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.
First issues started with the engine surging at low speeds or coming to a stop which progressed into complete engine stalls. Had the car at the dealer 3 different times, it doesn-??t stall anymore but still surges. Have had multiple occurrences of instrument panel indicators going off to include Error:airbag, seatbelt light and beeps while seatbelt was fastened, frontal crash warning lights and sounds as well as watch for rear traffic lights and sounds (one being while I was backing out of the garage where there are no cars) and the last being engaging the parking brake multiple time while at a stop light. This vehicle definitely does not feel safe for me to drive myself and 2 children around in. A major accident could occur if airbags deploy randomly or don-??t deploy when needed or if the parking brake is engaged while in motion and not while at a light next time. I don-??t see how any of these issues aren-??t a recall or being told by dealers that they-??ve never heard of an issue before.
Purchased car from VW on 04/24/21. Noticed an issue the car breaking on its own at low speeds less then 5mph and then completely shutting off, about a month into owning it. 08/19/21 car was taken in for service to fix the automatic breaking issue/shutting off. Car was returned to me about a week later stating the "problem" was fixed. In December 2021, I started noticing the problem again, as this point I assume since the "problem" was fixed maybe this was just how the car was. Finally in March of 2022 while driving at a speed of about 30MPH the car started breaking on its own and completed shut off in the middle of driving! At that point it called my local VW and told them they need to take the Car in ASAP to have it looked at the fix this problem once and for all, as of now this is a MAJOR safety issue. Myself and my children could have been seriously injured from this incident!! After my local VW having the car for a few hours they called and said the issue was the newest recall with the door wiring harness and they will have my car for the "unforeseeable" future due to no repair in place at this time. Even if they claim to have "fixed" this issue again, I will never trust them as they claimed to have fixed it a previous time and they clearly DID NOT!!
Vehicle is completely shutting down while in drive. Occurring during acceleration and deceleration. No warning given before car shuts down. Just immediately stops in road. I had to restart car and avoid traffic. Dealership has been notified. Service department has stated there is a solution but no availability of parts. Suggested appointment for service to inspect vehicle and to put order in for recall part. Will inspect car but says the vehicle issues seem related to the recall. Unable to provide loaner cars and unable to provide date that part will be available. Service department does not have date of when part will be available, anticipates one to two months. Dealership has been notified. Service department has stated that car should be safe to drive even with no remedy for recall at this time. Owner told its kind of just a faith thing right now and it should be okay to drive. False warning sensors illuminating when vehicle is being driven. Forward collision warning lighting up while driving but no vehicles or objects in front of vehicle. Dealership has been notified. Service department indicates it may be related to the recall. Driver side window hesitating to roll up and down. Window has moved without the driver pushing window button. Intermittent parking break sensors go off and emergency break automatically stops car. Message appearing that there is rear traffic. Occurs when no other vehicle, persons, and or objects are in the vehicle's rear area. When reversing I physically am using the vehicles mirrors and my own vision before making any attempt to reverse. This false alarm and sudden emergency break initiated by the car causes a major safety concern for the driver, passenger, as well as the safety of everyone in the area of the vehicle. Warning for Airbag error appears randomly and then dissapears. This is a major saftely concern for the driver and family. First recall for Front Stabilizer Coupling Rod completed 12/22/2021.
The vehicle has had issues with the torque converter, head, head gasket, electrical system, gas cap door, seat belt. VW has not been able to fix the issues
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal squealing noise while accelerating from a stationary start. The contact indicated that the noise was present for approximately three seconds before ceasing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced an engine valve however, the failure continued. No further information was available. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.
- Cranston, RI, USA
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While at stop light or stopped for another reason (i.e. stop sign, turning, etc.) engine shuts off (Auto on/off is always disabled), alert on dashboard says -??Please Start Engine Manually-??. Cars behind me have come within inches of slamming into me due to sudden engine shut off.
The stop start system is faulty. I was at a stop sign and when I tried to go -??start engine manually-?? pops up on the screen. I had to put the car in park at a busy intersection and restart the car.
Purchased my car in may of 2019 in Jan/Feb while driving coolant light came on ' verified coolant was low once vehicle was able to cool down took it to the dealer they said it evaporated and there is nothing wrong fast forward to April of 2021 coolant light came on again while driving, vehicle had roughly 11,500 miles. Coolant was again low but the light came off by itself. Took it one dealer said it probably evaporated and they refilled it, taking it to another but they already indicated it is probably just evaporating. It is a closed system it is evaporating but where... tried to explain this to them they told me not to believe many other online forums and that my car is probably fine. Except it is not fine it is brand new car leaking coolant....
At 8,860 miles coolant level warning appeared while in motion on a city street. I believe we are experiencing a coolant leak issue. Recommended coolant was added to proper level and after 1,000 miles the level is noticeably low again. The vehicle should be pressure tested to find the leak and repair head gasket, water pump, or leaky hose.
Coolant looses 8oz of fluid every 2 months, dealer says it "just evaporates" it only has 12017 miles on it. Just search all the forums to see all the complaints of the same issue.
Fuel injector cracked at 21K miles while on the highway. Fuel was spewing all over the engine and ground. There was a burning smell and loud winding noise as well. Also loss of power and acceleration. Had just enough power to get off of the highway. Was very worried. Possible fire risk.
The car randomly does not accelerate at low speeds when changing lanes in traffic, has a screeching noise upon acceleration that VW says is a normal loud noise because its too expensive to repair all the vehicles (that's the exact words from the VW mechanic). I have a video that shows the problem with exceleareation yet VW tells me they're nothing wrong with the car. The sway bars have been replaced two times in 6 months and the problem still isn't repaired. The auto collision randomly works.
The vehicle shuts down while driving. It has happen 3 times. Auto start/stop is disengaged each time. One incident (6/19/20) while driving 50mph, had to coast into a parking lot & restart the engine. Another (8/19/20) when slowing down to go into our driveway. Took the car to the dealer after each of these incidents. They could not diagnose the issue. Dealer has contacted VW tech & engineering. We have started file with VW customer care. We were instructed by VW that the next time it happens, leave the car where it stops & to call customer care for a tow. We also have had an issue with one key not being recognized by the car on several occasions. Today, the instrument display & the radio shut down while idling at cvs (auto start/stop was off).
Grinding and squealing noise when accelerating from stop to go as it last for up to 5 seconds each time. Many Atlas's have this issue based on the forums and VW states that is normal for vehicle which is ridiculous to hear. This should be a recall as the concern is the torque converter.
Twice this vehicle has shut down while driving. In March while on an interstate going 70 mph. And one time excelling while leaving an exit ramp. I rolled off to side of road and put in park. Gave it a test and it then restarted.
Have had my 2019 Volkswagen sel R line 4 motion for less than a month with only 2,000 miles on it. Was driving down the road not 20 minutes later on route 66 the coolant light came on telling us it was low and needed to be checked. We pulled over and the overflow tank was empty. We immediately call Volkswagen okc and the sales manager was in disbelief also. She told us to get it to them as soon as possible and they would take care of it. We added water to it and only water so we didn't jeopardize our warranty. Didn't make it 5 minutes when it said it was low again and over heating. We added more water as needed and got it back to dealership. The service department was closing so they gave us a loaner and told us we would hear from them first thing Monday. We didn't hear from them on Monday so I called them first thing Tuesday morning. At this time they informed me a rock or debris from road flew up and punctured a small hole in radiator and we would be responsible for the $1,500 in damage because road debris isn't covered by warranty. I was beside myself! we just bought a $40,000 car and now not even a month later they are telling me this wasn't their problem. Volkswagen Oklahoma city seemed so nice and eager to please when we were purchasing our vehicle and then this happened. I told them my worry was how this problem would not happen again, every time I pull out of drive way I have to worry about a rock causing $1,500 worth of damage"???" this doesn't seem right. I feel like it's a factory defect and needs to be fixed immediately. I did research online and found other testimonials about their Atlas having coolant problems.
The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while accelerating at various speeds there an abnormal sound from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to (timmons Subaru 3950 cherry ave, long beach, ca 90807 (888) 496-9707) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a failure with the gearbox. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,748.
When the vehicle comes to a stop and the auto start/stop activates, the vehicle will sometimes not auto restart and will display, "please manually restart the engine". in order to follow the prompts and start the vehicle again, you have to put the vehicle in park and push the ignition button. I was able to recreate this issue 100% of the time by coming to a stop, having the ignition auto stop and then removing my seat belt (like you often do in a drive-thru to get your wallet out of your back pocket). I've also found that even though the vehicle will display, "please manually restart" if you reconnect your seat belt and push the gas pedal, the car will take off in drive. I"ve had this happen unexpectedly on four different occasions now and some incidents have occurred in the street and occurred even when the seat belt was attached. This is a major safety issue that could result in a crash with serious injury or death. The vehicle has been to VW twice now over the issue and the dealer tries to claim that's how the vehicle is designed to operate. I showed them page 173 in the owner's manual which states that all three of the following conditions must be met for the vehicle not to auto restart: No pedal is depressed, the driver's seat belt is removed, and the driver's door is opened. The word all is in bold and capitalized in the owners manual. My vehicle is currently back at the dealership and I've also contacted VW corporate in reference to the issue. The loaner Atlas the dealer gave me performs in the same defective manner. I believe there's a computer programming issue and all Atlas' need recalled to correct the issue because they're not performing per the owner's manual; which could lead to serious injury or death. There is video of the issue and the dealer was able to recreate the problem as well even though they are fighting me to correct the issue.
Coolant level is low. They said is a leak on it which is going inside the engine. This a major major issue for this brand and expensive car. My car had only 8400 miles on it. One year old. This is on unacceptable, for so much money I payed. And so much for 'german engineering' please investigate this not the first vehicle complaing look at the fb page VW Atlas complains.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Orange Park, FL, USA