2018 Volkswagen Atlas Problems

EPC light Tire light My cold air doesn't work, cruise control, heating on driver side mirror. Not sure what else. I made my first car payment in June 2026. Looks like I got a lemon vehicle.

The vehicle intermittently displays a “Steering lock faulty, stop!” warning and fails to start. When this occurs, the vehicle cannot be operated at all. This issue has occurred multiple times within a short period and has persisted despite prior repair attempts by authorized Volkswagen dealerships. The failure of the steering lock system prevents the vehicle from starting, creating a safety concern as the vehicle may become unexpectedly inoperable and leave the driver stranded. The repeated nature of this issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of the vehicle.

The passenger airbag ‘off’ light remains on even when a passenger is sitting in the passenger front seat. This remains on even after I’ve taken it in for a different component for the airbag that was recalled.

I am reporting a failure by Volkswagen Group of America to provide a safe and timely remedy for Safety Recall 23V-215. Per the manufacturer's notice, the front passenger seat is unsafe for use until repaired. I physically surrendered my vehicle to Merced VW on Dec 29, 2025, due to this grounding safety risk. However, both the dealership and VW Corporate (Case #07228209) have refused to provide a comparable 7-passenger loaner or a direct-bill rental, despite this being my family's primary transportation for three children. VW Corporate has denied reimbursement, citing a '3-hour' labor time, while ignoring the actual grounding period caused by parts backorders. I am currently forced to pay out-of-pocket for a rental to ensure my family's safety because the manufacturer has failed to provide the mandated no-charge remedy or safe alternative transportation.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, "low coolant" and "overheating" messages and the check engine warning light illuminated. On the first two occasions, the low coolant message appeared. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and inspected, and she observed a leak under the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer twice, where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired twice, but the failure reoccurred approximately two years later. The contact stated that on the third occasion, an "overheating, turn engine off immediately" message appeared and an alert warning chime went off. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and turned off to cool down. The contact stated that when the vehicle was turned on, it began to overheat again. The vehicle was then towed to the same dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water pump and a possible additional unknown failure were the cause. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The dealer advised the contact that they may need to replace the head gasket as well. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Automatic parking brake comes on every time I start my car or park. It won’t come out of parking brake. The auto parking brake will not turn off. I can get it to drive eventually but the parking brake light stays on.

I received a brake booster fault caution which was followed by the BRAKE warning light being illuminated. When I applied pressure to the brakes, it almost felt as if the ABS was kicking in, on a flat, dry road. The brake pedal would "jump" and depress farther on its own like there wasn't a good vacuum for the brakes. I've taken it to my local VW service center and was informed they had to call VW Corporate for assistance in a fix and was given a list of components to possibly replace that "may" fix the issue but even after replacement, some customers still experience the same issue. I am currently awaiting an estimate but have significant concerns that any repair work may not actually address the root cause of this issue and when it's related to a major safety feature like the brakes, that presents a significant concern.

EPC light Tire light My cold air doesn't work, cruise control, heating on driver side mirror. Not sure what else. I made my first car payment in June 2026. Looks like I got a lemon vehicle.

When attempting to drive out of a steep driveway to turn onto a main arterial, the car interpreted the hill as a potential collision and turned on the emergency braking. This left me half-way in the lane, at a complete stop, unable to accelerate and continue driving, with on-coming traffic at over 40mph heading toward me in what would be a T-bone collision. Traffic stopped giving me time to reverse back up the driveway. I further backed up to come down the driveway at a different angle but the problem repeated itself again. It was multiple seconds before I could even continue to accelerate and fully enter the lane of traffic. It was as if the car put itself into neutral. That being said no part of the car every even scrapped the pavement so clearly the car was not in danger of a collision with the cement. I have also left this driveway multiple times and never had it emergency brake before. We were almost in a T-bone collision due to the sensors initiating emergency braking despite speeds of under 5mph and now actual collision risk existing.

Several times before I got the car stalled in the car wash which I thought that could no be important however yesterday Sunday 12, driving on I4 by Tampa bay in Florida when traffic was stocked and slow suddenly the car went off, so I geared neutral and started again. Then happened twice in total three times.

Gas tank melted on top of the tank next to drive shaft and a hole was leaking gas- we are keeping the tank that was removed for investigation. Extreme safety issue that put my daughter and granddaughters at risk of fire/explosion when it was unknown that there was a gas leak while driving. The part was inspected by a repair shop in Lake Havasu AZ as well as the Capistrano Volkswagen, CA dealership and no explanation of the cause. Since the vehicle is out of warranty the VW.com and the dealership refused to replace without full charge. Insurance claim has been filed. There were no warning lamps messages or other symptoms of the failure. About 45 miles prior to gas leak detection, while fueling, the reverse pressure shutoff did not work, and a significant amount of gas was released at the station. No indication of a leak from the gas tank until the car stopped, then significant release onto the ground was observed.

Dealer sold flood damaged 2020 Atlas 98k miles as safe vehicle. Found severe rust corrosion on steering column that could break while driving causing loss of control crash death. Also found 7 areas of toxic mold inside causing allergic reaction and breathing problems. Mold in seats, carpet, AC system. Dealer refused to repair and forced trade for overpriced 2023 Explorer with high loan. Vehicle unsafe - life threatening defect hidden by dealer. Steering and body structure compromised by flood water. Have photos of corrosion and mold as evidence. Vehicle available for inspection. Injury: Allergic reaction - skin rash, breathing difficulty, cough from toxic mold exposure. Senior driver [XXX] old. No crash yet but steering corrosion could cause fatal crash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle intermittently displays a “Steering lock faulty, stop!” warning and fails to start. When this occurs, the vehicle cannot be operated at all. This issue has occurred multiple times within a short period and has persisted despite prior repair attempts by authorized Volkswagen dealerships. The failure of the steering lock system prevents the vehicle from starting, creating a safety concern as the vehicle may become unexpectedly inoperable and leave the driver stranded. The repeated nature of this issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of the vehicle.

Dealer sold flood damaged 2020 Atlas 98k miles as safe vehicle. Found severe rust corrosion on steering column that could break while driving causing loss of control crash death. Also found 7 areas of toxic mold inside causing allergic reaction and breathing problems. Mold in seats, carpet, AC system. Dealer refused to repair and forced trade for overpriced 2023 Explorer with high loan. Vehicle unsafe - life threatening defect hidden by dealer. Steering and body structure compromised by flood water. Have photos of corrosion and mold as evidence. Vehicle available for inspection. Injury: Allergic reaction - skin rash, breathing difficulty, cough from toxic mold exposure. Senior driver [XXX] old. No crash yet but steering corrosion could cause fatal crash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I have a moonroof that leaks whenever it rains. It comes on the sides of the car and also in the middle near my rearview mirror which leaks on my electronics. I am at risk because it brings water into my car when I am driving. It can cause mold and mildew as well. I've taking this to my local VW dealership without any resolution. They just said its a well know issue. The attempted to 'clean' the drains but it still leaks.

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.

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.

Both my low beam headlamps went out WHILE DRIVING. This is a major safety concern. It is also not an easy or inexpensive fix. The entire assembly must be replaced and not just a bulb. It is a $3000 replacement cost. The LED lamp should NEVER go out. Isn't that why LED was put in these lights? Why did VW make a headlamp that must be completely replaced and why are they charging $1000 for each headlight?

The passenger side low beam headlights failed at roughly 100k miles. The replacement part and labor quote from the dealership was roughly $1,500. I was able to find an OEM part online for $800 and install myself. Roughly 12,000 miles later the driver side low beam headlight has failed which will require a replacement as well.

Back seat belt won’t un latch buckled in behind diver seat daughter is skinny enough to squeeze her way out safety issue. Just stopped working and now is stuck.

Unknown- manufacturer still has not found a remedy for the seatbelt air bag issue and it’s been a year since they announced it

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal noise and the rear of the vehicle jumped. The contact exited the vehicle and became aware that the rear coil spring had fractured. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V904000 (Suspension). The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE DROPPED 5" TO 6" AFTER DRIVING APPROX. 400MILES. THE DRIVER SIDE WHEEL WELL IS 1.5" FROM THE TIRE & THE PASSENGER SIDE IS 2" AWAY. THE WHEEL WELL HAS A "WARPED" WHEEL WELL. THE SPRINGS SEEMS TO BE LOCKED OR DROPPED. LOOKING AT THE ATLAS IN PROFILE THE REAR IS LOWER THAN THE FRONT. BEFORE THE TRIP I WAS ABLE TO WALK UNDER THE TAILGATE WHEN OPEN WITHOUT HITTING MY HEAD & NOW THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE IS LOW, I HAVE TO BEND OVER TO PREVENT HITTING MY HEAD. PLEASE NOTE, I AM NOT A TRAINED SERVICE TECH. I AM AN OWNER; I AM DOING A PROCESS OF ELIMINATION FOR WHY THE REAR IS LOWER. I SEARCHED GOOGLE & FOUND THAT IN FEBRUARY VOLKSWAGEN RECALLS 6,322 VEHICLES TO REPAIR FAULTY REAR SPRINGS. BUT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT LISTED ON THE RECALL. I AM OUT OF STATE FROM MY PURCHASED DEALER & THE LOCAL DEALER DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL LISTED AS "FAULTY REAR SPRINGS" FOR MY VIN. WE HAVE 20' BLACK RIMS / WHEELS ON THE VEHICLE. THE PHOTO SHOWS THE FACTORY INSTALLED TRAILER HITCH RECEIVER AT 13" & ACCORDING TO VW WEBSITE IT SHOULD 19". (FEB. 18, 2019 - VOLKSWAGEN HAS RECALLED 6,000 VEHICLES TO REPAIR POSSIBLE FAULTY REAR SPRINGS. ACCORDING TO THE AUTOMAKER, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A REAR COIL SPRING MIGHT SHATTER CAUSING HANDLING PROBLEMS AND THE POSSIBILITY FOR AN ACCIDENT.) *TR

Dealer sold flood damaged 2020 Atlas 98k miles as safe vehicle. Found severe rust corrosion on steering column that could break while driving causing loss of control crash death. Also found 7 areas of toxic mold inside causing allergic reaction and breathing problems. Mold in seats, carpet, AC system. Dealer refused to repair and forced trade for overpriced 2023 Explorer with high loan. Vehicle unsafe - life threatening defect hidden by dealer. Steering and body structure compromised by flood water. Have photos of corrosion and mold as evidence. Vehicle available for inspection. Injury: Allergic reaction - skin rash, breathing difficulty, cough from toxic mold exposure. Senior driver [XXX] old. No crash yet but steering corrosion could cause fatal crash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Several times before I got the car stalled in the car wash which I thought that could no be important however yesterday Sunday 12, driving on I4 by Tampa bay in Florida when traffic was stocked and slow suddenly the car went off, so I geared neutral and started again. Then happened twice in total three times.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V215000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the air conditioning system would activate unintendedly. Additionally, the windshield wiper blade speed would fluctuate while functioning. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Volkswagen Atlas. The stated while his wife was driving during heavy rain conditions, the front driver’s side windshield wiper failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The vehicle was pending to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

Today 3 times while driving my car braked on its own, emitted a loud noise and “Brake Booster Faulty” displays along with the ABS and Brake late. It also told me to power off the car. Prior to this there were no problems however I am now worried for safety reasons.

Hi, While transporting my bike, the rack failed to secure it and dropped it backwards, basically it didn't hold the horizontal position and both, the rack and the bike dropped/fell backwards, the bike hit a wall and got damaged. Now Kuat posted a note related to a recall for the Kuat transfer v2 (my rack) and I have submitted multiple requests to Kuat using their form, called them and had no answer after a month trying to get their assistance. Per their instructions, you can help us get their assistance. What I do not want is that rack anymore, I need Kuat (or this Administration) to reimburse me for the rack and helped with the damaged to my bike. Thanks so much for your attention and help.

P255 / 50 R 20 Tire light stays on. Right front tire is low. I have to fill up all 4 tires. I just purchased this vehicle. Was I sold a lemon? My cold air doesn't work now either. I just made my 3rd payment on this Volkswagen Atlas SEL 2018 What all do I need to have inspected. The car dealership never inspected this vehicle when it came off the truck.

The tire started making a sound like every 15 miles or so like it was going over a speed burn (small bumps) on the side of the freeway. I pulled over and checked the tread for rubbing, nails, scarring and there was nothing. After about 60 miles or so and the sound occurring 4 times the TPM light came on. Shortly afterwards the sidewall blew out in 4 separate spots in the tire. I had the vehicle towed and the tires replaced. All tires were filled back up to their recommended PSI. It’s been about 3 weeks and now a second tire (same model) is making the same noise. I am having it replaced before the tire blows like the other.

2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE BEING UNRESPONSIVE. *LD CONSUMER STATES THAT VEHICLE HAS HAD SEVERAL ISSUES SINCE PURCHASING IT. ON 05/07/18 , WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, VEHICLE BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. ON 02/21/19 THE VEHICLE'S REMOTE START STOPPED WORKING AND THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER AND THE CYLINDER HEAD AND CATALYST WERE REPLACED. ON 05/30/19 THE A/C UNIT WOULD NOT BLOW OUT COLD AIR AND VIBRATED WHEN TURNED ON. THE A/C BLOWER MOTOR WAS REPLACED. ON 07/02/19 A LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH AND A RATTLING SOUND CAME FROM VENTS. DEBRIS WAS FOUND IN THE VENTS AND TRACES OF METAL WERE FOUND IN OIL. THE OIL WAS CHANGED AND PARTS WERE REPLACED. ON 12/2719 THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. METAL SHAVINGS WERE FOUND IN THE OIL. VEHICLE RECEIVED A NEW ENGINE. ON 02/17/20 A NOISE IS HEARD WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF FAILURES. MANUFACTURER OFFERED TO PAY REMAINING BALANCE ON VEHICLE, SO THAT CONSUMER COULD TRADE-IN VEHICLE. CONSUMER DECLINED OFFER. *DL