TO BE OFF. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN INTO VW DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. INITIAL REPORT WAS THAT THE FRONT BOOTS WERE LEAKING GREASE AND THOUGHT TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, BOOTS WERE REPLACED AND TECHNICIANS STILL NOTED A SOUND COMING FROM THE SAME AREA. STEERING AND AXLE PARTS WERE OVERNIGHTED 4 TIMES, EACH PART NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE IS STILL AT THE DEALERSHIP. AXLE AND ALIGNMENT PROBLEMS COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO THE VEHICLE BEING PULLED OUT OF THE LANE OF TRAVEL AND CAUSE A WRECK. DEALERSHIP REPORTS THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ALIGNMENT OF THE VEHICLE.
ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AS WELL AS EPC WARNING LIGHT CAME ON DURING NORMAL CITY DRIVING. POWER AND PICK UP OF THE VEHICLE BECAME GREATLY REDUCED MAKING TRAVEL OVER 15-20 MPH IMPOSSIBLE. UPON ARRIVING HOME AND TURNING CAR OFF, VEHICLE WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO RESTART. CAR WAS TOWED FROM HOME TO DEALERSHIP WERE IT WAS FOUND THAT ELECTRICAL MECHANISM IN VEHICLES HIGH POWERED FUEL PUMP MALFUNCTIONED AND QUIT WORKING. HIGH POWERED FUEL PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED.
DROVE TO HUSBANDS OFFICE AND PARKED IN LOT. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES RECEIVED A WARNING THAT I NEEDED TO DRIVE TO CHARGE BATTERY. TRIED TO GO BUT CAR WOULDN'T START. HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. SERVICE CENTER SAID THAT BATTERY WAS DEAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN JULY 2018. READ ONLINE THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH 2018 ATLAS.
VEHICLE, INSIDE OUR GARAGE, WILL NOT TURN ON. BATTERY IS DEAD, RECEIVE ERROR MESSAGE THAT 12V BATTERY IS LOW, LIGHTS FLASH AND SOUNDS HAPPEN, BUT WILL NOT TURN OVER. OUR ATLAS IS JUST OVER A YEAR OLD. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, VARIOUS LIGHTS CAME ON THEN WENT AWAY AND DIDN'T RETURN UNTIL TODAY. ALSO WAITING ON RECALL FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTER THAT WAS BEFORE CHRISTMAS DUE TO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON OVER AND OVER. BEEN AT LEAST 3 WEEKS WAITING FOR THAT PART. DISAPPOINTED IN AN EXPENSIVE NEW CAR HAVING THIS MANY PROBLEMS RIGHT FROM THE START. CALLING THE DEALER TODAY ABOUT THE BATTERY ISSUE. FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS THE CAR THAT IS DRIVEN ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR MY HUSBAND'S COMMUTE TO WORK AND KEPT IN THE GARAGE.
INTERMITTENT STALLS, SOMETIMES IN TRAFFIC OR AT BUSY INTERSECTION DURING NORMAL OPERATION AND CAUSED BY DISCHARGED BATTERY AND/OR POOR BATTERY CHARGING