Equipment Problems of Volkswagen Atlas - part 1

The hood release cable on my 2021 Volkswagen broke, making it impossible to open the hood using the interior release handle. This type of part should not fail on a relatively new vehicle under normal use. Based on my research, many other Volkswagen owners have reported similar hood release cable failures online, which suggests this may be a widespread issue rather than an isolated failure. This is a safety concern because a broken hood release cable prevents access to the engine compartment when inspection, maintenance, or emergency access may be necessary. Volkswagen should investigate this recurring failure and cover the cost of the repair. I believe NHTSA should investigate whether this defect warrants a safety recall.

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Vehicle has issues with sputtering and stalling out when at idle and while reversing after warming up. The first time that the vehicle actually stalled while reversing, it had to be put into park and restarted. I took it to the dealership and they replaced the in tank fuel pump. When I got the car back it was still acting a little strange but I thought it was just the computer relearning process. Shortly afterward (approx 100-150 miles later) it started struggling at idle again. Yesterday the vehicle again died while reversing, which required being placed into park and restarting. The idle was struggling but I was able to reverse and continue driving. The idle remained in a state of struggle, sputtering and almost dying, as well as extremely slow acceleration until I was able to get onto the highway for a bit. However, it did struggle a bit during the bumper to bumper traffic that I came upon during the drive. At highway speeds the vehicle's acceleration is fine. I am able to use the automatic adaptive cruise as well as drive without the cruise feature. The temperature of the vehicle is always normal and I ensure that the fuel gage does not drop below 1/4 of a tank and if it does it is during the trip to the gas station. I only use qt gas in my vehicle.

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The hood release cable on my 2021 Volkswagen Atlas failed during normal use, making it impossible to open the hood or access the engine compartment. I took the vehicle to an authorized Volkswagen dealership, where the cable was replaced. The Volkswagen service advisor told me this is a common issue on 2021–2023 Atlas models. Volkswagen of America subsequently denied my request for reimbursement based on the vehicle’s age and mileage. I am reporting this because failure of the hood release mechanism creates a safety concern. When the cable fails, the owner cannot access the battery, coolant, oil or engine compartment. In an emergency involving overheating, smoke, a dead battery, fluid loss or another mechanical problem, there is no way for the driver to access the engine compartment. There was no warning before the cable failed. Other 2021 Atlas owners have reported similar hood release cable failures to NHTSA, including complaints #11743559, #11735490 and #11755775. Volkswagen has also previously issued manufacturer communications concerning an inoperative hood release/cable disconnection on the 2021 Atlas. Given these similar reports and my Volkswagen dealer’s statement that this is a common problem on 2021–2023 Atlas models, I am concerned this is a recurring component defect rather than normal wear and tear. I am requesting that NHTSA evaluate whether this issue warrants further investigation or a safety recall. Total paid: $301. 73. Invoice available but I am unable to upload it to this form.

My vehicle prompted me to do an update on software. As soon as I completed this my sos button turned red. I immediately contacted my Volkswagen app and told them what was going on I was instructed that they did not see anything on their end that I would need to take it to a dealer and let them check it out upon my arrival at the dealer they’re telling me that my module needs to be replaced please note that I have no issues with my sos button until I was prompt to update . This is definitely a safety concern being that I’m paying for an emergency button that is not operable at this time I feel that this should be Volkswagen should pay for the cost of this because I would’ve never hit update if I knew it was gonna cause these issues I feel unsafe in my vehicle based on Volkswagen pump me to push the button thank you.

The vehicle stalled and shut off while in traffic. It has happened previously and dealership says it is an issue with the charcoal canister with an unknown way to fix it.

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I am writing to report a serious safety concern involving my 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. This weekend, our vehicle unexpectedly began rolling backward while no one was seated in the driver’s seat. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the incident had the potential to cause severe injury or death. My daughter attempted to start the Atlas by reaching across the front passenger side to press the brake pedal while simultaneously pressing the start button. As she moved back, her elbow inadvertently struck the toggle-style gear selector, shifting the vehicle into neutral. The vehicle immediately began rolling backward down the driveway toward the street and mailbox. In a moment of panic, my daughter exited the vehicle and attempted to stop it by pushing from behind. This placed her directly in the path of a moving, driverless vehicle. Fortunately, family members yelled for her to move, and my mother was able to run to the vehicle, get inside, and stop it. We fully recognize that my daughter should not have attempted to start the vehicle in this manner, and we have had a very serious conversation with her about proper vehicle operation, use of the emergency brake, and never placing herself behind a moving vehicle. However, her mistake revealed what I believe is a significant safety vulnerability: the gear selector could be unintentionally moved into neutral with a simple, incidental bump, allowing an unoccupied vehicle to roll freely. The outcome could have been devastating. My daughter could have been run over. My [xxx] son, my other daughter, a child playing in our cul-DE-sac, or a neighbor walking a dog could have been struck. Property damage would have been the least of our concerns. I recently drove a Chevrolet truck equipped with a similar toggle-style shifter, but its selector included a side button that had to be intentionally pressed before the gear could be changed. A safeguard of that nature appears capable of preventing precisely the type of accidental a information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informa.

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While driving my 2025 Volkswagen Atlas the vehicle unexpectedly shifted itself into neutral without any action from the driver. I was driving with my daughter when this occurred. After the vehicle shifted into neutral, it would no longer shift back into drive, and I was unable to continue driving normally. This resulted in an unexpected loss of propulsion while the vehicle was being operated on the road. The vehicle had to be stopped and requires dealership inspection. I am concerned this is a serious transmission or electronic transmission -control safety defect because the vehicle can unexpectedly lose drive power while moving. The vehicle was towed to vw car dealership in clarksville TN, where I reported the incident to the service employee at the desk. I would hope that the NHTSA document the unexpected shift to neutral and loss of ability to select drive.

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While driving, the vehicle stalls and shuts off completely without warning, creating an immediate safety hazard. This engine stalling occurs randomly at various speeds, including while actively operating the vehicle in traffic. There is no check engine light (cel), malfunction indicator, or dashboard warning prior to the stalling event, depriving the driver of any advanced notice to safely pull over. A subsequent inspection revealed that the evaporative emissions (evap) carbon canister is failing. The component failure allows unmetered fuel vapors or liquid fuel to flood the engine intake tract, rich-loading the engine and causing an immediate stall.

The car will shut down/stall while sitting at a red light. The start/stop function is turned off, I turn it off while driving. So I am stalled at a red light and then have to place the car back into park and restart it. There are no messages or warning lights that appear on the dashboard. This is a risk because we are sitting in traffic with a stalled car that quickly needs to be restarted. This has happened several times.

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The hood latch just randomly disconnected and all over forms and post and videos on youtube. It sounds like it’s a very common issue with the Atlas.

Hood release cable broken. Cannot open hood.

I own a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas with approximately 61,000 miles. After a software update prompted by the vehicle, saying it will be done in 3 parts. The infotainment screen began malfunctioning the following day. Initially, the screen would repeatedly go black, restart, work for a short period of time, and then go black again. This issue continued for almost three weeks. The screen is now completely black and no longer turns on. I contacted a Volkswagen dealership about the issue and was informed that I would be charged approximately $220 for diagnostic work before determining the cause of the problem. I haven't brought it in yet as I'm waiting to be paid as I'm sure they would need payment the problem began shortly after the vehicle's software update, and I am concerned that the update may have caused or contributed to the infotainment system failure. I am reporting this issue because I believe other 2021 Volkswagen Atlas owners may be experiencing similar infotainment system failures. I would like NHTSA to investigate whether this is a widespread defect and whether a safety-related recall or other corrective action is necessary. As it's safely concern I cannot see back up camera or any safety features.

The hood cable has snapped and now we cannot open to access dead battery.

It's been about one month since engine light has lit up on the dashboard and stays on now. The first incident occurred about a week ago, as I was driving, I was slowing down to go into a roundabout, the vehicle begin to jerk and pull back, a red triangle exclamation mark light started going off warning me to safely park my vehicle as it had overheated. I assumed it was low on coolant so I topped it off to see if that would fix the issue. Then two days later after the first incident it occurred again. I came to a stop at a set of stoplights and when it was time to go, as I was accelerating I felt it starting to jerk again and again, I started getting a bunch of red warning lights to safely park my vehicle as it had overheated again and a message popped up on the dashboard about the speed. I can't quite remember the wording. I can't say for certain that I've figured out what is happening but I think that it may have something to do with the auto start/stop function. Seems like when it comes to a stop, it turns off and when I'm going to start driving again it's triggering something. I've been disabling it now when I drive my vehicle and these incidents haven't occurred anymore.

Since purchasing my vehicle, the collision sensor lights on my Atlas go off quite often even if there aren’t vehicles near or by my blindspot while driving.

Xxx as my husband, child and myself drove from [xxx] to [xxx] our sunroof exploded. We heard a loud boom noise sounded like a balloon exploded. My little one started crying looked around and the sunroof shattered into tiny pieces. I called vw customer care according to them the agent she said she didn't see a recall but had heard somewhere that it's common. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas 🔎.

The hood release latch/cable is broken. It worked when we took it into the dealer for a blend door actuator repair and oil change. The dealer claims it is a “known issue” for this model vehicle but they can’t repair it at no cost, despite it working just fine when we dropped it off. If this is a known issue (which I’ve seen many complaints about it online) then vw should be repairing or replacing the defective parts, not forcing that expense onto consumers.

My infotainment system and back up camera have been having issues that I have been trying to get addressed since April 2026. I was told this is a known issue for vws from the dealership service department and that I should replace the infotainment which has resolved these problems. I had to wait for the part to arrive, the infotainment center was replaced June 1, 2026. When I got the car back, the back up camera was again working but the infotainment center was again cutting in and out and glitching/ turning off. I brought it back to the dealership who informed me there had been a service update and to have the software updated. It worked for a short time, than began turning blank and not working. I again reached out to the dealership who opened a case with vw the company, and was told that they could not replicate the issue but would continue to work on the problem. On June 27th the back up camera started work but froze when I was reversing, again glitching. Because it had frozen while I was backing up I did not realize the footage was not live, and hit my neighbors car as a result. Their car had a hitch so was fine, but mine now has a noticable dent in the back bumper. I reached out to the dealership on June 29th who told me the case has been closed by vw of America. I brought it back in on July 7th for them to address the issues, they reached out again to vw of America to file a claim and was told there is no fix at this time. They are continuing to see if there may be software updates but that it is also older technology so that could be the issue. This is a 2018 Atlas se tech that only has 65,000 miles. I now cannot rely on my safety systems that I always usen living in a city to keep myself and my daughters safe when driving. Additionally, if this is not a fixable solution, I will need to replace this car, and I will have lost significant value since it is broken and there is not current fix in place.

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The hood release cable snapped while trying to open the hood.

Hood latch release cable snapped and I can no longer open hood.

The air conditioning drain tube clogged and leaked into the air bag control module and caused an entire electrical failure in my car with air bag sensors, braking, windows rolling down, doors locking and unlocking automatically while driving, etc as well as the carpet getting mold.

Had new vehicle for 1 week and it broke down in a parking lot and would not start on 5/10/26. It was towed and dealership, found it to be a faulty feel injector system that was replaced. Picked it up from the dealership on 5/13/26 and I lost the ability to accelerate while on the interstate. It was towed back to the dealership who had to reach out to v. W headquarters to determine the problem. It was discovered that the electronic control module needed to be replaced. That unit is on back order and I still do not have my vehicle.

I was driving on 2nd street and realized I wasn’t going to make it through the light, so I stopped. I noticed that I had stopped in the crosswalk, so I decided to back up. Before backing up, I checked everything—I looked in my left mirror, my right mirror, behind me, and also at the rearview camera. There were no cars in sight behind me. As I started backing up, I heard a beeping sound indicating there might be a car behind me. I checked my mirrors again and looked at the camera, but there was still nothing there. I continued backing up and kept hearing the beeping sound. I checked again—mirrors and camera—and still saw nothing, so I kept going. I sped up slightly. Then suddenly, within seconds, my car slammed to a hard stop. It was a very abrupt emergency stop that caused my head to jerk forward and backward. It felt like someone had hit me from behind. Right after, I looked at my dashboard and saw multiple red warning lights and messages indicating that an emergency situation had occurred. I immediately checked my rearview mirror and side mirrors again, but there were no cars behind me at all, only vehicles beside me on my right hand side that were going straight, since I was in a left-turn position. I am in hospital because of my pain. I have pain in my neck and head , I’m dizzy, the room is spinning, I’m nauseous. My nose is stuffy and I feel like I have cold, and my vision is blurry.

The hood release latch cable snapped, which makes it impossible to open the hood for an emergency or maintenance. The cable is a poor design that is prone to breaking, and from looking online is an extremely common occurrence for the Atlas. It also costs $500-$800 to repair for each occurrence and the vehicle is a safety concern until repaired due to the risk of not being able to open the hood in the event of an emergency.

Anytime I come to a stop at a stop sign or a red light, my car just shuts off. Today driving on I 95, my car completely shut down on me. I have been told that it has something to do with my fuel pump or fuel line.

When first purchased the vehicle I would fuel up car with gas and was given 520 miles. Now it only allows me to have 425 miles of gas. I can drive slow at 30 mph and it will literally take 10 miles while only driving 1 mile distance. I can’t accelerate without it draining the gas. Also ac is malfunctioning. Blows hot air on passenger side. Every now and then driving assist , the parking assist and the radio screen will shut off by itself. I can’t take it to the dealership because they want to charge me almost $300 for a diagnostic!!!.

The hood latch cable snapped preventing the hood from being opened in the event of an engine fire. The dealer stated this is a common issue with this make and model vehicle.

Brakes are constantly grinding and squeaking seat belt sensor has an issue - seat belt noise will continuously go off if no one is sitting in the seat if you give the SUV more gas going uphill then it gets stuck in that gear, which means there is a transmission issue. Car also randomly jolts the safety of my family is put at risk each day I drive the SUV. The dealer has not confirmed the issue and told me the brake squeaking is because of the materials used to produce the SUV. There has been no resolution after the vehicle has been inspected 3x by the dealer. No warning messages before the issue appeared.

After subscribing to the safe drive on the vw app, I got a warning display on my dash for service for the sos call system. The orange triangle appeared and the sos light turned from green to red. I cancelled the app and unsubscribed from everything. The sos light returned to green, but the dash still has the warning triangle and says the sos emergency call system has an issue. The car was purchased from a dealer January 2026 and has only been driven 2,000 miles.

Bought the car and it is constantly stalling on me at low rpm’s, and then won’t start again for 10 minutes. I don’t want to drive it because I never know when it’s going to happen. I’ve taken it to dealer twice and they tell me they do not know what is the problem.

The backup camera has had a flicker/black screen issue since the car was purchased. After recall 24v480000 was applied to the vehicle, the flickering, black screen and no image issues persisted with the backup camera. Dealership says software is up to date and this site shows the recall was applied to the vehicle.

Hood latch broke. And cannot open hood.

Traction control warning lights up on dash randomly and the traction control stops working, heads up display becomes unable to operate normally. Lane depature stops functioning properly and several other lights begin to display. Extremly dangerous.

Snapped good latch cable.

Component failed: abs braking system / wiring harness. Safety risk: while driving at highway speeds with my service animal, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic abs failure. The brakes became unresponsive, and the dashboard displayed multiple critical safety warnings, nearly resulting in a collision. Confirmation: the failure was confirmed by schumacher vw (west palm beach) during a forensic inspection. They identified the cause as a corroded/damaged wiring harness—the exact defect visible in a diagnostic video from jim ellis vw one week prior. Warning symptoms: "front assist" and sensor warning lamps appeared on [xxx]. I paid jim ellis vw for a diagnostic; however, they failed to repair the visible defect and later falsely denied to the bbb that the diagnostic ever occurred. Summary: this vehicle (VIN: [xxx] ) has a documented safety defect that was identified by a technician but concealed by dealership management. This concealment led to a total loss of braking assist while the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle is currently available for inspection at schumacher vw. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).