2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS Complaints

First time-Driving on road at 45 mph when my car started flashing red for a forward collision and my cars automatic emergency brake stopped me immediately with nothing in front of me on a clear road. The stop was so forceful we thought we were hit from behind with no one around us. The force causing both my teenage son and I to have strained necks with the force of us stopping immediately. I was forced so far forward my head hit the windshield. Second time-driving in a parking lot at 10 mph when my cars emergency red flashed in dashboard then immediately stopping my car with no car or speed bumps ahead of me. The car behind me nearly hitting me. We got out of car to ensure they had not hit us because again with the force of the immediate stop, all in the car were forced forward in a jerking position. Took into manufacture and they said nothing was showing up and they have no idea what I’m talking about

Front steering knuckles fractured on the vehicle while driving, causing me to lose control of the vehicle. Other Volkswagen Atlas' have been recalled for this same issue, but not my specific model. If this is a problem for similar vehicles, people will be at risk of serious injury or death if not fixed immediately. I currently am on a military assignment in Germany and am having difficulty working with the dealers here to confirm the issue. Luckily I was in a parking lot when my steering knuckles failed and was able to park the vehicle safely. There were no warning indicators on the vehicle before I lost control. The vehicle did have a few symptoms of failing steering knuckles, like grinding and shaking sounds.

I noticed about 6 months ago on a couple of occasions, while walking in front of my running 2018 VW Atlas. The sweet smell of antifreeze. I looked under my Atlas and did not see anything on the ground ( water, antifreeze ) and this happened just a few times. Then one 2/2/2023, I started up my Atlas to move it over and the low coolant warning signal came on my dash as soon as I started my vehicles. I did not have any of the specific coolant that the manufactured ask for it the time and after checking the reservoir tank the coolant level was down to the low mark on the reservoir tank. So I was able to put some distilled water in it which was about two cups 16 oz. Now after I have read all of the other issues that owners have had I am really worried that my vehicle will get worse. Then yesterday when I started my car in the morning I had a error message I shut the car off and restarted it and the message went away. I'm really worried that it is going to get worse and become more and more expensive. I am the second owner I bought it in April of 2020 it has a little over 28,000 miles on it yes 28,000 Mi for a 2018. I don't go very many places I take care of my elderly mother. I have looked at the VIN number to see if it is part of any of the recalls and it is not. It was part of the drivetrain recalls and that was fixed last year.

Car hesitating and sounding as if it would shut down while lunging while idle. While braking downhill, car shakes violently, when either braking or coasting to a stop car begins lunging back and forth, while stopped or parked, car shakes back and forth from engine area. Fuel pump replaced, spark plugs and coils replaced. Did not fix the issues. Within 600 miles same issues started to come back. Check engine light started flashing again today and is now steady. Car seems to be extremely unsafe and of course all warranties expired. I started contacting the dealership before it expired and they did not return any of my messages. I was never able to talk to a person when calling the dealership.

Vehicle @ Danbury VW for repairs; per service advisor rear passenger seat belt was ripped/damaged; this seat belt is used on my child’s car seat and has not been involved in any incidents that would cause damage. The contact stated that the damage to the seatbelt in the second passenger seat row was repaired by the dealer. It was brought to their attention that the child car seat used in second row was the cause of the damage. However, upon trying to begin using the second row seating again, another fray in the seatbelt was found by the contact.

Car has been automatically shutting off at slow speeds such as red lights and trying to park. Mainly happens at lights as you break. The car was taken first to Tire Plus, they ran a diagnostic where they received an error and instructed me to take the car to dealer. Took car to VW and provided them with the tire plus paperwork and they stated the car is fine and they do not see anything wrong. They asked me to take a video when it happens. My son who relies on this car just took a video at a stop light and it is now being sent to VW to see what next step is. Car is getting close to warrantee expiration. I believe I have about 6k more miles to go.

On several occasions when braking to come to a stop at a relatively low speed, the car began lurching as pressure was applied to the brake pedal. The brake pedal was jumping up and down and making a hydraulic-type noise. At the same time, a message indicating "Brake Booster Failure" appeared on the panel, and the parking brake light illuminated. The problem resolved after sitting still for approximately 30 seconds. The car is currently being serviced at a Volkswagen dealership, and they have not been able to diagnose any issues.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH with her children in the rear seats, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assistance of bystanders. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle and drove to her destination. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred on another occasion. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The front brakes unevenly wore to the point where the driver side brake is like new and the passenger side brake is a safety issue. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk Because of the extreme wear on the passenger side braking system the whole front braking system needed to be replaced prematurely to ensure safety. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? A simple Google search shows that this is a common issue with the 2018 VW Atlas. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It was inspected by the manufacturer, but VW insists there is nothing wrong with the components despite not being able to explain why the passenger side front brake was so significantly more worn than the driver side front brake. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. This was identified during an oil change. I was told that it was a safety issue for me to be driving on a front brake that was so worn. When I brought it in for the brake work, I suggested there was a defect in the design and the brake replacement should be covered by the warranty. I was then informed that I really didn't need to have my brakes replaced at this time.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that after turning the ignition to the off position, the engine remained running but then turned off after a short while. The check engine and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had misfired and the ABS was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.