7.0

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
8,739 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #11

Aug 192023

Atlas

  • miles
Unit will not start when showing 1/4 tank of fuel on a 3.85 degree decline. Fear of duplication of condition while in use on roadside. Condition is normal according to the manufacture. Condition is normal according to the manufacturer. P0089 and P0087 active with 1/4 tank on MFD display on a 3.85 degree decilne.

- Carlisle, PA, USA

problem #10

Dec 232022

Atlas

  • miles
Every display ECM warning light has come on. Yes, it is reproducible. All ADAS failed at once. Normal system such as brakes, steering, electrical & head unit display becomes random.

- Merritt Island, FL, USA

problem #9

Sep 052022

Atlas

  • miles
While driving my 2019 Volkswagen Atlas, there was a sudden and significant loss of power accompanied by a check engine light and "ECP" warning light. My engine was sputtering and and would not accelerate. I immediately needed to pull off the road as it was not safe for other drivers. I turned the car off and then back on. The "ECP" light went away but the CEL remained and the engine still had a noticeable sputter. I brought my car to a local VW dealer for inspection. They diagnosed the issue as a faulty fuel injector that needed immediate replacement. Any further damage could cause a fuel leak which may lead to a fire hazard. They told me this was a known issue with VW Atlas'. After doing some further research, I see that an NHTSA investigation has already been issued regarding this issue. There are multiple Atlas owners who have reported the exact same issue. I reported this to VW customer service today and they told me they did not consider this a widespread issue, and until a recall is issued, there is nothing they can/will do. There have been no issues with the car prior to this, and this issue occurred out of the blue. It is extremely frustrating because, not only is this resulting in an insanely expensive repair, but my son was in the car with me when the car suddenly lost power on a busy highway. This is a significant issue impacting a larger population of VW owners. Thankfully for us, this was caught before there was a major fuel leak and danger of fire like many others have reported.

- Holland, MI, USA

problem #8

Dec 052020

Atlas

  • 21,000 miles
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.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #7

Jul 202020

Atlas

  • 32,000 miles
Vehicle will not allow over three gallons of gas to be put into the tank during fueling. Vehicle was serviced once at dealership with the fuel canister replaced but after the vehicle as returned within two weeks the vehicle once again will not allow over three gallons to be put into the tank. During fueling the in tank port makes a loud hissing sound and the smell was F gasoline is noticeable within the vehicle.

- Loxahatchee, FL, USA

problem #6

Jun 292020

Atlas 6-cyl

  • 30,480 miles
I have been having problems with the car slamming on brakes for no reason, no cars in front of us we were on the highway driving at about 70 mph. The acc system works sporadically. We were told that when they did the recall repair it deprogrammed the acc which they say there is no software update. My daughter was parking the car and the car shut off on the middle of the road and told her to manually restart the car. There is a grinding noise when accelerating the dealership said this was 'normal and related to the torque converter. The cruise control also works sporadically since the recall repair. The car stalling and slamming on brakes are both very serious safety concerns.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #5

Jan 122020

Atlas

  • 4,900 miles
Vehicle would turn off while in drive. Originally happened when going in reverse up a hill, vehicle warning to put into park and manually restart. Happened 2 more times and was brought in for repair. Dealership was unable to duplicate the issue. It happened again and was brought back to the dealership. They contacted VW and recommended the fuel pump be replaced. They completed the repairs. Then a week later while driving on the parkway at approx. 75 mph the vehicle began slowing down, I was driving in the middle lane, I was able to start to get over to the shoulder as the vehicle started declining speed, I was unable to use the gas, so I was almost coasting to the shoulder. Then it stated put in park and start vehicle manually while the vehicle was still in drive and at a speed of 45. I was able to get to the shoulder and parked the vehicle, everything locked up. There was an epc light on, a check engine light. The vehicle was towed.

- Point Pleasant, NJ, USA

problem #4

Nov 202019

Atlas

  • 1,000 miles
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.

- Trenton, OH, USA

problem #3

Sep 122019

Atlas

  • 5,000 miles
Engine light came on. Strong gas smell inside car. Took to dealership. Has multiple gas leaks and dealership is replacing the gas tank and lines.

- Steamboat Springs, CO, USA

problem #2

Aug 012019

Atlas

  • 100 miles
The gas consumption is below what Volkswagen claims and advertises. Our car averages 14 mpg instead of 19 mpg. On user forums, other Atlas owners have complained about averaging 14 mpg. When we put the car in reverse, it starts to roll forward. The transmission jolts while driving. Since we got the car, the check engine light has been on for an evap leak. The dealership "fixed" it. However, several hours later, the check engine light came back on.

- Mountain View, CA, USA

problem #1

Jun 092019

Atlas

  • 1,650 miles
2019 VW Volkswagen sel-P with 1600 miles. Started the car to come home from the park 2 miles away from home and halfway home the car started cutting out, had very limited power, epc light came on followed shortly by the engine light and a fuel smell. By the time I pulled into my driveway the fuel smell was very strong. Shut the vehicle off and restarted it while someone was looking in the engine compartment. It was immediately seen that a massive amount of fuel was dumping from the fuel rail/injector area at the front of the engine. Raw gas was also seen dripping onto ground. Fuel is only dumping when vehicle is started and running. Luckily drive was a short distance or it is very likely it would have caught fire due to the location of the fuel leak.

- Mount Vernon, WA, USA