Steering Problems of Volkswagen Atlas - part 1

Component/system failure: the braking system, specifically the brake rotors (and possibly pads), appears to be malfunctioning. The vehicle experiences severe vibration during braking. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: while braking at highway speeds (approximately 50–70 mph), the steering wheel shakes violently and the vehicle vibrates rapidly. This reduces control and creates a serious safety risk, especially when driving downhill or in traffic. It increases stopping distance and makes the vehicle feel unstable. Reproducibility / dealer confirmation: the issue has been reproduced multiple times under normal driving conditions. The dealership inspected the vehicle and acknowledged brake/rotor-related vibration but classified it as normal wear and tear and declined warranty repair. Inspections by others: the vehicle has been inspected by an authorized Volkswagen dealership. No police or insurance inspections were involved. Warning lamps or prior symptoms: no warning lights or dashboard messages were displayed prior to or during the issue. The only symptom is severe shaking and vibration during braking, which began around 33,000 miles for 2024 Atlas. Additional details / suspected cause: given the low mileage, this appears to be premature failure of brake components rather than normal wear. Similar complaints have been reported by other owners, suggesting a potential defect or design issue.

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The vehicle intermittently displays a “steering lock faulty, stop!” warning and fails to start. When this occurs, the vehicle cannot be operated at all. This issue has occurred multiple times within a short period and has persisted despite prior repair attempts by authorized Volkswagen dealerships. The failure of the steering lock system prevents the vehicle from starting, creating a safety concern as the vehicle may become unexpectedly inoperable and leave the driver stranded. The repeated nature of this issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of the vehicle.

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The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving over a bumpy road surface at 5-10 mph or at higher speeds, the front end of the vehicle shuddered significantly. The vehicle was taken to firestone, where it was determined that the front stabilizer coupling rod had failed. The contact related the failure to Volkswagen campaign number: 40r1; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a power-steering rack and pinion failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the case was escalated to the supervisor. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.

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Steering wheel shakes at speeds over 65 mph, I had multiple repairs in 4 years and each time it is only a year fix. . Read more...

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The vehicle has experienced multiple serious safety failures involving the steering, electrical system, and powertrain. Most recently, while driving, the steering wheel locked unexpectedly, causing a temporary loss of control. Multiple dashboard warning lights began flashing, and the epc light turned on and off repeatedly. I had to bring the vehicle to a complete stop and restart the engine to regain control. The camshaft/camshaft position sensor and steering system appear to be malfunctioning, and the issues have recurred multiple times. The vehicle has been taken to a dealer for inspection and repairs several times, but the failures continue. These problems have created a serious safety risk, as loss of steering and erratic electrical behavior can lead to accidents, putting myself, passengers, and others on the road at risk. Warning lamps first appeared intermittently after prior repairs, but the steering wheel lock incident is the most severe event to date.

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The electronic steering gear is malfunctioning and making a clicking sound when the steering wheel is turned at 90-degree angles in either direction. The dealership (bud brown vw, olathe, KS) advised me that they have had 3 vw Atlas vehicles with the same problem over the past month. I believe this is a manufacturer defect that could cause loss of steering and potential injury or loss of life.

Steering wheel rack.

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We purchased a 2019 Atlas in 2020 and recently had to take it to the dealership in [xxx] multiple times with no answers as to why the steering is shaking and the car vibrating at speeds over 50 mph. Apparently according to this complaint link, [xxx] it is very common and consumers have had the same poor response from their dealerships to fix this safety concern. I got a quite (parts only) for $1181. 85 and feel there is no way we are responsible for this cost to resolve an Atlas safety issue after expressing concern over and over and over again. File attached for your review. We have an impeccable driving record, have not had any accidents and take pride in our vehicle ownership. However, this experience over the past 8 months has been nothing but a nuisance and we are highly concerned for the safety of our family while driving the 2019 Atlas. Please review and contact us to resolve this matter at your earliest convenience. Thank you, [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Engine randomly stops while driving, in the middle of the road, warning says to manually restart engine. Happens with auto start/stop on or off. Lastest incident, while entering an intersection turning left, engine stopped, said to manually restart, steering locked up so could not steer the vehicle. This particular incident was very dangerous put me in the middle of a lot of traffic, in an intersection. Car is basically unsafe to drive at this point. Had it towed.

The power steering control module failed while the vehicle was traveling at highway speeds. When the failure occurred, the power steering completely cut out. It is extremely difficult to maneuver the vehicle without power steering. My wife would not have been strong enough to safely maneuver the vehicle if she found herself in a situation where she needed to make even a minor evasive maneuver. Had there been more traffic on the road she could have caused an accident since her ability to steer was severely impacted. An orange warning light first came on. Vw says to safely drive the vehicle to be inspected. In our case, the red power steering warning light came on less than 10 min later, well before we could make it to a technician to have it inspected. At the exact same time the red light illuminated, the vehicle's power steering system completely failed. A vw dealership has inspected the vehicle and found the steering control module to be defective. The only repair is to fully replace the steering rack which includes the steering control module in one piece. The part is back-ordered for several months which indicates that vw is unable to keep up with the supply required to fix this issue.

?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.

Driving at highway speeds when the vehicle hit certain bumps the front end would wobble and cause significant vibration and loss of control steering (death wobble). This was reproduced by both and independent shop as well as mechanics at west end Volkswagen in henrico virginia. They replaced the entire steering rack to resolve the problem. They stated while I was there that this was the second steering rack on an Atlas this week they had replaced. The problem started around [xxx] and was fixed on 7/9/25. I don't currently have the original part and I don't know whether the Volkswagen dealership kept it. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My steering wheel and front wheels shake uncontrollably make it dangerous to drive . A complete rack and pinion needed to be replace . The Atlas only has 85000 miles . This happened at as slow as 10 miles an hour. Making the vehicle very unstable.

My wife and children are currently stranded 800 miles from home after our Volkswagen began shaking severely on the freeway. She brought the vehicle to douglas vw in NJ, where the service team confirmed the steering rack is failing and verified the symptoms she experienced. Despite this, they told her it could take up to a year to fully fail and that it was “safe” to drive—an unacceptable and dangerous recommendation. We were then told the part is back-ordered for up to a year. Volkswagen has refused to provide a loaner vehicle during this wait, leaving my family without transportation. Meanwhile, we’ve been offered only a $1,500 credit toward a new vehicle, which does nothing to address the immediate issue. This is not an isolated case. It’s well documented online that this is a recurring issue with this year, make, and model. We’ve also been told the shortage is due to the part being reengineered, and that vw is prioritizing new vehicle production over existing customers dealing with critical failures. This is not just inconvenient—it’s unsafe. Volkswagen’s refusal to provide adequate support leaves my family in an impossible position through no fault of our own. We are asking for immediate action. Our case number with vw customer is [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

After starting vehicle the steering wheel locked up. It would allow you to drive forward and reverse but would not allow the steering wheel to turn. Prior to failure my wife and I noticed sometimes while driving down the interstate or highway it was difficult to turn steering wheel. Although random it was concerning checked power steering fluid and belts all looked good. Yesterday had to have vehicle towed due to faulty steering wheel.

I am filing this complaint due to a serious and unresolved safety issue with the steering system of my 2019 Volkswagen Atlas sel 4motion r-line. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed steering rack, which presents a significant safety hazard due to impaired steering response and potential loss of control. The part needed for the repair has been on national backorder for over a month, with no estimated time of availability. This delay has left me without a safe, operable vehicle and has created a major hardship for my family. I contacted Volkswagen customer care to request assistance and escalation. Unfortunately, they were unable or unwilling to escalate the issue to a regional case manager, and offered no support, solutions, or alternatives to address the safety or mobility concerns caused by this prolonged delay. In contrast, the dealership—Volkswagen of south mississippi—has been extremely helpful and professional throughout the process. They confirmed the diagnosis and are ready to perform the repair, but are completely dependent on Volkswagen to supply the required part. Through online research and owner forums, I’ve learned that steering rack failures and backorder delays are common with the 2019 Atlas, which indicates this could be part of a larger systemic issue affecting many owners. I am concerned that this situation poses an ongoing public safety risk, particularly if drivers experience steering loss unexpectedly. I respectfully urge NHTSA to investigate this matter and determine whether it warrants a broader safety recall or regulatory action. The current lack of support from Volkswagen, combined with the unavailability of critical steering components, is unacceptable and may leave affected drivers at serious risk.

Brought car last March with 23000 miles on it has had vibration in steering at highway speeds randomly gotten worse over time currently have 36000 miles and it's very dangerous when you hit a bump on the highway took it to dealer they said the steering rack is worn out.

My car started shaking while driving at high rates of speed. Also while hitting bumps at high speed or the brakes. I took it to the vw dealer and they told me the steering rack was going out. When trying to get it fixed I was told the part is on back order for months. They told me there was 400 people ahead of me. This seems like it should be a recall with so many people reporting the problem. And a safety issue with not being able to get the part. Vw is bad about doing an extended warranty to avoid a recall also. It needs to be recalled before someone gets hurt or killed. And if they can’t get the parts they need to offer another way out of it. Please help!.

For steering: there is a grinding noise that happens each time I turn my wheel when turning into a parking spot or making a non wide turn. It happens every single time that I do it. For automatic emergency braking: it turns on while I am in the middle of driving constantly.

Vehicle vibrates and rumbles at very low speeds and almost feels like the engine is giving out. I was told by my local vw dealership that the rack and pinion steering is failing and is the cause for this vibration. When attempting to have the problem resolved by their mechanics, I was told that it could take 30 days to get the part. After 60 days of waiting for the part, I cancelled the order and took my deposit back. I've recently learned that this part needed to replace rack and pinion can take up to 7-12 months to acquire. I am interested in seeing this mechanical issue being recalled by the NHTSA to have Volkswagen held responsible for such a travesty.

Steering rack and pinion (steering gear) is failing. There is a violent intermittent vibration in the steering wheel when driving. I have had an import repair shop check out the car - I did have some suspension work done on the rear as well as replaced the sway bars in the front (still had the vibration and it continues to worsen). After more review of the issue and numerous test drives it was determined that the steering rack and pinion was the issue and needed to be replaced. I authorized the shop to order the parts back in January, however they have been unable to get the part as it has been on back order. I have contacted other shops as well as dealerships and getting the part will require a substantial wait. This is a significant safety issue and even Volkswagen parts department here in high point nc acknowledged that the part has been "upgraded" a few times so clearly its a known issue. I do not know how this sort of a safety issue cannot be a recall. As the car's warranty is expired and this is not a recall, we are stuck navigating between driving a car that may be unsafe, renting a car or trying to get by on one car when we require 2. We have no option here but to wait, hope and pray that nothing significant happens.

With the past year, have had 2 dangerous safety issues pop up. 1. April 2024, seat belt malfunctioned causing an error message. From what the vw dealer told me, the seat belt would not lock, therefore requiring a replacement of the entire assembly had to drive home several hours with this error message. Should a 5 year old car have such issues? 2. January 2025, steering began to feel very sloppy. Was informed steering rack assembly had excessive play inside the steering gear. Presume losing steering at highway speeds would be quite dangerous. Replacing seat belt assembly cost $1261. 25, the steering rack assembly replacement will cost $1988. 75. Both should be recall items and covered by vw.

This is a 7 day old vehicle. Twice in the past two days the steering wheel locked up when steering into a turn, forcing me to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing. It also happened once when in reverse, backing out of a parking lot. Error/failure codes pop up for a few seconds when this happens and then they go away. It was fast but I think they said, brake maneuver failure, steering failure, hill assist failure, front assist failure. The 3rd time the check engine light also came on but went away after re-starting. Given it is a brand new car I thought it was a fluke but after the third steering failure almost causing me to crash into a tree I stopped the vehicle and it is being towed to the dealership. This is very dangerous and I was very lucky a car didn't crash into me when I slammed on my brakes to miss the tree. It scared my children and has left me very anxious about driving this car. I know that of this happens it a busy intersection it will cause an accident. Please help me return this car for a new car without such a serious safety flaw. What a disappointment.

Since purchase the car when holding steering straight veers to the left into oncoming traffic. Vehicle has been to service 9x work on the subframe was completed at the first go. . Significant work that vw corporate could not explain on a new car coming off the line. Attempts since from most recent road force 4 wheel balance. Car still pulls to the left. Vw corporate was notified we would like a replacement but they still want to send the car back to service again. Transparency has not been at the front of this case, they cant answer questions when directed asked esp regarding subframe work.

While driving, the steering wheel warning light briefly flashed on my dashboard and then disappeared. Later, it came back on and stayed illuminated. A few minutes after that, my car caught fire, which spread to my garage and caused significant damage to my house.

The rack and pinion failed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to move and maneuver. According to the service advisor, it is known that if the rack and pinion is immersed in water due to floods, that causes the electronics of the system to fail. This causes the steering wheel to become very stiff and it is very hard to maneuver the car. Rain is very common in all parts of the world, including in puerto rico, and it is not safe to be driving a car that could 'lock' the steering wheel in any random occasion after a pouring rain event.

The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the steering rack parts were on backorder and the vehicle was not able to be repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 78,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was difficult to turn, and the hazard indicator warning light illuminated. In addition, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

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The contact owns a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel began to vibrate intensely. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the struts. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then determined that the tires needed to be replaced. The tires were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the steering rack and pinion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

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

Steering gear failed twice I have the first one make my car shake so bad and second it makes horrible noise every time I moved the steering wheel . Both front head light led failed for the day running light. Car has misfiring problems with spark plugs and injectors making driving unpredictable and engine start shaking out of nowhere and epc (electronic power control )light comes on.

On a few occasions, even with the start/stop function disabled, the vehicle has completely shut off with no warning. It must be put it in park and restarted. Once it even turned off while reversing out of driveway and the steering wheel locked.

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The vehicle would start from the remote and upon getting into the vehicle the push start won’t engage with the steering wheel locking and the vehicle being inoperable. The steering will will make locking mechanism sounds and the vehicle won’t start. The vehicle will then not turn on and I am unable to drive. It has sputtered for weeks now yet it turns on and I am able to drive. When first purchasing the vehicle the engine had to be replaced as it backfired and went out the same start stop issue was present then.

Steering wheel vibrates when going 55mph and over. Tired have been balanced and aligned I bought new tires and rims and got them balanced and aligned as well spent a lot of money and it’s still an issue. Vehicle pulls to the left, even with an alignment done. Taken to multiple shops they “can’t find the issue” . . My brakes grind, squeak, but again they said they are perfectly fine. My touchscreen turns off randomly for days won’t turn on nothing works on it and because of that I can’t put it in eco mode , use navigation, or any other features and because vw couldn’t replicate the same issue they can’t fix it despite my many videos I showed them. I have only had the car since Feb 26,2024 and put more money into this than I’d like.

When turning my vehicle to the left or right at slow speeds, the steering wheel rattles and wants to auto correct to a straight position. This has caused my wife and I to almost collide with other parked vehicles. The gps in my vehicle has recently started to go haywire and fail to give any correct guidance. I plugged in my iphone to use my carplay map and the issue transfers over to the gps on my phone as well. The moment I unplug the phone, the issue resolves on my phone but resumes on my vehicles gps. My heater won’t take affect until I reached approx 80 degrees. I begin to raise the temp and the rear vents begin to blow hot air at the high 70’s while the front of the vehicle remains at ac. Once I hit 80 degrees the heater turns on at the front of the vehicle. The issues all started when I had a module replaced in my vehicle. Approximately time issues began was first week of March 2024. I have videos showing the rattling steering, the haywire gps and the hvac issues.