2018 Volkswagen Atlas Powertrain (other) Problems

The water pump failed catastrophically at 63,100 miles, forcing a complete road-side breakdown and damaging the radiator. This is a known manufacturing defect affecting the 3.6L VR6 composite plastic pumps. Due to the failure of the pump, the radiator tank became hot causing a hole to form in the radiator and needing to be replaced. I still own this car and you may inspect it if needed. My safety was at risk as well as others safely was put at risk because this caused car to over heat leaving me broken down on the side of the road. My mechanic at specialized auto repair confirmed and reported this issue to me and they provided the repair. It was not inspected by police, or insurance because it was a break down, not an accident and that's not coved by insurance. I knew that the car was overheating because waring system showed it to be overheating. It was actually more than over heating because of the water pump failure, the radiator melted causing car to dump all the coolant/water creating an over heating emergency. The warning system first appeared at the same time as the pump failure and the car had already overheated due to radiator hole when the waring system alerted me to the car overheating.

NHTSA ID

11750721

Incident

Jul 5, 2025

THE EPC LIGHT WILL COME ON AT ANYTIME. MEANING WHILE DRIVING ON A STREET HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY. WHICH IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE VEICHLE WILL LOSE POWER AND START TO SHAKE. THE LIGHT WILL GO OFF ONCE TURNED OFF AND TURNED BACK ON. THERE MOST BE SOME ELECTRICAL ISSUE. NOT SURE WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THE 2018. THEY HAVE MANY COMPLAINTS AND ISSUES. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR MONTHS.

NHTSA ID

11646925

Incident

Mar 7, 2025

Both backing up and at slow speeds, the engine stalls out and requires you to put it in park and restart the engine. We brought it into the VW dealership who provided a "fix" for a evap canister and charcoal filter 3QF201797A but the issue continues to occur

NHTSA ID

11554883

Incident

Nov 10, 2023

My 2018 Volkswagen Atlas has a defect that has impaired my ability to use the vehicle as intended. It is not only unsafe but I am in fear of driving freeways because I do not know when my car will cut off. Manufactures were fully aware of their defective products. I have read forums pertaining to the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas engine sputtering (Causes and Diagnosis). It states that the causes could be a bad fuel system, ignition system,MAF sensor, or bad converter. I have owned my vehicle for over a year and a half. During this time my vehicle has repeatedly started sputtering, deccelerated and turned off. It has happened 3 times and I do not feel safe. Have taken to dealership only to be told nothing was wrong with car. On October 18, 2022 Volkswagen Group of America recalled 74,067 SUV'S due to Engine Failure that could result in stall, increasing risks of crash. Troublesome connecting rod bearings that potentially lead to oil leaks and fire. Volkswagen has recalled 2022-2023 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport.This is a Manufacturer's defect. The defect did not start in 2022-2023 models the problem occured in 2017 when the Volkswagen Atlas was launched as a one of the most innovative technical platforms in automotive industry. I understand that the Federal law requires safety recalls repairs to be provided up to 15 years because safety recalls do not expire. NHTS I am requesting that safety recalls be performed on 2018 Volkswagen Atlas because the same problems exit. I am requesting that Volkswagen Group of America stand behind their products, take ownership of the necessary repairs to keep consumers safe from harms way. I thought there was nothing more terrifying than being buried alive until I drove up and down the streets of San Francisco in a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The fear of not knowing when your car will start sputtering and decelerating causing you to plunge to your death is the most terrifying experience that I have just indured in my life.

NHTSA ID

11532710

Incident

Jan 10, 2022

Car automatically brakes driving down road and all the dash lights come on.

NHTSA ID

11504352

Incident

Jan 30, 2023

THE ENGINE OVERHEATED, STALLED OUT, UNABLE TO RESTART AND SMELLED LIKE GASOLINE AND VOLKSWAGEN DEALER SAYS NEED NEW ENGINE.

NHTSA ID

11406245

Incident

Mar 29, 2021

Mileage

80,000 mi

CAR RANDOMLY PUTS TRANSMISSION INTO EMERGENCY MODE

NHTSA ID

11377628

Incident

Dec 3, 2020

ERROR MESSAGE: 'TRANSMISSION IN EMERGENCY MODE. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING'. CAR RUNS FINE. IF YOU STOP THE CAR. PLACE IT IN PARK. TURN IT OFF. AND RESTART, THE MESSAGE MAY GO AWAY. USUALLY IT COMES ON WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED, AND SHIFTED INTO REAR OR DRIVE. FEELS LIKE A FALSE POSITIVE. PERHAPS A SMALL ISSUE WITH THE SHIFTER. TRANSMISSION CHANGES GEARS WITHOUT PROBLEMS. TOOK CAR INTO GALPIN FORD IN NORTH HILLS, CA UNDER WARRANTY. THEY CLAIMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM RETURNED SHORTLY THEREAFTER.

NHTSA ID

11316187

Incident

Oct 10, 2019

Mileage

40,000 mi

ERROR "TRANSMISSION IN EMERGENCY MODE" WHEN COLD STARTING.

NHTSA ID

11279405

Incident

Nov 11, 2019

Mileage

45,000 mi

VEHICLE DOES NOT STAY IN ECO MODE. DIGITAL DISPLAY SHUTS DOWN RANDOMLY (RADIO DISPLAY) STRUT NOISE UNIDENTIFIED

NHTSA ID

11182447

Incident

Feb 13, 2019

Mileage

16,000 mi

TAKATA, OIL WAS LOW UPON PURCHASE, HAD TO REPLACE OIL WITHIN THE FIRST 100 MILES AND SECOND TIME AT 5,000 MILES ALONG WITH THE COOLANT! COOLANT WAS COMPLETELY GONE AT 5000 MILES. AIR VENTS ARE HORRIBLE- SMELL OF OIL/COOLANT SEEPING INTO THE VENTS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ON. OUTDOOR SMELLS COME INTO THE CAR ALONG WITH EXHAUST FROM OTHER CARS. SHIFTER JUMPS AND IS STIFF WHILE GOING OUT OF PARK TO NEUTRAL, FROM PARK TO DRIVE ETC. VERY TOXIC THIS VEHICLE IS, NOT SAFE WHEN IDLING...WHEN IN NEUTRAL THE VEHICLE AS I WOULD BE IN A DRIVE THRU PERSE AND THEN BRAKE TO GO FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE, THE TRANS WILL "JUMP" GRIND INTO GEAR!

NHTSA ID

11174836

Incident

Oct 10, 2018

Mileage

175 mi

THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED 10/31/18 AND ON 11/4/18 WE ARRIVED AT A RELATIVE'S HOME IN WESTCHESTER. THIS AREA HAS NO SIDEWALKS OR PARKING LANE. WE PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE STREET TO PARK. THE STREET IS A SLIGHT HILL AND THE SHOULDER WAS VERY UNEVEN. THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS UPHILL. MY HUSBAND HAD CUT THE WHEELS TO TH E ROAD WHEN PULLING IN. ONCE IN PARK AND THE CAR OFF, HE EXITED AND WALKED BEHIND THE CAR TO COME ROUND AND HELP ME GET OUT ON THE ROUGH SHOULDER. BEFORE HE MADE IT TO THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR, THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWNHILL INTO THE STREET. I INSTICTIVELY WENT FOR THE SHIFT. THE SHIFT WAS ALREADY IN THE PARK POSITION BUT THE CAR WAS MOVING! BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A VERY STEEP HILL, THE ELEVATION CHANGE AT THE TRANSITION FROM THE DIRT SHOULDER TO THE ASPHALT ROAD STOPPED THE CAR WHEN THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL MET THE ASPHALT EDGE. THIS ROAD IS NARROW AND WINDING. WE WERE FORTUNATE NOONE WAS COMING ROUND THE BEND. THE CAR CAME TO A STOP 30-40% INTO THE CAR LANE WITH NO DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL. IN ITS SIMPLEST STATE IT APPEARS THAT THE TRANSMISSION PARK GEAR DID NOT ENGAGE, YET IT WAS DEFINITELY IN THE PARK POSITION. THIS CAR DOES NOT HAVE A MANUEL PARKING BRAKE. TO BE HONEST, THE HILL WOULD NOT HAVE SEEMED TO WARRANT THE NEED FOR A PARKING BRAKE IF THE PARKING GEAR WERE ENGAGING PROPERLY. WE HAVE JUST CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO CLAIMED IGNORANCE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEMS EVER EXISTING. HE SUGGESTED WE MAKE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT & HAVE THE AUTO CHECKED OUT. I SUSPECT SO THEY CAN FORMALLY TELL US IT IS OUR IMAGINATION. AFTER READING THE COMPLAINTS ON FILE, I AM SORRY WE DID NOT LOOK HERE BEFORE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT VW OR ANY OTHER CAR MANUFACTURER SEEMS ANXIOUS TO CORRECT DESIGN FLAWS UNTIL THERE ARE SUFFICIENT DEATHS.

NHTSA ID

11149492

Incident

Nov 4, 2018

Mileage

300 mi

THE MOST CONCERNING SAFETY ISSUE IS THE MALFUNCTIONING AUTO START/STOP SYSTEM. ON FOUR OCCASIONS, IT HAS SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE WHILE IN MOTION, PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT, RESULTING IN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, IT SHUT-OFF THE VEHICLE WHILE STOPPING TO PAY THE PARKING ATTENDANT BUT FAILED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WHEN I RELEASED THE BRAKE AND STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR. I HAD TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND MANUALLY RESTART THE VEHICLE. I HAVE ALSO HAD MULTIPLE EXPERIENCES WHEN I HAVE TURNED OFF THE AUTO START/START WHEN I STARTED THE VEHICLE ONLY TO HAVE IT REACTIVATE ITSELF AND SHUT-OFF THE VEHICLE WHEN I STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION. OTHER ISSUES INVOLVE THE "INFOTAINMENT" SYSTEM AND CLIMATE CONTROL ELECTRONICS. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE RADIO HAS TURNED ITSELF ON AFTER I HAVE TURNED IT OFF. AS FOR THE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM, IT PERIODICALLY DEACTIVATES THE REAR PASSENGER COMPARTMENT CLIMATE CONTROL AND SHUTS OFF AIRFLOW TO THE REAR PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND I HAVE TO MANUALLY RESET THE SYSTEM THROUGH THE BUTTON ON THE DASHBOARD. THESE EXPERIENCES INDICATE THE VEHICLE ELECTRONIC AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS ARE UNSTABLE AND THE VOLKSWAGEN DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUES, AS THEY HAVE RECURRED AFTER THE DEALER CLAIMED TO FIX THE ISSUES. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY FAMILY'S SAFETY IN THIS MALFUNCTIONING VEHICLE. THE DATE BELOW IS THE MOST RECENT EVENT INVOLVING THE AUTO START/STOP SYSTEM. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN MID-FEBRUARY 2018, APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11130932

Incident

Sep 2, 2018

Mileage

250 mi

AT AROUND 60 TO 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE HAS A SLIGHT VIBRATION WHICH SHAKES THE CAR AND THE STEERING WHEEL. ALONG WITH VIBRATION THERE IS A SLIGHT FLUTTERING NOISE AT THE SAME TIME. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS THREE DIFFERENT TIMES BUT THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THIS IS JUST HIGHWAY NOISE. I TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT THIS VIBRATION AND NOISE IS ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF HIGHWAY SURFACE. I BROUGHT THE NEW ON NOVEMBER 27, 2017 AND DROVE IT HOME FROM CINCINNATI OH TO MY HOME IN NEWARK OH ABOUT 150 MILES. I NOTICED THE VIBRATION AND NOISE ON THE TRIP HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND NOTIFIED THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS NEW CAR. THIS CAR 18 MILES ON THE ODOMETER WHEN I TOOK DELIVERY ON NOVEMBER 27, 2017. I HAD MOVED TO MICHIGAN IN JUNE 2018 HAD TAKEN TO WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN HAD TWICE TRIED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AND EACH TIME CLAIMED IT WAS REPAIRED SATISFACTORY. THE FIRST TIJE I TOOK IT TO WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE CLAIMED I HAD HIT A POT HOLE. I TOLD HIM IT WAS THAT WAY WHEN I PURCHASE THE CAR. THEY BALANCE ALL WHEELS AND CLAIMED IT WAS REPAIRED. I TOOK BACK AGAIN AND THEY DID A "FORCED" BALANCE AND REPLACE TWO FRONT TIRES AND SAID IT WAS REPAIRED. I CONTACTED WILLIAMS VOLKSWAGEN SERVICE MANAGER AND HE ADMITTED HE ALSO HEARD AND SEEN THE VIBRATION IN THE CAR BUT CLAIMED IT WAS DUE TO ROAD CONDITIONS, NOT THE CAR. I AM CONCERN THERE COULD BE A SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR MAYBE WITH THE STEERING AND OR WHEELS.

NHTSA ID

11120865

Incident

Nov 27, 2017

Mileage

17 mi

THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP ON A CITY STREET AFTER FULL APPLICATION OF BRAKES CAUSING COLLISION AND DAMAGE TO FRONT BUMPER . I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTIFICATION FROM WALKS WAGON THAT CERAMIC COATING ON THE BRAKES NEEDS TO BE FIXED AND WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY BRAKE ISSUES PRIOR TO THE COLLISION .THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 4100 MILES AND CURRENTLY AT THE COLLISION CENTRE .

NHTSA ID

11118107

Incident

Aug 1, 2018

Mileage

4,100 mi