general problems of the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas - part 2

The forward collision warning activated out of the blue and the automatic emergency braking was applied for no reason. Was driving to go pick up daughter from school on March 11, 2024 at approximately 11:50 am. Driving on neighborhood road with speed limit of 40 mph. Driving at 40 mph with no other vehicles anywhere near me in front, behind, or in opposing lane. All of a sudden the front collision warning light on dash popped up and the emergency brakes applied for no reason! this caused the vehicle to seize up and come to a screeching halt. Luckily there were no vehicles behind me that could have rear-ended me, and there were no other vehicles coming from opposing direction that I would might have slid into. There was no reason why this should have happened. There were no vehicles anywhere in the vicinity. No leaves falling, no debris in the roadway, nothing. No inclement weather, it was sunny and dry but cold approximatley 40 f. Inspected front of vehicle afterwards and there was nothing obstructing the sensors or cameras on front end.

I recently purchased a certified pre-owned 2021 vw Atlas r-line SUV. It came with a warranty of up to 50,000 miles or through 2027. Shortly after I purchased the car (a few weeks in) the side passenger collision sensor would alert me from time to time (not consistently). I brought it in and the vw dealer shared that due to the minnesota winters and road salt, keeping a clean exterior of the car would help with the sensor issue. I have been washing my car weekly to avoid the noise and frustration of the false alert. It did not resolve the problem. Now (3 months since purchase) the front and side collision sensors are falsely detecting and alerting that something is present. When brought back to my local certified vw dealer, they "claim" it is due to a rock or "external influence" hitting and damaging the sensors. First, tell me how a side sensor gets hit by a rock. Second, the sensors should not have been made if small debris from regular road travel will cause damage within three years. Third, I only travel on highways. I do not need to take gravel/dirt roads, etc. For my personal and professional travel needs. I am the sole driver of the vehicle. I searched online and found several vw forums indicating the same issue on models since 2018 and for several different models within the vw make (including video evidence which I also have but cannot upload to this form submission). Here is one forum with similar video footage: [xxx] please review and investigate as a third party. Vw and dealers are outrageously charging over $1,000 for a sensor that should not have been approved in the build of the model if failing this quickly. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vehicle stalled and shut off 5 times while driving in past month. Took it to vw dealership. They said low voltage on battery could make the stop/start feature not able to restart car. They also stated fuel injector #3 error was showing on diagnostic machine. After replacing battery, spark plugs, and gasket ($2300), dealership says that fuel injector error still showing and would cost $1400 to replace. They said it is recommended and my car shutting off is fixed with battery replacement. 24 hours after picking up from dealership, car shut off again. I have read on forums this is a known issue and many have resolved issue with evap cannister (charcoal) replacement. This is a big safety issue and vw needs to remedy issue as a recall.

Car shuts off randomly when slowing down. Changed out the charcoal canister and purge valve and it is still doing it.

Engine stalled again, no warning, no check engine light, nothing when coming to a slow stop. Had to place vehicle in park, shut ignition off, open driver side door, close door. Only then I was able to start the car. This is the second time this happened.

I had the door wiring harness repaired in may 2022 as part of the vw Atlas safety recall. The replacement part is now failing and causing the same dangerous conditions (windows going up and down sporadically, parking brake engaging) but because the recall was repaired once on my car, vw will not pay for a second replacement part and wants to charge $1000 for the repair which in my opinion should still be part of the original recall as a defective design.

Led daytime running lights went out a few weeks ago at the same time, then yesterday both headlights went out at the same time as well. There have been no damages or wrecks in my vehicle and I am the only owner. There are no warning lights and according to the myvw app, everything is fine. I cannot see well while driving at night anymore and this will cost me $2,000 to replace at only 60,000 miles.

Driver window is going down on its own. I was told by faulkner vw mechanics. When this happens to hold the window botton down for 10 secs and up for 10 secs to reset it. Does not work. Still has neen doing it after my service date which was 10202023.

The breaks are very loud- squeaky and grinding. Have had them checked several times and break pads are in good condition. Additionally after the car is idle for several hours, it’ll be a loud gurgle when breaks are applied the first few “stops”. Additionally, when driving in cold weather the rear the stability assist light on the dash will engage. It will flash on and off so to be uncertain if the traction control is engaged on possible slippery roads.

2021 volkswagon Atlas, needed new oil pan after few months due to major oil leak. Had to pay out of pocket for rental 1 week. Wipers came flying off on driver's side hitting side window scratching car. Dealership said nothing wrong (my dad tightened bolts they were loose) heater in back started making horrible noise, said nothing was wrong. Needed new breaks, rotors numerous times. When backing up makes horrible noise, to this day. 10/7/23 driving down road at 28 mph my car stalled out. Did this numerous times w/in 3 weeks, brought to dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong. Kept happening brought it back. They change emission module & oil. Car started sounding like a tractor. Brought it to different dealership. Going down road at 45 mph with 4 kids in car. Car stalls out. No steering no breaks. Super scary. Car keeps stalling out, going down road at 58mph car stalls out, no steering no breaks again everything locks up. 18 wheeler behind me, 3 kids in car. Brought to another dealership, they stated never heard of car stalling out before. They stated other dealership put wrong oil in, they did another oil change and said my car was safe to drive. Car still kept stalling out almost every time I slowed down or came to a stop, or even when starting it before leaving had to restart numerous times. Fast forward car been in shop since 2/1/24. Said metal shavings in oil filter now needs new motor & theres bearings missing. (they told me car was safe to drive) we asked about safety issue, they said what safety issue? whycar keeps stalling? said never heard of this issue with the cars before. They want 9k for a rebuilt motor w/ way more miles than my car has now, ive been in rental for 3 weeks out of pocket pay. Dealership can't promise me this will fix car. Car is a death trap and I have precious cargo, I don't feel safe driving it. Research says lots of people having same issues. Vw rep says never heard of this. Called lawyers yup its a common lawsuit, lemon car.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that after being parked and attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start due to battery failure. The contact attempted to open the hood of the vehicle to charge the battery, but they were unable to unlock the hood of the vehicle due to the hood release being defective. The failure had previously occurred. The hood release was replaced after the first failure. The vehicle was towed and returned to the dealer, who completed the first repair. The dealer diagnosed the same failure with the hood latch. The dealer stated they would replace the hood release again with a stronger part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer documented the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was unknown.

Passenger airbag light coming on and off. VIN is not associated with the widespread vw recall but it is affecting my 2021. 5 vw Atlas currently. Decided to look it up and saw the recall however my VIN currently isn’t listed.

Due to a faulty door wiring harness (a vw recall) the car has multiple electrical issues. The car shuts itself down, loss of blinkers, speedometer, brake lights, parking brake engagement and all electrical functions, every alarm goes off in the car, windows roll up and down, doors will lock and unlock while driving. Which is terrifying/life threatening while driving 65 mph on a highway with kids. We have this on video. Most recently, it shut down and would not start again. The dealership has now attempted to fix this problem 5 times and cannot get the alarm lights to turn off so now the car is not even drivable. We have tried to work with vw for a buyback twice and started this process (16 months into owning the car) when the car was under full warranty. They continued to deem the car safe and fixed and the same issues would sporadically happen. After these two cases for vw to buyback the car and them rejecting it, we are now out of warranty and they will not work with us. We bought the car brand new.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, and while accelerating from a stop light, the vehicle occasionally lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that vehicle was restarted and operated as normal; however, recently the failure reoccurred, and the battery had to be jumpstarted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. There was no service performed. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 48,000.

I was sitting at a stop light and the car just shut off and would not re-start. It was very dangerous. The start/ stop system was enabled as it always is - since it defaults to this feature when you start the vehicle. The electronics starting glitching when the car shut off. This is not the 1st time the car would not start, it has happened 3x over the course of 3 weeks. When we try to jump start the vehicle it has taken up to 30 minutes to sit on charge to get the car to turn over. We have had the battery tested and charged at vw all test come back that it is a good battery. Seems that the start/stop system is faulty and drains the battery. I have spoke to vw and booked an appointment to have the look at this issue. Something is seriously wrong with this vehicle and start/stop system. I have read many posts that I'm not alone with vw Atlas leaving families in dangerous situations because the car just shuts off and won't re-start.

Engine cuts off at slow speeds or at a stop. Engine failure requires placing vehicle in park and restarting. This occurs at least once per day. Display notes that vehicle requires manual restart. Took to dealer and they advised nothing was wrong.

As part of the existing recall on my vehicle, I am noticing serious mechanical issues ranging from the parking brake engaging when approaching a stop, the rear window rolling down (it's 0 degrees out), failure of adaptive cruise control and a host of other electrical issues. The dealer is unable to see the car for 3 weeks and despite acknowledging my problems are consistent with the recall and have no loaner available for me in the meantime. Vw care informed me that my only recourse is to "call around" until I find one that can help me sooner. They will not offer to reimburse for a rental vehicle. This is unacceptable, the problem is not the dealer but a mechanical issue and vw needs to recognize that if their dealerships can't help because of workload then they need to support their customers.

While driving in a city, the emergency parking brake would switch on everytime I slowed down or came to a stop. Multiple other warnings happened such as lane assistance unavailable. And one of my windows would roll down part way.

Once starting the vehicle, the light comes on the dashboard; the notification states that the start/stop function malfunctions, the emergency break malfunctions, other multiple errors come in effect. Once coming to a stop light and the brakes are engaged to slow down, the emergency brakes engage and the car locks up. Almost got into an accident 6x. Immediately made an appointment to fix the recall and request for a loaner or rental vehicle, ignored by the dealership with a message of “will call”. The door becomes inoperable; can only open and close. Does not unlock/lock or roll down the window. The back driver side window automatically opens about 4 inches without consent.

We have an open case with Volkswagen, but the remedy part is on back order, in the meantime we have to use this unsafe car. The dealership where car was purchased from is not providing a loaner/rental despite being told by our Volkswagen care team specialist that he is obligated to. The car emergency brake comes on at every stop(I’m shook at every stop, knots in my stomach every single stop I make, stop sign, trying to park, red lights), driver side front and back windows open spontaneously, non stop beeping(anxiety inducing) when car is parked idle, driver side window doesn’t open manually pressing the button, car does not lock on driver door, like not at all, alarm will go on sometimes when opening, but it is never locked posing a serious threat, anyone can open my door if I am stoped at a light, or idling in car. Car can be stolen at any point, I feel unsafe and very distressed.

As there are several recalls on this vehicle service action #'s 91cz- 91de I'm not sure if the vehicle is safe to drive. My dash information panel is always changing settings between start ups. There are numerous reports of braking issues with these models and side air bags malfunction. Have had the upgrades done by the dealership to correct my issue,but the problem still remains. Please advise on any action that I can take to get the issue resolved. Thanks.

When I was pulling out of a parking lot my rear drivers side mirror went down by itself and then my parking brake came on - I received an error saying "error: driver door contact switch". I stopped my car and turned it off and then started it again and the error message went away. Four days later the same thing happened but I also received two more error messages "fault: electronic parking brake" and error: start/stop as well as the same error as before :error: driver door contact switch". I have my car scheduled to take it to the dealership tomorrow 8/4 at 8am and I am hoping this can be fixed as this is a big safety issue. . . . I have three children that are also in the car with me each day so it is imperative to have this rectified as safety is my top priority.

While the vehicle is in motion, the warning buzzer keeps dinging saying the engine is running. The red flashing light (in the door) flashes. Keep getting the warning triangle for the door harness problem. Also keep getting error:start/stop. My parking park has also engaged a couple of times while in motion. This is dangerous and needs immediate attention. This happens every day.

3 notices come up on dash. “attention:vehicle is on”, “error: driver door contact switch” & then “fault: electric brake. The car beeps like crazy, driver side windows roll down on their own about 4 inches (rear and front). E brake has come on while driving. Left mirror blinker does not work. This is started happening intermittently only when turning car on - turning it off and back on helped at first, then less often now even less often however it does happen randomly when I am driving or stopped at a stop sign/stop light. Have owned the vehicle for only around 6 months, with 5k on odometer.

Sometime in Dec 2021, I have started experiencing issues with the car where the driver side back window rolls down warning messages popup saying driver side door fault etc with the check engine light coming on. What is concerning is when the vehicle is going at slow speeds (<5mph), the electronic parking brake engages automatically making the vehicle come to a sudden stop with jerks. Weird thing is, the problem is present on some days and some days the vehicle is completely normal without any warnings, sounds etc. Took the vehicle in for an oil change and routine maintenance and was told this is a known issue and there is a recall on it, bit no fix available.

The remedy to my recall is not being performed within a reasonable time. I was in the road with my one year old and I was scared to get on the highway I was afraid someone would rear end us as the vehicle stops and turns on the check engine light and a warning light on my dash. I was driving and when I was coming to a stop the vehicle stops on it on and doesn’t give the person behind me enough time to break. I would honestly see if there is something that can been done as o don’t feel safe in my vehicle but I can’t afford to rent a car in the mean time it is my only transportation my son has a doctors appt @ 130 today and I’m afraid for his life and to drive there. I would really appreciate any help that you can offer.

Hello. I have approx 12000 miles on my vehicle. Vehicle last week gave numerous warning lights and would not start. After leaving it a few hours I was able to start it but the engine light was on and warning that abs was not active. Took it to the dealership who said there is a recall with no fix for a door wiring harness. Today, while driving the car, it came to a compete stop on the roadway and would not allow me to turn it back on. I drove the car back home and it would continuously stop and I would have to restart. I almost got into two accidents. There needs to be a more serious recall as someone is going to get hurt. Dealership says there is still no fix.

Although this is not the first issue with my vw 2021 Atlas, it will be my last. As I was driving down a two lane highway to my daughter's softball practice, the emergency break turned on and my vehicle completely jolted to a stop. By the grace of god, no one was behind us. Prior to this recent incident, the windows started to roll up and down on their own and the "fault parking break" alert will appear on my dash. This occurs randomly, day or night, sunny or rainy, cold or hot. The vehicle has been to the dealership for this issue, but the alert continues. I purchased this vehicle March of 2021, issues did not occur until December and it has gone down hill quickly. Right now, this vehicle is deemed "undrivable" and will be at the dealership. This vehicle is also under the new recall where the airbags do not deploy. There is no fix for this.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while placing a child in the driver’s side rear seat of the vehicle the doors locked independently. The contact stated that the key fob and manual key was inoperable while attempting to unlock the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was notified of a wiring harness failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 22v152000 (air bags). The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.

The auto stop start, stops requiring restarting of vehicle. When at a stoplight and removing foot from the brake to proceed, all the warning lights and sound notification along start. This is a huge distraction and dangerous driving condition. The start/ stop totally turning off the vehicle at stop lights and not restarting the engine is a collision hazard.

Vw Atlas 2021 is having issues with the driver side harness which there is an active recall without repair for. Car started to show error messages related to parking brake, air bag functionality, windows roll up and down, parking brake has engaged while driving in early April. Multiple dealers contacted and no loaner vehicle or repairs identified or offered. Car feels completely unsafe to drive due to random braking and error messages.

The contact owns a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the message "apply brakes" displayed and the vehicle abruptly stopped. During the failure, there were no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the forward collision avoidance safety feature to be activated. In addition, the contact indicated that while driving the vehicle, safety messages would be displayed that included the cruise control and parking sensors unavailable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that the failure was related to the NHTSA campaign number: 22v152000 (air bags); which included a wiring harness repair however, the parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was 31,000.

If you have the driver or passenger window down and try to roll it back up, it will roll all the way down before being able to roll back up. Stereo screen blacks out often while driving and won’t turn back on until you turn off and restart the car. Apple carplay won’t let the music selection display on the screen. I could go on and on and on. I hate this car and am almost 100% sure I got a lemon.

While my wife was driving home from work, all lights on the dashboard illuminated and the airbag warning symbol came on as well as both front windows opened on their own. Upon arrival at home as she pulled into the drive the emergency brake momentarily activated. Luckily the brake activated once she had pulled out of the main traffic or she may have been hit from behind. She called bud brown, our local vw dealer and was advised it was a known issue with the wiring on a door harness. She was advised that this part is not available and may not be available for many months and that there was nothing we could do. At present due to the known nature of the issue, it has not been inspected by vw or anybody else. At present when starting my car, only the airbag warning light is lit up. The car is available for inspection at any time and by anybody.

Parking brake automatically turns on while driving. This has put me at risk for accident when pulling out across traffic where my car stops mid acceleration or coming to a stop sign where my car stops early. Not confirmed by a dealer but has been reproduced multiple times. Has not been inspected. No warnings of this issue prior to the occurence. In addition my windows automatically roll down out of no where and my alarm system automatically goes off as well as an error with the automatic stop/start feature.