general problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas - part 1

Automatic parking brake comes on every time I start my car or park. It won’t come out of parking brake. The auto parking brake will not turn off. I can get it to drive eventually but the parking brake light stays on.

I received a brake booster fault caution which was followed by the brake warning light being illuminated. When I applied pressure to the brakes, it almost felt as if the abs was kicking in, on a flat, dry road. The brake pedal would "jump" and depress farther on its own like there wasn't a good vacuum for the brakes. I've taken it to my local vw service center and was informed they had to call vw corporate for assistance in a fix and was given a list of components to possibly replace that "may" fix the issue but even after replacement, some customers still experience the same issue. I am currently awaiting an estimate but have significant concerns that any repair work may not actually address the root cause of this issue and when it's related to a major safety feature like the brakes, that presents a significant concern.

I have owned this car since 2018. I’ve had the “brake booster faulty” error come on at least once a year. It’s very scary as the car just locks up. Luckily it has only happened driving locally, without anyone behind me, but this could lead to a serious accident. I have brought this to the vw dealer at least 3 times over the years and every time they say they cannot replicate or find any issues. It happened again last week, and again today. I have read that many people have experienced this issue but there is not much info out there on whether there is a fix. I really wish this would be addressed.

Brake booster faulty/brake booster failure light displays on the dash along with the red brake light and a loud beeping sound. The brakes feel shaky and the vehicle doesn’t brake well for about 30 second after. It feels as if the brakes are palpating or skipping instead of a solid grip. After about 30-45 second those lights go back off and brakes resume normal breaking but the abs light comes on. This issue has happened twice so far and random times when not braking. It appears to be other reports of this issues in the 2018 models but not recall. Other year models have had brake issues recalled l. This is a major safety issue and should be addressed with Volkswagen to resolve it. This will and probably has cause accidents.

Driving on a single lane road with no other cars on road (in front or behind) and car suddenly brakes to a complete stop and the crash warning sound become audible inside the car. This happened 1 other time about 1 month prior but car did not come to a complete stop that time. That incident there were other vehicles on the road but were at a fair distance away from the car and those vehicles were not braking or slowing down.

While driving my car made a loud beep sound and faulty brake booster appeared on the dash and the brake light came on and the brakes would not work properly. I was almost rear ended because of this.

The vehicle slammed on brakes, electronic stabilization control light came on, transmission went into emergency mode, check engine light came on, and many other lights. I had to jerk the car to avoid the ditch since I was in a curve on a highway. Brakes continued to kick back and would not allow me to pull to side of road even in neutral. Battery message came on and said it was not charging. I was stuck in the lane and several people had to swerve or brake hard to miss me.

Today 3 times while driving my car braked on its own, emitted a loud noise and “brake booster faulty” displays along with the abs and brake late. It also told me to power off the car. Prior to this there were no problems however I am now worried for safety reasons.

While driving down the road the vehicle automatically shuts off without power brakes or power steering. Must come to a complete stop put the vehicle into park and the vehicle will then restart. Has happened twice in one week.

Car starts beeping loudly and a “brake booster faulty” alarm pops up on the screen. Brakes become spongy during alarm and a little after. Issue has happened multiple times and has gone to the dealer multiple times for parts replacement/work. Other vw owners have complained of the same issue happening to them.

  there are issues with the emergency break system while driving. It is usually okay for the car to stop when reversing. Yesterday while driving with my children, I crossed some train track at a speed of about 30-35 miles per hour as the green light was on. As soon as I reached 75% in the tracks, all of a sudden the emergency brakes turned on, the car stopped in traffic and was about to be hit. As scary and dangerous as this was, thankfully the car in the back was able to stop in time. Despite never experiencing this before, I found out many vwg owners have had similar experiences. In order to avoid causing serious accident, I will have the dealer inspect the car and turn it off immediately. I ask for your help so there is something done about it as soon as possible. This cars needs to get recalled have the dealer fix this issue. Serious accidents and deaths can occur. Thank god my kids are fine. My neck is a little sour but I am okay.

Automatic emergency breaking initiated on its own, slamming the car breaks as I was turning left out of a parking lot onto a busy 4 lane street. This stopped the car as we were crossing the first lane of traffic. We were stuck in the lane perpendicular to oncoming traffic as we were turning left. Thank goodness there were no cars close by when I started to turn. This could have ended horrifically. We were sitting ducks and could’ve been t-boned. I had my kids in the car. This was so dangerous. And there were no obstacles in front of my car. The automatic emergency braking system malfunctioned. It has done this a handful of times previously, but never put us in a dangerous situation like it did today. It has initiated in the past at slow speeds while pulling into parking spaces when no obstacles were present.

I have experienced an alert/alarm for a "faulty break booster", "break system failure", as well as other break related alarms go off while driving. Multiple times I have been going over 40 mph and the vehicle has instantly breaked and came to a stop on it's own. I have taken my vehicle to the dealer and was advised there is no issue. This issue seems to happen randomly as I have been unable to recognize any similarities between conditions and frequency.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the epc (emergency parking control) warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a tune up and that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The contact decided not to have the vehicle serviced at that time; however, the vehicle began to shut off while at a complete stop. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer for the repair; however, the vehicle continued to intermittently shut off. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 18v536000 (service brakes, hydraulic); and linked the failure to the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

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 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.

While driving, the car suddenly slowed to nearly stopping and a "brake boost faulty" red warning light displayed on the dashboard. I was not breaking at the time. The brake pedal felt soft and the car would not regain acceleration. I had to stop the car, turn off ignition, restart for the car to drive normally. This occurred twice once while driving over 40 miles per hour and again at approximately 25 mph. In both cases I was not braking when the incident happened.

Our 2018 vw Atlas will randomly shut the engine off even with auto start/shut off disabled. This has happened 5 times in 3 months. It has done so on the highway and on main streets putting our family of 6 at risk of being in an auto crash every time. The brakes have automatically came on 2 times. Forward collision sensors come on with nothing in front of us which also puts the breaks on and makes a distracting loud beep which has made me jump out of surprise while driving. The epa rated fuel economy is 26 highway and 22 city. We drive both and rarely get above 16 combined mpg even with multiple drivers and making an attempt at getting better economy. Our Atlas also makes a loud “clunk” sound from the undercarriage in the center/rear of the vehicle. It does this while driving or while parked with the vehicle idling. Also not major but sometimes when the front passenger window is half down, if you push the button to roll it up, it goes all the way down. We are going to take it in to vw soon but there is a lot wrong that either make driving it a hazard to ourselves and other drivers and makes us feel very uncomfortable. We love it but we are also afraid of it. There is currently no open recalls. I’ve been a mechanic, a machinist and an engineer for nearly 20 years. Some stuff just doesn’t make sense. I read the crank and cam pulses, usually you’d expect a drop in pulse that could cause the engine to shut down but there’s nothing. Nothing on the scan tool or on the onboard vehicle diagnostic.

I would be driving under 30mph and would get a warning on my dashboard that would say "brake booster faulty", in addition the "brake" light would illuminate and my brakes would become spongy and harder to engage.

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.

Brake booster fault warning, brakes want to lock up. Rear seat belt buckles won’t allow belt buckle to insert. Have received brake booster fault several times recently. If I stop motor and restart warning goes away and brakes function correctly.

Car automatically brakes driving down road and all the dash lights come on.

On several occasions when braking to come to a stop at a relatively low speed, the car began lurching as pressure was applied to the brake pedal. The brake pedal was jumping up and down and making a hydraulic-type noise. At the same time, a message indicating "brake booster failure" appeared on the panel, and the parking brake light illuminated. The problem resolved after sitting still for approximately 30 seconds. The car is currently being serviced at a Volkswagen dealership, and they have not been able to diagnose any issues.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the front brakes unevenly wore to the point where the driver side brake is like new and the passenger side brake is a safety issue. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk because of the extreme wear on the passenger side braking system the whole front braking system needed to be replaced prematurely to ensure safety. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? a simple google search shows that this is a common issue with the 2018 vw Atlas. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? it was inspected by the manufacturer, but vw insists there is nothing wrong with the components despite not being able to explain why the passenger side front brake was so significantly more worn than the driver side front brake. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no. This was identified during an oil change. I was told that it was a safety issue for me to be driving on a front brake that was so worn. When I brought it in for the brake work, I suggested there was a defect in the design and the brake replacement should be covered by the warranty. I was then informed that I really didn't need to have my brakes replaced at this time.

Twice over last few months the vehicle has just stopped on me on its own. Yesterday it said brake floater faulty and brakes didn’t work right. I pulled over, shut truck off and restarted and went away. It was fine after that.

Alarm brake booster fault goes off and the brakes are harder to use and the brake effect is reduced. Have happend daily the last week.

We are randomly having our brake light come on, followed by an alarm and a “brake boost faulty “ warning on out dash. While this is going on…the brakes will start “pumping” a few times with just a light touch of the brakes. This is starting to happen every day or two. The warning lasts about 30-45 seconds typically.

Brake booster faulty sensor, brakes spongy driving under 30mph happened twice now.

My car recently started feeling like my tires or rubbing on something when I make sharp turns. Now when I brake my car feels and sounds like it is grinding on something. It started happening while on way home from a trip a couple of days ago. While I wait for service appt the car is unsafe to drive as I need to really push on brake to ensure complete stop, it feels like the car is rubbing on metal and is very bumpy when coming to stop. Have only driven in slow speeds since returning home bc we are afraid the brakes will fail.

My trucks breaks has given out multiple times almost causing accidents in the middle of driving with no warning. Message on dash says faulty breaks , break failure before it quickly goes away. The abs break light comes on and the car stalls almost causing me to get rear ended. I purchased the car oct 12,2021 car start having issues December 2021. It is extremely dangerous to drive. I took it to car max in forth myers FL when I almost hit a tractor trailer with my children in the car ! carmax refused to look at my vehicle or give me a rental for it being unsafe. This has happened on multiple occasions. I shouldn’t have to pay for something like this to get fixed when I was sold a faulty car from the start. I have spoke with a few lawyers over this matter about carmax and voltswagon. I only have one photo I don’t have a chance to take other photos when it happens because im to busy trying not to get hurt.

I have a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas sel. . The breaks keep going out randomly and an alarm goes off that the break booster is faulty. . . It makes a horrible clicking noise like the breaks are trying to work but there is nothing for like 10-35 seconds. It has happened more times than I can count. . . I have taken it in to the local dealership (hallmark Volkswagen- cools springs, TN) and they told me to drive safe vw was working on a recall!? well I have almost hit a car and blown through a stop sign because my car won't stop� looking for more help bc the local dealer is useless. I do not feel safe in my car, nor do I feel safe driving my children in it.

Atlas is on its 3rd battery in 30,000 miles. When the battery fails it will die in an intersection during auto start stop. After boosting electronic steering, brakes, adaptive lighting, regular lighting, blinkers all fail and often limits to 15 mph.

Driving on highway, engine and brakes stop working 2 times. Got the car in the vw shop , they said it was a loose fuse connector. They "fix it" and 2 days later we have the same problem. Car will be back on shop. Called vw each time, opened a case with them to.

The parking brake will not turn off once pressed. The car has been at the dealership for three weeks.

Emergency brakes occurred without anyone or anything in front of the car. Braking malfunction warning also came on.