2024 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS Complaints

This was already fixed by replacing thermostat sensor but now happening again about 1 month since repair. While driving the car has a red alert come up reporting high temp pull over and my car then just loses power, ability to steer and to even be able to pull over safely (rpm’s go way up but little movement steering wheel freezes)- not when I’m at a complete stop but literally middle of driving. Not sure if it’s engine if it’s the thermostat.

during a low speed parking lot stop the 2nd row bench came unlatched, the seat bottom dropped and slid forward. my [XXX] son who was in his forward facing car seat slammed into the back of the driver seat. then the bench seat was jammed in this position, he was smashed and stuck between his car seat and the driver seat, the bench seat would not move, it was stuck and my child was trapped, screaming and bleeding from his face. i had to use the driver power seat functions to move it forward to get my child un trapped. once out we tended to his medical needs as he was bleeding from his face and screaming. the seat is still stuck in this forward/dropped position and will not move. the seat latch release handle has no resistance and will not do anything. his car seat was still smashed against the driver seat and i was unable to get it out from the side, i had to lift it out through the sunroof to get it out! we took him to local urgent care, he has a laceration on his eye, bruising, swelling and is very emotionally upset as are we. i do have a dash cam and have the footage of the seat slamming forward. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Flawed programming of the transmission control module posing a safety risks in various low speed driving scenarios and potential repair expenses due to excessive engine strain. There is a widespread defect with the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport that may affect the Atlas as well. Many owners in Facebook groups are experiencing this defect. Despite Volkswagen, wherein referred to as VW, claiming the performance of transmission control module (TCM) is a characteristic of the vehicle, the defect affects acceleration after decelerating below 20 MPH when the operator (driver) expects the vehicle to typically reaccelerate. The flawed programming inhibits the transmission from downshifting at speeds below 20 MPH to properly reaccelerate, even in Sport Mode with the expectation of a more reactive transmission performance. The transmission remains in 3rd gear at speeds between 5-20 MPH after decelerating rather than downshifting into 2nd gear to reaccelerate; however, from a complete stop, the transmission will properly use 2nd gear; generally from 5-19 MPH. There is an audible strain on the engine when the RPM increase but the transmission does not downshift. There is a manual "trick" to signal the TCM to downshift when slowing below 20 MPH. A quick pulse of the accelerator pedal will signal the TCM to downshift and the transmission will properly operate in 2nd gear for reacceleration. The challenge is not always having enough time to pulse the pedal in congested driving situations. It's dangerous. A few examples when this is observed is during stop and go traffic, turning into parking garages with immediate inclines, merging into interstate traffic, U-turns, climbing inclines below 20 MPH, etc.

The car does not downshift into second gear from third, the downshift occurs when triggered by the first gear. This can result in starting acceleration initiating below 1000 rpm around 5 MPH in gear 3 to get back up to speed. This can be best observed during stop and go traffic where the car does not reach mark to trigger downshift to first gear. This creates unpredictability and potentially hazardous situations.

Within a year of owning my vehicle, I began to notice a SEVERE shudder on braking when descending from 7000 foot elevation (Mammoth Lakes, CA) to a 4400 foot elevation (Bishop, CA) on [XXX] of [XXX} upon braking. I have driven this route approximately 25 times in the past 1.5 years. Normally, I would set the adaptive cruise control to 73-75 mph on this downhill grade to control speed, and let the adaptive cruise control do the work of controlling speed, while keeping my own foot off the break. However, if I did need to slow further due to traffic, I would experience a SEVERE shudder upon manual braking- see attached screenshot of a video taken at night. I brought this incident up to VW (See mechanic video) in 1/2025, and they blamed the problem on overheating of the front rotor (see technician video link below). Upon return trips to Mammoth, I now realize that this overheating was caused by the adaptive cruise control itself attempting to control auto speed. Now, in order to make this LESS dangerous, I have to let the car get up to 80 mph and then pulse the breaks- because if I let the adaptive cruise control do the work as designed, it creates an unsafe driving condition BECAUSE OF A FAULTY DESIGN by VW- if heat is an issue, better dissipation is needed, or a temperature sensor is needed. VW's solution was for me to spend $700 to replace brakes and rotors due to a VW design flaw, despite my car being under warranty, and I cannot afford this currently. I think this issue MUST be recalled immediately before I (or someone else) who drives on long hilly grades has a fatal car accident due to a design flaw in the VW Atlas Adaptive Cruise Control. VW Technician report found here: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My new car is telling me I have a transmission problem. I got in my car to go to work and my car wouldn’t go in drive or reverse. Then my back up camera doesn’t work all the time and my screen gets blurry or complete black.

At about 8,200 miles I got the low oil warning light. I had to add a quart of oil and get it to the dealership. The dealership confirmed there was an issue with 6 cam bridge bolts and clean the engine of all the leaked oil.

The contact's mother owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that he was dropping his daughter off at school, as he shifted into reverse (R) to exit a parking space he observed that the rear view camera image had "flashed" and then the screen went black. The contact stated that he was moving at approximately 2 MPH when he crashed into the rear bumper of the vehicle parked behind him. The contact stated that there was minor damage, paint scrapes to each bumper. The police was called and issued a report and a traffic citation to the contact. The contact stated that no person was injured. The contact stated that he had determined that there was a recall associated to his mother's vehicle VIN, NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V334000 (Back Over Prevention), however she had not taken the vehicle to a dealer to have the recall repaired. The contact had not yet taken the vehicle to be repaired or to a dealer for the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

The contact owns a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Error Drive Speed" was displayed. Additionally, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 45 MPH, with the message "Engine Overheating" displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The contact became aware of an abnormal coolant odor and allowed the engine to cool down for several minutes. The contact stated that the "Drive System" message was displayed. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact was informed that it would take two weeks to diagnose the vehicle due to the dealer's service schedule. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 30,160. The VIN was unavailable.

I was driving about 50-55 miles per hours. I had been driving for about 45 minutes when I heard a loud pop in the rear portion of the vehicle. Warning lights came on the dash at this time. The message said to "apply the park brake because of roll potential" and some other messages that I cannot remember. The vehicle stopped moving/pulling (the engine was still running) and the vehicle put itself in Neutral. The wheels locked up. A bystander tried to push it out of the lane of traffic, but it would not move, and the tow truck had to drag it on the flat bed. The dealership (Checkered Flag Volkswagen - Virginia Beach, Virginia) said there was a fault for the shifter mechanism. They replaced it. Safety - I was instantly stuck in the middle of traffic and could not even coast off to the shoulder to get out of the lane of traffic.