Equipment Problems of Volkswagen Atlas - part 2

Emergency call (sos) system failure / internal battery defect. This is apparently a known issue on the vw Atlas (and other vw/Audi models with car-net/sos systems). Owners regularly report sos/emergency call errors associated with the backup battery or the telematics module. Some dealers even acknowledge it as a “known issue” with those systems. This isn’t rare, especially in the 3–5 year window of the vehicle's age. The backup battery itself is cheap (roughly $50–$100 in most cases); however, the labor is not, because it typically requires a glove box/dash teardown and access to the module behind panels or the console. Sos-related repair costs, due to labor, are generally quoted between $850 and $1,500, depending on the city, state, and dealership. Sadly, vw knows this is an issue and refuses to do anything about it, creating a potentially dangerous situation where, in an emergency, the call button (sold as a must-have feature) will not function without this expensive battery replacement. My research shows this is an ongoing issue even in new models, yet they refuse to remedy it.

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The hood release cable broke during normal use. Unable to access engine and components. Unable to jump/service the battery or fluids if needed. Upon searching for solution for accessing, found this to be a very common problem.

The vehicle will completely stop at a red light or in park. Today while in traffic, the car turned completely off. I had to manually restart the car.

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My water pump is going bad with only 64,505 miles on it. My VIN number wasn’t included in the federal emissions warranty of 80,000 miles or 8 years. I believe this is an oversight. Please review why my vehicle was excluded from the extended warranty.

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I own a 2021 vw Atlas, subject to recall 24v464. I scheduled a recall service appointment weeks in advance at colonial Volkswagen of medford, MA (via the vw app for 8:30 am on Aug 19, 2025). I received multiple confirmations by email and text from vw. When I arrived on time, the service advisor (frank dasilva) told me the parts were not available and the recall could not be performed. This was never communicated beforehand. I had rearranged my schedule for this appointment, including transporting my daughter to her internship in boston, and this caused major disruption. When I expressed my frustration, the service advisor raised his voice, disclosed a personal health issue, and walked away. I was then told to wait for the service manager, who eventually arrived but gave dismissive and contradictory explanations. He claimed that no vw dealer orders recall parts before the customer arrives because they do not know the VIN or parts required. This is false—my VIN and recall number were known when the appointment was scheduled. The service manager’s tone suggested that performing the recall was a “favor” since I was not paying for it, which is unprofessional and misleading. Recall work is a federal safety requirement and vw dealers are compensated by the manufacturer. Colonial vw did not prepare for my scheduled appointment, wasted my time, treated me poorly, and failed to comply with the intent of the recall process. I was left without a solution, only told I’d be contacted “when parts arrive. ” I am requesting NHTSA to review colonial vw’s handling of recall 24v464, as this appears to be a failure to ensure timely and professional compliance with a federally mandated safety recall.

When driving my 2022 vw Atlas at low speeds (stopping at a red light, backing down my driveway, and slowing for yield zones), the vehicle either 1) shudders to a stop and presents "please start engine manually" message or 2) appears to turn off using the start/stop system, but then presents the "please start engine manually" message. Dealer replaced a fuel injector the first time, charged the battery a second time, and now a third time this is happening with no resolution, as "the technician was unable to replicate the issue. " this is all within about a 12-month timeframe. This has put my children and me at risk driving on roads with 60 mph speed limits with stop lights, because if the light turns green and I'm trying to restart the vehicle, someone from behind could hit me. The dealer was able to replicate the issue the first visit it was brought in for.

We were driving on a highway with no cars anywhere near us, did not go under a bridge, outside was sunny and calm weather in the 75 degree range, and our panoramic sunroof suddenly exploded outwards. Glass shattered everywhere and it sounded like a bomb went off in the car. After immediately getting off on an exit ramp to survey what happened, the remaining glass was pushed up and outwards towards the sky proving that nothing hit the sunroof. Our Volkswagen dealership told us to bring it in and they would put it under warranty for a mechanical defect as the panoramic sunroof is the roof of the vehicle. After waiting weeks, Volkswagen corporate denied the warranty claim saying we must have done something to weaken the glass at a previous time. There were no previous issues with the sunroof and this explosion happened very suddenly. Young children were in the vehicle and it was terrifying.

My 2023 vw Atlas is stalling out in high temperatures. When you mash the accelerator, at times the vehicle will not go. From my online research, many others are experiencing this same issue and have found resolution involving charcoal canister + purge solenoid, fuel pressure sensor and software updates. The evap and fuel system could be tested manually. However, vw says because no codes show up, there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and will not provide any help whatsoever to me. This is going to get someone killed. I have taken to local dealer plus reached out to vw corporate with no help. My car is under warranty.

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I believe the charcoal cannister failed in my situation. I was driving my car on the highway in stop and go rush hour traffic and my car stalled out. I had to put it in park, press the break and the start button to get it going again. I was very close to getting rear ended. No warnings came on and no codes are up for the dealership to fix. I went to the dealership and they stated they couldn't recreate the problem and don't see a code, so therefore cannot fix anything. This same issue is noted in many instances online and in forums and chats about the 2023 Atlas.

While operating the vehicle felt a jerk and then the check engine, oil, and epc warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated and lost power on the highway, we were able to coast to the nearest parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the high pressure fuel pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired but was said the 2018 Atlas had a known fuel tank issue which caused all the gas to rush to one side allowing air and pressure changes in the system could this is be what led to the fault of the high pressure fuel pump. The vehicle code was reproduced at the dealership. No prior warning signs.

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?vehicle tries to pull me into a completely different lanes I have no intentions of trying to go into while on the highway ?vehicle completely shut off while driving. Electrical panel flashed with all the lights then said to start vehicle manually. ?vehicle's gas saving feature when stopped, works intermittently and randomly, even with same applied brake pressure.

There is a yellow triangle on my dash and when the dealer did the troubleshooting they indicated that there is a fault in the system with the transmission shifter and a part is needed to correct the issue. The vehicle is just beyond the warrantee period with 39,000 miles.

I own a 2021 vw Atlas. My daughter owns a 2020 vw Atlas. Both vehicles have had a nonfunctioning hood latch. What this means is you cannot under any circumstances open your hood. So, if you need to do any of the multitude of under hood services you cannot. I had to wait weeks for my vw dealer to get it in to make the repair. After speaking with my service advisor at my vw dealership, it turns out this is a frequent problem for vw Atlas owners. A casual search online shows many incidents of the hood latch system failures. This should most certainly be a recall, fully covered by vw. This occurrence does not appear to be random or unusual, so it is clearly a (part or component) design flaw.

When I went to start my vehicle on 6/26/25, I noticed that the instrument cluster was stating an error: "compass is not available". The vehicle continues to go through an entire list of items not available. Including the radio and infotainment system, navigation. I should also mention that the dash also was showing that the outside camera was not available to me. I live in a small town and shopping is very limited and I drive 32 miles for decent groceries and clothes for my family, and I rely on that radio for company, sometimes, and for weather and traffic so if I don't have these items I could get stranded in the middle of the desert. No one has looked at the car yet for this problem. I have no clue how this happened.

Pulling into a parking, backing out of my driveway on to the road, rolling with my foot off the gas preparing to brake the car shut off in gear. It is very dangerous happening when we back out of the driveway on to the road having to shift to park and manually restart the car. It happens with the auto shut off both on and off. This is a big issue that needs resolved before someone gets seriously hurt.

Vw Atlas randomly shuts off when coming to a stop or slowing down. I have to put the car in park and then restart the vehicle. This is incredibly dangerous and scary. This has happened at least 5 times now, all while driving on the road and in traffic. No warning lights popped up. A few times it said I need to manually restart the engine. The most recent time it didn’t say anything at all, my vehicle just slowed down and would not accelerate. I have noticed this issue both when enabling and disabling the auto start/stop feature.

The capacitive touch controls located below the infotainment screen on this 2025 Volkswagen Atlas — used to adjust climate and audio volume — are not illuminated in low-light or nighttime driving conditions. The controls are invisible without direct light, requiring the driver to look away from the road for an extended period to locate them by feel or sight. No warning lamps preceded this condition; it appears to be a design characteristic. This constitutes a driver distraction hazard during nighttime operation. It is unknown whether this issue affects other vehicles of the same model year and trim. The component is available for inspection upon request.

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The power window switches on this 2025 Volkswagen Atlas have repeatedly malfunctioned. The switches fail to operate windows consistently and have been brought to an authorized vw dealer for repair on three or more separate occasions without successful resolution. The defect has been confirmed and documented by the dealer on each visit but remains unresolved. Faulty window switches present a safety risk as they impair the driver’s ability to ventilate the vehicle, communicate with others outside the vehicle, and in an emergency, may prevent occupant egress or entry of emergency responders. The component is available for inspection upon request.

I buckled my son in his car seat and set my purse in the passenger seat and walked around the vehicle and in about 10 seconds it locked itself with the keys inside. The engine was off and I live in TX so it was already very hot in the car. We used a pole through the cracked window to click the unlock button on the passenger door, we hit it twice and the car did not unlock, then I used a hanger to click the unlock button on the driver door. I clicked it and the car still did not unlock. We then tried breaking the windows and were unable to break the glass with a hammer, tire iron, rock, and even a high velocity pellet gun. We were able to pull the trim from around the window on the outside and bend the glass out just far enough to use the hanger to pull the handle and get into the car. The car should never have locked with the keys inside, the unlock buttons inside the car should have worked when pressed 3 times. Glass is great. Very strong but I was terrified when it would not break.

Ecm light came on, while going 60+ on expressway. Car lost ability to accelerate and began to sputter. Unable to adjust speed and had to pull over to shoulder in fast moving traffic.

I had placed my personal items - purse, keys, phone, etc. In my unlocked vehicle in a safe location behind my condo building. I was running across to mail something and come right back. When I returned a short time later, the car had locked itself with my items inside. I found out after googling this later, that multiple people have had this issue -- when their key fobs have gotten low on battery, the fob will lock itself inside the vehicle. I had no way to summon roadside assistance, and so I had to break a window to gain entry to the vehicle. I also found out that this has happened to people with children who have been inadvertently locked inside a volkswagon. I am trying to make sure this doesn't happen to others, and I would like to be reimbursed for my broken car window. The dealership has not confirmed this. I was trying to be in touch with volkswagon customer service about it, but they said I have no recourse because my car is past warranty. My evidence of others is based on a reddit thread. [xxx] the safety issue is obvious - if young children were locked inside, it could be a huge safety issue. The vehicle has not been inspected yet. There was no warning that my key fob was low on battery. I will be taking the car in this week to get a price for the window repair. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was driving down the highway and heard what sounded like a gunshot. I looked up and my entire sunroof was shattered. There was no impact and nothing fell on my roof. The glass soon fell mostly down all over my husband and myself.

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My 2019 Volkswagen Atlas 3. 6l has shut off multiple times while driving, including once at 55 mph. I consistently receive a “stop/start system error” message at startup. As of today, the check engine light has come on and there is an extremely strong smell of gasoline at the rear of the vehicle after driving. The fuel smell is intense enough to make me concerned about fire risk. I have young children, and this is my only vehicle. The combination of engine stalling, an active check engine light, and a raw gas smell poses a serious safety hazard to my family and others on the road. This appears to match known issues under vw’s recall 20v716000 for cracked fuel injectors and TSB 01-23-09 for engine control software glitches. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether more 2019 vw Atlas vehicles—including mine—should be included in these recalls, and whether vw is providing adequate support to affected families. I cannot safely drive my vehicle, and I cannot afford a rental. This is an urgent public safety concern.

There is something wrong with the infotainment system in my car. It doesn't matter if my phone is hardwired via a usb-c cable or connected wirelessly via carplay. It happens even when my wife is using her phone too. My infotainment system keeps disconnecting. We are both owners of iphones she has an iphone 16 pro max and I have an iphone 15 pro max.

Front brakes squeal when the ceramic brake pads are engaged against the rotors. Gurgling and grinding noises behind the steering wheel and behind the brake pedal indicative of brake line issues. Brake lines not bled correctly, air in brake lines, or issues with the brake booster or pressure switch systems. Front brake issues occur the most in reverse during initial startup, when driving at a low speed, and during rainy or damp weather. Rear brakes give a loud squeal in reverse during initial startup.

I purchased a Volkswagen Atlas in 2021. Within the first year of owning the vehicle the air conditioning system had a malfunction where it would blow hot on the passenger side and remain cold on the driver side. I took it in to the dealership for service and was told the passenger side blower motor was damaged and paid $400 to have that replaced. The next summer approximately one year later the issues reappeared. I took it in for service and was told by the service writer that after a year my warranty on parts and labor has expired. So upon diagnosing the vehicle was told that the ac compressor has went out and it will be $1800. Bases on reddit and other forums it’s tons of people having this same issue with the intermittent ac every summer. Something is wrong with these vehicles most specifically the vw Atlas. Vw need to issue a recall on this issue and have it rectified as this is a costly fix that alot of owners are enduring and these are brand new vehicles.

Sos emergency call button doesn't work. Even though button is show green and technical people at dealership said there are no problems. I actually pressed the button and it said the call can't be made.

The hood release cable of our 2021 vw Atlas broke at about 61,000 miles (so just out of warranty) and this appears to be a common issue with this year of Atlases. Vw claims this is a known issue but there is no recall on this part. They want to charge me out of pocket to diagnose and repair this even though it is a faulty part. Especially considering the age of the car and how infrequently the hood release cable gets used.

Three times now, when shifting from drive to reverse, the engine turns off. A notification flashes on the dash (paraphrasing here) saying to restart the vehicle manually. The car then has to be put into park, turned off from the battery only status, then restarted. Last night when this happened, I was almost hit by a car backing into a parking space because I stalled out.

We replaced a cracked windshield in our vw Atlas, and we now need to replace it again. This vehicle seems prone to windshield cracks, as we are not aware of a rock hitting it. This crack started at the very top edge of the windshield, and has grown to about 20 inches.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the panoramic sunroof shattered with no outside influence. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the interior fabric cover was retracted at the time and the glass shattered on my [xxx] daughter. My husband also received a few small cuts to this arms from pieces of glass on the center console while trying to check to make sure our child was safe. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? the dealer is aware of the problem, but insists it was not a defect. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? the vehicle was inspected by the service department at the dealership it was purchased from nine days prior to the incident. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no. On Monday [xxx], my husband and daughter were traveling on an empty two-lane highway in rural texas. There were no overpasses, no trees hanging over the roadway, and no other cars on the road. My husband said he heard a sound like a gunshot and then the glass was raining down on them. He pulled over immediately. We were able to get the care to the dealership we had purchased it from, 8 days earlier. Volkswagen denied our warranty claim (though the dealership did acknowledge similar issues in the past) and insists that there must have been an outside influence that struck the glass. My husband is adamant that is not the case, and simple physics make it clear that it would be impossible for our own tires to throw up a projectile with enough force to shatter the sunroof. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The screen where the back up camera is becomes pixelated and you cannot use the camera. The screen becomes so pixelated that you cannot see anything. This also affects being about to use apple play for hands free connect. It will disconnect my phone randomly even when the screen is working. This puts others safety at risk because you cannot see what is going on behind the vehicle. Volkswagen knows about the issues. They have offered several software updates but none of them have helped anything. For a while they were replacing the screens but then found out that only fixes the problem about 50% of the time. I have had the car less than a year and I would like a screen that works all the time. There is no warning lights or really any rhyme or reason why the screen stops working. It works then other times it does not work.

Emergency brake engaged while in drive. Was in a middle of intersection of a busy street and emergency brake froze wouldn’t turn off until car was turned completely off. Kids were not in car thankfully.

I am writing to express my growing concerns regarding the ongoing issues with my vehicle. Within the first week of ownership, the engine began misfiring, and the valves had to be replaced. Soon after, the gas pump in the fuel tank broke and was replaced as well. The climate sensors also malfunctioned and had to be replaced, and the vents required replacement as they were blowing air improperly. Additionally, the middle console, which remains broken, had to be replaced. Unfortunately, it is still malfunctioning, as it is stuck on the highest heating setting, which is particularly concerning with two infants in the vehicle. I have been informed that the replacement part is on national backorder, and there is no eta for its arrival. This vehicle has consistently experienced issues and has been in the shop multiple times, leading to significant inconvenience. Most importantly, the malfunctioning heating system presents a serious safety risk. I am requesting immediate attention to this matter and would appreciate a solution or alternative arrangements. Thank you for your prompt attention to this issue.

Infotainment center is freezing. Just purchased the car 2 weeks ago. Have read numerous complaints on this issue. Vw needs to get a fix/recall. This can potentially be a danger!!! advice is to report to NHTSA!!!.