5.4

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,782 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas electrical problems

electrical problem

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2018 Volkswagen Atlas Owner Comments (Page 1 of 5)

problem #94

Mar 272024

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

EPC light came on and shut the car down at highway speeds. Car was incapacitated. Had car taken to dealer and was told the computer indicated a problem with the fuel injection wiring harness. Was told this is a common recall for 2018 Atlas and Tiguan models but my vin was not included in the recall but could not give me a reason. Had to pay to have wiring harness replaced. Contacted Volkswagen and they refuse to acknowledge a safety issue with my vehicle even though there are open recalls on the wiring harness that shut my vehicle down while driving. My family could have been seriously injured or we could have caused a major accident because this car was somehow excluded from inclusion and notification of the recall

- Gulf Breeze, FL, USA

problem #93

Mar 052024

Atlas

  • miles
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the delay in the repair of a recall affecting my 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SEL. The recall (Manufacturer Recall Number 69FB, NHTSA Recall Number 23V215) was issued on March 29th, 2023, due to a fault in the Passenger Occupant Detection System (PODS), which may result in the passenger airbag being switched off erroneously. This poses an increased risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash. Despite having attempted to schedule an appointment with my local Volkswagen dealership from which I bought this vehicle in August of 2023, I was informed that there was no remedy yet available, and to this day almost a full year later there is still no repair that has been made available within a reasonable timeframe. Any attempt to contact Volkswagen directly for any updates has produced no useful information, and their only solution at this time is to advise owners of affected vehicles not to have anyone ride in the front passenger seat. This delay in resolving the safety issue poses a significant risk to both myself and the other approximately 140,000 Volkswagen Atlas owners affected by this recall. As a responsible vehicle owner, I am deeply troubled by the apparent lack of urgency in addressing this matter. It is also very frustrating to not safely have full use of a vehicle that I have paid for, and continue to pay for. I urge the NHTSA to intervene and expedite the repair process to ensure the safety of all affected vehicles on the road. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a swift resolution.

- College Station , TX, USA

problem #92

Jan 242024

Atlas

  • miles
I purchased this vehicle in August of last year (2023), where I was made aware that the vehicle had a recall, however there was no mention that there was no fix for the recall. Thinking that the recall fix was available I have been reaching out to the dealer to schedule an appointment to bring the car in, however I keep getting that there is still no fix and there is no timeframe on when it will become available.

- Helena, MT, USA

problem #91

Mar 292023

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There has been an airbag recall on my 2018 VW Atlas since March of 2023 with no remedy from the manufacturer even though it-??s been almost a year. Manufacturer has advised that passengers should not use the front passenger seat until a remedy is available. I have not been able to have someone ride in my front passenger seat for almost a year with no advice or remedy from VW. Vehicle has been in dealership to try to fix this 3-4 times but fix has not worked.

- Waltham, MA, USA

problem #90

Mar 292023

Atlas

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the air conditioning system would activate unintendedly. Additionally, the windshield wiper blade speed would fluctuate while functioning. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- White Plains, NY, USA

problem #89

Nov 302023

Atlas

  • miles
Vehicle displays -??Brake booster faulty-?? and all warning lights trigger. Vehicle auto brakes itself and stops with little ability to steer. No warning/fault codes were stored when brought into the repair shop to address the issue and they could not duplicate it. It is an intermittent problem but looking at online forums it is NOT ISOLATED AND IS DANGEROUS.

- Milton , WI, USA

problem #88

Aug 112023

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2018 atlas 3.6 sel premium 4 motion. 3rd time in for service for fuel injector MIL code and misfiring with no resolve. Computer was reprogrammed from VW and compression test and replacement of injectors. Mil code turned on again for misfiring. Vehicle will loose full driving power and only drive at lower speeds without accepting the overdrive when depressing pedal.

- Lakewood, CA, USA

problem #87

Nov 092023

Atlas

  • miles
My driver side visor bulb started going on and off then eventually quit working. I brought the vehicle to my purchasing dealer who changed the bulb which then blew the fuse and caused almost every light to turn on on the dash screen. Most of the lights were cleared but there is still a front assist light remaining on and volkswagen has said it needs to be recalibrated. the electrical wiring of the visor has a short and needs to be changed but it is clear it is related to other electrical systems.

- Saint Martinville, LA, USA

problem #86

Oct 102023

Atlas

  • 87,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the Auto START/STOP feature failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while pressing the START/STOP button, the vehicle failed to start immediately. The contact stated that the vehicle eventually started after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who retrieved several fault codes. The vehicle was also taken to the dealer where it was purchased, and the contact was informed that the START/STOP battery was likely the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

- Martinsville, IN, USA

problem #85

Sep 212023

Atlas

  • miles
When starting up my vehicle the battery turns on but the engine will not start. My dash will light up with multiple warnings. These are the specific ones that warn me: Error: electronic stabilization control (ESC) Error: hill hold assist BRAKE - Brake booster faulty ERROR: Hill hold assist Front assist not available. ERROR: tire pressure monitoring system. Trans. in emerg. Mode. You can continue driving. FAULT: electronic parking brake. Eventually my car starts up, but this is after several attempts. Once I shut car off and go to start back up, it goes through the whole process again. My car was taken into Volkswagen dealership and they said it was my fuel pump, fuel filter & battery. They -??fixed-?? that but by the time I drove my car home, the issue started back up again. My safety is 100% put at risk because not only does my car not start up right away but I can be driving my vehicle and it will slow me down on a main highway and make me brake and then I need to attempt to restart my car to get it started up again several times. I have children I drive around in this vehicle and it is not safe to drive. My car has been illuminating the check engine light and all the other ones for each error I stated above. The problem itself has not been identified. When I did research, the 2019-2020 VW Atlas-??s were recalled for this same issue it seems. But mine wasn-??t because it is a 2018.

- Crofton , MD, USA

problem #84

Aug 222023

Atlas

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving the vehicle was in drive moving on the road and literally turned off. Completely disabled in the road. I purchased a new battery in September 2022, got the battery tested again and there-??s no issue with it. Mechanics can-??t find an issue. I had the engine stop feature off (the light is on when it-??s off) and it turned itself off prior to the car shutting off completely. I was unable to restart and someone had to assist in Pushing my vehicle out of the road then jumpstart my car. Again I had everything thoroughly checked and there are no active issues.

- Leominster, MA, USA

problem #83

Aug 192023

Atlas

  • miles
Doors continue to lock and unlock in the back where my children sit. This is while we are driving down the road. Front passenger door does not unlock or lock.

- Lindale, TX, USA

problem #82

Jul 012023

Atlas

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15-20 MPH and approaching a stop, while decelerating, the vehicle inadvertently shut off. The START/STOP feature became inoperable. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle rolled into an intersection. While her husband was driving, the START/STOP feature became inoperable. The contact stated that the -??START/STOP System/Restart Manually-?? message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who drove the vehicle for approximately four miles but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Waterbury, VT, USA

problem #81

May 302023

Atlas

  • miles
When braking normally, the AEB alert tone sounded, and the display showed a red BRAKE warning with "Brake Booster Failure" displayed on-screen. The brakes then became extremely sensitive and caused the car to abruptly grind to a stop with full ABS action. This occurred in traffic, and the car behind me narrowly avoided a collision due to the uncommanded abrupt halt. I pulled over and the error cleared itself after a few seconds. I pulled the diagnostic error codes from the ECU, and this is the output: 0213 [0x0000D5] Archive (inactive) C10A329: Vacuum sensor, Implausible signal Single Vacuum Pressure Sensor sends no valid data Status bits: 1 Priority: 1 Frequency: 1 Unlearning index: 84 Odometer: 27031 km Date, time: 2023.03.27 09:34:50 Paramteric values: 00 00 80 18 32 00 00 00 CF 47 00 00 02 FF 00 5E 02 40 B0 00 00 00 10 Status: Confirmed (This is from a previous activation, but the recent one is the same). This is the third time this has happened, but the first to put me in actual danger of a crash. I have previously brought this to the dealer but no fix was applied. They were aware of this happening on other vehicles but they did not have a fix. The model year after was recalled due to wiring issues, but my car has never been recalled for anything related. I believe this is a significant safety issue and should be addressed by the manufacturer before it causes a serious incident.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #80

May 242023

Atlas

  • miles
The Passenger Air Bag light comes on at random times, even when sitting in seat. It says the airbag detection system may be faulty and the airbag may not deploy when needed. There is a recall for some Volkswagen's but not mine. This light has been coming on for 2 years and it sounds like the recall but since my VIN number is not in the recall, I cannot get it fixed. I believe this may be the same problem as can be life threatening in an accident or another time. I would like Volkswagen to check and fix this under the recall that was made in 4/2023. Please help if you can.

- Herndon , VA, USA

problem #79

Apr 102023

Atlas

  • miles
Vehicle would indicate normal assistance features were no longer available. Then after sitting for the evening and trying to start in the morning the car would not turn over. Could recharge the battery and turn over no issues. Again after sitting for a little while the car battery would be dead again and not want to turn over.

- Olympia, WA, USA

problem #78

Apr 212023

Atlas

  • miles
Airbag error light keeps popping on and beeping this is a problem because I have a family that ride in the car with me and this has been a problem long before I purchased the vehicle so why haven-??t it been fixed yet

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #77

Apr 132023

Atlas

  • miles
I have a recall on my vehicle that is potentially life threatening if the vehicle is in an accident and the manufacturer has no remedy for it yet. What do I do?

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #76

Apr 122019

Atlas

  • 120,000 miles
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.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #75

Mar 172023

Atlas

  • miles
My atlas just stalls out and shuts off completely when I-??m at a light or just sitting-?? sometimes it-??s starts back up sometimes I have to wait. The engine light come on or I would get a reading my auto /shutoff is error.

- Waldorf , MD, USA

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