2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS Complaints

AT DELIVERY (4400 MILES) AS THIS WAS A PROGRAM CAR, THE STEERING COLUMN CREEKS, POPS, AND CRACKLES WITH AT TIMES PRODUCES A LOW PITCH HIGH FREQUENCY MOAN/GROWN. THIS IS MOST NOTABLE AT LOW SPEEDS FOR THE CRACKLING NOISE, THE MOANING SOUND IS EVIDENT AT 60 MPH OR SO. I SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE AND TOWED IT TO DEALERSHIP. STEERING FAILURE DID NOT OCCUR, BUT THE NOISES CREATED SAFETY CONCERN. THE SALESMAN CLAIMED THAT THIS WAS A OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE

YOU HEAR WOSSHING SOUND WHEN YOU START SLOW ACCELERATION FROM ALMOST STOP, NOT COMPLETELY STOP, LIKE 5MPH. IT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE TIME. THE ISSUE IS THAT VEHICLE DOES NOT SHIFT TO 2ND GEAR, STAYS IN 3RD WHEN IT'S AROUND 5MPH. THIS LOAD IS CAUSING TORQUE CONVERTER AND PUMP TO WORK HARDER TO GET VEHICLE ROLLING. I BELIEVE IT IS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE SINCE IT ONLY HAPPENS IN 3RD GEAR AROUND 1500 TO 2000 RPMS. FOR ME, I HEAR IT THE MOST WHEN I AM ACCELERATING AFTER COMING TO A "STOP". ONCE I HEAR THE NOISE, I FLIP THE CAR INTO MANUAL MODE AND IT IS ALWAYS IN 3RD GEAR. ALTHOUGH YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ALMOST STOPPED, THE CAR IS STILL IN 3RD GEAR. DO THE SAME "STOP" WHILE IN MANUAL MODE AND DOWNSHIFT TO 2ND, AND THERE ISN'T A NOISE. MECHANIC AT DEALERSHIP TRIED OTHER NEW ATLAS' ON THE LOT AND FOUND SAME ISSUES. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE HAVING SAME PROBLEM. HONESTLY, MY NOISE SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE AND LOUDER EACH DAY.

WHEN MOVING AND UNDER A LOAD AT LOWER RPMS THE TRANSMISSION MAKES A SCREECHING NOISE LIKE SOMETHING IS GRINDING. HAVE BROUGHT THIS IN TO THE DEALER ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT IT IS "NORMAL" FOR VW ATLAS VEHICLES. I FEEL THAT THIS CANNOT BE NORMAL AND DO NOT TRUST THIS ANSWER FROM VW ESPECIALLY AFTER WE WERE LIED TO ABOUT THE DIESEL EMISSIONS PROBLEM. I AM WORRIED THAT THESE TRANSMISSIONS ARE FAULTY AND MAY GIVE OUT UNEXPECTEDLY. I WAS TOLD THAT IF I WERE TO BE STRANDED THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WOULD HELP ME BUT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND BEING STRANDED COULD BE A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD.

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. STRONG GAS SMELL INSIDE CAR. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP. HAS MULTIPLE GAS LEAKS AND DEALERSHIP IS REPLACING THE GAS TANK AND LINES.

AUTOMATIC BRAKING STOPS CAR WHEN EXITING PARKING LOT ONTO MAIN ROAD, COULD NOT PULL STRAIGHT OUT OF PARKING LOT. EMERGENCY BRAKING DEPLOYED 3 TIMES. ON COMING TRAFFIC HAD TO STOP BECAUSE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE UNIT I TURNED SYSTEM OFF. MULTIPLE CARS WERE BEHIND ME AND COULD NOT BACK UP ENOUGH TO NOT BLOCK TRAFFIC. NO OBSTRUCTIONS WHERE IN FRONT OF ME JUST SLIGHTLY STEEPER ANGLE EXITING PARKING LOT.

UPON ACCELERATING MY 2019 VW ATLAS DOWN AN EMPTY STREET BETWEEN 10 TO 20 MILES PER HOUR THE AUTONAMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKE SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED AND THE CAR SUDDENLY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP JOLTING US FORWARD. IT WAS SO UNEXPECTED THAT MY HANDS SLIPPED OFF THE STEERING WHEEL AND LANDED ON THE DASH BOARD. THE HALT CAME WITH A VERY LOUD NOISE. AS I EXPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP TECHNICIAN AND VW CORPORATE OFFICE REGIONAL CASE MANAGER, THERE WAS NO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THERE WERE NO PEDESTRIANS, ANIMALS, OBSTACLES, ETC. ON THE ROADWAY. THE DAY WAS SUNNY AND THE GRILL EMBLEM THAT HOUSES THE SYSTEM SENSOR WAS UNOBSTRUCTED AND CLEAN. IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A VEHICLE BEHIND ME I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT "THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE" AND PER CORPORATE ENGINEERS THE SENSOR IS WORKING PER SPECIFICATIONS AND NO FAULT CODES WERE FOUND WITH THE SENSOR. IMAGINE RECEIVING THIS EXPLANATION AFTER THAT SCARY INCIDENT HAPPENS TO YOU OUT OF NO WHERE. NOW I CAN'T GET BACK INTO THE VEHICLE WITHOUT THINKING WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. TOO HAVE WRITTEN A LETTER TO THE CEO OF VOLKSWAGEN SEEKING A RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. MY THOUGHT IS THAT IT'S A PROBLEM WITH THE SENSOR'S SOFTWARE CODE AND VOLKSWAGEN DOESN'T HAVE A SOLUTION. PLEASE I ASK THAT THIS ISSUE BE INVESTIGATED AND A RECALL BE ISSUED. THE INTERNET HAS INFO ON OTHER OWNERS WITH SAME ISSUE ALONG WITH A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED IN CALIFORNIA AGAINST VW FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THANK YOU. *JS

THE GAS CONSUMPTION IS BELOW WHAT VOLKSWAGEN CLAIMS AND ADVERTISES. OUR CAR AVERAGES 14 MPG INSTEAD OF 19 MPG. ON USER FORUMS, OTHER ATLAS OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT AVERAGING 14 MPG. WHEN WE PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, IT STARTS TO ROLL FORWARD. THE TRANSMISSION JOLTS WHILE DRIVING. SINCE WE GOT THE CAR, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR AN EVAP LEAK. THE DEALERSHIP "FIXED" IT. HOWEVER, SEVERAL HOURS LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON.

ENGINE LIGHT IS ON... INTERIOR SMELLS LIKE GAS AND GAS GAGE IS SHOWING LOW LEVEL VERY FAST.

EMERGENCY BRAKE ACTIVATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND TURNING TOWARDS AN OPEN PARKING SPACE. NOTHING WAS IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE DEPLOYING. THIS LEFT THE VEHICLE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF PARKING LANE AND COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY CROSS TRAFFIC.

THE CAR IS 6 MONTHS OLD. WE HAVE 5 DOCUMENTED CASES OF THE VEHICLE STOPPING/BRAKING ON IT'S OWN FOR NO REASON. THE DEALER AND VW CORPORATE DO NOT HAVE A FIX AND SUGGESTED WE KEEP DRIVING IT TO GET MORE DOCUMENTED OCCURRENCES. THE VEHICLE POSES AN EXTREME SAFETY RISK AT THIS TIME DUE TO FAULTY BRAKING ASSIST MECHANISMS. 2 OF THE 5 OCCURRENCES INVOLVED IT THROWING THE PARKING BRAKE ON BY ITSELF AND THE OTHER 3 WERE DRASTIC SLOW DOWNS WITH NOTHING AROUND. ALL INCIDENTS REPORTS ARE ATTACHED AND ARE EXACTLY WHAT WAS TURNED INTO THE DEALER AND VW CORPORATE.