2022 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS Complaints

significant brake noise issues (grinding, squeaking, and gurgling sounds). it does feel inconsistent braking. This issue is a constant driving problem every day. I requested a car inspection at Kearny Mesa Volkswagen (8040 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92111). They stated this was normal for this car (Atlas), and I just needed to brake harder. This is not normal to be driving with this issues and brings family safety concerns and an ultimate high repair in the future for lacking of customer services from Volkswagen

The first issue at 26k miles when the coolant light turned on. It was a broken head gasket which required the replacement of the full motor on the vehicle. After the motor was replaced, the vehicle had to be taken back to the dealership that completed the work on 3 different occasions for installation concerns including a loose bolt and low coolant levels. The second issue at 33k miles was the failure of the charcoal canister which ruined the fuel tank lining, resulting a replacement of the fuel tank. This issue caused the car to stall anytime it was idle (if I was in traffic and not able to accellerate or in a parking lot going slowly, it would stall requiring it to be put into park and restarted. This issue was a huge safety concern since my car would shut down in traffic. No indicator lights came on during this issue. Next, at 37k miles, I smelled terrible gas fumes each time the car idled. At one point, when blowing my nose, I had black soot residue, so I can't imagine what I was breathing or the risk of the vehicle catching fire with such strong fumes. I had to take the car in twice before they took me seriously. The car had broken O rings from the engine replacement. No indicator lights came on for this issue either. Last week, we received the car back after 33 days in the shop for ANOTHER broken head gasket. Within a day of getting the car back, it misfired and the check engine light was on again. The car does not accellerate correctly which poses a safety risk when trying to pull out into moving traffic or cross oncoming traffic. Volkswagen corporate office is well aware of all the issues but declined the buy-back process because we don't fall under our state's lemon laws.

The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer had not informed the contact of the cause of the failure but informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to another unknown dealer, where the same information was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

This vehicle has an issue where the engine stalls when operating a slow speeds/a stop. When the engine stalls, a message appears on the dashboard stating that you must put the car in park, turn off the ignition, restart the car, and then put it back into drive. This has posed as a significant risk to myself, my wife, and our [XXX] daughter. Additionally, my wife is currently [XXX]. The engine has stalled on us in the middle of an 8 lane intersection when attempting to turn left, when merging onto a highway, and numerous other very dangerous situations. This issue begin about 1 year after purchasing the car (brand new) from Volkswagen. Since then, we have brought the car back to the dealership where we purchased it (Heritage Volkswagen Parkville) over 5 times to have them look into this issue. They have attempted to replace the gas tank (claimed it had shrunk) and reset the computer system, yet neither of these things have worked. Neither myself or the dealership can "make" the car stall as it happens very randomly (which increases the risk that this issue poses) and now we are stuck - where Volkswagen has won't continue to research the issue/attempt to fix it yet my family is still left at risk with a car we purchased brand new off of their lot. The vehicle has not been inspected by the police, insurance, or any other people outside of Volkswagen and the vehicle has no warning signals that there is an issue and no code that they have been able to pull at the dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

1. Noise from the Front End - Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, I noticed a persistent noise coming from the front end while driving. I reported this issue to the dealership within the first 30 days of ownership, but they were unable to identify or resolve the problem on multiple occasions. Eventually, I took the vehicle to Dublin Volkswagen, where the issue was diagnosed, but I had to pay $80 out-of-pocket for the diagnostic fee. 2. Stalling Issue - The vehicle has been sporadically stalling, which initially led me to believe it was related to the auto stop/start feature. However, I later discovered that this is a recurring issue reported by other Volkswagen Atlas owners [XXX] ). This stalling issue has occurred multiple times, even to my brother during his visit from Canada. Given that this vehicle is used to transport children and other passengers, this is a serious safety concern and liability risk. Picture of message that pops up when the issue occurs. 3. Brake Performance Problems - The brakes have been squealing and exhibit shaking and grinding during use after sitting for different periods of time. Despite contacting the dealership (Dorito Brothers Volkswagen) numerous times about this issue, I have been repeatedly dismissed by their service advisors, technicians and manager. Their lack of attention to detail and unwillingness to address my concerns has eroded my confidence in their ability to service the vehicle properly. I was also informed that Volkswagen would be dealing with the brakes issues by the end of the fourth quarter in 2024 but to-date nothing has been heard nor done. They are recommending brake pads and rotors but why are those needing to be replaced after less than a year of owning it. There's more going on than they are disclosing. Attached is a copy of a report from a different dealer than the car was purchased from. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

There is a metallic rattle in the driver's side b-pillar (similar to the issue in the 2018 Tiguan LWB). Every component in the pillar has been replaced and the rattle persists. The first time I complained about it to the dealership the car only had 1,500 miles on it. 3 years and several months of the car sitting in the shop they have not been able to fix it nor have they bothered working with VW of America to find a solution. I'm guessing it is structural. The brakes are also very concerning and I have mentioned it many times over the last few years. It is not the normal VW squeal -- it is a grinding that causes the car to shake. I was told by my local VW that "Apparently you've never driven high performance vehicles before--that's normal". Uh, no it is not normal. Often times when shifting into drive from park (even on flat ground) the shifter is hard to move and then makes an awful clunking noise. Coolant disappears. And, indicator light does not come on. I was refilling the wiper fluid reservoir and noticed the coolant reservoir was almost empty, however, no light has come on. I've had to top off the coolant at least every couple months.

The contact owns a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V464000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

We have encountered two recalls (one that we are still expecting a fix for) and multiple issues with our VW Atlas that we purchased new in June 2022

The engine stalled and I was given the “please start engine manually”. The button for it to turn off at stopping was off. Completely stalled and I have to put in park and restart the vehicle. This has happened on 2 different occasions. Once at an intersection and once in a parking garage

The auto start function shuts my car off when I am stopped for a certain amount of time and will not turn back on. The first time it happened I was 10/7/2024 at a stop light in traffic and took it to the dealership to only be told it was a battery issue. I got the battery replaced and have since experienced the issue 3 more times. The night before Thanksgiving at midnight I was stopped on a hill where I could not shift my car in neutral. I had to sit on the road for 40 minutes before I could get my car back on. On the back country roads going to work(12/14), I again experienced the car shutting off at a stop light in the middle lane. I called the dealership to set up an appointment. They said they ran a diagnostic test on the car and only found the battery needed to be replaced. Nothing else. No matter where I am if I fail to manually turn off the auto start feature I risk my car randomly shutting off on me and not turning back on. I have maintained the maintenance on my car. There are no lights on until the auto start stops my car from turning on I will get an EPC light. Once the car sits for a while, I can start my car and the light doesn’t come back on. This is a major issue and I believe this is truly a manufacturing issue that should be resolved immediately.