2019 Volkswagen Atlas Complaints

STEERING — Filed 05/15/2026

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving, there was an abnormally loud rumbling sound coming from the front of the vehicle. Additionally, the steering wheel made an abnormal clicking sound while making a turn. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics on several occasions to be diagnosed, but the contact was informed that no failure was found. The failure became progressively worse. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with steering rack and pinion failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V590000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered because the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 09/01/2026

Vehicle would stall out of no where every time I would accelerate or put into reverse. Sometimes when I turned into intersections it would stall out. There was no check engine light until over a week later stating evap system charcoal canister. This has happened multiple times, even after being replaced it goes bad again. It’s dangerous when I stall in the middle of traffic especially with having my children with me. I lose all power to the vehicle when it stalls

STEERING — Filed 09/23/2026

The steering wheel does a lot of shaking when turning or on any bumps/holes on the road/highway. The car tremors as the steering wheel shakes. Noisy tremors. And the wheels feel as if they wobble. This has recently been diagnosed at a independent mechanic but can be inspected if necessary. The dealer has not seen the car nor is insurance or police involved been yet. No warnings other than all the tremors and noise from the car. Not sure when they first started.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS,SEATS — Filed 09/18/2026

The plastic seat-release and folding handles on both sides of the second-row seats completely fractured, crumbled, and fell apart under ordinary hand pressure while attempting to fold the seats to install and access child safety restraint systems. This component failure exposes sharp plastic shards, which caused physical scratches/cuts to the operator, and physically restricts rapid or predictable access to the rear rows containing child car seats.Furthermore, the vehicle experiences structural electronic malfunctions where the central infotainment display and the backup-camera screen completely black out unexpectedly while operating, creating sudden blind spots.These defects exist simultaneously alongside two active, unrepaired manufacturer safety recalls on this vehicle: Recall 69FB (NHTSA 23V215) for a Passenger Occupant Detection System airbag malfunction, and Recall 45J6 (NHTSA 22V815) for a Tire Pressure Monitoring System software defect that fails to alert the operator to a sudden loss of pressure in all four tires.The combination of shattered child restraint access handles, erratic backup camera failures, and active unresolved safety software recalls creates an ongoing, extreme liability and safety hazard for occupants and young children. The broken physical components have been fully retained and the defects are available for inspection upon request.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 08/01/2025

Vehicle’s error stop sensor is no longer working: vehicle manages to just completely shut off mid traffic. Also, fuel tank failure. We put gas in it, but it doesn’t show the correct gas level in it. And we’re putting gas in it every day in order to think we have enough gas.

STEERING — Filed 07/15/2026

The car began to make a clacking or popping sound in the steering rack area. Mostly at slow speeds, when turning. The car began exhibiting a steering wobble at very slow speeds, but felt loose at higher speeds. Initially I believed it might be a worn tie rod, but upon inspection I found the entire steering rack to be loose from the subframe. There is a recall bulletin for a corroded bolt that may break loose from the rack/subframe, but currently it is not showing for my vin. I believe that this exact issue is effecting my vehicle and would like for the steering rack for my vin to be included and to be repaired under the recall.

STEERING,SUSPENSION — Filed 05/26/2026

May 2026 The entire steering rack assembly required replacement by the Volkswagen dealer. The vehicle was purchased from new in 2019. I’m the original owner of the vehicle, do mostly highway driving, and I have always serviced the vehicle appropriately. This was an expensive repair and seems rather unusual. I was notified that there are many complaints from owners for this type of problem.

SUSPENSION — Filed 09/10/2026

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced under a recall, the dealer discovered that the front passenger's side stabilizer bar end links were missing. The contact associated the failure with Volkswagen Service Action Code: 40R1 (Front Stabilizer Coupling Rod); however, the dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered because the VIN was not included in the service action. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that prior to the dealer's assessment, the vehicle made an abnormal clicking sound while driving and making sharp turns. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that the front stabilizer bar was missing on the passenger's side and there were open holes. The manufacturer, Volkswagen, was notified of the failure by phone and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

AIR BAGS — Filed 08/30/2026

My air bag light came on and said I have code b121400. It indicates that the passenger occupant seat sensor is not communicating/working. I see this issue was identified as a recall for similar vehicles but did not include my car. NHTSA ID: 22v815000

AIR BAGS — Filed 08/30/2026

No accidents light just turn on saying airbag error light came on. no airbag was deployed.

ENGINE — Filed 08/09/2026

My vehicle is having a catalytic converter problem. I see that there was a recall on my exact make model and year but my vehicle is not on the list. This part is failing long before it should. There is a 0420 code.

POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 07/08/2026

Engine/Fuel injectors causing SUV to cut off at intersections or backing up in road causing a safety risk of getting hit and I know because it has happened to me.

AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 06/30/2025

The contact owned a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, when veering towards the left or right with the vehicle, the vehicle would turn in the opposite direction the steering wheel was being directed. The contact would have to turn the steering wheel in the desired direction to straighten the vehicle and turn it towards the intended direction. The lane assist would cause the vehicle to misread the direction of the road and turn the vehicle in the opposite direction. The failure had become progressively worse and more persistent. The contact stated that while driving past a driveway, the Lane Assist determined there was a curb near the vehicle, aggressively turning the vehicle towards the curb, causing the vehicle to crash into the mailbox near the driveway. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The mailbox was damaged. The contact stated that they received bruises to their hands from attempting to correct the direction of the vehicle, and no medical attention was needed. The police were contacted, and a police report was made; however, the contact was waiting for the police report identification number. After the incident, the contact learned that their vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags), which explains that the air bags may fail to deploy. The remedy for the recall had not been completed before the incident occurred. The dealer was informed of the failure; however, the contact had not heard back from the department that they needed to speak with. The manufacturer was contacted; however, a complaint was not filed. The contact was advised to call back to file with the correct department, which was closed at the time. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 07/31/2025

I was driving on the SB 55fwy in light stop and go traffic and had my ACC w/ traffic aware system engaged. My car was doing as it normally does, keeping a safe distance to the vehicle in front of me, automatically slowing, stopping and accelerating at a safe speed for the conditions. This feature I had been using on my car since I originally purchased it and paid for these safety features. When traffic was not stopped it was traveling between 15-20mph. All of the sudden my dashboard lit up with error messages, audible warnings, and check engine light, all flashing and beeping at me and before I quickly glanced at the dash to the alarming warnings, I had rear ended the car in front of me. This took me by complete shock as my car had always been overly cautious about applying emergency braking in close situations. This time it did nothing. The error message said Adaptive Cruise Control sensor had failed and along with that it had disabled all of the safety features I had become accustomed to and paid extra for, including, the emergency braking and front end collision warning. This caused almost $14k in damage to my vehicle and more so potentially could have put my entire family in danger. The sensor failure caused the accident, the damage to the other car that I was traveling behind and any potential injuries from the driver of that car. I have given this same statement to my insurance company, however no one has reached out to investigate the cause of the failure, not even the dealership service center, where I had originally had my damaged car towed to so they could check and verify with their scan tools that I had a faulty sensor. Also my vehicle had just been serviced the month prior and all software was updated at Norm Reeves Volkswagen, Irvine, CA.

AIR BAGS — Filed 11/18/2023

On Saturday, November 18, 2023, at approximately 2100 hrs. my wife was returning home from a volunteer event traveling N/B SR-269 near MM 15.7 when she encountered an elk crossing the roadway in front of her. She subsequently hit the elk with the left front of our 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SEL. The impact collapsed the hood, grill, front bumper, and left fender. The driver and passenger door, left fender, and windshield were also severely damaged. The entire front windshield was shattered and collapsed into the front passenger compartment. What did not happen was the activation of the front and side airbags. I believe the impact was sufficient for the system to deploy and it appears to me that the passenger airbag system failed in this collision. Failure of the airbag system is potentially life-threatening. The vehicle is currently in a towing company impound yard waiting for inspection from our insurance adjuster. Accident Location: SR-269 MM 15.7 Ravalli County, Montana

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/17/2023

I was driving with my husband in the passenger seat and my 5 month old baby girl in the back seat. All of a sudden we heard a loud sound that sounded like a gunshot and our sunroof shattered. There were no other cars around and we were not driving under any bridges. We pulled over immediately and checked to see if we could find a something in the car but we did not find anything. There was a hole in our sunroof and shattered glass on us.

VISIBILITY — Filed 03/15/2023

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the sunroof exploded. The contact stated that there was no warning or impact prior to the failure. The contact then closed the sunroof shade and veered to the side of the road. The contact sustained injuries to both legs but did not seek medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,480.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 05/13/2022

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while waiting in a drive-thru line with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle lurched forward crashing into the vehicle in front. The contact stated that she attempted to shift into the park however, the vehicle shifted to reverse while the brake pedal was still depressed and the vehicle crashed into the vehicle in the rear. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that no one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where no failure cause could be determined as well as the failure was unable to be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was awaiting a callback. The approximate failure was 29,900.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 06/30/2021

Windows roll down by themselves. Parking brake applies itself without warning. Multiple warning lights saying parking brake error, start stop error, hill assist error, window sensor code, and constant dinging. Hill assist will come on even when not on a hill jarring you at higher speeds. Airbags deployed late during no fault Accident. The flaws in the vehicle didn’t cause the car accident, yet it wasn’t protecting me as it should have, but could very well cause an accident with the abrupt stopping, for no reason. I do have videos of the caution codes, it wouldn’t let me up load them so I took pictures of the videos.

SEATS — Filed 12/12/2021

Captain seat became unlatched when braking quickly, causing the 40lb child sitting in forward facing booster seat to slam head first into back of passenger seat. Seat was then difficult to re-set and lock back into proper position from driver's seat while pulling off highway to a safe location, resulting in child being trapped between captain seat and front passenger seat until vehicle was stopped. Latch appears to be working as expected and has not released unexpectedly otherwise.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 12/05/2021

On 5 Dec 20212, at approximately 1:30 while driving to the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 1707 69th Street, North Bergen, New Jersey 07047, we turned onto 69th street but missed the right turn to the hotel, so I went up the hill and made a U-turn back and the accelerator got stuck somehow and the brake pedal did not work. We were going down the hill extremely fast pumping the brakes with no luck. Rather than hit the car waiting for the Red Light I turned my car toward a power pole, and crashed extremely hard. My wife and I were both transported by ambulance to the Hackensack University Medical Center. My wife has to have spinal neck repair surgery, is still in the hospital with no sensation in her arms & fingers and is being sent to Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation for 5 weeks of Rehabilitation, with a prognosis of up to two years to fully recover. I suffered whiplash, bruising, tissue damage and in severe pain in my neck, back and stomach. The vehicle was towed and is in the Tominos Towing lot at 5419 Tonnelle Ave. Telephone 201-223-0235, and the accident police report is at the police dept. at 4233 Kennedy Blvd. Case#21-116842.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 09/10/2019

THE AUTO BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVATS ON ITS OWN WHILE IN MOTION. ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS THE CAR HAS SUDDENLY BRAKED AND IVE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. NO CARS, DEBRIS, HAZARDS, OR ANYTHING WERE IN FRONT OF ME THAT SHOULD HAVE ACTIVATED THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION PREVENTION SYSTEM. IT IS SO SUDDEN THAT IT LEFT MY NECK AND SHOULDERS (SEAT BELT AREA) VERY SORE. THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION PREVENTION SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SAFETY FEATURE BUT NEARLY CAUSED A COLLISION. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES FOR THE PROBLEM BUT EVERYTIME THEY SAY THERE ARE NO ERRRORS REPORTED ON THEIR COMPUTER AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AMONG MANY VW OWNERS AND VW KNOWS TOO BUT DOESN'T ADDRESS IT.

SEATS — Filed 07/23/2020

WHEN LOWERING THE THIRD ROW SEATS OF THE ATLAS THE SEATS SLAM DOWN AND FORWARD WITH GREAT FORCE. WHEN PARKED TODAY, I WAS LOWERING THE SEATS AND THE SEAT LOWERED WITH SUCH FORCE THE MY FOOT WAS MASHED AND PINNED IMMEDIATELY A LARGE KNOT APPEARED. I PLAN TO HAVE AN X-RAY OF THE FOOT TOMORROW. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS THE DAMAGE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO A SMALLER CHILD.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 11/27/2019

I PULLED TO THE TOP OF MY DRIVEWAY AND STOPPED. I TURNED THE CAR OFF WITH THE BUTTON BUT IT WAS STILL IN DRIVE AND IT DID NOT ADVISE ME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN PARK. THE CAR PROCEEDED TO ROLL BACK INTO A TREE. EVERY OTHER CAR I OWN WHETHER IT HAS A KEY OR KEYLESS START ALERTS YOU THAT YOUR CAR IS NOT IN PARK IF YOU TURN IT OFF IN ANOTHER GEAR OTHER THAN PARK.

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 11/08/2019

WE BOUGHT THIS NEW VEHICLE ON NOVEMBER 8, 2019. AN EXTREMELY STRONG ODOR PROTRUDED FROM THIS VEHICLE INSIDE THE CABIN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING AND WHEN TURNED OFF. IT SMELLED LIKE BURNING PAINT OR AN ENGINE BURNING SMELL. IT WAS NAUSEATING AND MADE MY SIX YEAR OLD SON VERY SICK. THIS WAS OUR PRIMARY AND MOST IMPORTANT, VITAL CONCERN AND WORRY.