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.
The rear of the vehicle dropped 5" to 6" after driving approx. 400miles. The driver side wheel well is 1.5" from the tire & the passenger side is 2" away. The wheel well has a "warped" wheel well. The springs seems to be locked or dropped. Looking at the Atlas in profile the rear is lower than the front. Before the trip I was able to walk under the tailgate when open without hitting my head & now the rear of the vehicle is low, I have to bend over to prevent hitting my head. Please note, I am not a trained service tech. I am an owner; I am doing a process of elimination for why the rear is lower. I searched google & found that in February Volkswagen recalls 6,322 vehicles to repair faulty rear springs. But my vehicle was not listed on the recall. I am out of state from my purchased dealer & the local dealer does not have a recall listed as "faulty rear springs" for my VIN. We have 20' black rims / wheels on the vehicle. The photo shows the factory installed trailer hitch receiver at 13" & according to VW website it should 19". (Feb. 18, 2019 - Volkswagen has recalled 6,000 vehicles to repair possible faulty rear springs. According to the automaker, it is possible that a rear coil spring might shatter causing handling problems and the possibility for an accident.)
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V904000 (suspension). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time to repair the vehicle. Volkswagen of asheville (621 brevard rd, asheville, nc 28806, (828) 232-4000) was contacted and confirmed that parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. Consumer states that dealer informed them that parts were available. Vehicle was taken in and suspension was replaced.
Purchased the Atlas brand new. 2000 miles in started to hear loud rattling noise coming from the front of the car like the struts were going bad, took to dealership they stated my dust boot cover was stuck and just needed to be greased. 1000-2000 more miles later same noise came back took it to the dealership they couldn't duplicate the noise it is especially loud when going over bumps. I made shop manager ride with me and he heard the noise. He replaced a strut mount and dust cover. 2500 more miles later and the noise is back. Boot cover is stuck again. Dealership fixed it again car is back in the shop for the noise again. Problem has been reported to VW no response yet. This is the 4th rental car I have had due to this problem. On the third go around they told me they fixed the problem and I didn't even get out of the parking lot and heard the noise. Turned right around and took it back. They gave my rental car back and had my car for a week.
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.
The driver side, front wheel suspension system has been replaced twice due loud vibration noises, rattling noises, and repeated steering issues. The steering wheel violently jerks to the right or left and pulls the car out of the desired direction of travel. The VW Atlas is at the dealership service department for a third time since date of pirchase (Feb 2018) for the same steering issues and noise issues. The 'auto-braking' system that's designed to prevent rear end collissions has malfunctioned on two separate occasions. Both malfunctions were when pulling out of a parking lot with a downgraded slope toward the street. On both occasions, as I was pulling out of the parking lot to merge into moving traffic, the electronic braking system engaged as the car was moving down the sloped parking lot exit leaving the VW Atlas frozen in place as street traffic was rapidly approaching. I had to put the VW Atlas in 'park' and back in 'drive' in order to release the electronic break system. This auto-breaking feature has created to safety situations where my VW Atlas was completely stopped while attempting to merge with moving traffic, nearly causing accidents in both situations.
The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that the vehicle made a loud noise while driving at any speed. The vehicle was taken to bayside Volkswagen (31 watermill lane, great neck NY, 11021, 516-348-2500) where it was diagnosed that the shocks were made with defective material and needed to be replaced. The shocks were not replaced because the dealer stated that the parts were unavailable for the repair. The manufacturer was notified and provided case number: 180142985. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 800.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Jackson Heights, NY, USA