Other Fuel System Problems of Volkswagen Atlas - part 2

On many occasions over the past few months have had our car start to die while driving along the road. We have taken to shop, replaced battery, and no one could replicate issue. Just today my family (3 kids and my wife) were driving 35mph when the rpm started to drop randomly. We lost acceleration and while we were turning across traffic the car died. Luckily we rolled across in time to not be t boned. We turn off “auto start stop” each time we get in the car as we were told by mechanic that could be issue after it persisted randomly, we found maybe the battery was the reason, so we replaced that. Now we are one month on a new battery and keep “auto start stop” off, and it happened again today! vw forums point to a vapor canister being the culprit, and now vw has extended the warranty for this issue supposedly. I didn’t know about this at all. Very worried to have my wife and kids in that car I wish this was a recall,.

See all problems of the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas 🔎.

There is an error with the start-stop feature and it causes my car to stall while driving it. This is very dangerous considering it tells me to put it in park and start the car manually. It's almost caused me multiple accidents.

The fuel tank system keeps failing. It will not show how much gas is in the car even after filling up. It is a risk because the fuel could run out in the middle of driving and leave the driver in an accident or stranded. The car stalls randomly when the fuel tank system error is on and it is very scary.

See all problems of the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas 🔎.

Driving at constant speed on highway, vehicle either loses acceleration and / or applies brake for short moment. Tapping the accelerator appears allow the vehicle to resume to initial intended speed. Automatic braking, not intended by the driver is a safety risk for both this and adjacent drivers. The problem has been reproduced by a dealer service center. No other agencies have inspected the vehicle's problem. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms evident. Dealer has had the vehicle to two weeks and has not provided a viable resolution.

See all problems of the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas 🔎.

On 3/19/2024 while pulling into my driveway towards my parking garage my car suddenly stalled wiht loss of power and wouldn't accelerate into the garage. The warning lights came on for epc light. I looked for the code online and to my surprise I found Atlas has been plagued with several of such issues. . Read more...

The start/stop system keep giving error and shut down the car and give a message " start stop error start manually " this can be dangerous as it happens in traffic or at stop signs and stop lights.

I was driving on the highway with my family in stop and go traffic when my car turned off on its own while still in drive. The car has an "auto on/off" feature that we had disabled so it should not have, for any reason, done this. We had a semi-truck behind us that nearly rearended us. After putting the car in park, in the middle of the highway, and restarting the engine the car turned off again less than 10 minutes later. This car has a brand-new battery and purge control solenoid (after a check engine light) due to this issue, thinking it would fix it.

Vehicle stalling at intersections and is very dangerous. Took vehicle to vw dealership and even though they know and told me the problem was the carbon canister they are unable to repair due to no check engine light or the ability to replicate during there 5 minute test drive. This vehicle need repaired before it causes my family to be involved in an accident and they are refusing even though they know the problem.

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Vehicle stalls at idle or close to idle. It's very dangerous as this could happen in an intersection leading to a collision. When I contacted vw they are completely aware of the issue, know the part to fix and have even given the part an extended warranty. However, this will still not help if it causes an accident or injury to my family! according to vw of America, and the dealership it's the carbon canister that is causing this problem. If this has not been a factor in an accident yet it certainly will be . Please address this issue immediately.

Car stalled while going down the road. Was able to pull over and as soon as I put the vehicle in park, it cut off and wouldn’t crank back. Had to have the vehicle towed into dealership. They called and said the fuel pump, leak detection pump and wiring harnesses were going to have to be replaced. Vehicle has been at the dealership for 4 weeks now with no eta on parts arrival.

See all problems of the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas 🔎.

Purchased car with 17,000 miles on it. At 35,400 miles I had an electrical issue, cars was driving slow and jerking, sputtering while on the highway. The emp ? light came on. I brought to the clear lake Volkswagen and they had to change our alot of the electronic system. I drove my car for about 9 months and my battery that was brand new died. There was a something with the electronic system. All along since I have owned the car, it would randomly stall when I would come to a stop. Never a big issue and just thought it was something with the stop/start. Last week while driving on the highway, 4-7 times when I would just take my foot off the gas the car would stall. I would have to pull off the the side of the highway, (not safe) put car in park and start it again. I again brought it to the dealership and they told me it is the carbon gasket filter along with a clogged fuel line. I am hearing that has happened alot. I am selling this car as soon as I get it back. It has had engine issues since 6 months owning. Never buying volkswagon again.

Vehicle will get a stop/start error and stall at low speeds in traffic or at stop lights/signs. Have to put vehicle in park and manually restart. Had the same issue at 20k miles and they replaced the carbon canister. This time they won’t replace it until the error code shows. Truly a safety hazard and I can not put my kids back in this car.

2019 vw Atlas se v6 fwd with 66,xxx miles USA. Just very recently at this mileage I experienced stalling at low speeds or coming to stop and engine has died on 2 occasions. Once reversing out of my driveway sand dealing getting reverse to neutral to eventually fully stop and to shift into drive as I occasionally do but this time the engine died as I shifted to neutral. No known warning lights at that time. Second time I came to slow and then stop at a median to u turn as I've done numerous times but while stopping there waiting for cross traffic to clear, engine died and dash message said to restart manually. I put into neutral and restarted car. Days after, I see dash message of error, start stop disabled/malfunction. Thereafter for almost a week, start/stop would not engage at all. I researched and had a gut feeling that the service campaign letter I received from vw regarding charcoal canister extended warranty would be relevant. My gut feeling, and research, and now finally confirmed by dealership, the issue is in fact the charcoal canister and n80 valve. I now lost confidence in vw quite beyond fully. My very first issue was the sway bar end link issue which I think became a service campaign issue. I wasn't informed of any issue in this case but felt a gradual degradation in handling and ride quality around 3x,xxx miles and took it into dealership to inspect. End links replaced under warranty with updated parts and car felt normal and can to itself. Second big issue and annoyance was the passenger airbag detection system. I received letter that my car affected and thought a fix would arrive soon but was paranoid about having front passenger riding bc the issue was that system might not detect person sitting there and not deploy airbag in accident. Frustrating to have a fix come almost a year later!!!! other issue, leaking or low or missing coolant warning, cylinder misfire and water pump replaced.

I have had issue after issue with this car ever since I got it. Within the first year of my lease, my car was at the dealership for 4 to 5 months. Most of it in one long stint. The vehicle was consistently having problems. All the while, I’m paying for a car I wasn’t even able to drive for a huge chunk of year 1. One time, the car completely shut down and stopped in the middle of the freeway with my three young children in the car with me. The brakes on this car have been an issue since I bought it as well. Not only have the brakes squeaked the entire time I’ve owned the car, vw has since come out and said that the brakes are defective but they’re unwilling to offer any solution. There have been factory issues with this vehicle many many times that have caused real safety issues. Rarely did volkswagon actually offer any sort of fix or realistic timeline for when I can expect things to be addressed. Even in some cases, they just completely ignored me as if I’m just a number and not an actual customer who drives his children in this car. This was my third Volkswagen. I have always sang the praises of vw. But this experience has quite literally made me never want to buy another volkswagon product again. I have about nine payments remaining on my lease and I am anxious to move on to a better safer vehicle with a brand that does right by the consumer. Volkswagon told me that even with all of what I’ve been through with volkswagon, which is on the record by the way in the form of repair orders, as well as cost to customer service, I did not qualify for a buyback on my vehicle. Nor would they let me just return my lease. The dealership has basically said that their hands are tied. And corporate has repeatedly done nothing, and turned me away. I asked that you guys step in not only for me in particular, but for all the other volkswagon owners who are unhappy. And there are many. Especially those who drive the same make, and model is me, the Atlas. Thank you.

Vehicle constantly shuts down in the middle of road and have to put in park and restart. All signs point to faulty evap system which seems to be the largest vw problem in every forum that I have come across to figure out how to fix it. I have contacted the dealer and the dealer are not nice people and very money hungry. I have had to buy and change out charcoal canister myself.

I bought my car about 5 months ago. 3 weeks ago while merging onto the beltway, my car shut off. I took it to the dealership and they kept it 9 days. They did absolutely nothing. I contacted corporate they are doing nothing. This has happened twice. It's an intermittent issue and all vw has to say is that "since there is no fault code and they cannot duplicate the issue" there's nothing they can do. Online I've found several others with the same issue. I sent screenshots and links to youtube videos of several others with the same issue and they still do not care. I told them what other dealers did to fix this safety issue and they won't do anything, even though the car is under warranty. They told me the car is fine even though I was nearly in a 4 car accident. This is a major safety issue in vw cars. My car note is $950 and I don't feel safe driving my car.

Randomly stalled out and shut off. Had the auto start disabled. This happened three times today and has happened totaling 4 more before this- all randomly.

After the car has come to a stop, I will press on the gas to go. It will start to go and then die. This has left me in the middle of on coming traffic. Removing my foot from the gas and then reapplying it the car will accelerate. This has created dangerous situations on a few occasions. This has happened approximately 6-8 times since I bought the car. The dealer found nothing wrong with the car, 9/5/24, but it still happens.

See all problems of the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas 🔎.

The car stalls and turns off when operating at a slow speed, both in forward or reverse. This is a serious and potentially deadly problem. With my two young children in the car, I was turning left across three lanes of oncoming traffic. When I began to accelerate, my car stalled in the middle of the first lane. I had to figure out what happened, put it in park, restart the car and finish my turn before being hit by oncoming traffic. This has happened 2-3 times each day since this started last week. This has nothing to do with eco mode or automatic start/stop feature. I am familiar with both of those and disengage them when I start the car. The car has approx 28k miles and is well maintained. It is still well within warranty. The check engine light came on and the code it throws is p0496 for a bad evap system. I took it to vw dealer and they re-created and diagnosed the problem. Essentially, the evap system has faulty parts and it is causing the gas tank to collapse. The evap canister, the purge valve and the gas tank all need to be replaced. The problem is they do not have the parts to replace the gas tank. And they have no idea when they are going to get them. Literally, no time horizon. The vw service advisor admitted that they’ve seen ‘some frequency’ with this problem lately, mainly on 2019-2023 models. It’s a parts issue, not a wear & tear nor maintenance issue. If you look this up online, you’ll see hundreds of posts about this issue with similar scary situations like mine. Couple this with the active recall already in place (passenger airbag may not deploy in an accident) and there’s no solution for that recall, either. My family feels in jeopardy every time we drive our family car. Why is there not a recall for the gas tank collapse? how can we compel vw to produce a remedy in a timely manner? this is going to be a fatal issue for some family. Please help. I am happy to document and share photos/ videos of the situation.

Fuel, gas tank , start-stop, ignition faulty filter and fuel tank collapsing on itself. Diagnosed at dealership. Car stalled in road, at intersections and inability to start , almost rear-ended , and side collision at traffic lights. (with children in car) break won't compress to start vehicle. They say they know of problem but don't have parts on hand to fix . And no recall cause they can't determine which ones got faulty parts so seen at dealership. Key fob battery was replaced and epc light came on. Immediately stalled in traffic. Wednesday 28th of August.

In may I brought the vehicle to the dealership because the vehicle was turning off at low speeds (exiting a parking lot) or switching from drive to reverse. This was in conjunction with the check engine light coming on. The dealership diagnosed it as a fuel sensor failure, which they told me was safe to drive, and they'd order the part. I went back the next week when the sensor had been received and the repair was made. Last week, the low fuel alert flashed when I knew the vehicle was not low on fuel. The alert was not stable for a few days (it turned on and then turned back off, and then on again), and the vehicle started to have the same issue of stopping at low speeds. I had it towed to the dealership because I was too worried to drive it. The dealership diagnosed it with a 'swollen and leaky gas tank'. They sent photos upon request and the gas tank appears to have a tear. It is not due to any accident or road debris. The vw dealership has recommended a complete gas tank replacement, and let me know the gas tanks are on back order and did not have a date it would be available. This is extremely dangerous situation because 1. It was leaking gas and 2. It was coming to a stop. I drive around children (my own and others) and I can't imagine if something had happened while I was in driving around a car of kids. I read on different sites (reddit and other car sites) and it seems the stopping problem with the Atlas is somewhat common, unfortunately. I am curious if it's due to a bad gas tank or if it is a separate malfunction with the vehicle. I called the Volkswagen care line and was told that they were sorry, but my vehicle was no longer under warranty, so they were unable to give me any information or guidance.

The vehicle would turn off randomly when stopped at a stop sign or traffic light. It the had to be put in park and restarted. The dealership kelly vw in danvers, MA diagnosed the problem and this is what the invoice said. "cel is on code p0461 is active. Performed TSB hooked up battery charger and updated ecm per TSB" si, in my opinion this is at the least a potentially serious safety issue that should have warranted a recall and/or something that would be covered under the 80,000 mile or 8 year federal emissions warranty.

On [xxx] my 2021 Volkswagen Atlas cut off on [xxx] at the red light and I was almost rear ended multiple times until a kind gentleman moved my car out of the intersection. It has been parked in my driveway since because the battery won't hold a charge. I had the battery tested but the machine read that something is draining the battery even without keys being in the car ignition switch. The windows goes up and down by themselves without the power being engaged. The car is surging and all of these things are included on a recall list for Volkswagen which I will include in this complaint but Volkswagen specifically kurt o from vw social media said that won't do anything to help. I truly believe they are picking and choosing whose VIN number to repair and the rest are left to their own vices. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Object, too small to be seen or causing sound on impact while driving on hwy, ruptured the gas tank, making it loose gas / heavily dripping gas. No warning on car computer. I did not notice the leak until arriving at my destination and I don’t really want to think about what could have happened. Gas dripping could have caused car go up in flames, causing severe damage to passengers, other vehicles, other people. Car was inspected at vw dealership, gas tank needed complete replacement. Same dealership advised same day another vw came into the dealership with exact same issue. Vw states no warranty. I’m seriously wondering if vw gas tanks are made of such weak material / are insufficiently protected to cause such a huge safety concern.

On multiple occasions while driving the car engine will shut off - this has happened on the highway as well. I have taken the car to the dealer 4 different times and its the same thing every time - they tell me the charcoal canister has to be replaced. When they replace it the car is fine for a few months and then it happens again. If my family is in the car on the highway and the engine shuts off while in traffic this can be catastrophic. All they do is change the canister and send me on my way with no real fix.

My 2021 Atlas with around 28,000 miles turned off on me instead of restarting while the auto start/stop function was engaged. This happened 3 times. 1) June 26, 2024 I was in standstill traffic. My auto start/stop was engaged and when I took my foot off my brake to move, my Atlas engine turned off (power stayed on) and a message appeared stating “please start engine manually”. I had to switch my car from drive to park and then turn it on again. 2) June 26, 2024 I was parking and when maneuvering in to a parking spot and took my foot of the break, my Atlas engine turned off (power stayed on) and a message appeared stating “please start engine manually”. I had to switch my car from drive to park and then turn it on again. 3) July 8, 2024 same as number 2. Except I know for a fact that my start/stop was turned off. I took it to the dealership and they found that my battery failed and replaced it. About a week later is when the 3rd incident occurred. My car is currently at the dealership where “they aren’t finding any faults”. It is incredibly dangerous to have a car unexpectedly turn off on you while in the middle of a highway, intersection, or really around any other cars. The dealership cannot reproduce the problem; however, it is sporadic. Multiple forums online mention other owners having the same exact issue.

At approximately 8500 miles the car started randomly stalling, maybe once or twice a week. Now at 9600 miles it stalls every time we drive the car. This is not the start/stop system as we deactivate that when we get in the car. Typically, the car is warm, the ac is on, we have idled with the car in park then place the car in gear to drive and it dies. The dealer claims they cannot duplicate the problem. Also, the throttle is very non-linear. One time you push the throttle a little and the car takes off slamming you back in the seat. The next time you can push the throttle halfway down before the car responds then it just slowly accelerates. This problem has not been brought to the attention of the dealer yet but will upon the next appointment. This is very dangerous as other drivers are expecting you to move but you have to put the car in park and restart it. This could get someone killed.

I have a start/stop error message on my dash and my car stalls when I am braking sometimes the car turns off completely. My car is available for inspection anytime. It is a safety concern for me and anyone who might be following me as my car will just completely shut off in traffic.

Frequently, the carbon/graphite canister causes issues - even the vw mechanic has admitted to me personally that it's a poor design. . Read more...

Our 2018 v6 sel Volkswagen Atlas is the recipient of a defective fuel injection system. Through discussion with vw service and maintenance staff, as well as research in online vw specific forums, there is defective fuel injectors found in various vw Atlas year and differing engine vehicles. Our particular vehicle had a malfunctioning, defective fuel injector (fuel injector for cylinder 6) which resulted in massive carbon build up. There is no real detection system for a faulty, leaky fuel injector according to vw service. The carbon build up began with misfiring check engine and ecp error codes. Upon taking it to the dealer, we were made aware that the carbon build up also resulted in mechanical failure of components within cylinder 6. This would affect drivability of the vehicle while on the road, resulting in severe power or ability to drive loss. Other additional factors aside from the faulty fuel injection system, is the valve gasket was also leaking oil through to spark plugs 2-4, which could result in vehicle fire. We are not sure if the faulty gasket is a result of the faulty fuel injector system. The 2018 vw Atlas was a first year model release, and would not be surprised if significant design flaws and defects are a risk with this vehicle.

Vehicle infrequently stalls when approaching idle conditions making it unsafe at intersections.

I was driving approximately 72 - 74 mph on an expressway and approaching traffic ahead of me. To move around this traffic, I switched lanes and attempted to accelerate. Immediately upon pressing the accelerator, the vehicle began to sputter, jerk, and decelerate, and the engine revved at what sounded like a very high rate of rpms. The vehicle continued to sputter and jerk as it decelerated to a speed of approximately 55 – 58 mph. Once the vehicle reached that speed range, I was able to maintain my velocity; however, the vehicle continued to sputter and jerk until I brought it to a full stop. Additionally, if I attempted to accelerate, the rpms turned at a very high rate and no acceleration occurred. I reported the issue to the dealership immediately and brought it to the service department when they opened the following morning. At the time of writing this, the vehicle remains in their possession and has not been returned to us.

My vehicle has been to the dealership multiple times for incorrectly stalling, revving rpms at uphill turns and rough idling with no corrective action taken. Initial issues started around 30k miles and the dealership continued to tell me nothing is wrong because engine light was not on. I recently went over a speed bump in a school zone. My vehicle stalled and my engine light came on. Initial code was p0446 error code indicates an evaporative emission control system (evap) vent control circuit malfunction. The n80 purge valve and charcoal canister were to blame for this uneasy safety issue. I was told at the dealership that my charcoal canister might malfunction if I overfill my vehicle with gas which made me realize, this may have been the initial issue. I put gas until it clicks off but I have noticed my vehicle went from filling up with 16. 5 gallons to stopping at 18-19 gallons. I have also noticed when I park my car and my gas is close to the empty line it shoots back up just a bit next time I turn on my vehicle. Now I am monitoring my gas gauge as this may be faulty and what caused all the safety issues I was experiencing. I drive my car very scared these days not knowing when it will randomly turn off on me while driving.

The car keeps jerking and stalling when in traffic, car line or just driving very slowly. It feels like there is not enough fuel coming to the engine and it shuts off. The message that comes on the screen- please start engine manually. I have been numerous times to the dealer but they say they can’t help me as there is no code. Obviously the car has issues and I want someone to be responsible for them. It is dangerously to driver it like that. I have kids that I driver to school and I don’t feel safe driving it.

Epc light came on and shut the car down at highway speeds. Car was incapacitated. Had car taken to dealer and was told the computer indicated a problem with the fuel injection wiring harness. Was told this is a common recall for 2018 Atlas and tiguan models but my VIN was not included in the recall but could not give me a reason. Had to pay to have wiring harness replaced. Contacted Volkswagen and they refuse to acknowledge a safety issue with my vehicle even though there are open recalls on the wiring harness that shut my vehicle down while driving. My family could have been seriously injured or we could have caused a major accident because this car was somehow excluded from inclusion and notification of the recall.